SUMMARY Composed of up to 1000 phospho-anhydride bond-linked phosphate monomers, inorganic polyphosphate (polyP) is one of the most ancient, conserved, and enigmatic molecules in biology. Here we demonstrate that polyP functions as a hitherto unrecognized chaperone. We show that polyP stabilizes proteins in vivo, diminishes the need for other chaperone systems to survive proteotoxic stress conditions, and protects a wide variety of proteins against stress-induced unfolding and aggregation. In vitro studies reveal that polyP has protein-like chaperone qualities, binds to unfolding proteins with high affinity in an ATP-independent manner, and supports their productive refolding once non-stress conditions are restored. Our results uncover a universally important function for polyP and suggest that these long chains of inorganic phosphate may have served as one of nature’s first chaperones, a role that continues to the present day.

Purpose: Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a process whereby cells acquire molecular alterations that facilitate cell motility and invasion. In preliminary studies, we observed that oxaliplatin-resistant (OxR) colorectal cancer (CRC) cells underwent morphologic changes suggestive of a migratory phenotype, leading us to hypothesize that OxR CRC cells undergo EMT. Experimental Design: The human CRC cell lines KM12L4 and HT29 were exposed to increasing doses of oxaliplatin to establish stable cell lines resistant to oxaliplatin. Migration and invasion were assessed by modified Boyden chamber assays. Morphologic and molecular changes characteristic of EMT were determined by immunofluorescence staining and Western blot analyses. Results: The OxR cells showed phenotypic changes consistent with EMT: spindle-cell shape, loss of polarity, intercellular separation, and pseudopodia formation. KM12L4 and HT29 OxR cells exhibited an f8-to 15-fold increase in migrating and invading cells, respectively (P < 0.005 for both). Immunofluorescence staining of OxR cells revealed translocation of E-cadherin and h-catenin from their usual membrane-bound complex to the cytoplasm and nucleus, respectively. The OxR cells also had decreased expression of the epithelial adhesion molecules E-cadherin and plakoglobin and an increase in the mesenchymal marker vimentin. The KM12L4 OxR cells exhibited increased nuclear expression of Snail, an EMT-regulatory transcription factor, whereas the HT29 OxR cells exhibited an increase in nuclear expression of the EMT-associated transcription factor nuclear factor nB. Conclusion: We hypothesize that induction of EMT may contribute to the decreased efficacy of therapy in chemoresistant CRC, as the tumor cells switch from a proliferative to invasive phenotype. Further understanding of the mechanisms of chemoresistance in CRC will enable improvements in chemotherapy for metastatic disease.Oxaliplatin is a third-generation platinum compound and is the first platinum-based compound to show efficacy in the treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC; ref. 1). Its use in combination with 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin (FOLFOX) for metastatic CRC has led to response rates >50% and median survival approaching 2 years (2, 3). FOLFOX has also been found to be very effective in the adjuvant setting, leading to an increase in the number of patients who are cured after surgical resection when compared with the use of 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin alone (4). Despite these impressive accomplishments, virtually all metastatic CRC eventually become resistant to oxaliplatin, with a median time to progression of f8 months (5). Hypotheses on the mechanisms of oxaliplatin resistance include defects in oxaliplatin uptake, impaired DNA adduct formation, and increased expression of a copper efflux transporter (6 -9).Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a process initially observed in embryonic development in which cells lose epithelial characteristics and gain mesenchymal properties to increase motility and...

5-fluorouracil (5FU) and oxaliplatin are standard therapy for metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC), but the development of chemoresistance is inevitable. Since cancer stem cells (CSCs) are hypothesized to be chemoresistant, we investigated CSC properties in newly developed chemoresistant CRC cell lines and sought to identify targets for therapy. The human CRC cell line HT29 was exposed to increasing doses of 5FU (HT29/5FU-R) or oxaliplatin (HT29/Ox) to achieve resistance at clinically relevant doses. Western blotting and flow cytometry were done to determine molecular alterations. The insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R) monoclonal antibody (MoAb) AVE-1642 was used to inhibit signaling in vitro and in vivo using murine xenograft models. HT29/5FU-R and HT29/OxR demonstrated 16- to 30-fold enrichment of CD133+ cells and 2-fold enrichment of CD44+ cells (putative CRC CSC markers). Resistant cells were enriched 5- to 22-fold for double-positive (CD133+/CD44+) cells. Consistent with the CSC phenotype, resistant cells exhibited a decrease in cellular proliferation in vitro (47–59%; p<0.05). Phosphorylated and total IGF-1R levels were increased in resistant cell lines. HT29/5FU-R and HT29/OxR cells were ~5-fold more responsive to IGF-1R inhibition relative to parental cells (p<0.01) in vitro. Tumors derived from HT29/OxR cells demonstrated significantly greater growth inhibition in response to an IGF-1R MoAB than did parental cells (p<0.05). Chemoresistant CRC cells are enriched for CSC markers and the CSC phenotype. Chemotherapy-induced IGF-1R activation provided for enhanced sensitivity to IGF-1R targeted therapy. Identification of CSC targets presents a novel therapeutic approach in this disease.

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Endoglin (CD105) is an accessory protein of the transforming growth factor-h receptor system expressed on vascular endothelial cells. Mutation of the endoglin gene is associated with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasias, or Osler-Weber-Rendu syndrome, and has been studied extensively in the context of this disease.The expression of endoglin is elevated on the endothelial cells of healing wounds, developing embryos, inflammatory tissues, and solid tumors. Endoglin is a marker of activated endothelium, and its vascular expression is limited to proliferating cells. Recent studies identified endoglin expression in several solid tumor types, with the level of expression correlating with various clinicopathologic factors including decreased survival and presence of metastases. Attempts to target endoglin and the cells that express this protein in tumor-bearing mice have yielded promising results.

Hypochlorous acid (HOCl), the active ingredient of household bleach, is the most common disinfectant in medical, industrial, and domestic use and plays an important role in microbial killing in the innate immune system. Given the critical importance of the antimicrobial properties of chlorine to public health, it is surprising how little is known about the ways in which bacteria sense and respond to reactive chlorine species (RCS). Although the literature on bacterial responses to reactive oxygen species (ROS) is enormous, work addressing bacterial responses to RCS has begun only recently. Transcriptomic and proteomic studies now provide new insights into how bacteria mount defenses against this important class of antimicrobial compounds. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge, emphasizing the overlaps between RCS stress responses and other more well-characterized bacterial defense systems, and identify outstanding questions that represent productive avenues for future research.

. Assignment of isolates to lineages and to the majority of L. monocytogenes subtypes was significantly associated with the isolate source (food or human), although most subtypes and lineages included both human and food isolates. Some subtypes were also significantly associated with isolation from specific food types. Tissue culture plaque assay characterization of the 42 human isolates from Maryland and California and of 91 representative food isolates revealed significantly higher average infectivity and cell-to-cell spread for the human isolates, further supporting the hypothesis that food and human isolates form distinct populations. Combined analysis of subtype and cytopathogenicity data showed that strains classified into specific ribotypes previously linked to multiple human listeriosis outbreaks, as well as those classified into lineage I, are more common among human cases and generate larger plaques than other subtypes, suggesting that these subtypes may represent particularly virulent clonal groups. These data will provide a framework for prediction of the public health risk associated with specific L. monocytogenes subtypes.

Our laboratory has shown that vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1 (VEGFR-1) expression on human pancreatic cancer cell lines mediates cell migration and invasion. Because epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) also plays a role in cell motility by altering the cell phenotype and morphology, we hypothesized that VEGFR-1 activation induces molecular alterations that mediate EMT. Our treatment of the human pancreatic cancer cell line L3.6pl with the VEGFR-1 ligands VEGF-A and VEGF-B led to morphologic changes characteristic of EMT, including loss of polarity, increased intercellular separation, and the presence of pseudopodia. Immunofluorescent staining with antibodies to E-cadherin and B-catenin showed that VEGFR-1 activation led to translocation of E-cadherin and B-catenin from their usual cell membranebound location to the cytoplasm and nucleus, respectively. Western blotting showed that VEGFR-1 activation led to decreased expression of the epithelial markers E-cadherin and plakoglobin, increased expression of the mesenchymal markers vimentin and N-cadherin, and increased nuclear expression of B-catenin. Pretreatment of tumor cells with a VEGFR-1 blocking antibody inhibited the VEGFR-1-induced immunohistochemical and molecular changes in E-cadherin. VEGFR-1 activation led to an increase in expression of the EMT-associated transcription factors Snail, Twist, and Slug. The changes mediated by VEGFR-1 in this pancreatic carcinoma cell line are highly consistent with the changes characteristic of EMT. Given our previous finding of VEGFR-1-mediated tumor cell invasion and migration in pancreatic carcinoma cells, we hypothesize that VEGFR-1 plays a role in tumor progression in pancreatic cancer through the induction of EMT. (Cancer Res 2006; 66(1): 46-51)