Precision therapeutic targeting of human cancer cell motility

Unveiling the therapeutic potential: KBU2046 halts triple-negative breast cancer cell migration by constricting TGF-β1 activation in vitro

Background

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a heterogeneous, recurring cancer characterized by a high rate of metastasis, poor prognosis, and lack of efficient therapies. KBU2046, a small molecule inhibitor, can inhibit cell motility in malignant tumors, including breast cancer. However, the specific targets and the corresponding mechanism of its function remain unclear.

Methods

In this study, we employed (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H tetrazolium) (MTS) assay and transwell assay to investigate the impact of KBU2046 on the proliferation and migration of TNBC cells in vitro. RNA-Seq was used to explore the targets of KBU2046 that inhibit the motility of TNBC. Finally, confirmed the predicted important signaling pathways through RT-qPCR and western blotting.

Results

In this study, we found that KBU2046 functioned as a novel transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β1) inhibitor, effectively suppressing tumor cell motility in vitro. Mechanistically, it directly down-regulated leucine-rich repeat-containing 8 family, member E (LRRC8E), latent TGFβ-binding protein 3 (LTBP3), dynein light chain 1 (DNAL1), and MAF family of bZIP transcription factors (MAFF) genes, along with reduced protein expression of the integrin family. Additionally, KBU2046 decreased phosphorylation levels of Raf and ERK. This deactivation of the ERK signaling pathway impeded cancer invasion and metastasis.

Conclusions

In summary, these findings advocate for the utilization of TGF-β1 as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker and as a therapeutic target in TNBC. Furthermore, our data underscore the potential of KBU2046 as a novel therapeutic strategy for combating cancer metastasis.

Protein Structure Inspired Discovery of a Novel Inducer of Anoikis in Human Melanoma

Drug discovery historically starts with an established function, either that of compounds or proteins. This can hamper discovery of novel therapeutics. As structure determines function, we hypothesized that unique 3D protein structures constitute primary data that can inform novel discovery. Using a computationally intensive physics-based analytical platform operating at supercomputing speeds, we probed a high-resolution protein X-ray crystallographic library developed by us. For each of the eight identified novel 3D structures, we analyzed binding of sixty million compounds. Top-ranking compounds were acquired and screened for efficacy against breast, prostate, colon, or lung cancer, and for toxicity on normal human bone marrow stem cells, both using eight-day colony formation assays. Effective and non-toxic compounds segregated to two pockets. One compound, Dxr2-017, exhibited selective anti-melanoma activity in the NCI-60 cell line screen. In eight-day assays, Dxr2-017 had an IC50 of 12 nM against melanoma cells, while concentrations over 2100-fold higher had minimal stem cell toxicity. Dxr2-017 induced anoikis, a unique form of programmed cell death in need of targeted therapeutics. Our findings demonstrate proof-of-concept that protein structures represent high-value primary data to support the discovery of novel acting therapeutics. This approach is widely applicable.

Protein Structure Inspired Drug Discovery

Drug discovery starts with known function, either of a compound or a protein, in-turn prompting investigations to probe 3D structure of the compound-protein interface. As protein structure determines function, we hypothesized that unique 3D structural motifs represent primary information denoting unique function that can drive discovery of novel agents. Using a physics-based protein structure analysis platform developed by us, designed to conduct computationally intensive analysis at supercomputing speeds, we probed a high-resolution protein x-ray crystallographic library developed by us. We selected 3D structural motifs whose function was not otherwise established, that offered environments supporting binding of drug-like chemicals and were present on proteins that were not established therapeutic targets. For each of eight potential binding pockets on six different proteins we accessed a 60 million compound library and used our analysis platform to evaluate binding. Using eight-day colony formation assays acquired compounds were screened for efficacy against human breast, prostate, colon and lung cancer cells and toxicity against human bone marrow stem cells. Compounds selectively inhibiting cancer growth segregated to two pockets on separate proteins. The compound, Dxr2-017, exhibited selective activity against human melanoma cells in the NCI-60 cell line screen, had an IC50 of 19 nM against human melanoma M14 cells in our eight-day assay, while over 2100-fold higher concentrations inhibited stem cells by less than 30%. We show that Dxr2-017 induces anoikis, a unique form of programmed cell death in need of targeted therapeutics. The predicted target protein for Dxr2-017 is expressed in bacteria, not in humans. This supports our strategy of focusing on unique 3D structural motifs. It is known that functionally important 3D structures are evolutionarily conserved. Here we demonstrate proof-of-concept that protein structure represents high value primary data to support discovery of novel therapeutics. This approach is widely applicable.

3-Halochromones Through Oxidative α-Halogenation of Enaminones and its Photophysical Investigation: Another Case of Photo-induced Partially Aromatised Intramolecular Charge Transfer?

A versatile synthesis strategy for fluorescent 3-halo-4H-chromen-4-one derivatives is reported. The method involves the oxidative α-halogenation of enaminones performed by an efficient and sustainable oxidation system. The use of Oxone® in combination with KCl, KBr, or KI enables the preparation of 3-chloro-, 3-bromo-, or 3-iodo-4H-chromen-4-one in good to excellent yields, with great functional group tolerance where the protocol is amenable to gram-scale synthesis. The analysis of the photophysical properties of the presented 4H-chromen-4-one showed absorption in the UV region and fluorescence emission in the violet-to-cyan region with a relatively large Stokes shift. In solution, all compounds present a dual fluorescence emission, regardless of the solvent, assigned to a partially aromatised intramolecular charge transfer mechanism, considering the presence of a pseudo-aromatic ring in the chromone scaffold and the absence of the influence of substituent electronic features in optical behaviour.

Natural product procyanidin B1 as an antitumor drug for effective therapy of colon cancer

Traditional chemotherapy drugs have definite antitumor mechanisms and good therapeutic efficacy; however, their poor water solubility, serious side effects and drug resistance limit their clinical application. To the best of our knowledge, the present study reported for the first time the in vivo and in vitro anticancer effects of procyanidin B1 (PCB1), a compound that is isolated from natural sources such as grape seeds, apples, peanut skin and cranberries. Cell Counting Kit-8 assay showed that PCB1 effectively decreased the number of viable HCT-116 cells compared with cells treated with the small molecule cytotoxic drug doxorubicin. Quantitative PCR and apoptosis analysis, Cell cycle analysis, and WB analysis) of the molecular mechanism showed that PCB1 induced cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in S phase by increasing expression of pro-apoptosis protein caspase-3 and BAX and decreasing expression of anti-apoptosis protein Bcl-2. The efficient antitumor activity of PCB1 was demonstrated through in vivo experiments on a xenograft mouse model, demonstrating that PCB1 significantly suppressed tumor growth. The present study suggested that PCB1 represents a novel class of plant-based compounds isolated from natural sources that can be applied as an anticancer drug.

Multi compartmental 3D breast cancer disease model–recapitulating tumor complexity in in-vitro

Breast cancer is the most common ailment among women. In 2020, it had the highest incidence of any type of cancer. Many Phase II and III anti-cancer drugs fail due to efficacy, durability, and side effects. Thus, accelerated drug screening models must be accurate. In-vivo models have been used for a long time, but delays, inconsistent results, and a greater sense of responsibility among scientists toward wildlife have led to the search for in-vitro alternatives. Stromal components support breast cancer growth and survival. Multi-compartment Transwell models may be handy instruments. Co-culturing breast cancer cells with endothelium and fibroblasts improves modelling. The extracellular matrix (ECM) supports native 3D hydrogels in natural and polymeric forms. 3D Transwell cultured tumor spheroids mimicked in-vivo pathological conditions. Tumor invasion, migration, Trans-endothelial migration, angiogenesis, and spread are studied using comprehensive models. Transwell models can create a cancer niche and conduct high-throughput drug screening, promising future applications. Our comprehensive shows how 3D in-vitro multi compartmental models may be useful in producing breast cancer stroma in Transwell culture.

Assessment of the drugability of initial malaria infection through miniaturized sporozoite assays and high-throughput screening

The sporozoite stages of malaria parasites are the primary cause of infection of the vertebrate host and are targeted by (experimental) vaccines. Yet, little is known about their susceptibility to chemical intervention. Phenotypic high-throughput screens have not been feasible due to a lack of in vitro systems. Here we tested 78 marketed and experimental antimalarial compounds in miniaturized assays addressing sporozoite viability, gliding motility, hepatocyte traversal, and intrahepatocytic schizogony. None potently interfered with sporozoite viability or motility but ten compounds acted at the level of schizogony with IC50s < 100 nM. To identify compounds directly targeting sporozoites, we screened 81,000 compounds from the Global Health Diversity and reFRAME libraries in a sporozoite viability assay using a parasite expressing a luciferase reporter driven by the circumsporozoite promoter. The ionophore gramicidin emerged as the single hit from this screening campaign. Its effect on sporozoite viability translated into reduced gliding motility and an inability of sporozoites to invade human primary hepatocytes and develop into hepatic schizonts. While providing proof of concept for a small molecule sporontocidal mode of action, our combined data indicate that liver schizogony is more accessible to chemical intervention by (candidate) antimalarials.

Adaptive tracking algorithm for trajectory analysis of cells and layer-by-layer assessment of motility dynamics

Tracking biological objects such as cells or subcellular components imaged with time-lapse microscopy enables us to understand the molecular principles about the dynamics of cell behaviors. However, automatic object detection, segmentation and extracting trajectories remain as a rate-limiting step due to intrinsic challenges of video processing. This paper presents an adaptive tracking algorithm (Adtari) that automatically finds the optimum search radius and cell linkages to determine trajectories in consecutive frames. A critical assumption in most tracking studies is that displacement remains unchanged throughout the movie and cells in a few frames are usually analyzed to determine its magnitude. Tracking errors and inaccurate association of cells may occur if the user does not correctly evaluate the value or prior knowledge is not present on cell movement. The key novelty of our method is that minimum intercellular distance and maximum displacement of cells between frames are dynamically computed and used to determine the threshold distance. Since the space between cells is highly variable in a given frame, our software recursively alters the magnitude to determine all plausible matches in the trajectory analysis. Our method therefore eliminates a major preprocessing step where a constant distance was used to determine the neighbor cells in tracking methods. Cells having multiple overlaps and splitting events were further evaluated by using the shape attributes including perimeter, area, ellipticity and distance. The features were applied to determine the closest matches by minimizing the difference in their magnitudes. Finally, reporting section of our software were used to generate instant maps by overlaying cell features and trajectories. Adtari was validated by using videos with variable signal-to-noise, contrast ratio and cell density. We compared the adaptive tracking with constant distance and other methods to evaluate performance and its efficiency. Our algorithm yields reduced mismatch ratio, increased ratio of whole cell track, higher frame tracking efficiency and allows layer-by-layer assessment of motility to characterize single-cells. Adaptive tracking provides a reliable, accurate, time efficient and user-friendly open source software that is well suited for analysis of 2D fluorescence microscopy video datasets.

Ethanolic Extract of Ocimum sanctum Linn. Inhibits Cell Migration of Human Lung Adenocarcinoma Cells (A549) by Downregulation of Integrin αvβ3, α5β1, and VEGF

Adenocarcinoma lung cancer is a type of non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), which accounts for 85% of lung cancer incidence globally. The therapies that are being applied, both conventional therapies and antibody-based treatments, are still found to have side effects. Several previous studies have demonstrated the ability of the ethanolic extract of Ocimum sanctum Linn. (EEOS) as an ethnomedicine with anti-tumor properties. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of Ocimum sanctum Linn. ethanolic extract in inhibiting the proliferation, angiogenesis, and migration of A549 cells (NSCLC). The adhesion as well as the migration assay was performed. Furthermore, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure the expression of αvβ3 integrins, α5β1 integrins, and VEGF. The cells were divided into the following treatment groups: control (non-treated/NT), positive control (AP3/inhibitor β3 80 µg/mL), cisplatin (9 µg/mL), and EEOS at concentrations of 50, 70, 100, and 200 µg/mL. The results showed that EEOS inhibits the adhesion ability and migration of A549 cells, with an optimal concentration of 200 µg/mL. ELISA testing showed that the group of A549 cells given EEOS 200 µg/mL presented a decrease in the optimal expression of integrin α5β1, integrin αvβ3, and VEGF.

In Vitro Study of the Potential Role of Olive Oil Oleuropein in Modulating the 5-FU Cytotoxic Efficacy against the Tongue Squamous Cell Carcinoma

BACKGROUND: 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) is an anticancer drug used to inhibit the proliferation of many different tumor cells. Since severe side effects are associated with this drug, its combination with different natural compounds would allow the use of a significantly lower dose of 5-FU. Oleuropein (OLEU), has been shown to have inhibitory effects on various types of cancers. AIM: The main objective of the current study was to assess the cytotoxic effect of OLEU and the chemotherapeutic drug 5-FU on Human Tongue Carcinoma Cancer Cell Line (HNO-97) and Human Normal Oral Epithelial Cell Line (OEC) either independently or combinatory effect. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 3-(4,5- dimethylthiazol-2-Yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay for cell viability, and half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) was calculated. Flowcytometry for cell cycle analysis was performed. Also, in vitro scratch assay was done to assess the inhibitory effects of OLEU on the migration of cells.RESULTS: MTT assay study demonstrated that OLEU and 5-FU alone or in combinations have produced a significant inhibitory effect on both normal and cancer cell lines with a favorable impact for OLEU on cancer cell lines rather than the normal one. A significant increase in the cell inhibitory % was reported between the single and the combinations treated groups as compared to the non-treated control group. Cell cycle analysis via flowcytometry showed that OLEU had induced cell cycle arrest at G0/1 phase, decreased S phase and G2/M phase either independently or in combination for 24h and 48h when compared with a non-treated control group. A Scratch assay test showed that OLEU could induce delayed wound healing. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of the present study suggest that OLEU can exert an anti-cancer effect on HNO-97 and may have the potential for potentiation of 5-FU cytotoxic effects and reduction of its adverse effects. In addition, OLEU could inhibit cancer progression and expansion from the initial tumor.

Optical Cellular Micromotion: A New Paradigm to Measure Tumor Cells Invasion within Gels Mimicking the 3D Tumor Environments

Measuring tumor cell invasiveness through 3D tissues, particularly at the single-cell level, can provide important mechanistic understanding and assist in identifying therapeutic targets of tumor invasion. However, current experimental approaches, including standard in vitro invasion assays, have limited physiological relevance and offer insufficient insight into the vast heterogeneity in tumor cell migration through tissues. To address these issues, here the concept of optical cellular micromotion is reported on, where digital holographic microscopy is used to map the optical nano- to submicrometer thickness fluctuations within single-cells. These fluctuations are driven by the dynamic movement of subcellular structures including the cytoskeleton and inherently associated with the biological processes involved in cell invasion within tissues. It is experimentally demonstrated that the optical cellular micromotion correlates with tumor cells motility and invasiveness both at the population and single-cell levels. In addition, the optical cellular micromotion significantly reduced upon treatment with migrastatic drugs that inhibit tumor cell invasion. These results demonstrate that micromotion measurements can rapidly and non-invasively determine the invasive behavior of single tumor cells within tissues, yielding a new and powerful tool to assess the efficacy of approaches targeting tumor cell invasiveness.

Tumour invasion and dissemination

Activating invasion and metastasis are one of the primary hallmarks of cancer, the latter representing the leading cause of death in cancer patients. Whilst many advances in this area have been made in recent years, the process of cancer dissemination and the underlying mechanisms governing invasion are still poorly understood. Cancer cells exhibit multiple invasion strategies, including switching between modes of invasion and plasticity in response to therapies, surgical interventions and environmental stimuli. The ability of cancer cells to switch migratory modes and their inherent plasticity highlights the critical challenge preventing the successful design of cancer and anti-metastatic therapies. This mini-review presents current knowledge on the critical models of tumour invasion and dissemination. We also discuss the current issues surrounding current treatments and arising therapeutic opportunities. We propose that the establishment of novel approaches to study the key biological mechanisms underlying the metastatic cascade is critical in finding novel targets that could ultimately lead to complete inhibition of cancer cell invasion and dissemination.

Multistage-responsive nanovehicle to improve tumor penetration for dual-modality imaging-guided photodynamic-immunotherapy

The exploration of an intelligent multifunctional imaging-guided therapeutic platform is of great significance because of its ideal delivery efficiency and controlled release. In this work, a tumor microenvironment (TME)-responsive nanocarrier (denoted as MB@MSP) is designed for on-demand, sequentially release of a short D-peptide antagonist of programmed cell death-ligand 1 (named as P^DPPA-1) and a photosensitizer methylene blue (MB). Fe₃O₄-Au located in the core of MB@MSP is used as a magnetic resonance imaging and micro-computed tomography imaging contrast agent for noninvasive diagnosis of solid tumors and simultaneous monitoring of drug delivery. The P^DPPA-1 coated on MB@MSP can be shed due to the cleavage of the peptide substrate by matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) that is highly expressed in the tumor stroma, and disulfide bonding is further broken when it encounters high levels of glutathione (GSH) in TME, which finally leads to significant size reduction and charge-reversal. These transitions facilitate penetration and uptake of nanocarriers against tumors. Noticeably, the released P^DPPA-1 can block the immune checkpoint to create an environment that favors the activation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes and augment the antitumor immune response elicited by photodynamic therapy, thus significantly improving therapeutic outcomes. Studies of the underlying mechanisms suggest that the designed MMP-2 and GSH-sensitive delivery system not only induce apoptosis of tumor cells but also modulate the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment to eventually augment the suppression tumor metastasis effect of CD8⁺ cytotoxic T cells. Overall, the visualization of the therapeutic processes with comprehensive information renders MB@MSP an intriguing platform to realize the combined treatment of metastatic tumors.

Bone-on-a-chip: microfluidic technologies and microphysiologic models of bone tissue

Bone is an active organ that continuously undergoes an orchestrated process of remodeling throughout life. Bone tissue is uniquely capable of adapting to loading, hormonal, and other changes happening in the body, as well as repairing bone that becomes damaged to maintain tissue integrity. On the other hand, diseases such as osteoporosis and metastatic cancers disrupt normal bone homeostasis leading to compromised function. Historically, our ability to investigate processes related to either physiologic or diseased bone tissue has been limited by traditional models that fail to emulate the complexity of native bone. Organ-on-a-chip models are based on technological advances in tissue engineering and microfluidics, enabling the reproduction of key features specific to tissue microenvironments within a microfabricated device. Compared to conventional in-vitro and in-vivo bone models, microfluidic models, and especially organs-on-a-chip platforms, provide more biomimetic tissue culture conditions, with increased predictive power for clinical assays. In this review, we will report microfluidic and organ-on-a-chip technologies designed for understanding the biology of bone as well as bone-related diseases and treatments. Finally, we discuss the limitations of the current models and point toward future directions for microfluidics and organ-on-a-chip technologies in bone research.

Aminated Fullerene Abrogates Cancer Cell Migration by Directly Targeting Myosin Heavy Chain 9

Functional fullerene derivatives exhibit fantastic inhibitory capabilities against cancer survival and metastasis, but the absence of clarified biological molecular targets and ambiguous regulation mechanisms set barriers for their clinical transformation. Cancer metastasis is the primary cause of mortality and initiated with increased cell migration, making cell motility regulation a high-value therapeutic target in precision medicine. Herein, a critical molecular target of the aminated fullerene derivative (C₇₀-EDA), myosin heavy chain 9 (MYH9), was initially identified by a pull-down assay and MS screening. MYH9 is a cytoplasm-located protein and is responsible for cell motility and epithelial-mesenchymal transition regulation. Omics data from large-scale clinical samples reveals that MYH9 gets overexpressed in various cancers and correlates with unfavorable prognosis, indicating that it is a potential antineoplastic target. It is unveiled that C₇₀-EDA binds to the C-terminal of MYH9, triggering the transport of MYH9 from the cytoplasm to the cell edge, blocking the MYH9-involved cell mobility, and inhibiting the metastasis-associated EMT process. This work provides a precise biological target and new strategies for fullerene applications in cancer therapy.

Anti-tumor effects and cell motility inhibition of the DN604-gemcitabine combined treatment in human bladder cancer models

Bladder cancer is one of the major tumors for men in the world, in which therapy the combination of cisplatin and gemcitabine is still fist-line applied to treat with advanced or metastatic bladder cancer. In our early study, we developed a potential Pt(II) agent, DN604, which has anti-tumor effect as potent as cisplatin toward bladder cancers. Herein, we aim at investigating the combinatory application of DN604 with gemcitabine for bladder cancer treatment. In vitro studies proved that the combined treatment of DN604 and gemcitabine could limit cell proliferation by elevating the incidence of DNA damage induced apoptosis. Notably, further researches showed that the DN604-gemcitabine treatment suppressed cell autophagy to inhibit cell motility upon the ROS dependent p38 MAPK signaling pathway, explicating its better anti-tumor activity than single drug treatment or the cisplatin-gemcitabine treatment. In vivo tests confirmed that the DN604-gemcitabine treatment has superior anti-tumor activity with low toxicity to cisplatin or its combination with gemcitabine treatments. DN604 plus gemcitabine, is of great significance for the treatment with human bladder cancer. Our study has provided a potential combination treatment option.

Cooperation therapy between anti-growth by photodynamic-AIEgens and anti-metastasis by small molecule inhibitors in ovarian cancer

Metastasis is one of the main causes of death and treatment failure in ovarian cancer. Some small molecule inhibitors can effectively inhibit the metastasis of primary tumors. However, they do not kill the primary tumor cells, which may lead to continuous proliferation. Herein, we have prepared a multifunctional nanoparticles named TPD@TB/KBU2046, which consisted of three functional moieties: (1) KBU2046 (small molecule inhibitor) that can inhibit the metastasis of the primary tumors, (2) TB (photodynamic-AIEgens) that may suppress the growth of the primary tumors, and (3) TPD, which contains TMTP1 (a targeting peptide, which specifically binds to highly metastatic tumor cells) that can enhance the TB/KBU2046 dosage in the tumor site. Methods: The TPD@TB/KBU2046 was prepared by nano-precipitation method. We linked the targeting peptide (TMTP1) to the nanoparticles via amidation reaction. TPD@TB/KBU2046 nanoparticles were characterized for encapsulation efficiency, particle size, absorption spectra, emission spectra and ROS production. The combinational efficacy in image-guided anti-metastasis and photodynamic therapy of TPD@TB/KBU2046 was explored both in vitro and in vivo. Results: The TPD@TB/KBU2046 showed an average hydrodynamic size of approximately 50 nm with good stability. In vitro, TPD@TB/KBU2046 not only inhibited the metastasis of the tumors, but also suppressed the growth of the tumors under AIEgens-mediated photodynamic therapy. In vivo, we confirmed that TPD@TB/KBU2046 has the therapeutic effects of anti-tumor growth and anti-metastasis through subcutaneous and orthotopic ovarian tumor models. Conclusion: Our findings provided an effective strategy to compensate for the congenital defects of some small molecule inhibitors and thus enhanced the therapeutic efficacy of ovarian cancer.

The LQB-223 Compound Modulates Antiapoptotic Proteins and Impairs Breast Cancer Cell Growth and Migration

Drug resistance represents a major issue in treating breast cancer, despite the identification of novel therapeutic strategies, biomarkers, and subgroups. We have previously identified the LQB-223, 11a-N-Tosyl-5-deoxi-pterocarpan, as a promising compound in sensitizing doxorubicin-resistant breast cancer cells, with little toxicity to non-neoplastic cells. Here, we investigated the mechanisms underlying LQB-223 antitumor effects in 2D and 3D models of breast cancer. MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells had migration and motility profile assessed by wound-healing and phagokinetic track motility assays, respectively. Cytotoxicity in 3D conformation was evaluated by measuring spheroid size and performing acid phosphatase and gelatin migration assays. Protein expression was analyzed by immunoblotting. Our results show that LQB-223, but not doxorubicin treatment, suppressed the migratory and motility capacity of breast cancer cells. In 3D conformation, LQB-223 remarkably decreased cell viability, as well as reduced 3D culture size and migration. Mechanistically, LQB-223-mediated anticancer effects involved decreased proteins levels of XIAP, c-IAP1, and Mcl-1 chemoresistance-related proteins, but not survivin. Survivin knockdown partially potentiated LQB-223-induced cytotoxicity. Additionally, cell treatment with LQB-223 resulted in changes in the mRNA levels of epithelial-mesenchymal transition markers, suggesting that it might modulate cell plasticity. Our data demonstrate that LQB-223 impairs 3D culture growth and migration in 2D and 3D models of breast cancer exhibiting different phenotypes.

A Multifunctional Therapy Approach for Cancer: Targeting Raf1- Mediated Inhibition of Cell Motility, Growth, and Interaction with the Microenvironment

Prostate cancer cells move from their primary site of origin, interact with a distant microenvironment, grow, and thereby cause death. It had heretofore not been possible to selectively inhibit cancer cell motility. Our group has recently shown that inhibition of intracellular activation of Raf1 with the small-molecule therapeutic KBU2046 permits, for the first time, selective inhibition of cell motility. We hypothesized that simultaneous disruption of multiple distinct functions that drive progression of prostate cancer to induce death would result in advanced disease control. Using a murine orthotopic implantation model of human prostate cancer metastasis, we demonstrate that combined treatment with KBU2046 and docetaxel retains docetaxel's antitumor action, but provides improved inhibition of metastasis, compared with monotherapy. KBU2046 does not interfere with hormone therapy, inclusive of enzalutamide-mediated inhibition of androgen receptor (AR) function and cell growth inhibition, and inclusive of the ability of castration to inhibit LNCaP-AR cell outgrowth in mice. Cell movement is necessary for osteoclast-mediated bone degradation. KBU2046 inhibits Raf1 and its downstream activation of MEK1/2 and ERK1/2 in osteoclasts, inhibiting cytoskeleton rearrangement, resorptive cavity formation, and bone destruction in vitro, with improved effects observed when the bone microenvironment is chemically modified by pretreatment with zoledronic acid. Using a murine cardiac injection model of human prostate cancer bone destruction quantified by CT, KBU2046 plus zoledronic exhibit improved inhibitory efficacy, compared with monotherapy. The combined disruption of pathways that drive cell movement, interaction with bone, and growth constitutes a multifunctional targeting strategy that provides advanced disease control.

In vitro Cell Migration, Invasion, and Adhesion Assays: From Cell Imaging to Data Analysis

Cell migration is a key procedure involved in many biological processes including embryological development, tissue formation, immune defense or inflammation, and cancer progression. How physical, chemical, and molecular aspects can affect cell motility is a challenge to understand migratory cells behavior. In vitro assays are excellent approaches to extrapolate to in vivo situations and study live cells behavior. Here we present four in vitro protocols that describe step-by-step cell migration, invasion and adhesion strategies and their corresponding image data quantification. These current protocols are based on two-dimensional wound healing assays (comparing traditional pipette tip-scratch assay vs. culture insert assay), 2D individual cell-tracking experiments by live cell imaging and three-dimensional spreading and transwell assays. All together, they cover different phenotypes and hallmarks of cell motility and adhesion, providing orthogonal information that can be used either individually or collectively in many different experimental setups. These optimized protocols will facilitate physiological and cellular characterization of these processes, which may be used for fast screening of specific therapeutic cancer drugs for migratory function, novel strategies in cancer diagnosis, and for assaying new molecules involved in adhesion and invasion metastatic properties of cancer cells.

Genistein treatment duration effects biomarkers of cell motility in human prostate

BACKGROUND

Long term dietary consumption of genistein by Chinese men is associated with decreased PCa metastasis and mortality. Short term treatment of US men with prostate cancer (PCa) with genistein decreases MMP-2 in prostate tissue. MEK4 regulates MMP-2 expression, drives PCa metastasis, and genistein inhibits MEK4, decreases MMP-2 expression and dietary dosing inhibits human PCa metastasis in mice. This study examines short- versus long-term treatment effects of genistein in humans and in vitro.

METHODS AND FINDINGS

US men with localized PCa were treated on a phase II trial with genistein (N = 14) versus not (N = 14) for one month prior to radical prostatectomy. Prostate epithelial cells were removed from fresh frozen tissue by laser capture microdissection, and the expression of 12,000 genes profiled. Genistein significantly altered the expression of four genes, three had established links to cancer cell motility and metastasis. Of these three, one was a non-coding transcript, and the other two were BASP1 and HCF2. Genistein increased BASP1 expression in humans, and its engineered over expression and knockdown demonstrated that it suppressed cell invasion in all six human prostate cell lines examined. Genistein decreased HCF2 expression in humans, and it was shown to increase cell invasion in all cell lines examined. The expression of MMP-2, MEK4 and BASP1 was then measured in formalin fixed prostate tissue from N = 38 Chinese men living in China and N = 41 US men living in the US, both cohorts with localized PCa. MMP-2 was 52% higher in Chinese compared to US tissue (P < 0.0001), MEK4 was 48% lower (P < 0.0001), and BASP1 was unaltered. Treatment of PC3 human PCa cells in vitro for up to 8 weeks demonstrated that short term genistein treatment decreased MMP-2, while long term treatment increased it, both changes being significant (P<0.05) compared to untreated control cells. Long term genistein-treated cells retained their responsiveness to genistein's anti-motility effect.

CONCLUSIONS

Genistein inhibits pathways in human prostate that drive transformation to a lethal high motility phenotype. Long term treatment induces compensatory changes in biomarkers of efficacy. The current strategy of using such biomarkers after short term intervention as go/no-go determinants in early phase chemoprevention trials should be carefully examined.

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of 3-Arylindazoles as Selective MEK4 Inhibitors

Herein we report the discovery of a novel series of highly potent and selective mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 4 (MEK4) inhibitors. MEK4 is an upstream kinase in MAPK signaling pathways that phosphorylates p38 MAPK and JNK in response to mitogenic and cellular stress queues. MEK4 is overexpressed and induces metastasis in advanced prostate cancer lesions. However, the value of MEK4 as an oncology target has not been pharmacologically validated because selective chemical probes targeting MEK4 have not been developed. Optimization of this series via structure-activity relationships and molecular modeling led to the identification of compound 6 ff (4-(6-fluoro-2H-indazol-3-yl)benzoic acid), a highly potent and selective MEK4 inhibitor. This series of inhibitors is the first of its kind in both activity and selectivity and will be useful in further defining the role of MEK4 in prostate and other cancers.

Reductive annulations of arylidene malonates with unsaturated electrophiles using photoredox/Lewis acid cooperative catalysis

A cooperative Lewis acid/photocatalytic reduction of salicylaldehyde-derived arylidene malonates provides access to a versatile, stabilized radical anion enolate. Using these unusual umpolung operators, we have developed a novel route to access densely functionalized carbo- and heterocycles through a radical annulation addition pathway.