No abstract

While bone is a frequent target of breast cancer-associated metastasis, little is known about the effects of tumor-bone interactions on the efficacy of tumor-suppressing agents. Here we examined the effect of two FDA-approved dopamine modulators, fluphenazine and trifluoperazine, on mammary tumor cells, osteoclasts, osteoblasts, and osteocytes. These agents suppressed proliferation and migration of mammary tumor cells chiefly by antagonizing dopamine receptor D2 and reduced bone resorption by downregulating nuclear factor of activated T cells, cytoplasmic 1 (Nfatc1). Three-dimensional spheroid formation assays revealed that tumor cells have high affinity to osteocytes and type I collagen, and interactions with osteocytes as well as administration of fluphenazine and trifluoperazine downregulated Snail and suppressed migratory behaviors. Unlike the inhibitory action of fluphenazine and trifluoperazine on tumor growth, tumor-osteocyte interactions stimulated tumor proliferation by upregulating NFκB and Akt. In the bone microenvironment, osteocytes downregulated Snail and acted as an attractant as well as a stimulant to mammary tumor cells. These results demonstrate that tumor-osteocyte interactions strengthen dopamine receptor-mediated suppression of tumor migration but weaken its inhibition of tumor proliferation in the osteocyte-rich bone microenvironment. These findings provide novel insight into the cellular cross-talk in the bone microevironment and the effects of dopamine modulators on mammary tumor cells and osteocytes. .

Background FK506 binding protein 12 (FKBP12) is a known cis-trans peptidyl prolyl isomerase and highly expressed in the heart. Its role in regulating postnatal cardiac function remains largely unknown. Methods and Results We generated FKBP12 overexpressing transgenic (αMyHC-FKBP12) mice and cardiomyocyte-restricted FKBP12 conditional knockout (FKBP12f/f/αMyHC-Cre) mice, and analyzed their cardiac electrophysiology in vivo and in vitro. A high incidence (38%) of sudden death was found in αMyHC-FKBP12 mice. Surface and ambulatory ECGs documented cardiac conduction defects, which were further confirmed by electrical measurements and optical mapping in Langendorff-perfused hearts. αMyHC-FKBP12 hearts had slower action potential upstrokes, and longer action potential durations. Whole-cell patch-clamp analyses demonstrated an ~80% reduction in peak density of the tetrodotoxin-resistant, voltage-gated sodium current, INa, in αMyHC-FKBP12 ventricular cardiomyocytes, a slower recovery of INa from inactivation, shifts of steady-state activation and inactivation curves of INa to more depolarized potentials, and augmentation of late INa, suggesting that the arrhythmogenic phenotype of αMyHC-FKBP12 mice is due to abnormal INa. Ventricular cardiomyocytes isolated from FKBP12f/f/αMyHC-Cre hearts showed faster action potential upstrokes and a more than 2-fold increase in peak INa density. Dialysis of exogenous recombinant FKBP12 protein into FKBP12-deficient cardiomyocytes promptly recapitulated alterations in INa seen in αMyHC-FKBP12 myocytes. Conclusions FKBP12 is a critical regulator of INa and is important to cardiac arrhythmogenic physiology. FKPB12-mediated dysregulation of INa may underlie clinical arrhythmias associated with FK506 administration.

The authors conclude that ketamine inhibits postsynaptic -methyl-d-aspartate receptors and presynaptic afferent processes in medial nucleus tractus solitarius. Unexpectedly, capsaicin-sensitive (C-type), unmyelinated afferents are significantly more susceptible to block than capsaicin-resistant (A-type), myelinated afferents. This differentiation may be related to tetrodotoxin-resistant sodium currents. Since C-type afferents mediate powerful arterial baroreflexes effects, these differential actions may contribute to ketamine-induced cardiovascular dysfunction.