Inter-Study Precision of Cancer Cell Radiosensitivity As Assessed By Colony Formation Assay

Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of a series of benzofuran[3,2-d]pyrimidine-4(3H)-one derivatives containing thiosemicarbazone analogs as novel PARP-1 inhibitors

Poly ADP ribose polymerase-1 (PARP-1), one of the most important members of the PARP protein family, plays a crucial role in DNA damage repair, gene transcription, and apoptosis of cancer cells. In this work, benzofuran[3,2-d]pyrimidine-4(3H)-one was used as a framework to design and synthesize a series of novel PARP-1 inhibitors by introducing thiosemicarbazone or its derivatives into the scafford. Among all the target compounds, 19b and 19c were found to exhibit more potent inhibitory activity and higher selectivity against PARP-1 than Olaparib, especially the latter had an IC50 value of 0.026 μM against PARP-1 enzyme and a PARP-2/PARP-1 selectivity of 85.19-fold over Olapanib. Apart from strong cytotoxicity against the tested cancer cell lines, 19c was most sensitive to SK-OV-3 cells, with an IC50 value of 4.98 μM superior to Olaparib. Anti-cancer mechanism studies revealed that 19c could inhibit DNA single-strand breakage repair and aggravate DNA double-strand breakage by inhibiting PARP-1 activity, and promote the apoptosis of cancer cells through the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway.

SPAG5 Is Involved in Human Gliomagenesis Through the Regulation of Cell Proliferation and Apoptosis

Background

Glioma is the most frequent malignant primary brain tumor in adults.

Objective

To explore the role of sperm-associated antigen 5 (SPAG5) in glioma.

Methods

The association between SPAG5 expression and clinical features was investigated based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) datasets. The function of SPAG5 in glioma was analyzed using U87 and U251 cells. Knockdown glioma cells were constructed by shRNA interference. qRT-PCR and Western blotting were used to measure the expression of SPAG5 and Cadherin 2 (CDH2). Cell proliferation and apoptosis were measured by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, caspase 3/7 assay, and high-content screening (HCS) proliferation analysis and colony formation assay. Transwell assays and wound-healing assays were used to investigate cell migration and invasion.

Results

The increased expression of SPAG5 was correlated with poor outcomes in glioma patients. Knocking down SPAG5 could inhibit the proliferation and colony formation and promoted the apoptosis of glioma cells. Knocking down SPAG5 could also inhibit cell migration and invasion and the expression of CDH2. Overexpression of CDH2 with SPAG5 depletion could restore the proliferation and inhibit the apoptosis of glioma cells, which also promoted cell migration and invasion.

Conclusions

SPAG5 is a promising prognostic factor and potential therapeutic target for clinical intervention in glioma.