ABSTRACT

No abstract

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is characterized by rapid tumor progression, high metastatic potential and profound chemoresistance. We recently reported that induction of a chemoresistant phenotype in the PDAC cell line PT45-P1 by long-term chemotherapy involves an increased interleukin 1 beta (IL1b)-dependent secretion of nitric oxide (NO) accounting for efficient caspase inhibition. In the present study, we elucidated the involvement of L1CAM, an adhesion molecule previously found in other malignancies, in this NO-dependent chemoresistance. Chemoresistant PT45-P1res cells, but not chemosensitive parental PT45-P1 cells, express high levels of L1CAM in an ILb-dependent fashion. PT45-P1res cells subjected to short interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated L1CAM knock-down exhibited reduced inducible nitric oxide synthase expression and NO secretion, as well as a significant increase of anticancer drug-induced caspase activation, an effect reversed by the NO donor S-nitroso-N-acetyl-D,L-penicillamine. Conversely, overexpression of L1CAM in PT45-P1 cells conferred anti-apoptotic protection to anti-cancer drug treatment. Interestingly, L1CAM ectodomain shedding, in example, by ADAM10, as reported for other L1CAM-related activities, seemed to be dispensable for antiapoptotic protection by L1CAM. Neither the shedded L1CAM ectodomain was detected in chemoresistant L1CAM-expressing PT45-P1 cells nor did the administration of various metalloproteinase inhibitors affect L1CAM-dependent chemoresistance. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed L1CAM expression in 80% of pancreatic cancer specimens, supporting a potential role of L1CAM in the malignancy of this tumor. These findings substantiate our understanding of the molecular mechanisms leading to chemoresistance in PDAC cells and indicate the importance of L1CAM in this scenario.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 is a gastrointestinal hormone that strongly stimulates insulin release via specific receptors on the pancreatic p-cell. To characterize the side-chain groups required for interaction of glucagon-like peptide-1 with its receptor, we performed binding studies with alanine-substituted glucagon-like peptide-1 analogues on RINmSF insulinoma cells. The binding affinity and biological activity of glucagon-like peptide-1 have been found to be sensitive to alanine exchanges in the N-terminal positions 1, 4, 6 and the C-terminal positions 22 and 23. Alanine substitutions at positions 5, 8, 10-12, 14, 16-21 and 25-30 do not change receptor affinity. These findings could be exploited to design glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists and probably antagonists for further physiological studies.Glucagon-like peptide-1 is a 30-residue gastrointestinal hormone released from the enteroglucagon cells (L-cells) in the small intestine [l -31. The post-translational processing of proglucagon in the small intestine leads to the generation of glucagon-like peptide-1, corresponding to positions 78 -108 of the human proglucagon precursor [3, 41. In v i m , glucagon-like peptide-1 increases insulin secretion from the isolated rat [S] and pig pancreas [2, 61, and from isolated rat islets [7]. In man, glucagon-like peptide-1 is released into the circulation postprandially, and glucagon-like peptide-1 infusions stimulate insulin release [ 81. Therefore, glucagon-like peptide-1 plays an important role in the postprandial regulation of insulin secretion. Recent studies have shown that glucagon-like peptide-1 also has an anti-diabetogenic effect by reducing the isoglycaemic meal-related requirement for insulin in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus [9][10][11].Receptors for glucagon-like peptide-1 have been characterized in RINm5F cells [12-141, a Abbreviations. Fmoc, N-9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl; [HlAIglucagon-like peptide-1 , glucagon-like peptide-I , with an alanine exchange in position 1 for the naturally occurring histidine residue. All other glucagon-like peptide-1 analogues are named accordingly with the first letter giving the naturally occurring amino acid in the glucagon-like peptide-1 sequence and the number following the first letter giving the position of the exchanged amino acid.Note. This work is dedicated to Werner Creutzfeldt, Professor emeritus of Medicine, Georg-August University of Gottingen, Germany, on the occasion of his 70th birthday. the gene encoding the receptor has been localized in humans [17]. So far, little is known about the structural requirements for glucagon-like peptide-1 binding to its receptor. Binding studies with N-terminal and C-terminal glucagon-like peptide-1 fragments have shown that the C-terminal domains of the glucagon-like peptide-1 molecule are important for receptor binding. The N-terminal fragment glucagon-like peptide-1 (7 -2.5) did not show receptor binding, indicating that longer N-terminal fragments are needed for receptor recognition [ 1 31. The glucag...