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Li Y, Oliver PG, Lu W, Pathak V, Sridharan S, Augelli-Szafran CE, Buchsbaum DJ, Suto MJ. SRI36160 is a specific inhibitor of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in human pancreatic and colorectal cancer cells. Cancer Lett 2016; 389:41-48. [PMID: 28043913 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2016.12.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2016] [Revised: 12/20/2016] [Accepted: 12/21/2016] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling is associated with pancreatic and colorectal cancer, among others. To-date, there are no FDA-approved small molecule Wnt/β-catenin inhibitors and many past efforts resulted in compounds with undesirable off-target effects. We recently identified a series of benzimidazole analogs as potent inhibitors of Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Here, we show that the lead compound SRI36160 displayed selective Wnt inhibition and potent antiproliferative activity in pancreatic and colorectal cancer cells. Moreover, SRI36160 had no effect on STAT3 and mTORC1 signaling in pancreatic and colorectal cancer cells, and was not effective in inhibiting proliferation of non-cancerous cells. Our findings suggest that this series of benzimidazole analogs presents a novel approach for the treatment of Wnt-dependent cancers such as colorectal and pancreatic cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yonghe Li
- Drug Discovery Division, Southern Research, 2000 Ninth Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35255, USA.
| | - Patsy G Oliver
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Wenyan Lu
- Drug Discovery Division, Southern Research, 2000 Ninth Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35255, USA
| | - Vibha Pathak
- Drug Discovery Division, Southern Research, 2000 Ninth Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35255, USA
| | - Sivaram Sridharan
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | | | - Donald J Buchsbaum
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Mark J Suto
- Drug Discovery Division, Southern Research, 2000 Ninth Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35255, USA
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Maddalena F, Lettini G, Gallicchio R, Sisinni L, Simeon V, Nardelli A, Venetucci AA, Storto G, Landriscina M. Evaluation of Glucose Uptake in Normal and Cancer Cell Lines by Positron Emission Tomography. Mol Imaging 2015; 14:7290.2015.00021. [DOI: 10.2310/7290.2015.00021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/30/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Maddalena
- From the Laboratory of Pre-Clinical and Translational Research and Unit of Nuclear Medicine, IRCCS, Referral Cancer Centre of Basilicata, Rionero in Vulture, Italy; Biostructures and Bioimages Institute, CNR, Naples, Italy; and Medical Oncology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy
| | - Giacomo Lettini
- From the Laboratory of Pre-Clinical and Translational Research and Unit of Nuclear Medicine, IRCCS, Referral Cancer Centre of Basilicata, Rionero in Vulture, Italy; Biostructures and Bioimages Institute, CNR, Naples, Italy; and Medical Oncology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy
| | - Rosj Gallicchio
- From the Laboratory of Pre-Clinical and Translational Research and Unit of Nuclear Medicine, IRCCS, Referral Cancer Centre of Basilicata, Rionero in Vulture, Italy; Biostructures and Bioimages Institute, CNR, Naples, Italy; and Medical Oncology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy
| | - Lorenza Sisinni
- From the Laboratory of Pre-Clinical and Translational Research and Unit of Nuclear Medicine, IRCCS, Referral Cancer Centre of Basilicata, Rionero in Vulture, Italy; Biostructures and Bioimages Institute, CNR, Naples, Italy; and Medical Oncology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy
| | - Vittorio Simeon
- From the Laboratory of Pre-Clinical and Translational Research and Unit of Nuclear Medicine, IRCCS, Referral Cancer Centre of Basilicata, Rionero in Vulture, Italy; Biostructures and Bioimages Institute, CNR, Naples, Italy; and Medical Oncology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy
| | - Anna Nardelli
- From the Laboratory of Pre-Clinical and Translational Research and Unit of Nuclear Medicine, IRCCS, Referral Cancer Centre of Basilicata, Rionero in Vulture, Italy; Biostructures and Bioimages Institute, CNR, Naples, Italy; and Medical Oncology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy
| | - Angela Assunta Venetucci
- From the Laboratory of Pre-Clinical and Translational Research and Unit of Nuclear Medicine, IRCCS, Referral Cancer Centre of Basilicata, Rionero in Vulture, Italy; Biostructures and Bioimages Institute, CNR, Naples, Italy; and Medical Oncology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy
| | - Giovanni Storto
- From the Laboratory of Pre-Clinical and Translational Research and Unit of Nuclear Medicine, IRCCS, Referral Cancer Centre of Basilicata, Rionero in Vulture, Italy; Biostructures and Bioimages Institute, CNR, Naples, Italy; and Medical Oncology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy
| | - Matteo Landriscina
- From the Laboratory of Pre-Clinical and Translational Research and Unit of Nuclear Medicine, IRCCS, Referral Cancer Centre of Basilicata, Rionero in Vulture, Italy; Biostructures and Bioimages Institute, CNR, Naples, Italy; and Medical Oncology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy
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Nilaweera TD, Saeed M, Kohen A. Targeting the de novo biosynthesis of thymidylate for the development of a PET probe for pancreatic cancer imaging. Biochemistry 2015; 54:1287-93. [PMID: 25581782 DOI: 10.1021/bi501481n] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
The development of cancer-specific probes for imaging by positron emission tomography (PET) is gaining impetus in cancer research and clinical oncology. One of the hallmarks of most cancer cells is incessant DNA replication, which requires the continuous synthesis of nucleotides. Thymidylate synthase (TSase) is unique in this context because it is the only enzyme in humans that is responsible for the de novo biosynthesis of the DNA building block 2'-deoxy-thymidylate (dTMP). TSase catalyzes the reductive methylation of 2'-deoxy-uridylate (dUMP) to dTMP using (R)-N(5),N(10)-methylene-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrofolate (MTHF) as a cofactor. Not surprisingly, several human cancers overexpress TSase, which makes it a common target for chemotherapy (e.g., 5-fluorouracil). We envisioned that [(11)C]-MTHF might be a PET probe that could specifically label cancerous cells. Using stable radiotracer [(14)C]-MTHF, we had initially found increased uptake by breast and colon cancer cell lines. In the current study, we examined the uptake of this radiotracer in human pancreatic cancer cell lines MIAPaCa-2 and PANC-1 and found predominant radiolabeling of cancerous versus normal pancreatic cells. Furthermore, uptake of the radiotracer is dependent on the intracellular level of the folate pool, cell cycle phase, expression of folate receptors on the cell membrane, and cotreatment with the common chemotherapeutic drug methotrexate (MTX, which blocks the biosynthesis of endogenous MTHF). These results point toward [(11)C]-MTHF being used as PET probe with broad specificity and being able to control its signal through MTX co-administration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thushani D Nilaweera
- Department of Chemistry, University of Iowa , Iowa City, Iowa 52242, United States
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Meng X, Wu J, Pan C, Wang H, Ying X, Zhou Y, Yu H, Zuo Y, Pan Z, Liu RY, Huang W. Genetic and epigenetic down-regulation of microRNA-212 promotes colorectal tumor metastasis via dysregulation of MnSOD. Gastroenterology 2013; 145:426-36.e1-6. [PMID: 23583431 DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2013.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2012] [Revised: 03/22/2013] [Accepted: 04/03/2013] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Altered functions of microRNAs (miRNAs) have been associated with colorectal cancer (CRC). miR-212 is transcribed from a stable intron of a non-protein coding gene, and is reportedly down-regulated in different tumor types. We investigated the role of miR-212 in colorectal carcinogenesis and progression. METHODS We analyzed the expression of miR-212 by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis of colorectal cell lines and 180 paired tumor samples and surrounding healthy tissue. We overexpressed and knocked down miR-212 in CRC cell lines and assessed the in vitro effects. We also studied the effects of miR-212 overexpression on metastasis of tumors grown from HCT116 cells in nude mice. RESULTS Overexpression of miR-212 inhibited CRC cell migration and invasion in vitro and formation of intrahepatic and pulmonary metastasis in vivo. We identified manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) messenger RNA as a direct target of miR-212, and observed an inverse correlation between the level of miR-212 and MnSOD protein in colorectal tumor samples. MnSOD was required for down-regulation of epithelial markers and up-regulation of mesenchymal markers in CRC cells, indicating that it promoted the epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Overexpression of miR-212 reduced the levels of MnSOD to block the epithelial-mesenchymal transition process. Loss of heterozygosity and promoter hypermethylation each contributed to the down-regulation of miR-212. Reduced levels of miR-212 were associated with a more aggressive tumor phenotype and short disease-free survival times of patients (P = .0045; overall survival, P = .0015). CONCLUSIONS miR-212 is down-regulated in human CRC tissues via genetic and epigenetic mechanisms. miR-212 might prevent tumor progression by targeting MnSOD messenger RNA; reduction of miR-212 could be a prognostic marker for patients with CRC. miR-212 and MnSOD might also be therapeutic targets for cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangqi Meng
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, PR China
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Saeed M, Tewson TJ, Erdahl CE, Kohen A. A fast chemoenzymatic synthesis of [11C]-N5,N10-methylenetetrahydrofolate as a potential PET tracer for proliferating cells. Nucl Med Biol 2012; 39:697-701. [PMID: 22300960 DOI: 10.1016/j.nucmedbio.2011.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2011] [Revised: 11/28/2011] [Accepted: 12/05/2011] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Thymidylate synthase and folate receptors are well-developed targets of cancer therapy. Discovery of a simple and fast method for the conversion of 11CH3Ito[11C]-formaldehyde (11CH2O) encouraged us to label the co-factor of this enzyme. Preliminary studies conducted on cell lines have demonstrated a preferential uptake of [11-14C]-(R)-N5,N10-methylene-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrofolate (14CH2H4folate) by cancerous cell vs. normal cells from the same organ (Saeed M., Sheff D. and Kohen A. Novel positron emission tomography tracer distinguishes normal from cancerous cells. J Biol Chem 2011;286:33872-33878), pointing out 11CH2H4folate as a positron emission tomography (PET) tracer for cancer imaging. Herein we report the synthesis of 11CH2H4folate, which may serve as a potential PET tracer. METHODS In a remotely controlled module, methyl iodide (11CH3I) was bubbled into a reaction vial containing trimethylamine N-oxide in N,N-Dimethylformamide (DMF) and heated to 70°C for 2 min. Formaldehyde (11CH2O) formed after the completion of reaction was then mixed with a solution of freshly prepared tetrahydrofolate (H4folate) by using a fast chemoenzymatic approach to accomplish synthesis of 11CH2H4folate. Purification of the product was carried out by loading the crude reaction mixture on a SAX cartridge, washing with water to remove unbound impurities and finally eluting with a saline solution. RESULTS The synthesis and purification of 11CH2H4folate were completed within 5 min. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis of the product after SAX purification indicates that more than 90% of the radioactivity that was retained on the SAX cartridge was in 11CH2H4folate, with minor (<10%) radioactivity due to unreacted 11CH2O. CONCLUSION We present a fast (∼5 min) synthesis and purification of 11CH2H4folate as a potential PET tracer. The final product is received in physiologically compatible buffer (100 mM sodium phosphate, pH 7.0 containing 500 mM NaCl) and ready for use in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Saeed
- Department of Chemistry, University of Iowa, IA 52242, USA
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