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Prasad YR, Anakha J, Pande AH. Treating liver cancer through arginine depletion. Drug Discov Today 2024; 29:103940. [PMID: 38452923 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2024.103940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2023] [Revised: 02/16/2024] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
Liver cancer, the sixth most common cancer globally and the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths, presents a critical public health threat. Diagnosis often occurs in advanced stages of the disease, aligning incidence with fatality rates. Given that established treatments, such as stereotactic body radiation therapy and transarterial radioembolization, face accessibility and affordability challenges, the emerging focus on cancer cell metabolism, particularly arginine (Arg) depletion, offers a promising research avenue. Arg-depleting enzymes show efficacy against Arg-auxotrophic cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Thus, in this review, we explore the limitations of current therapies and highlight the potential of Arg depletion, emphasizing various Arg-hydrolyzing enzymes in clinical development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yenisetti Rajendra Prasad
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Sector 67, S.A.S. Nagar, Mohali 160062, Punjab, India
| | - J Anakha
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Sector 67, S.A.S. Nagar, Mohali 160062, Punjab, India
| | - Abhay H Pande
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Sector 67, S.A.S. Nagar, Mohali 160062, Punjab, India.
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Kim SS, Xu S, Cui J, Poddar S, Le TM, Hayrapetyan H, Li L, Wu N, Moore AM, Zhou L, Yu AC, Dann AM, Elliott IA, Abt ER, Kim W, Dawson DW, Radu CG, Donahue TR. Histone deacetylase inhibition is synthetically lethal with arginine deprivation in pancreatic cancers with low argininosuccinate synthetase 1 expression. Theranostics 2020; 10:829-840. [PMID: 31903153 PMCID: PMC6929997 DOI: 10.7150/thno.40195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2019] [Accepted: 10/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Arginine (Arg) deprivation is a promising therapeutic approach for tumors with low argininosuccinate synthetase 1 (ASS1) expression. However, its efficacy as a single agent therapy needs to be improved as resistance is frequently observed. Methods: A tissue microarray was performed to assess ASS1 expression in surgical specimens of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and its correlation with disease prognosis. An RNA-Seq analysis examined the role of ASS1 in regulating the global gene transcriptome. A high throughput screen of FDA-approved oncology drugs identified synthetic lethality between histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors and Arg deprivation in PDAC cells with low ASS1 expression. We examined HDAC inhibitor panobinostat (PAN) and Arg deprivation in a panel of human PDAC cell lines, in ASS1-high and -knockdown/knockout isogenic models, in both anchorage-dependent and -independent cultures, and in multicellular complex cultures that model the PDAC tumor microenvironment. We examined the effects of combined Arg deprivation and PAN on DNA damage and the protein levels of key DNA repair enzymes. We also evaluated the efficacy of PAN and ADI-PEG20 (an Arg-degrading agent currently in Phase 2 clinical trials) in xenograft models with ASS1-low and -high PDAC tumors. Results: Low ASS1 protein level is a negative prognostic indicator in PDAC. Arg deprivation in ASS1-deficient PDAC cells upregulated asparagine synthetase (ASNS) which redirected aspartate (Asp) from being used for de novo nucleotide biosynthesis, thus causing nucleotide insufficiency and impairing cell cycle S-phase progression. Comprehensively validated, HDAC inhibitors and Arg deprivation showed synthetic lethality in ASS1-low PDAC cells. Mechanistically, combined Arg deprivation and HDAC inhibition triggered degradation of a key DNA repair enzyme C-terminal-binding protein interacting protein (CtIP), resulting in DNA damage and apoptosis. In addition, S-phase-retained ASS1-low PDAC cells (due to Arg deprivation) were also sensitized to DNA damage, thus yielding effective cell death. Compared to single agents, the combination of PAN and ADI-PEG20 showed better efficacy in suppressing ASS1-low PDAC tumor growth in mouse xenograft models. Conclusion: The combination of PAN and ADI-PEG20 is a rational translational therapeutic strategy for treating ASS1-low PDAC tumors through synergistic induction of DNA damage.
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Martín MJ, Gigola G, Zwenger A, Carriquiriborde M, Gentil F, Gentili C. Potential therapeutic targets for growth arrest of colorectal cancer cells exposed to PTHrP. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2018; 478:32-44. [PMID: 30009852 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2018.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2018] [Revised: 06/25/2018] [Accepted: 07/12/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Although PTHrP is implicated in several cancers, its role in chemoresistance is not fully elucidated. We found that in CRC cells, PTHrP exerts proliferative and protective effects and induces cell migration. The aim of this work was to further study the effects of PTHrP in CRC cells. Herein we evidenced, for the first time, that PTHrP induces resistance to CPT-11 in Caco-2 and HCT116 cells; although both cell lines responded to the drug through different molecular mechanisms, the chemoresistance by PTHrP in these models is mediated through ERK, which in turn is activated by PCK, Src and Akt. Moreover, continue administration of PTHrP in nude mice xenografts increased the protein levels of this MAPK and of other markers related to tumorigenic events. The understanding of the molecular mechanisms leading to ERK 1/2 activation and the study of ERK targets may facilitate the development of new therapeutic strategies for CRC treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Julia Martín
- Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas y Biomédicas del Sur (INBIOSUR), Dept. Biología Bioquímica y Farmacia, Universidad Nacional del Sur-CONICET, Bahía Blanca, Argentina
| | - Graciela Gigola
- Dept. Biología Bioquímica y Farmacia, Universidad Nacional del Sur, Bahía Blanca, Argentina
| | - Ariel Zwenger
- Dept. de Oncología, Hospital Provincial de Neuquén, Neuquén, Argentina
| | | | - Florencia Gentil
- Fac. de Cs. Veterinarias, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Claudia Gentili
- Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas y Biomédicas del Sur (INBIOSUR), Dept. Biología Bioquímica y Farmacia, Universidad Nacional del Sur-CONICET, Bahía Blanca, Argentina.
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Roeksomtawin S, Navasumrit P, Waraprasit S, Parnlob V, Sricharunrat T, Bhudhisawasdi V, Savaraj N, Ruchirawat M. Decreased argininosuccinate synthetase expression in Thai patients with cholangiocarcinoma and the effects of ADI-PEG20 treatment in CCA cell lines. Oncol Lett 2018; 16:1529-1538. [PMID: 30008833 PMCID: PMC6036342 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2018.8807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2017] [Accepted: 05/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a severe cancer with poor prognosis. The aim of the present study was to explore the expression of argininosuccinate synthetase (ASS), as well as the possibility of using pegylated arginine deiminase (ADI-PEG20) for the treatment of CCA. ASS expression was determined in CCA specimens from 40 patients in Thailand. Immunohistochemical detection of ASS and determination of the proliferative index, Ki-67, were carried out in paraffin-embedded sections of these specimens, as well as in two CCA cell lines, HuCCA and RmCCA-1, derived from CCA samples from patients in Thailand. In total, ~45% of the CCA specimens had low ASS expression, and the level of expression was significantly negatively associated with cell differentiation (P<0.05) and Ki-67 expression (P<0.05). The level of ASS expression in tumor cells was significantly lower than that in non-tumor cells (1.3-fold, P<0.05). The HuCCA cell line had significantly lower levels (P<0.05) of ASS expression at the mRNA and protein levels relative to those of normal human immortalized fibroblast cells (BJ-1). By contrast, the RmCCA-1 cell line showed no significant difference. In addition, the effects of ADI-PEG20 on growth inhibition, apoptosis and cell cycle arrest were determined in HuCCA and RmCCA-1 cells. ADI-PEG20 treatment reduced cell viability and cell proliferation in the two CCA cell lines, though it had no effect in immortalized BJ-1 cells. Furthermore, ADI-PEG20 treatment significantly increased G0/G1 cell cycle arrest in HuCCA, though not in RmCCA-1 cells. ASS silencing in the RmCCA-1 cell line significantly enhanced its sensitivity to ADI-PEG20 treatment. Results from the in vitro study demonstrated that ADI-PEG20 has antitumor activity against CCA with low ASS expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Somphon Roeksomtawin
- Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Bangkok 10210, Thailand.,Chulabhorn Graduate Institute, Bangkok 10210, Thailand
| | - Panida Navasumrit
- Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Bangkok 10210, Thailand.,Chulabhorn Graduate Institute, Bangkok 10210, Thailand.,Center of Excellence on Environmental Health and Toxicology, CHE, Ministry of Education, Bangkok 10300, Thailand
| | - Somchamai Waraprasit
- Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Bangkok 10210, Thailand
| | - Varabhorn Parnlob
- Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Bangkok 10210, Thailand
| | | | - Vajarabhongsa Bhudhisawasdi
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kean 40000, Thailand.,Laboratory of Chemical Carcinogenesis, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Bangkok 10210, Thailand
| | - Niramol Savaraj
- Department of Medicine, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33125, USA
| | - Mathuros Ruchirawat
- Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Bangkok 10210, Thailand.,Chulabhorn Graduate Institute, Bangkok 10210, Thailand.,Center of Excellence on Environmental Health and Toxicology, CHE, Ministry of Education, Bangkok 10300, Thailand
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5
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Thongkum A, Wu C, Li YY, Wangpaichitr M, Navasumrit P, Parnlob V, Sricharunrat T, Bhudhisawasdi V, Ruchirawat M, Savaraj N. The Combination of Arginine Deprivation and 5-Fluorouracil Improves Therapeutic Efficacy in Argininosuccinate Synthetase Negative Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Int J Mol Sci 2017; 18:ijms18061175. [PMID: 28587170 PMCID: PMC5485998 DOI: 10.3390/ijms18061175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2017] [Revised: 05/18/2017] [Accepted: 05/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Argininosuccinate synthetase (ASS), a key enzyme to synthesize arginine is down regulated in many tumors including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Similar to previous reports, we have found the decrease in ASS expression in poorly differentiated HCC. These ASS(-) tumors are auxotrophic for arginine. Pegylated arginine deiminase (ADI-PEG20), which degrades arginine, has shown activity in these tumors, but the antitumor effect is not robust and hence combination treatment is needed. Herein, we have elucidated the effectiveness of ADI-PEG20 combined with 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) in ASS(-)HCC by targeting urea cycle and pyrimidine metabolism using four HCC cell lines as model. SNU398 and SNU387 express very low levels of ASS or ASS(-) while Huh-1, and HepG2 express high ASS similar to normal cells. Our results showed that the augmented cytotoxic effect of combination treatment only occurs in SNU398 and SNU387, and not in HepG2 and Huh-1 (ASS(+)) cells, and is partly due to reduced anti-apoptotic proteins X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP), myeloid leukemia cell differentiation protein (Mcl-1) and B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2). Importantly, lack of ASS also influences essential enzymes in pyrimidine synthesis (carbamoyl-phosphate synthetase2, aspartate transcarbamylase and dihydrooratase (CAD) and thymidylate synthase (TS)) and malate dehydrogenase-1 (MDH-1) in TCA cycle. ADI-PEG20 treatment decreased these enzymes and made them more vulnerable to 5-FU. Transfection of ASS restored these enzymes and abolished the sensitivity to ADI-PEG20 and combination treatment. Overall, our data suggest that ASS influences multiple enzymes involved in 5-FU sensitivity. Combining ADI-PEG20 and 5-FU may be effective to treat ASS(-)hepatoma and warrants further clinical investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angkana Thongkum
- Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Laksi, Bangkok 10210, Thailand.
- Chulabhorn Graduate Institute, Laksi, Bangkok 10210, Thailand.
| | - Chunjing Wu
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Miami Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, Miami, FL 33125, USA.
| | - Ying-Ying Li
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Miami Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, Miami, FL 33125, USA.
- Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA.
| | - Medhi Wangpaichitr
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Miami Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, Miami, FL 33125, USA.
- Department of Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33125, USA.
| | - Panida Navasumrit
- Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Laksi, Bangkok 10210, Thailand.
- Chulabhorn Graduate Institute, Laksi, Bangkok 10210, Thailand.
- Center of Excellence on Environmental Health, Toxicology (EHT), Ministry of Education, Bangkok 10300, Thailand.
| | - Varabhorn Parnlob
- Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Laksi, Bangkok 10210, Thailand.
| | - Thaniya Sricharunrat
- Laboratory Unit of Pathology, Chulabhorn Hospital, Laksi, Bangkok 10210, Thailand.
| | - Vajarabhongsa Bhudhisawasdi
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Khonkaen University, Khonkaen 40000, Thailand.
- Laboratory of Chemical Carcinogenesis, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Laksi, Bangkok 10210, Thailand.
| | - Mathuros Ruchirawat
- Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Laksi, Bangkok 10210, Thailand.
- Center of Excellence on Environmental Health, Toxicology (EHT), Ministry of Education, Bangkok 10300, Thailand.
| | - Niramol Savaraj
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Miami Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, Miami, FL 33125, USA.
- Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA.
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Liu Q, Stewart J, Wang H, Rashid A, Zhao J, Katz MH, Lee JE, Fleming JB, Maitra A, Wolff RA, Varadhachary GR, Krishnan S, Wang H. Reduced expression of argininosuccinate synthetase 1 has a negative prognostic impact in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0171985. [PMID: 28187218 PMCID: PMC5302782 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0171985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2016] [Accepted: 01/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Argininosuccinate synthetase 1 (ASS1), the rate-limiting enzyme for arginine biosynthesis, is expressed in many types of human malignancies. Recent studies showed that ASS1 may have tumor suppressor function and that ASS1 deficiency is associated with clinical aggressiveness in nasopharyngeal carcinoma, myxofibrosarcomas and bladder cancer. The goal of this study was to evaluate the prognostic impact of ASS1 expression in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Our study included two independent cohorts: untreated cohort, which was comprised of 135 patients with PDAC who underwent pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) without pre-operative neoadjuvant therapy, and treated cohort, which was comprised of 122 patients with PDAC who have completed neoadjuvant therapy and PD. The expression level of ASS1 was evaluated by immunohistochemistry and the results were correlated with clinicopathologic parameters and survival using SPSS statistics. Our study showed that 12% of PDAC in untreated cohort and 15% of PDAC in treated cohort has low expression of ASS1 (ASS1-low). ASS1-low was associated with higher recurrence (p = 0.045), shorter disease-free survival (DFS, 4.8 ± 1.6 months vs 15.3 ± 2.2 months, p = 0.001) and shorter overall survival (OS, 14.6 ± 6.4 months vs 26.5 ± 3.5 months, p = 0.005) in untreated cohort and shorter OS in treated cohort compared to ASS1-high tumors. In multivariate analysis, ASS1-low (HR: 0.45, 95% CI: 0.26–0.79, p = 0.005) was an independent prognostic factor for DFS in untreated cohort and an independent prognostic factor for OS (HR: 0.56, 95% CI: 0.32–0.97, p = 0.04) in treated cohort. Our results provide supporting evidence for future clinical trial using arginine deprivation agents either alone or in combination with conventional chemotherapy in treating pancreatic cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingqing Liu
- Department of Pathology, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - John Stewart
- Department of Pathology, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Hua Wang
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Asif Rashid
- Department of Pathology, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Jun Zhao
- Department of Pathology, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Matthew H. Katz
- Department of Surgical Oncology, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Jeffrey E. Lee
- Department of Surgical Oncology, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Jason B. Fleming
- Department of Surgical Oncology, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Anirban Maitra
- Department of Pathology, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Robert A. Wolff
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Gauri R. Varadhachary
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Sunil Krishnan
- Department of Radiation Oncology, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Huamin Wang
- Department of Pathology, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Shiue SC, Huang MZ, Tsai TF, Chang AC, Choo KB, Huang CJ, Su TS. Expression profile and down-regulation of argininosuccinate synthetase in hepatocellular carcinoma in a transgenic mouse model. J Biomed Sci 2015; 22:10. [PMID: 25616743 PMCID: PMC4308890 DOI: 10.1186/s12929-015-0114-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2014] [Accepted: 01/12/2015] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Argininosuccinate synthetase (ASS) participates in urea and nitric oxide production and is a rate-limiting enzyme in arginine biosynthesis. Regulation of ASS expression appears complex and dynamic. In addition to transcriptional regulation, a novel post-transcriptional regulation affecting nuclear precursor RNA stability has been reported. Moreover, many cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), have been found not to express ASS mRNA; therefore, they are auxotrophic for arginine. To study when and where ASS is expressed and whether post-transcriptional regulation is undermined in particular temporal and spatial expression and in pathological events such as HCC, we set up a transgenic mouse system with modified BAC (bacterial artificial chromosome) carrying the human ASS gene tagged with an EGFP reporter. RESULTS We established and characterized the transgenic mouse models based on the use of two BAC-based EGFP reporter cassettes: a transcription reporter and a transcription/post-transcription coupled reporter. Using such a transgenic mouse system, EGFP fluorescence pattern in E14.5 embryo was examined. Profiles of fluorescence and that of Ass RNA in in situ hybridization were found to be in good agreement in general, yet our system has the advantages of sensitivity and direct fluorescence visualization. By comparing expression patterns between mice carrying the transcription reporter and those carrying the transcription/post-transcription couple reporter, a post-transcriptional up-regulation of ASS was found around the ventricular zone/subventricular zone of E14.5 embryonic brain. In the EGFP fluorescence pattern and mRNA level in adult tissues, tissue-specific regulation was found to be mainly controlled at transcriptional initiation. Furthermore, strong EGFP expression was found in brain regions of olfactory bulb, septum, habenular nucleus and choroid plexus of the young transgenic mice. On the other hand, in crossing to hepatitis B virus X protein (HBx)-transgenic mice, the Tg (ASS-EGFP, HBx) double transgenic mice developed HCC in which ASS expression was down-regulated, as in clinical samples. CONCLUSIONS The BAC transgenic mouse model described is a valuable tool for studying ASS gene expression. Moreover, this mouse model is a close reproduction of clinical behavior of ASS in HCC and is useful in testing arginine-depleting agents and for studies of the role of ASS in tumorigenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shih-Chang Shiue
- Institute of Microbiology & Immunology, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
| | - Miao-Zeng Huang
- Department of Medical Research, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, 112, Taiwan.
| | - Ting-Fen Tsai
- Department of Life Sciences and Institute of Genome Sciences, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
| | - Alice Chien Chang
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
| | - Kong Bung Choo
- Department of Preclinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Selangor, Malaysia.
- Centre for Stem Cell Research, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Selangor, Malaysia.
| | - Chiu-Jung Huang
- Department of Animal Science, Chinese Culture University, Taipei, Taiwan.
- Graduate Institute of Biotechnology, Chinese Culture University, Taipei, Taiwan.
| | - Tsung-Sheng Su
- Institute of Microbiology & Immunology, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
- Department of Medical Research, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, 112, Taiwan.
- Department of Life Sciences and Institute of Genome Sciences, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
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Wu FLL, Yeh TH, Chen YL, Chiu YC, Cheng JC, Wei MF, Shen LJ. Intracellular delivery of recombinant arginine deiminase (rADI) by heparin-binding hemagglutinin adhesion peptide restores sensitivity in rADI-resistant cancer cells. Mol Pharm 2014; 11:2777-86. [PMID: 24950134 DOI: 10.1021/mp5001372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Recombinant arginine deiminase (rADI) has been used in clinical trials for arginine-auxotrophic cancers. However, the emergence of rADI resistance, due to the overexpression of argininosuccinate synthetase (AS), has introduced an obstacle in its clinical application. Here, we have proposed a strategy for the intracellular delivery of rADI, which depletes both extracellular and intracellular arginine, to restore the sensitivity of rADI-resistant cancer cells. In this study, the C terminus of heparin-binding hemagglutinin adhesion protein from Mycobacterium tuberculosis (HBHAc), which contains 23 amino acids, was used to deliver rADI into rADI-resistant human breast adenocarcinoma cells (MCF-7). Chemical conjugates (l- and d-HBHAc-SPDP-rADI) and a recombinant fusion protein (rHBHAc-ADI) were produced. l- and d-HBHAc-SPDP-rADI showed a significantly higher cellular uptake of rADI by MCF-7 cells compared to that of rADI alone. Cell viability was significantly decreased in a dose-dependent manner in response to l- and d-HBHAc-SPDP-rADI treatments. In addition, the ratio of intracellular concentration of citrulline to arginine in cells treated with l- and d-HBHAc-SPDP-rADI was significantly increased by 1.4- and 1.7-fold, respectively, compared with that obtained in cells treated with rADI alone (p < 0.001). Similar results were obtained with the recombinant fusion protein rHBHAc-ADI. Our study demonstrates that the increased cellular uptake of rADI by HBHAc modification can restore the sensitivity of rADI treatment in MCF-7 cells. rHBHAc-ADI may represent a novel class of antitumor enzyme with an intracellular mechanism that is independent of AS expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fe-Lin Lin Wu
- School of Pharmacy and ‡Graduate Institute of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University , Taipei 10050, Taiwan
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Li L, Jin C, Ye L, Shao G, Wang L, Lin M. Argininosuccinate synthetase gene is silenced by CpG methylation in children with phenylketonuria. Clin Biochem 2013; 46:1793-7. [PMID: 24192130 DOI: 10.1016/j.clinbiochem.2013.10.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2013] [Revised: 10/16/2013] [Accepted: 10/28/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The concentration of tyrosine and the ratio of branch-amino acid to the aromatic amino acid in phenylketonuria (PKU) patients are much lower than that of normal people, which reveal that PKU patients have amino acid metabolism disorder. The aim of the present study was to investigate the arginine level in blood, the expression of argininosuccinate synthetase (ASS), the rate-limiting enzyme in arginine synthesis pathway, and the methylation of ASS in patients with PKU. DESIGN AND METHODS Twenty-five children with PKU and 65 healthy controls were investigated in this study. Blood concentration of arginine was analyzed by automatic amino acid analyzer. The methylation of ASS gene promoter was evaluated by using methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (MSP) and bisulfite sequencing PCR (BSP) methods, and the mRNA level of ASS was evaluated by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. RESULTS Blood concentration of arginine in PKU patients without dietary control was 0.017±0.009mmol/L while in normal persons was 0.129±0.007mmol/L, which is statistically significant (P<0.001). The promoter of ASS was methylated in PKU (15/15, 100%) but not in normal persons (0/15). The mRNA level of ASS in PKU patients was lower than that of normal people, which was well correlated with its methylation status. CONCLUSIONS The silencing of ASS due to aberrant promoter CpG methylation may be an important mechanism for arginine biosynthesis disorders in PKU. High levels of phenylalanine and low levels of arginine are common characteristics in PKU patients. These findings would extend the current understanding of arginine, ASS in the development of PKU disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Li
- Department of Cell Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
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