BACKGROUND Glyphosate-resistant (GR) weed species are now found with increasing frequency and threaten the critically importantGR weed management system. RESULTS The reported 31P NMR experiments on glyphosate-sensitive (S) and glyphosate-resistant (R) horseweed, Conyza canadensis (L.) Cronq., show significantly more accumulation of glyphosate within the R biotype vacuole. CONCLUSIONS Selective sequestration of glyphosate into the vacuole confers the observed horseweed resistance to glyphosate. This observation represents the first clear evidence for the glyphosate resistance mechanism in C. canadensis.

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Lolium spp., ryegrass, variants from Australia, Brazil, Chile, and Italy showing differing levels of glyphosate resistance were examined by (31)P NMR. Extents of glyphosate (i) resistance (LD(50)), (ii) inhibition of 5-enopyruvyl-shikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) activity (IC(50)), and (iii) translocation were quantified for glyphosate-resistant (GR) and glyphosate-sensitive (GS) Lolium multiflorum Lam. variants from Chile and Brazil. For comparison, LD(50) and IC(50) data for Lolium rigidum Gaudin variants from Italy were also analyzed. All variants showed similar cellular uptake of glyphosate by (31)P NMR. All GR variants showed glyphosate sequestration within the cell vacuole, whereas there was minimal or no vacuole sequestration in the GS variants. The extent of vacuole sequestration correlated qualitatively with the level of resistance. Previous (31)P NMR studies of horseweed ( Conyza canadensis (L.) Cronquist) revealed that glyphosate sequestration imparted glyphosate resistance. Data presented herein suggest that glyphosate vacuolar sequestration is strongly contributing, if not the major contributing, resistance mechanism in ryegrass as well.

Low temperature markedly diminishes vacuolar sequestration of glyphosate in the GR horseweed biotype, yielding a herbicide response equivalent to that of the sensitive biotype. This supports the recent hypothesis1 that glyphosate sequestration is the resistance mechanism employed by GR horseweed.

The GR RR mechanism of resistance is not associated with vacuole sequestration of glyphosate, and the observed reduced translocation is likely a consequence of rapid tissue death. Rapid cell death was inhibited by exogenous application of aromatic amino acids phenylalanine and tyrosine. The mechanism by which these amino acids inhibit rapid cell death in the GR RR phenotype remains unknown, and it could involve glyphosate phytotoxicity or other agents generating reactive oxygen species. Implications of these findings are discussed. The GR RR mechanism is distinct from the currently described glyphosate TSR or NTSR mechanisms in other species. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

This article is available online at http://dmd.aspetjournals.org ABSTRACT:This study determined the cytochrome P450 (P450) isoforms responsible for metabolism of isoflavones using human liver microsomes (HLM) and expressed P450s. The primary metabolite of genistein is 3-OH-genistein, as identified with an authentic chemically synthesized standard. CYP1A2 was predominantly responsible for 3-OH-genistein formation since its formation was inhibited (>50%, p < 0.05) by a monoclonal antibody specific for CYP1A2, was correlated with CYP1A2 activities of HLM, and was catalyzed by expressed CYP1A2. In addition to CYP1A2, CYP2E1 also catalyzed, although to a lesser extent, its formation. The contribution of these P450s to the formation of 3-OH-genistein was also confirmed with a panel of expressed enzymes. Methylated isoflavones biochanin A, prunetin, and formononetin (10-100 M) were rapidly converted by HLM and expressed CYP1A2 to more active genistein and daidzein. The conversion of biochanin A to genistein appears to be mainly mediated by CYP1A2 because of the strong correlation between the conversion rates and CYP1A2 activities in HLM. Thus, CYP1A2 is an effective prodrug-converting enzyme for less active methylated isoflavones. CYP1A2-catalyzed conversion of biochanin A to genistein (K m , 7.80 M; V max , 903 pmol/min/mg of protein; V max /K m , 116 l/min/mg of protein) was much faster than 3-hydroxylation of genistein (K m , 12.7 M and V max , 109 pmol/ min/mg of protein; V max /K m , 8.6 l/min/mg of protein). The interaction studies showed that genistein inhibited formation of acetaminophen from phenacetin with an IC 50 value of 16 M. Additional studies showed that phenacetin and genistein were mutually inhibitory. In conclusion, CYP1A2 and CYP2E1 metabolized genistein and CYP1A2 acted as prodrug-converting enzymes for other less active methylated isoflavones.

Horseweed (Conyza canadensis) is considered a significant glyphosate-resistant (GR) weed in agriculture, spreading to 21 states in the United States and now found globally on five continents. This laboratory previously reported rapid vacuolar sequestration of glyphosate as the mechanism of resistance in GR horseweed. The observation of vacuole sequestration is consistent with the existence of a tonoplast-bound transporter. 31 P-Nuclear magnetic resonance experiments performed in vivo with GR horseweed leaf tissue show that glyphosate entry into the plant cell (cytosolic compartment) is (1) first order in extracellular glyphosate concentration, independent of pH and dependent upon ATP; (2) competitively inhibited by alternative substrates (aminomethyl phosphonate [AMPA] and N-methyl glyphosate [NMG]), which themselves enter the plant cell; and (3) blocked by vanadate, a known inhibitor/blocker of ATP-dependent transporters. Vacuole sequestration of glyphosate is (1) first order in cytosolic glyphosate concentration and dependent upon ATP; (2) competitively inhibited by alternative substrates (AMPA and NMG), which themselves enter the plant vacuole; and (3) saturable.31 P-Nuclear magnetic resonance findings with GR horseweed are consistent with the active transport of glyphosate and alternative substrates (AMPA and NMG) across the plasma membrane and tonoplast in a manner characteristic of ATP-binding cassette transporters, similar to those that have been identified in mammalian cells.

Neuroendocrine prostate cancer is a lethal variant of prostate cancer that is associated with castrate-resistant growth, metastasis, and mortality. The tumor environment of neuroendocrine prostate cancer is heterogeneous and characterized by hypoxia, necrosis, and numerous mitoses. Although acidic extracellular pH has been implicated in aggressive cancer features including metastasis and therapeutic resistance, its role in neuroendocrine prostate cancer physiology and metabolism has not yet been explored. We used the well-characterized PNEC cell line as a model to establish the effects of extracellular pH (pH 6.5, 7.4, and 8.5) on neuroendocrine prostate cancer cell metabolism. We discovered that alkalinization of extracellular pH converted cellular metabolism to a nutrient consumption-dependent state that was susceptible to glucose deprivation, glutamine deprivation, and 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) mediated inhibition of glycolysis. Conversely, acidic pH shifted cellular metabolism toward an oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS)-dependent state that was susceptible to OXPHOS inhibition. Based upon this mechanistic knowledge of pH-dependent metabolism, we identified that the FDA-approved anti-helminthic niclosamide depolarized mitochondrial potential and depleted ATP levels in PNEC cells whose effects were enhanced in acidic pH. To further establish relevance of these findings, we tested the effects of extracellular pH on susceptibility to nutrient deprivation and OXPHOS inhibition in a cohort of castrate-resistant prostate cancer cell lines C4-2B, PC-3, and PC-3M. We discovered similar pH-dependent toxicity profiles among all cell lines with these treatments. These findings underscore a potential importance to acidic extracellular pH in the modulation of cell metabolism in tumors and development of an emerging paradigm that exploits the synergy of environment and therapeutic efficacy in cancer.