Interaction of the v-Rel oncoprotein with NF-kappaB and IkappaB proteins: heterodimers of a transformation-defective v-Rel mutant and NF-2 are functional in vitro and in vivo

Design and synthesis of 9-phenanthranilamide derivatives and the study of anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and neuroprotective activities

Oxidative stress and a series of excessive inflammatory responses are major obstacles to neurological functional recovery after ischemic stroke. In this study, we synthesized several novel 9-phenanthranilamide derivatives and evaluated their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. Among the initially screened compounds, most could strongly inhibi lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated production of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α in microglial cells. Additionally, compounds 8b, 8q, 8r and 8s significantly inhibited the production of NO, and they also had dose-dependent protective effects on PC12 neuronal cells induced by H2O2. The antineuroinflammatory effects of 8r and 8s were associated with the downregulation of LPS-induced inflammatory mediators of nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and both compounds inhibited the NF-κB signaling pathway. Further examinations showed that 8s had a significant neuroprotective effect on rats with middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). It decreased the infarct volume and the neurological deficit score. Overall, our results suggested that compound 8s might be a promising agent for stroke treatment.

LIM domain-containing protein trip6 can act as a coactivator for the v-Rel transcription factor

The retroviral oncoprotein v-Rel is a transcriptional activator in the Rel/NF-kappaB family of eukaryotic transcription factors. v-Rel malignantly transforms a variety of cell types in vitro and in vivo, and its transforming activity is dependent on the ability of v-Rel to bind to DNA and activate transcription. In this report, we used the yeast two-hybrid assay to identify proteins that interact with C-terminal sequences of v-Rel that are needed for transcriptional activation and transformation. One protein, Trip6, that we identified in this screen was previously identified as a thyroid hormone receptor-interacting protein. Trip6 is a member of a subfamily of LIM domain-containing proteins that are thought to transport intracellular signals from the cell surface to the nucleus. By several criteria, we show that sequences from Trip6, which include the LIM domains, behave as a coactivator for transcriptional activation by v-Rel. That is, a GAL4-Trip6 fusion protein can activate transcription in yeast and chicken cells, Trip6 can enable C-terminal sequences of v-Rel to activate transcription in yeast, and Trip6 can enhance activation by v-Rel from a kappaB site reporter plasmid in yeast. Although full-length Trip6 localizes to adhesion plaques, deletion of N-terminal sequences allows human Trip6 to enter the nucleus of chicken cells. Lastly, Northern blotting shows that Trip6 mRNA is expressed in many human tissues. Coexpression of Trip6 does not affect the transforming activity of v-Rel. Taken together, our results indicate that Trip6 may be a protein that is important for the ability of v-Rel to activate transcription and transform cells, and may represent a potential target for blocking Rel-mediated oncogenesis and transcriptional activation.

Methods for assessing the in vitro transforming activity of NF-κB transcription factor c-Rel and related proteins

Among NF-κB transcription factors, c-Rel and c-Rel-derived proteins, including v-Rel, are the only ones that have shown consistent and frank transforming activity in cell culture. In particular, viral, chicken, mouse, and human Rel proteins can rapidly transform primary chicken spleen and bone marrow cells. Overexpression of a human Rel protein missing a C-terminal transactivation domain can also enhance the transformed state of the human B-lymphoma cell line BJAB. As described in this chapter, these in vitro assays can be used to quantitatively assess the transforming activity of Rel proteins.

FKBP51 and the NF-κB regulatory pathway in cancer

Constitutive activation of NF-κB occurs in a significant percentage of human cancers. Genetic abnormalities of tumors often enhance normal NF-κB signaling. Chronic inflammation is also associated with constitutive NF-κB activation and increases the risk of cancer. Aberrant NF-κB activation favors cellular transformation, sustains cancer survival, and contributes to tumor invasion. Strategies to inhibit NF-κB represent a promising therapeutic option against cancer. In the last decade, several studies point to the large immunophilin FKBP51 as an important element for the control of NF-κB activation in human neoplasia. This article is an overview of the causes of aberrant NF-κB regulation in cancer and highlights recent papers that implicate FKBP51 in such deregulation.

BMS-345541 targets inhibitor of kappaB kinase and induces apoptosis in melanoma: involvement of nuclear factor kappaB and mitochondria pathways

PURPOSE

Constitutive activation of inhibitor of kappaB kinase (IKK) confers melanoma resistance to apoptosis and chemotherapy. Whether IKK is able to serve as a therapeutic target in melanoma is unknown. We explored the possibility of exploiting IKK as a therapeutic target in melanoma by using BMS-345541, a novel compound with a highly selective IKKbeta inhibitory activity, to trigger melanoma cell apoptosis.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

Three human melanoma cell lines (SK-MEL-5, Hs 294T, and A375), all of which have high constitutive IKK activities, served as in vitro and in vivo melanoma models for treatment with BMS-345541. Two known antitumor drugs (temozolomide and bortezomib) were used as parallel controls for evaluation of the therapeutic efficiency and toxicity of BMS-345541. The effects of BMS-345541 on nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) signaling and on the apoptosis machinery were investigated.

RESULTS

Inhibition of constitutive IKK activity by BMS-345541 resulted in the reduction of NF-kappaB activity, CXCL1 chemokine secretion by cultured melanoma cells and melanoma cell survival in vitro and in vivo. The effect of BMS-345541 on tumor cell growth was through mitochondria-mediated apoptosis, based on the release of apoptosis-inducing factor, dissipation of mitochondrial membrane potential, and reduced ratio of B cell lymphoma gene-2 (Bcl-2)/Bcl-associated X protein (Bax) in mitochondria. The BMS-345541 execution of apoptosis was apoptosis-inducing factor-dependent, but largely caspase-independent.

CONCLUSION

BMS-345541 down-regulation of IKK activity results in mitochondria-mediated apoptosis of tumor cells because the programmed cell death machinery in melanoma cells is highly regulated by NF-kappaB signaling. Therefore, IKK may serve as a potential target for melanoma therapy.

Deletion of either C-terminal transactivation subdomain enhances the in vitro transforming activity of human transcription factor REL in chicken spleen cells

The REL gene is amplified in many human B-cell lymphomas and we have previously shown that expression of REL from a retroviral vector can malignantly transform chicken spleen cells in vitro. To identify REL protein functions necessary for malignant transformation, we have performed deletion analysis on REL sequences encoding residues of two C-terminal subdomains that are involved in transcriptional activation. We find that deletion of both C-terminal transactivation subdomains abolishes the ability of REL to transform chicken spleen cells in vitro. In contrast, deletion of either transactivation subdomain alone, which reduces the transactivation ability of REL, enhances the transforming activity of REL. Transforming REL mutants missing C-terminal sequences can also be selected at a low frequency in vitro. The REL transactivation domain can be functionally replaced in transformation assays by a portion of the VP16 transactivation domain that activates at a level similar to REL-transforming mutants. We also find that deletion of 29 C-terminal amino acids causes the subcellular localization of REL to change from cytoplasmic to nuclear in chicken embryo fibroblasts. In contrast, wild-type REL and all transforming REL mutants are located primarily in the cytoplasm of transformed spleen cells. Nevertheless, treatment of transformed spleen cells with leptomycin B causes wild-type REL and two REL mutants to relocalize to the nucleus, and nuclear extracts from these transformed cells contain REL DNA-binding activity. Taken together, these results suggest the following: (1) that REL must activate transcription to transform cells in vitro; (2) that a reduced level of transactivation enhances the oncogenicity of REL; (3) that REL shuttles from the cytoplasm to the nucleus in transformed chicken spleen cells; and (4) that mutations in REL, in addition to amplifications, could activate its oncogenicity in human lymphomas.

Mutations within a conserved protein kinase A recognition sequence confer temperature-sensitive and partially defective activities onto mouse c-Rel

We have created two mutants of mouse transcription factor c-Rel (c-G29E and c-R266H) that are analogous to mutants previously shown to have temperature-sensitive (ts) functions for the homologous Drosophila protein Dorsal and the retroviral oncoprotein v-Rel. In vitro, c-R266H shows both a ts and a concentration-dependent ability to bind DNA, suggesting that the lesion affects the ability of c-Rel to form homodimers. In contrast, the ability of mouse c-G29E to bind DNA in vitro is not ts. c-Rel mutant c-R266H also shows a ts ability to activate transcription from a kappaB-site reporter plasmid, whereas c-G29E activates transcription well above control levels at both 33 and 39 degrees C. Insertion of two amino acids (Pro-Trp) between amino acids 266 and 267 in mouse c-Rel (mutant c-SPW) also creates a c-Rel protein with distinct properties: mutant c-SPW is partially defective in that it cannot form DNA-binding homodimers but can form DNA-binding heterodimers with p50. Interestingly, the mutations in c-Rel that affect homodimer formation (c-R266H and c-SPW) fall within a consensus protein kinase A recognition sequence but are not predicted to lie in the dimer interface. Conditional and partially defective mutants such as those described herein may be useful for identifying physiological responses and genes regulated by specific Rel/NF-kappaB family members.

Rel/NF-kappa B/I kappa B signal transduction in the generation and treatment of human cancer

The Rel/NF-kappa B family is a group of structurally-related, tightly-regulated transcription factors that control the expression of a multitude of genes involved in key cellular and organismal processes. The Rel/NF-kappa B signal transduction pathway is misregulated in a variety of human cancers, especially ones of lymphoid cell origin, due either to genetic changes (such as chromosomal rearrangements, amplifications, and mutations) or to chronic activation of the pathway by epigenetic mechanisms. Constitutive activation of the Rel/NF-kappa B pathway can contribute to the oncogenic state in several ways, for example, by driving proliferation, by enhancing cell survival, or by promoting angiogenesis or metastasis. In many cases, inhibition of Rel/NF-kappa B activity reverses all or part of the malignant state. Thus, the Rel/NF-kappa B pathway has received much attention as a focal point for clinical intervention.

Mutational analysis of the v-Rel dimerization interface reveals a critical role for v-Rel homodimers in transformation

The v-rel oncogene encoded by reticuloendotheliosis virus strain T is the acutely transforming member of the Rel/NF-kappaB family of transcription factors. In v-Rel-transformed cells, v-Rel exists as homodimers or heterodimers with the endogenous Rel/NF-kappaB proteins c-Rel, NF-kappaB1, NF-kappaB2, and RelA. To examine the contribution of these complexes to v-Rel-mediated transformation, mutations were introduced into the dimerization interface of v-Rel to generate v-Rel mutants with selective dimerization properties. Nine mutants are described in this study that are defective in homodimer and/or heterodimer formation with specific Rel/NF-kappaB family members. Viruses expressing mutants that failed to homodimerize but were able to form heterodimeric complexes were unable to transform splenic lymphocytes in vitro, indicating that the dimerization of v-Rel with endogenously expressed Rel/NF-kappaB proteins is not in itself sufficient for transformation. In addition, two partially transforming mutants were identified that exhibited an impaired ability to form homodimers. Sequence analysis of the proviral DNA from cells transformed by these mutants revealed the presence of multiple secondary mutations in sequences responsible for dimerization and DNA binding. Two of these mutations either enhanced or restored the ability of these proteins to bind DNA as a homodimer. Viruses expressing these proteins transformed cells at levels comparable to or slightly less than v-Rel, suggesting that a threshold level of DNA binding by v-Rel homodimers is required for transformation.

Malignant transformation of primary chicken spleen cells by human transcription factor c-Rel

Rel/NF-kappaB transcription factors control a variety of cellular processes, such as cell growth and apoptosis, that are relevant to oncogenesis, and mutations in genes encoding Rel/NF-kappaB transcription factors have been found in several human lymphoid cell cancers. In this study, we have used a sensitive cell outgrowth assay to demonstrate that wild-type human c-Rel can malignantly transform primary chicken spleen cells, and that transformation by c-Rel is accelerated by co-expression of Bc1-2. Full-length mouse c-Rel can also transform chicken spleen cells. These results are the first demonstration of a lymphoid cell malignant transforming ability for mammalian Rel/NF-kappaB transcription factors, and implicate c-Rel as a molecular target for cancer therapeutics.

X-ray crystal structure of proto-oncogene product c-Rel bound to the CD28 response element of IL-2

BACKGROUND

The proto-oncogene product c-Rel is a Rel/NF-kappaB family transcription factor that plays a critical role in lymphoid cell development and mediates CD28-induced expression of interleukin 2 (IL-2). The CD28 response element (CD28RE) in the IL-2 enhancer is nonameric and similar to the kappaB DNA target sites recognized by p65 homodimers.

RESULTS

We have determined and refined the X-ray crystal structure of the c-Rel homodimer complexed to the CD28RE DNA site, 5'-AGAAATTCC-3', to 2.85 A resolution. The c-Rel homodimer binds CD28RE in a mode similar to that observed in the p65/IL-8 kappaB crystallographic complex. Binding studies reveal that the c-Rel homodimer recognizes the CD28RE with higher affinity as compared to other canonical kappaB sequences despite the nonconsensus A:T base pair at the 5' end of the CD28RE. Preferential recognition of the CD28RE by c-Rel results from the direct contacts between the protein and the DNA as well as intrasubunit interactions between the beta(f)-beta(g) loop in the dimerization domain and the DNA-contacting loop L1 of the N-terminal domain. Not only do these loops have different conformations in other Rel/DNA crystallographic complexes, but they also contain two of the five oncogenic point mutations found in v-Rel.

CONCLUSIONS

The current structure indicates that a non-DNA-contacting loop in the dimerization domain and the DNA-contacting loop L1 may play critical roles in defining affinity and specificity. Two amino acid changes in these segments may account for the differential DNA binding by v-Rel as compared to that of c-Rel.

Mutant envelope residues confer a transactivation function onto N-terminal sequences of the v-Rel oncoprotein

The retroviral oncoprotein v-Rel is a member of the Rel/ NF-kappaB family of transcription factors. v-Rel has multiple changes as compared to the proto-oncoprotein c-Rel, and these changes render v-Rel highly oncogenic in avian lymphoid cells. Previous results have shown that three mutant residues in the eleven helper virus-derived Envelope (Env) amino acids (aa) at the N-terminus of v-Rel are required for its full oncogenicity. In this report, we show that these mutant Env aa also enable sequences in the N-terminal half of v-Rel to activate transcription in yeast and chicken cells, under conditions where the analogous sequences from c-Rel either do not or only weakly activate transcription. Removal of the Env aa from v-Rel or site-directed mutations that revert the three mutant residues to the residues present in the Rev-A helper virus Env protein abolish this transactivation ability of v-Rel. Addition of mutant Env aa onto c-Rel is not sufficient to fully restore the transactivation function; other sequences in the N-terminal half of v-Rel are needed for full transactivating ability. A C terminally-truncated form of NF-kappaB p100 (p85), produced in HUT-78 human leukemic cells, also activates transcription in yeast, under conditions where the normal p52 and p100 proteins do not. Furthermore, transcriptional activation by p85 in yeast is likely to occur through N-terminal sequences. Taken together, these results are consistent with a model in which transactivation by N-terminal Rel Homology (RH) domain sequences in oncogenic Rel family proteins is influenced by sequences outside the RH domain.

Multiple mutations contribute to the oncogenicity of the retroviral oncoprotein v-Rel

The avian Rev-T retrovirus encodes the v-Rel oncoprotein, which is a member of the Rel/NF-kappaB transcription factor family. v-Rel induces a rapidly fatal lymphoma/leukemia in young birds, and v-Rel can transform and immortalize a variety of avian cell types in vitro. Although Rel/NF-kappaB transcription factors have been associated with oncogenesis in mammals, v-Rel is the only member of this family that is frankly oncogenic in animal model systems. The potent oncogenicity of v-Rel is the consequence of a number of mutations that have altered its activity and regulation: for example, certain mutations decrease its ability to be regulated by IkappaBalpha, change its DNA-binding site specificity, and endow it with new transactivation properties. The study of v-Rel will continue to increase our knowledge of how cellular Rel proteins contribute to oncogenesis by affecting cell growth, altering cell-cycle regulation, and blocking apoptosis. This review will discuss biological and molecular activities of v-Rel, with particular attention to how these activities relate to structure - function aspects of the Rel/NF-kappaB transcription factors.

Apoptosis promotes a caspase-induced amino-terminal truncation of IkappaBalpha that functions as a stable inhibitor of NF-kappaB

Caspases are cell death cysteine proteases that are activated upon the induction of the apoptotic program and cleave target proteins in a sequence-specific manner to promote cell death. Recently, Barkett et al. (Barkett, M., Xue, D., Horvitz, H. R., and Gilmore, T. D. (1997) J. Biol. Chem. 272, 29419-29422) have shown that IkappaBalpha, the inhibitory subunit of the transcription factor NF-kappaB, can be cleaved by caspase-3 in vitro at a site that potentially produces a dominant inhibitory form of IkappaBalpha. The involvement of NF-kappaB in the inhibition of cell death led us to ask whether apoptotic stimuli would induce the caspase-mediated cleavage of IkappaBalpha in vivo. In this study, we show that apoptosis leads to the caspase-mediated amino-terminal truncation of IkappaBalpha (DeltaN-IkappaBalpha). Our data show that DeltaN-IkappaBalpha can bind NF-kappaB, suppress NF-kappaB activation, and sensitize cells to death. Since activated NF-kappaB plays a role in the inhibition of cell death, these data suggest that caspase-mediated cleavage of IkappaBalpha may be a mechanism to suppress NF-kappaB and its associated antiapoptotic activity.