Initiation and termination of DNA replication during S phase in relation to cyclins D1, E and A, p21WAF1, Cdt1 and the p12 subunit of DNA polymerase δ revealed in individual cells by cytometry

Down-regulation of tumor endothelial marker 8 suppresses cell proliferation mediated by ERK1/2 activity

Tumor endothelial marker 8 (TEM8) was recently suggested as a putative anti-tumor target in several types of human cancer based on its selective overexpression in tumor versus normal endothelial cells. The objective of this study was to detect the potential functions of TEM8 in osteosarcoma. Overall, TEM8 was mainly located in cytoplasm and was up-regulated in osteosarcoma compared to benign bone lesions and adjacent non tumor tissue (ANT). High TEM8 expression group had a significant lower overall survival rate than that in the low TEM8 expression group. TEM8 knock-down by siRNA or shRNA results in significant reduction of osteosarcoma cell growth and proliferation both in vitro and in vivo. Ablation of TEM8 led to increasing of p21 and p27 and suppression of cyclin D1 mediated by Erk1/2 activity. These findings suggest that down-regulation of TEM8 play an important role in the inhibition of tumorigenesis and development of osteosarcoma.

Antibiotic drug tigecycline inhibits melanoma progression and metastasis in a p21CIP1/Waf1-dependent manner

Antibiotics are common drugs with low toxicity but high effectiveness. They have been suggested to be drug candidates for cancer therapy in recent years. Here, we tried to investigate the antitumour effect of tigecycline on malignant melanoma. We showed that tigecycline dramatically inhibited cell proliferation and induced cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase. At the same time, tigecycline suppressed cell invasion and migration through preventing epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process. In addition, tigecycline also significantly blocked tumor growth in vivo. Expression of cell cycle-related proteins were investigated and resulted in downregulation of G1/S checkpoint proteins, such as CDK2 and Cyclin E. However, cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1 (CDKN1A, p21(CIP1/Waf1)) was downregulated after tigecycline treatment, which was not conformed to its conventional function. To explain this, we overexpressed p21 in melanoma cells. We found that p21 overexpression significantly rescued tigecycline-induced cell proliferation inhibition as well as migration and invasion suppression. Taken together, our results revealed that the essential role of p21 in the inhibitory effect of tigecycline on proliferation, migration and invasion of melanoma. Tigecycline might act as a candidate therapeutic drug for treatment of patients suffering from malignant melanoma.

The Timing of T Cell Priming and Cycling

The proliferation of specific lymphocytes is the central tenet of the clonal selection paradigm. Antigen recognition by T cells triggers a series of events that produces expanded clones of differentiated effector cells. TCR signaling events are detectable within seconds and minutes and are likely to continue for hours and days in vivo. Here, I review the work done on the importance of TCR signals in the later part of the expansion phase of the primary T cell response, primarily regarding the regulation of the cell cycle in CD4(+) and CD8(+) cells. The results suggest a degree of programing by early signals for effector differentiation, particularly in the CD8(+) T cell compartment, with optimal expansion supported by persistent antigen presentation later on. Differences to CD4(+) T cell expansion and new avenues toward a molecular understanding of cell cycle regulation in lymphocytes are discussed.

Small PARP inhibitor PJ-34 induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis of adult T-cell leukemia cells

Background

HTLV-I is associated with the development of an aggressive form of lymphocytic leukemia known as adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL). A major obstacle for effective treatment of ATLL resides in the genetic diversity of tumor cells and their ability to acquire resistance to chemotherapy regimens. As a result, most patients relapse and current therapeutic approaches still have limited long-term survival benefits. Hence, the development of novel approaches is greatly needed.

Methods

In this study, we found that a small molecule inhibitor of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), PJ-34, is very effective in activating S/G2M cell cycle checkpoints, resulting in permanent cell cycle arrest and reactivation of p53 transcription functions and caspase-3-dependent apoptosis of HTLV-I-transformed and patient-derived ATLL tumor cells. We also found that HTLV-I-transformed MT-2 cells are resistant to PJ-34 therapy associated with reduced cleaved caspase-3 activation and increased expression of RelA/p65.

Conclusion

Since PJ-34 has been tested in clinical trials for the treatment of solid tumors, our results suggest that some ATLL patients may be good candidates to benefit from PJ-34 therapy.

Visualizing cell-cycle kinetics after hypoxia/reoxygenation in HeLa cells expressing fluorescent ubiquitination-based cell cycle indicator (Fucci)

Hypoxia induces G1 arrest in many cancer cell types. Tumor cells are often exposed to hypoxia/reoxygenation, especially under acute hypoxic conditions in vivo. In this study, we investigated cell-cycle kinetics and clonogenic survival after hypoxia/reoxygenation in HeLa cells expressing fluorescent ubiquitination-based cell cycle indicator (Fucci). Hypoxic treatment halted cell-cycle progression during mid-S to G2 phase, as determined by the cell cycle-regulated E3 ligase activities of SCF(Skp2) and APC/C(Cdh1), which are regulators of the Fucci probes; however, the DNA content of the arrested cells was equivalent to that in G1 phase. After reoxygenation, time-lapse imaging and DNA content analysis revealed that all cells reached G2 phase, and that Fucci fluorescence was distinctly separated into two fractions 24h after reoxygenation: red cells that released from G2 arrest after repairing DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) exhibited higher clonogenic survival, whereas most cells that stayed green contained many DSBs and exhibited lower survival. We conclude that hypoxia disrupts coordination of DNA synthesis and E3 ligase activities associated with cell-cycle progression, and that DSB repair could greatly influence cell-cycle kinetics and clonogenic survival after hypoxia/reoxygenation.