Cytoskeleton-associated protein 2 (CKAP2), also known as tumor-associated microtubule-associated protein (TMAP), is a novel microtubule-associated protein that is frequently upregulated in various malignances. However, its cellular functions remain unknown. A previous study has shown that its protein level begins to increase during G 1 /S and peaks at G 2 /M, after which it decreases abruptly. Ectopic overexpression of TMAP/ CKAP2 induced microtubule bundling related to increased microtubule stability. TMAP/CKAP2 overexpression also resulted in cell cycle arrest during mitosis due to a defect in centrosome separation and subsequent formation of a monopolar spindle. We also show that degradation of TMAP/CKAP2 during mitotic exit is mediated by the anaphase-promoting complex bound to Cdh1 and that the KEN box motif near the N terminus is necessary for its destruction. Compared to the wild type, expression of a nondegradable mutant of TMAP/ CKAP2 significantly increased the occurrence of spindle defects and cytokinesis failure. These results suggest that TMAP/CKAP2 plays a role in the assembly and maintenance of mitotic spindles, presumably by regulating microtubule dynamics, and its destruction during mitotic exit serves an important role in the completion of cytokinesis and in the maintenance of spindle bipolarity in the next mitosis.
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) exhibits innate resistance to the EGFR inhibition despite high level expression of EGFR. Recently, we found that the proliferation of basal-like (BL) subtype TNBC cells is synergistically inhibited by combination of EGFR and PI3K/AKT inhibitors. On the contrary, TNBC cells of mesenchymal stem-like (MSL) subtype are resistant to these combinations. To identify potential synthetic lethal interaction of compounds for treatment of MSL subtype TNBC cells, we performed MTT screening of MDA-MB-231 cells with a small library of receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (RTKIs) in the presence of gefitinib, an EGFR inhibitor. We identified MET inhibitors as potent RTKIs that caused synthetic lethality in combination with gefitinib in MDA-MB-231 cells. We demonstrated that combination of a MET inhibitor SU11274 with various EGFR inhibitors resulted in synergistic suppression of cell viability (in MTT assay) and cell survival (in colony formation assay) of MSL subtype TNBC cells. We further demonstrated that SU11274 alone induced G2 arrest and gefitinib/SU11274 combination sustained the SU11274-induced G2 arrest in these cells. In addition, SU11274/gefitinib combination synergistically reduced the level of ribosomal protein S6 (RPS6) in MSL subtype TNBC cells. In addition, knockdown of RPS6 itself, in both HS578T and MDA-MB-231, markedly reduced the proliferation of these cells. Taken together, our data suggest that dual targeting of EGFR and MET inhibits the proliferation of MSL subtype TNBC cells through down-regulation of RPS6.
Gemcitabine (GEM) is front-line standard chemotherapy used for the treatment of pancreatic cancer, but chemoresistance to GEM remains the major obstacle in successful control of this disease. Both expression levels and activity of aldehyde dehydrogenase 1A1 (ALDH1A1) are important features of tumor-initiating and/or cancer stem cell properties in multiple types of humancancers. Since one of the intrinsic properties of cancer stem cells is drug resistance, we tested the relationship between the level and activity of endogenous ALDH1A1 and GEM resistance in the MIA PaCa-2 cell line that contains high expression levels and activity of ALDH1A1. We used small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) to deplete ALDH1A1 and investigate its potential role in conferring GEM resistance. ALDH1A1 knockdown markedly reduced ALDH1A1 expression and activity and inhibited cell proliferation. Moreover, the combination of ALDH1A1-siRNA and GEM significantly decreased cell viability, increased apoptotic cell death and increased accumulation of cells at S-phase compared to controls. Our data also demonstrated that ALDH1A1 expression and activity was significantly higher in GEM-resistant MIA PaCa-2 cell line (MIA PaCa-2/GR), compared to those of parental MIA PaCa-2 cells (MIA PaCa-2/P). In MIA PaCa-2/GR cells, the combination of ALDH1A1-siRNA and GEM also showed significant decrease in cell viability and increase of apoptotic cell death emphasizing the importance of ALDH1A1 in both intrinsic and acquired GEM resistance. This potentially powerful combination treatment of ALDH1A1-siRNA and GEM warrants further investigation as an effective therapeutic regimen to overcome resistance of pancreatic cancer to GEM.
Mammalian polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) has been studied intensively as a key element in regulating diverse mitotic events during M-phase progression. Plk1 is spatially regulated through the targeting activity of the conserved polo-box domain (PBD) present in the C-terminal non-catalytic region. Over the years, studies have demonstrated that the PBD forms a phospho-epitope binding module and the PBD-dependent interaction is critical for proper subcellular localization of Plk1. The current prevailing model is that the PBD binds to a phospho-epitope generated by Cdc2 or other Pro-directed kinases. Here we discuss a recent finding that Plk1 also self-promotes its localization by generating its own PBD-docking site.
Pancreatic cancer remains an intractable cancer with a poor five-year survival rate, which requires new therapeutic modalities based on the biology of pancreatic oncogenesis. Nuclear factor E2 related factor-2 (NRF2), a key cytoprotective nuclear transcription factor, regulates antioxidant production, reduction, detoxification and drug efflux proteins. It also plays an essential role in cell homeostasis, cell proliferation and resistance to chemotherapy. We aimed to evaluate the possibility that modulation of NRF2 expression could be effective in the treatment of pancreatic cancer cells. We investigated whether the depletion of NRF2 by using small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) is effective in the expression of biomarkers of pancreatic cancer stemness such as aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 family, member A1 (ALDH1A1) and aldehyde dehydrogenase 3 family, member A1 (ALDH3A1). NRF2 knockdown markedly reduced the expression of NRF2 and glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (GCLC) in cell lines established from pancreatic cancers. NRF2 silencing also decreased the ALDH1A1 and ALDH3A1 expression. Furthermore, this NRF2 depletion enhanced the antiproliferative effects of the chemotherapeutic agent, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in pancreatic cancer cells.
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