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Biochemical and Biophysical Research... Sep 2021The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that regulates various toxicological and biological functions. We reported previously that...
Activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor by 3-methylcholanthrene, but not by indirubin, suppresses mammosphere formation via downregulation of CDC20 expression in breast cancer cells.
The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that regulates various toxicological and biological functions. We reported previously that 3-methylcholanthrene (3MC), an exogenous AhR agonist, inhibited tumorsphere (mammosphere) formation from breast cancer cell lines, while the endogenous AhR agonist, indirubin, very weakly inhibited this process. However, the difference in inhibition mechanism of mammosphere formation by 3MC or indirubin is still unknown. In this study, we established AhR-re-expressing (KOTR-AhR) cells from AhR knockout MCF-7 cells using the tetracycline (Tet)-inducible gene expression systems. To identify any difference in inhibition of mammosphere formation by 3MC or indirubin, RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) experiments were performed using KOTR-AhR cells. RNA-seq experiments revealed that cell division cycle 20 (CDC20), which regulates the cell cycle and mitosis, was decreased by 3MC, but not by indirubin, in the presence of AhR expression. Furthermore, the mRNA and protein levels of CDC20 were decreased by 3MC in MCF-7 cells via the AhR. In addition, mammosphere formation was suppressed by small interfering RNA-mediated CDC20 knockdown compared to the negative control in MCF-7 cells. These results suggest that AhR activation by 3MC suppresses mammosphere formation via downregulation of CDC20 expression in breast cancer cells. This study provides useful information for the development of AhR-targeted anti-cancer drugs.
Topics: Breast Neoplasms; Cdc20 Proteins; Cell Line, Tumor; Down-Regulation; Female; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Humans; Indoles; Methylcholanthrene; Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon; Spheroids, Cellular; Transcriptome
PubMed: 34280616
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2021.07.047 -
Biology Open Sep 2019Recently, several promising treatments for high-grade gliomas (HGGs) failed to provide significant benefit when translated from the preclinical setting to patients....
Recently, several promising treatments for high-grade gliomas (HGGs) failed to provide significant benefit when translated from the preclinical setting to patients. Improving the animal models is fundamental to overcoming this translational gap. To address this need, we developed and comprehensively characterized a new model based on the orthotopic implantation of CT-2A cells cultured in neurospheres (NS/CT-2A). Murine CT-2A methylcholanthrene-induced HGG cells (C57BL/6 background) were cultured in monolayers (ML) or NS and orthotopically inoculated in syngeneic animals. ML/CT-2A and NS/CT-2A tumors' characterization included the analysis of tumor growth, immune microenvironment, glioma stem cells (GSCs), vascularization and metabolites. The immuno-modulating properties of NS/CT-2A and ML/CT-2A cells on splenocytes were tested Mice harboring NS/CT-2A tumors had a shorter survival than those harboring ML/CT-2A tumors (=0.0033). Compared to standard ML/CT-2A tumors, NS/CT-2A tumors showed more abundant GSCs (=0.0002 and 0.0770 for Nestin and CD133, respectively) and regulatory T cells (Tregs, =0.0074), and a strong tendency towards an increased vascularization (=0.0503). There were no significant differences in metabolites' composition between NS/ and ML/CT-2A tumors. , NS were able to drive splenocytes towards a more immunosuppressive status by reducing CD8 T cells (=0.0354) and by promoting Tregs (=0.0082), macrophages (MF, =0.0019) and their M2 subset (=0.0536). Compared to standard ML/CT-2A tumors, NS/CT-2A tumors show a more aggressive phenotype with increased immunosuppression and GSCs proliferation. Because of these specific features, the NS/CT-2A model represents a clinically relevant platform in the search for new HGG treatments aimed at reducing immunosuppression and eliminating GSCs.
PubMed: 31511246
DOI: 10.1242/bio.044552 -
Frontiers in Cellular and Infection... 2021The opportunistic pathogen is one of the few intestinal bacteria that has been consistently linked to colorectal cancer (CRC). This study aimed to identify novel...
OBJECTIVE
The opportunistic pathogen is one of the few intestinal bacteria that has been consistently linked to colorectal cancer (CRC). This study aimed to identify novel -induced pathways in colon epithelial cells that could further explain how contributes to CRC development.
DESIGN AND RESULTS
Transcription profiling of cultured CRC cells that were exposed to revealed the specific induction of oxidoreductase pathways. Most prominently, and genes that encode phase I biotransformation enzymes were responsible for the detoxification or bio-activation of toxic compounds. A common feature is that these enzymes are induced through the Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). Using the specific inhibitor CH223191, we showed that the induction of was dependent on the AhR both using multiple CRC cell lines as using wild-type C57bl6 mice colonized with . Furthermore, we showed that CYP1 could also be induced by other intestinal bacteria and that a yet unidentified diffusible factor from the secretome (SGS) induces CYP1A enzyme activity in an AhR-dependent manner. Importantly, priming CRC cells with SGS increased the DNA damaging effect of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon 3-methylcholanthrene.
CONCLUSION
This study shows that gut bacteria have the potential to modulate the expression of biotransformation pathways in colonic epithelial cells in an AhR-dependent manner. This offers a novel theory on the contribution of intestinal bacteria to the etiology of CRC by modifying the capacity of intestinal epithelial or (pre-)cancerous cells to (de)toxify dietary components, which could alter intestinal susceptibility to DNA damaging events.
Topics: Animals; Biotransformation; Colorectal Neoplasms; Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A1; Epithelial Cells; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon; Streptococcus gallolyticus
PubMed: 34778104
DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.740704 -
Molecular Cancer Therapeutics Jan 2023This study aims to investigate whether adding neoadjuvant radiotherapy (RT), anti-programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) antibody (anti-PD-1), or RT + anti-PD-1 to...
This study aims to investigate whether adding neoadjuvant radiotherapy (RT), anti-programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) antibody (anti-PD-1), or RT + anti-PD-1 to surgical resection improves disease-free survival for mice with soft tissue sarcomas (STS). We generated a high mutational load primary mouse model of STS by intramuscular injection of adenovirus expressing Cas9 and guide RNA targeting Trp53 and intramuscular injection of 3-methylcholanthrene (MCA) into the gastrocnemius muscle of wild-type mice (p53/MCA model). We randomized tumor-bearing mice to receive isotype control or anti-PD-1 antibody with or without radiotherapy (20 Gy), followed by hind limb amputation. We used micro-CT to detect lung metastases with high spatial resolution, which was confirmed by histology. We investigated whether sarcoma metastasis was regulated by immunosurveillance by lymphocytes or tumor cell-intrinsic mechanisms. Compared with surgery with isotype control antibody, the combination of anti-PD-1, radiotherapy, and surgery improved local recurrence-free survival (P = 0.035) and disease-free survival (P = 0.005), but not metastasis-free survival. Mice treated with radiotherapy, but not anti-PD-1, showed significantly improved local recurrence-free survival and metastasis-free survival over surgery alone (P = 0.043 and P = 0.007, respectively). The overall metastasis rate was low (∼12%) in the p53/MCA sarcoma model, which limited the power to detect further improvement in metastasis-free survival with addition of anti-PD-1 therapy. Tail vein injections of sarcoma cells into immunocompetent mice suggested that impaired metastasis was due to inability of sarcoma cells to grow in the lungs rather than a consequence of immunosurveillance. In conclusion, neoadjuvant radiotherapy improves metastasis-free survival after surgery in a primary model of STS.
Topics: Mice; Animals; Neoadjuvant Therapy; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; Sarcoma; Progression-Free Survival; Disease-Free Survival; Soft Tissue Neoplasms; Retrospective Studies; Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local
PubMed: 36162051
DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-21-0991 -
Acta Biochimica Et Biophysica Sinica May 2020
Topics: Animals; Cytokines; Liver; Male; Methylcholanthrene; Mice; Mice, Inbred ICR
PubMed: 32293687
DOI: 10.1093/abbs/gmaa020 -
Toxicology Research Jun 2020Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and androgen receptor (AR) are ligand-activated transcription factors with profound cross-talk between their signal transduction...
Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and androgen receptor (AR) are ligand-activated transcription factors with profound cross-talk between their signal transduction pathways. Previous studies have shown that AhR agonists activate the transcription of AR-regulated genes in an androgen-independent manner; however, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. To decipher this mechanism, we evaluated the effects of 3-methylcholanthrene (3MC), a potent AhR agonist, on the transcription of AR-regulated genes in three AR-expressing cell lines. 3MC induced the expression of not only three representative AR-regulated chromosomal genes but also the exogenous AR-responsive luciferase reporter gene. No significant difference in the 3MC-induced luciferase activity was detected in the presence of SKF-525A, a non-specific inhibitor of CYP enzymes. The androgenic effects of 3MC were diminished by AhR and AR knockdown. Following 3MC treatment, the amount of nuclear AhR and AR increased synchronously. Co-immunoprecipitation revealed that AhR and AR formed a complex in the nucleus of cells treated with 3MC. AR was recruited to the proximal promoter and distal enhancer regions of the gene upon the addition of 3MC. We propose that AhR activated by 3MC forms a complex with unliganded AR which translocates from the cytoplasm to the nucleus. Nuclear AR now binds the transcriptional regulatory region of AR-regulated genes and activates the transcription.
PubMed: 32670558
DOI: 10.1093/toxres/tfaa027 -
American Journal of Translational... 2020Recent preclinical evidence has indicated that both androgen receptor (AR) inactivation and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) transrepression are associated with suppression...
Recent preclinical evidence has indicated that both androgen receptor (AR) inactivation and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) transrepression are associated with suppression of urothelial carcinogenesis. We therefore assessed the effect of a unique compound, 2-(4-acetoxyphenyl)-2-chloro-N-methylethylammonium chloride (Compound A; CpdA), which could function as an AR antagonist as well as a GR ligand, on urothelial tumorigenesis. Using the system with GR-positive non-neoplastic urothelial SVHUC cells stably expressing AR (SVHUC-AR), neoplastic transformation induced by a chemical carcinogen 3-methylcholanthrene (MCA) was inhibited similarly by an anti-androgen hydroxyflutamide and a glucocorticoid prednisone, and more strongly by CpdA. CpdA also prevented the neoplastic transformation of AR-negative MCA-SVHUC cells, which was diminished by a GR antagonist RU486, but failed to prevent that of GR knockdown MCA-SVHUC cells. In MCA-SVHUC-AR cells, CpdA significantly reduced the expression levels of oncogenes () and induced those of tumor suppressors (). Additionally, a potent carcinogen N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl)nitrosamine induced bladder cancer in all of 8 mock-treated mice versus 4 (50%) of flutamide-treated ( = 0.021), 4 (50%) of prednisone-treated ( = 0.021), or 2 (25%) of CpdA-treated ( = 0.002) animals. Finally, CpdA was found to reduce AR transactivation and selectively induce GR transrepression ( suppression of NF-κB transactivation and expression of its regulated genes), but not GR transactivation ( activation of glucocorticoid-response element-mediated transcription and expression of its targets) in SVHUC cells. These findings suggest that CpdA suppresses urothelial tumorigenesis via both the AR and GR pathways, which may consequently provide an effective option of chemoprevention for bladder cancer, especially in patients with superficial disease following transurethral surgery.
PubMed: 32509176
DOI: No ID Found -
Toxicology Mechanisms and Methods May 2024Torsional stress in double-stranded DNA enables and regulates facets of chromosomal metabolism, replication, and transcription and requires regulatory enzymatic systems...
Torsional stress in double-stranded DNA enables and regulates facets of chromosomal metabolism, replication, and transcription and requires regulatory enzymatic systems including topoisomerases and histone methyltransferases. As such, this machinery may be subject to deleterious effects from reactive mutagens, including ones from carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) adduct formation with DNA. Supercoiled plasmid DNA was investigated for its torsional responses to adducts formed from PAH benzylic carbocation reactive intermediates created spontaneously by release of leaving groups. PAH sulfate esters were found to (1) unwind DNA in a concentration dependent manner, and (2) provide maximum unwinding in a pattern consistent with known carcinogenicities of the parent PAHs, that is, 6-methylbenzo[a]pyrene > 7,12-methylbenz[a]anthracene > 3-methylcholanthrene > 9-methylanthracene > 7-methylbenz[a]anthracene > 1-methylpyrene. Supercoil unwinding was demonstrated to be dependent on the presence of sulfate or chloride leaving groups such that reactive carbocations were generated by hydrolysis. modeling of intercalative complex topology showed PAH benzylic carbocation reactive functional groups in alignment with target nucleophiles on guanine bases in a 5'-dCdG-3' pocket in agreement with known formation of nucleotide adducts. Inhibitory or modulatory effects on PAH-induced supercoil unwinding were seen with ascorbic acid and an experimental antineoplastic agent Antineoplaston A10 in agreement with their known anticarcinogenic properties. In summary, the reactive PAH intermediates studied here undoubtedly participate in well-known mutational mechanisms such as frameshifts and apurinic site generation. However, they are also capable of random disruption of chromosomal supercoiling in a manner consistent with the known carcinogenicities of the parent compounds, and this mechanism may represent an additional detrimental motif worthy of further study for a more complete understanding of chemical carcinogenicity.
Topics: Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; DNA; Anthracenes; Sulfates; Deoxyribonucleotides; DNA Adducts
PubMed: 38133498
DOI: 10.1080/15376516.2023.2297836 -
International Journal of Pharmaceutics Jul 2019The occurrence of lung cancer is linked with tobacco smoking, mainly through the generation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Elevated activity of cytochrome...
The occurrence of lung cancer is linked with tobacco smoking, mainly through the generation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Elevated activity of cytochrome P4501A1 (CYP1A1) plays an important role in the metabolic processing of PAHs and its carcinogenicity. The present work aimed to investigate the role of CYP1A1 gene in PAH-mediated growth and tumor development in vitro and using an in vivo animal model. RNAi strategy was utilized to inhibit the overexpression of CYP1A1 gene using cationic liposomes generated using a lipid film-coated proliposome microparticles. Treatment of PAH-induced human alveolar adenocarcinoma cell line with cationic liposomes carrying CYP1A1 siRNA resulted in down regulation of CYP1A1 mRNA, protein as well as its enzymatic activity, triggering apoptosis and inhibiting multicellular tumor spheroids formation in vitro. Furthermore, silencing of CYP1A1 gene in BALB/c nude xenografts inhibited tumor growth via down regulation of CYP1A1 expression. Altogether, our findings showed that liposome-based gene delivery technology is a viable and stable approach for targeting cancer causing genes such as CY1PA1. This technology facilitated by the use of sugar particles coated with lipid films has demonstrated ability to generate anticancer effects that might be used in the future for therapeutic intervention and treatment of lung cancer.
Topics: A549 Cells; Animals; Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A1; Gene Silencing; Humans; Lipids; Liposomes; Lung Neoplasms; Male; Methylcholanthrene; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mice, Nude; Nanomedicine; RNA, Messenger; RNA, Small Interfering
PubMed: 31051230
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2019.04.078 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Oct 2019The prevalence of upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) in Taiwan is relatively higher than thatin Western countries. Aristolochic acid (AA), which is widely used in...
The prevalence of upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) in Taiwan is relatively higher than thatin Western countries. Aristolochic acid (AA), which is widely used in traditional Chinese herbology, is now recognized to be one of the carcinogens for UTUC. Numerous UTUC patients have chronic kidney diseases or end-stage renal diseases; however, little literature hasreported on theoncogenic pathway of AA-related UTUC. The aim of our study was to identify the potential target treatment for AA-related UTUC. Here, we established an AA pre-exposure followed bya 3-methylcholanthrene (MCA) stimulus tumorigenic cell model. We not only demonstrated that AA pre-exposure MCA stimulus tumorigenic cells have more behaviors of cell migration and invasion by enhancing the metalloproteinases (MMP) activity, which is compatible with clinical findings of AA-related UTUC, but we also validated that AA pre-exposure MCA stimulus tumorigeniccells could be activated through the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) pathway. We further dissected the route of the MAPK pathway and found that the p38 and extracellular signal regulated kinases (ERK) sub-pathways might play essential roles in AA pre-exposure urothelial cancer cell lines. This consequence was also corroborated with a tissue study in AA-exposed patients.
Topics: Aristolochic Acids; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Movement; Cell Survival; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; Humans; MAP Kinase Signaling System; Matrix Metalloproteinases; Protein Kinase Inhibitors; Urologic Neoplasms; Urothelium
PubMed: 31619002
DOI: 10.3390/molecules24203707