1
|
Lavogina D, Krõlov MK, Vellama H, Modhukur V, Di Nisio V, Lust H, Eskla KL, Salumets A, Jaal J. Inhibition of epigenetic and cell cycle-related targets in glioblastoma cell lines reveals that onametostat reduces proliferation and viability in both normoxic and hypoxic conditions. Sci Rep 2024; 14:4303. [PMID: 38383756 PMCID: PMC10881536 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-54707-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024] Open
Abstract
The choice of targeted therapies for treatment of glioblastoma patients is currently limited, and most glioblastoma patients die from the disease recurrence. Thus, systematic studies in simplified model systems are required to pinpoint the choice of targets for further exploration in clinical settings. Here, we report screening of 5 compounds targeting epigenetic writers or erasers and 6 compounds targeting cell cycle-regulating protein kinases against 3 glioblastoma cell lines following incubation under normoxic or hypoxic conditions. The viability/proliferation assay indicated that PRMT5 inhibitor onametostat was endowed with high potency under both normoxic and hypoxic conditions in cell lines that are strongly MGMT-positive (T98-G), weakly MGMT-positive (U-251 MG), or MGMT-negative (U-87 MG). In U-251 MG and U-87 MG cells, onametostat also affected the spheroid formation at concentrations lower than the currently used chemotherapeutic drug lomustine. In T98-G cell line, treatment with onametostat led to dramatic changes in the transcriptome profile by inducing the cell cycle arrest, suppressing RNA splicing, and down-regulating several major glioblastoma cell survival pathways. Further validation by immunostaining in three cell lines confirmed that onametostat affects cell cycle and causes reduction in nucleolar protein levels. In this way, inhibition of epigenetic targets might represent a viable strategy for glioblastoma treatment even in the case of decreased chemo- and radiation sensitivity, although further studies in clinically more relevant models are required.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Darja Lavogina
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tartu, L. Puusepa 8, 50406, Tartu, Estonia.
- Chair of Bioorganic Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia.
- Competence Centre on Health Technologies, Tartu, Estonia.
| | - Mattias Kaspar Krõlov
- Chair of Bioorganic Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Hans Vellama
- Department of Physiology, Institute of Biomedicine and Translational Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- Centre of Excellence for Genomics and Translational Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Vijayachitra Modhukur
- Competence Centre on Health Technologies, Tartu, Estonia
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Valentina Di Nisio
- Department of Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Helen Lust
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tartu, L. Puusepa 8, 50406, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Kattri-Liis Eskla
- Department of Physiology, Institute of Biomedicine and Translational Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- Centre of Excellence for Genomics and Translational Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Andres Salumets
- Competence Centre on Health Technologies, Tartu, Estonia
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- Department of Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jana Jaal
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tartu, L. Puusepa 8, 50406, Tartu, Estonia.
- Department of Radiotherapy and Oncological Therapy, Tartu University Hospital, Tartu, Estonia.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Saar M, Jaal J, Meltsov A, Laasfeld T, Lust H, Kasvandik S, Lavogina D. Exploring the Molecular Players behind the Potentiation of Chemotherapy Effects by Durvalumab in Lung Adenocarcinoma Cell Lines. Pharmaceutics 2023; 15:pharmaceutics15051485. [PMID: 37242727 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15051485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2023] [Revised: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Immune checkpoint inhibitors are increasingly used in combination with chemotherapy for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer, yet the success of combination therapies is relatively limited. Thus, more detailed insight regarding the tumor molecular markers that may affect the responsiveness of patients to therapy is required. Here, we set out to explore the proteome of two lung adenocarcinoma cell lines (HCC-44 and A549) treated with cisplatin, pemetrexed, durvalumab, and the corresponding mixtures to establish the differences in post-treatment protein expression that can serve as markers of chemosensitivity or resistance. The mass spectrometry study showed that the addition of durvalumab to the treatment mixture resulted in cell line- and chemotherapeutic agent-dependent responses and confirmed the previously reported involvement of DNA repair machinery in the potentiation of the chemotherapy effect. Further validation using immunofluorescence also indicated that the potentiating effect of durvalumab in the case of cisplatin treatment was dependent on the tumor suppressor RB-1 in the PD-L1 weakly positive cells. In addition, we identified aldehyde dehydrogenase ALDH1A3 as the general putative resistance marker. Further studies in patient biopsy samples will be required to confirm the clinical significance of these findings.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marika Saar
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tartu, 50406 Tartu, Estonia
- Institute of Pharmacy, University of Tartu, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
- Pharmacy, Tartu University Hospital, 50406 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Jana Jaal
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tartu, 50406 Tartu, Estonia
- Haematology and Oncology Clinic, Tartu University Hospital, 50406 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Alvin Meltsov
- Competence Centre on Health Technologies, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
- Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, GROW School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Tõnis Laasfeld
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Tartu, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
- Department of Computer Science, University of Tartu, 51009 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Helen Lust
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tartu, 50406 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Sergo Kasvandik
- Proteomics Core Facility, Institute of Technology, University of Tartu, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Darja Lavogina
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tartu, 50406 Tartu, Estonia
- Competence Centre on Health Technologies, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Tartu, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Saar M, Lavogina D, Lust H, Tamm H, Jaal J. Immune checkpoint inhibitors modulate the cytotoxic effect of chemotherapy in lung adenocarcinoma cells. Oncol Lett 2023; 25:152. [PMID: 36936028 PMCID: PMC10018276 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2023.13738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy using immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has significantly improved survival in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and ICIs are increasingly used in combination with cytotoxic treatments, such as chemotherapy. Although combined treatments are more effective, not all patients respond to the therapy; therefore, a detailed understanding of the effect of treatment combinations at the tumour level is needed. The present study aimed to explore whether ICIs could affect the cytotoxic effects of chemotherapy on lung adenocarcinoma cell lines with different PD-L1 expression levels (high, HCC-44; low, A-549). Using the resazurin-based assay, the efficacy of seven chemotherapeutic agents (cisplatin, etoposide, gemcitabine, pemetrexed, vinorelbine, docetaxel and paclitaxel) was compared in the presence or absence of the individually chosen single doses of four ICIs (nivolumab, pembrolizumab, atezolizumab and durvalumab). The results revealed that different ICIs can exhibit either potentiating or depotentiating effects, depending on the chemotherapy agent or lung adenocarcinoma cell line used. Durvalumab was the most promising ICI, which potentiated most chemotherapy agents in both cell lines, especially in the case of high PD-L1 expression. By contrast, nivolumab, exhibited depotentiating trends in several combinations. The immunostaining of γH2AX in treated cells confirmed that the potentiation of the chemotherapeutic cytotoxicity by durvalumab was at least partially mediated via increased DNA damage; however, this effect was strongly dependent on the chemotherapy agent and cell line used. Our future studies aim to address the specific mechanisms underlying the observed ICI-induced potentiation or depotentiation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marika Saar
- Pharmacy Department, Tartu University Hospital, 50406 Tartu, Estonia
- Pharmacy Institute, University of Tartu, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tartu, 50406 Tartu, Estonia
- Correspondence to: Ms. Marika Saar or Professor Jana Jaal, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tartu, Puusepa 8, 50406 Tartu, Estonia, E-mail:
| | - Darja Lavogina
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tartu, 50406 Tartu, Estonia
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Tartu, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Helen Lust
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tartu, 50406 Tartu, Estonia
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Tartu, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Hannes Tamm
- Institute of Biomedicine and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tartu, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
- Pathology Department, Tartu University Hospital, 50406 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Jana Jaal
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tartu, 50406 Tartu, Estonia
- Department of Radiotherapy and Oncological Therapy, Haematology and Oncology Clinic, Tartu University Hospital, 50406 Tartu, Estonia
- Correspondence to: Ms. Marika Saar or Professor Jana Jaal, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tartu, Puusepa 8, 50406 Tartu, Estonia, E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Lavogina D, Lust H, Tahk MJ, Laasfeld T, Vellama H, Nasirova N, Vardja M, Eskla KL, Salumets A, Rinken A, Jaal J. Revisiting the Resazurin-Based Sensing of Cellular Viability: Widening the Application Horizon. BIOSENSORS 2022; 12:bios12040196. [PMID: 35448256 PMCID: PMC9032648 DOI: 10.3390/bios12040196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2022] [Revised: 03/20/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Since 1991, the NAD(P)H-aided conversion of resazurin to fluorescent resorufin has been widely used to measure viability based on the metabolic activity in mammalian cell culture and primary cells. However, different research groups have used divergent assay protocols, scarcely reporting the systematic optimization of the assay. Here, we perform extensive studies to fine-tune the experimental protocols utilizing resazurin-based viability sensing. Specifically, we focus on (A) optimization of the assay dynamic range in individual cell lines for the correct measurement of cytostatic and cytotoxic properties of the compounds; (B) dependence of the dynamic range on the physical quantity detected (fluorescence intensity versus change of absorbance spectrum); (C) calibration of the assay for the correct interpretation of data measured in hypoxic conditions; and (D) possibilities for combining the resazurin assay with other methods including measurement of necrosis and apoptosis. We also demonstrate the enhanced precision and flexibility of the resazurin-based assay regarding the readout format and kinetic measurement mode as compared to the widely used analogous assay which utilizes tetrazolium dye MTT. The discussed assay optimization guidelines provide useful instructions for the beginners in the field and for the experienced scientists exploring new ways for measurement of cellular viability using resazurin.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Darja Lavogina
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tartu, 50406 Tartu, Estonia; (H.L.); (A.S.); (J.J.)
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Tartu, 50411 Tartu, Estonia; (M.-J.T.); (T.L.); (N.N.); (A.R.)
- Competence Centre on Health Technologies, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +372-737-5296
| | - Helen Lust
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tartu, 50406 Tartu, Estonia; (H.L.); (A.S.); (J.J.)
| | - Maris-Johanna Tahk
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Tartu, 50411 Tartu, Estonia; (M.-J.T.); (T.L.); (N.N.); (A.R.)
| | - Tõnis Laasfeld
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Tartu, 50411 Tartu, Estonia; (M.-J.T.); (T.L.); (N.N.); (A.R.)
- Department of Computer Science, University of Tartu, 51009 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Hans Vellama
- Department of Physiology, Institute of Biomedicine and Translational Medicine, University of Tartu, 50411 Tartu, Estonia; (H.V.); (K.-L.E.)
- Centre of Excellence for Genomics and Translational Medicine, University of Tartu, 51010 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Naila Nasirova
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Tartu, 50411 Tartu, Estonia; (M.-J.T.); (T.L.); (N.N.); (A.R.)
| | - Markus Vardja
- Department of Radiotherapy and Oncological Therapy, Tartu University Hospital, 50406 Tartu, Estonia;
| | - Kattri-Liis Eskla
- Department of Physiology, Institute of Biomedicine and Translational Medicine, University of Tartu, 50411 Tartu, Estonia; (H.V.); (K.-L.E.)
- Centre of Excellence for Genomics and Translational Medicine, University of Tartu, 51010 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Andres Salumets
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tartu, 50406 Tartu, Estonia; (H.L.); (A.S.); (J.J.)
- Competence Centre on Health Technologies, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology (CLINTEC), Karolinska Institutet, 14186 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ago Rinken
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Tartu, 50411 Tartu, Estonia; (M.-J.T.); (T.L.); (N.N.); (A.R.)
| | - Jana Jaal
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tartu, 50406 Tartu, Estonia; (H.L.); (A.S.); (J.J.)
- Department of Radiotherapy and Oncological Therapy, Tartu University Hospital, 50406 Tartu, Estonia;
| |
Collapse
|