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Brunialti E, Rizzi N, Pinto-Costa R, Villa A, Panzeri A, Meda C, Rebecchi M, Di Monte DA, Ciana P. Design and validation of a reporter mouse to study the dynamic regulation of TFEB and TFE3 activity through in vivo imaging techniques. Autophagy 2024:1-16. [PMID: 38522425 DOI: 10.1080/15548627.2024.2334111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024] Open
Abstract
TFEB and TFE3 belong to the MiT/TFE family of transcription factors that bind identical DNA responsive elements in the regulatory regions of target genes. They are involved in regulating lysosomal biogenesis, function, exocytosis, autophagy, and lipid catabolism. Precise control of TFEB and TFE3 activity is crucial for processes such as senescence, stress response, energy metabolism, and cellular catabolism. Dysregulation of these factors is implicated in various diseases, thus researchers have explored pharmacological approaches to modulate MiT/TFE activity, considering these transcription factors as potential therapeutic targets. However, the physiological complexity of their functions and the lack of suitable in vivo tools have limited the development of selective MiT/TFE modulating agents. Here, we have created a reporter-based biosensor, named CLEARoptimized, facilitating the pharmacological profiling of TFEB- and TFE3-mediated transcription. This innovative tool enables the measurement of TFEB and TFE3 activity in living cells and mice through imaging and biochemical techniques. CLEARoptimized consists of a promoter with six coordinated lysosomal expression and regulation motifs identified through an in-depth bioinformatic analysis of the promoters of 128 TFEB-target genes. The biosensor drives the expression of luciferase and tdTomato reporter genes, allowing the quantification of TFEB and TFE3 activity in cells and in animals through optical imaging and biochemical assays. The biosensor's validity was confirmed by modulating MiT/TFE activity in both cell culture and reporter mice using physiological and pharmacological stimuli. Overall, this study introduces an innovative tool for studying autophagy and lysosomal pathway modulation at various biological levels, from individual cells to the entire organism.Abbreviations: CLEAR: coordinated lysosomal expression and regulation; MAR: matrix attachment regions; MiT: microphthalmia-associated transcription factor; ROI: region of interest; TBS: tris-buffered saline; TF: transcription factor; TFE3: transcription factor binding to IGHM enhancer 3; TFEB: transcription factor EB; TH: tyrosine hydroxylase; TK: thymidine kinase; TSS: transcription start site.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Rita Pinto-Costa
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Germany
| | - Alessandro Villa
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Alessia Panzeri
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Clara Meda
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Monica Rebecchi
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Paolo Ciana
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
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2
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Villa A, De Mitri Z, Vincenti S, Crippa E, Castiglioni L, Gelosa P, Rebecchi M, Tosi D, Brunialti E, Oevermann A, Falleni M, Sironi L, Bello L, Mazzaferro V, Ciana P. Canine glioblastoma-derived extracellular vesicles as precise carriers for glioblastoma imaging: Targeting across the blood-brain barrier. Biomed Pharmacother 2024; 172:116201. [PMID: 38306846 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2024.116201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2023] [Revised: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/04/2024] Open
Abstract
The treatment of glioblastoma (GBM) faces significant challenges due to the difficulty of delivering drugs through the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as potential carriers for targeted drug delivery to brain tumors. However, their use and distribution in the presence of an intact BBB and their ability to target GBM tissue are still under investigation. This study explored the use of EVs for GBM targeting across the BBB. Canine plasma EVs from healthy dogs and dogs with glioma were isolated, characterized, and loaded with diagnostic agents. Biodistribution studies were conducted in healthy murine models and a novel intranasal model that preserved BBB integrity while initiating early-stage GBM growth. This model assessed EVs' potential for delivering the contrast agent gadoteric acid to intracranial tumors. Imaging techniques, such as bioluminescence and MRI, confirmed EVs' targeting and delivery capabilities thus revealing a selective accumulation of canine glioma-derived EVs in brain tissue under physiological conditions. In the model of brain tumor, MRI experiments demonstrated the ability of EVs to accumulate gadoteric acid within GBM to enhance contrast of the tumoral mass, even when BBB integrity is maintained. This study underscores the potential of EVs derived from glioma for the targeted delivery of drugs to glioblastoma. EVs from dogs with glioma showed capacity to traverse the BBB and selectively accumulate within the brain tumor. Overall, this research represents a foundation for the application of autologous EVs to precision glioblastoma treatment, addressing the challenge of BBB penetration and targeting specificity in brain cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Villa
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, via A. di Rudinì, 8, 20142, Milano, Italy
| | - Zemira De Mitri
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, via A. di Rudinì, 8, 20142, Milano, Italy
| | - Simona Vincenti
- Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Länggassstrasse 124, 3001 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Elisabetta Crippa
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, via A. di Rudinì, 8, 20142, Milano, Italy
| | - Laura Castiglioni
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milan, via Balzaretti, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Paolo Gelosa
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milan, via Balzaretti, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Monica Rebecchi
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, via A. di Rudinì, 8, 20142, Milano, Italy
| | - Delfina Tosi
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, via A. di Rudinì, 8, 20142, Milano, Italy
| | - Electra Brunialti
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, via A. di Rudinì, 8, 20142, Milano, Italy
| | - Anna Oevermann
- Division of Neurological Sciences, Department of Clinical Research and Veterinary Public Health, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Länggassstrasse 124, 3001 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Monica Falleni
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, via A. di Rudinì, 8, 20142, Milano, Italy
| | - Luigi Sironi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milan, via Balzaretti, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Bello
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, Università Degli Studi di Milano, Via Festa del Perdono 7, 20122 Milano, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Mazzaferro
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, Università Degli Studi di Milano, Via Festa del Perdono 7, 20122 Milano, Italy; HPB Surgery and Liver Transplantation, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Tumori (INT), Via Giacomo Venezian, 1, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Paolo Ciana
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, via A. di Rudinì, 8, 20142, Milano, Italy.
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Vincenti S, Villa A, Crescenti D, Crippa E, Brunialti E, Shojaei-Ghahrizjani F, Rizzi N, Rebecchi M, Dei Cas M, Del Sole A, Paroni R, Mazzaferro V, Ciana P. Increased Sensitivity of Computed Tomography Scan for Neoplastic Tissues Using the Extracellular Vesicle Formulation of the Contrast Agent Iohexol. Pharmaceutics 2022; 14:pharmaceutics14122766. [PMID: 36559260 PMCID: PMC9786056 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14122766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2022] [Revised: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Computed tomography (CT) is a diagnostic medical imaging modality commonly used to detect disease and injury. Contrast agents containing iodine, such as iohexol, are frequently used in CT examinations to more clearly differentiate anatomic structures and to detect and characterize abnormalities, including tumors. However, these contrast agents do not have a specific tropism for cancer cells, so the ability to detect tumors is severely limited by the degree of vascularization of the tumor itself. Identifying delivery systems allowing enrichment of contrast agents at the tumor site would increase the sensitivity of detection of tumors and metastases, potentially in organs that are normally inaccessible to contrast agents, such as the CNS. Recent work from our laboratory has identified cancer patient-derived extracellular vesicles (PDEVs) as effective delivery vehicles for targeting diagnostic drugs to patients' tumors. Based on this premise, we explored the possibility of introducing iohexol into PDEVs for targeted delivery to neoplastic tissue. Here, we provide preclinical proof-of-principle for the tumor-targeting ability of iohexol-loaded PDEVs, which resulted in an impressive accumulation of the contrast agent selectively into the neoplastic tissue, significantly improving the ability of the contrast agent to delineate tumor boundaries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Vincenti
- Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, 20142 Milan, Italy
| | - Alessandro Villa
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, 20142 Milan, Italy
- Correspondence: (A.V.); (P.C.)
| | - Daniela Crescenti
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, 20142 Milan, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Crippa
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, 20142 Milan, Italy
| | - Electra Brunialti
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, 20142 Milan, Italy
| | | | - Nicoletta Rizzi
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, 20142 Milan, Italy
| | - Monica Rebecchi
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, 20142 Milan, Italy
| | - Michele Dei Cas
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, 20142 Milan, Italy
| | - Angelo Del Sole
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, 20142 Milan, Italy
| | - Rita Paroni
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, 20142 Milan, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Mazzaferro
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy
- HPB Surgery and Liver Transplantation, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Foundation (INT), 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Paolo Ciana
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, 20142 Milan, Italy
- Correspondence: (A.V.); (P.C.)
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Sposito C, Maspero M, Belotti P, Simonotti N, Altomare M, Ciana P, Mazzaferro V. Indocyanine Green Fluorescence-Guided Surgery for Gastrointestinal Tumors: A Systematic Review. Ann Surg Open 2022; 3:e190. [PMID: 37601143 PMCID: PMC10431291 DOI: 10.1097/as9.0000000000000190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective To conduct a systematic review of the currently available literature on the use of ICG to guide surgical dissection in gastrointestinal (GI) cancer surgery. Background Real-time indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence-guided surgery has the potential to enhance surgical outcomes by increasing patient-tailored oncological precision. Methods MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE, and Google Scholar were searched for publications on the use of ICG as a contrast agent in GI cancer surgery until December 2020. Perfusion studies were excluded. Quality of the studies was assessed with the Methodological Index for nonrandomized Studies or Jadad scale for randomized controlled trials. A narrative synthesis of the results was provided, with descriptive statistics when appropriate. Results Seventy-eight studies were included. ICG was used for primary tumor and metastases localization, for sentinel lymph node detection, and for lymph flow mapping. The detection rate for primary colorectal and gastric tumors was 100% after preoperative ICG endoscopic injection. For liver lesions, the detection rate after intravenous ICG infusion was 80% and up to 100% for lesions less than 8 mm from the liver surface. The detection rate for sentinel lymph nodes was 89.8% for esophageal, 98.6% for gastric, 87.4% for colorectal, and 83.3% for anal tumors, respectively. In comparative studies, ICG significantly increases the quality of D2 lymphadenectomy in oncological gastrectomy. Conclusion The use of ICG as a guiding tool for dissection in GI surgery is promising. Further evidence from high-quality studies on larger sample sizes is needed to assess whether ICG-guided surgery may become standard of care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlo Sposito
- From the General Surgery and Liver Transplantation Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori di Milano, Milan, Italy
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Marianna Maspero
- From the General Surgery and Liver Transplantation Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori di Milano, Milan, Italy
- University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | | | | | | | - Paolo Ciana
- Department of Health Sciences, Institute of Pharmacology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Mazzaferro
- From the General Surgery and Liver Transplantation Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori di Milano, Milan, Italy
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
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5
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Zini J, Saari H, Ciana P, Viitala T, Lõhmus A, Saarinen J, Yliperttula M. Infrared and Raman spectroscopy for purity assessment of extracellular vesicles. Eur J Pharm Sci 2022; 172:106135. [PMID: 35121019 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejps.2022.106135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2021] [Revised: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are a complex and heterogeneous population of nanoparticles involved in cell-to-cell communication. Recently, numerous studies have indicated the potential of EVs as therapeutic agents, drug carriers and diagnostic tools. However, the results of these studies are often difficult to evaluate, since different characterization methods are used to assess the purity, physical and biochemical characteristics of the EV samples. In this study, we compared four methods for the EV sample characterization and purity assessment: i) the particle-to-protein ratio based on particle analyses with nanoparticle tracking and protein concentration by bicinchoninic acid assay, ii) Western Blot analysis for specific EV biomarkers, iii) two spectroscopic lipid-to-protein ratios by either the attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) or Raman spectroscopy. The results confirm the value of Raman and ATR-FTIR spectroscopy as robust, fast and operator independent tools that require only a few microliters of EV sample. We propose that the spectroscopic lipid-to-protein (Li/Pr) ratios are reliable parameters for the purity assessment of EV preparations. Moreover, apart from determining protein concentrations, we show that ATR-FTIR spectroscopy can also be used for indirect measurements of EV concentrations. Nevertheless, the Li/Pr ratios do not represent full characterization of the EV preparations. For a complete characterization of selected EV preparations, we recommend also additional use of particle size distribution and EV biomarker analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacopo Zini
- Division of Pharmaceutical Biosciences and Drug Research Program, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
| | - Heikki Saari
- Division of Pharmaceutical Biosciences and Drug Research Program, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Finnish Red Cross Blood Service, Kivihaantie 7, Helsinki 00310, Finland
| | - Paolo Ciana
- Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases and Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, MI, Italy
| | - Tapani Viitala
- Division of Pharmaceutical Biosciences and Drug Research Program, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology and Drug Research Program, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Andres Lõhmus
- Division of Pharmaceutical Biosciences and Drug Research Program, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jukka Saarinen
- Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology and Drug Research Program, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Marjo Yliperttula
- Division of Pharmaceutical Biosciences and Drug Research Program, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
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6
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Della Torre S, Vegeto E, Ciana P. The Use of ERE-Luc Reporter Mice to Monitor Estrogen Receptor Transcriptional Activity in a Spatio-Temporal Dimension. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2418:153-172. [PMID: 35119665 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1920-9_10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
In spite of the fact that women spend 1/3 of their lives in postmenopause, the search for appropriate therapies able to counteract the derangements associated with the menopause still represents a sort of sought after the "Holy Grail."Nowadays, the combination of estrogens and selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), a class of compounds with a mixed agonist/antagonistic activity on the estrogen receptor (ER) in various tissues, represents the most promising approach to improve postmenopausal women's health, by preserving the benefits while avoiding the side effects of estrogen-based therapy.Given their complex mechanisms of action, the evaluation of SERM activity in combination with conjugated estrogens (CE) requires a multifactorial analysis that takes into account the multifaceted and dynamic effects of these compounds in target tissues, even in relation to the physiological/pathological status.To accomplish such a goal, we took advantage of the ERE-Luc model, a reporter mouse that allows the monitoring of ER transcriptional activity in a spatio-temporal dimension. Cluster analyses performed on in vivo/ex vivo bioluminescence (BLI) data and ex vivo luciferase activity enabled to sustain the combination of CE plus bazedoxifene (TSEC, tissue-selective estrogen complex) as a valuable option for the pharmacological treatment of the postmenopause.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Della Torre
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
| | - Elisabetta Vegeto
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Paolo Ciana
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
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7
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Villa A, Brunialti E, Dellavedova J, Meda C, Rebecchi M, Conti M, Donnici L, De Francesco R, Reggiani A, Lionetti V, Ciana P. Corrigendum to "DNA aptamers masking angiotensin converting enzyme 2 as an innovative way to treat SARS-CoV-2 pandemic". Pharmacol Res 2021; 175:106042. [PMID: 34953639 PMCID: PMC8694795 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2021.106042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Villa
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, Milan 20146, Italy
| | - Electra Brunialti
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, Milan 20146, Italy
| | | | - Clara Meda
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, Milan 20146, Italy
| | - Monica Rebecchi
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, Milan 20146, Italy
| | - Matteo Conti
- INGM - Istituto Nazionale Genetica Molecolare "Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi", Milan 20122, Italy
| | - Lorena Donnici
- INGM - Istituto Nazionale Genetica Molecolare "Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi", Milan 20122, Italy
| | - Raffaele De Francesco
- INGM - Istituto Nazionale Genetica Molecolare "Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi", Milan 20122, Italy; Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Milan 20133, Italy
| | - Angelo Reggiani
- D3 Validation Research Line, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa 16163, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Lionetti
- Institute of Life Sciences, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa 56127, Italy
| | - Paolo Ciana
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, Milan 20146, Italy.
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Pepe G, Sfogliarini C, Rizzello L, Battaglia G, Pinna C, Rovati G, Ciana P, Brunialti E, Mornata F, Maggi A, Locati M, Vegeto E. ERα-independent NRF2-mediated immunoregulatory activity of tamoxifen. Biomed Pharmacother 2021; 144:112274. [PMID: 34653752 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2021.112274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Revised: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Sex differences in immune-mediated diseases are linked to the activity of estrogens on innate immunity cells, including macrophages. Tamoxifen (TAM) is a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) used in estrogen receptor-alpha (ERα)-dependent breast cancers and off-target indications such as infections, although the immune activity of TAM and its active metabolite, 4-OH tamoxifen (4HT), is poorly characterized. Here, we aimed at investigating the endocrine and immune activity of these SERMs in macrophages. Using primary cultures of female mouse macrophages, we analyzed the expression of immune mediators and activation of effector functions in competition experiments with SERMs and 17β-estradiol (E2) or the bacterial endotoxin LPS. We observed that 4HT and TAM induce estrogen antagonist effects when used at nanomolar concentrations, while pharmacological concentrations that are reached by TAM in clinical settings regulate the expression of VEGFα and other immune activation genes by ERα- and G protein-coupled receptor 1 (GPER1)-independent mechanisms that involve NRF2 through PI3K/Akt-dependent mechanisms. Importantly, we observed that SERMs potentiate cell phagocytosis and modify the effects of LPS on the expression of inflammatory cytokines, such as TNFα and IL1β, with an overall increase in cell inflammatory phenotype, further sustained by potentiation of IL1β secretion through caspase-1 activation. Altogether, our data unravel a novel molecular mechanism and immune functions for TAM and 4HT, sustaining their repurposing in infective and other estrogen receptors-unrelated pathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanna Pepe
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milan, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Chiara Sfogliarini
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milan, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Loris Rizzello
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milan, 20133 Milan, Italy; National Institute of Molecular Genetics (INGM) Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Battaglia
- Department of Chemistry and; The EPSRC/Jeol Centre for Liquid Phase Electron Microscopy, University College London, WC1H 0AJ London, U.K; Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; Institute for Physics of Living System, University College London, WC1E 6BT London, U.K; Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), 08010 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Christian Pinna
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milan, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Gianenrico Rovati
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milan, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Paolo Ciana
- Department of Health Sciences University of Milan, 20142 Milan, Italy
| | - Electra Brunialti
- Department of Health Sciences University of Milan, 20142 Milan, Italy
| | - Federica Mornata
- IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, via Manzoni 56, 20089 Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Adriana Maggi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milan, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Massimo Locati
- IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, via Manzoni 56, 20089 Rozzano, Milan, Italy; Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Vegeto
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milan, 20133 Milan, Italy.
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9
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Villa A, Brunialti E, Dellavedova J, Meda C, Rebecchi M, Conti M, Donnici L, De Francesco R, Reggiani A, Lionetti V, Ciana P. DNA aptamers masking angiotensin converting enzyme 2 as an innovative way to treat SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Pharmacol Res 2021; 175:105982. [PMID: 34798263 PMCID: PMC8594078 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2021.105982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2021] [Revised: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
All the different coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 variants isolated so far share the same mechanism of infection mediated by the interaction of their spike (S) glycoprotein with specific residues on their cellular receptor: the angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Therefore, the steric hindrance on this cellular receptor created by a bulk macromolecule may represent an effective strategy for the prevention of the viral spreading and the onset of severe forms of Corona Virus disease 19 (COVID-19). Here, we applied a systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) procedure to identify two single strand DNA molecules (aptamers) binding specifically to the region surrounding the K353, the key residue in human ACE2 interacting with the N501 amino acid of the SARS-CoV-2 S. 3D docking in silico experiments and biochemical assays demonstrated that these aptamers bind to this region, efficiently prevent the SARS-CoV-2 S/human ACE2 interaction and the viral infection in the nanomolar range, regardless of the viral variant, thus suggesting the possible clinical development of these aptamers as SARS-CoV-2 infection inhibitors. Our approach brings a significant innovation to the therapeutic paradigm of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic by protecting the target cell instead of focusing on the virus; this is particularly attractive in light of the increasing number of viral mutants that may potentially escape the currently developed immune-mediated neutralization strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Villa
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, Milan 20146, Italy
| | - Electra Brunialti
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, Milan 20146, Italy
| | | | - Clara Meda
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, Milan 20146, Italy
| | - Monica Rebecchi
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, Milan 20146, Italy
| | - Matteo Conti
- INGM - Istituto Nazionale Genetica Molecolare "Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi", Milan 20122, Italy
| | - Lorena Donnici
- INGM - Istituto Nazionale Genetica Molecolare "Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi", Milan 20122, Italy
| | - Raffaele De Francesco
- INGM - Istituto Nazionale Genetica Molecolare "Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi", Milan 20122, Italy; Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Milan 20133, Italy
| | - Angelo Reggiani
- D3 Validation Research Line, Italian Institute of Technology, Genoa 16163, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Lionetti
- Institute of Life Sciences, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa 56127, Italy
| | - Paolo Ciana
- D3 Validation Research Line, Italian Institute of Technology, Genoa 16163, Italy.
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10
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Brunialti E, Villa A, Mekhaeil M, Mornata F, Vegeto E, Maggi A, Di Monte DA, Ciana P. Inhibition of microglial β-glucocerebrosidase hampers the microglia-mediated antioxidant and protective response in neurons. J Neuroinflammation 2021; 18:220. [PMID: 34551802 PMCID: PMC8459568 DOI: 10.1186/s12974-021-02272-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Homozygotic mutations in the GBA gene cause Gaucher's disease; moreover, both patients and heterozygotic carriers have been associated with 20- to 30-fold increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease. In homozygosis, these mutations impair the activity of β-glucocerebrosidase, the enzyme encoded by GBA, and generate a lysosomal disorder in macrophages, which changes morphology towards an engorged phenotype, considered the hallmark of Gaucher's disease. Notwithstanding the key role of macrophages in this disease, most of the effects in the brain have been attributed to the β-glucocerebrosidase deficit in neurons, while a microglial phenotype for these mutations has never been reported. METHODS We applied the bioluminescence imaging technology, immunohistochemistry and gene expression analysis to investigate the consequences of microglial β-glucocerebrosidase inhibition in the brain of reporter mice, in primary neuron/microglia cocultures and in cell lines. The use of primary cells from reporter mice allowed for the first time, to discriminate in cocultures neuronal from microglial responses consequent to the β-glucocerebrosidase inhibition; results were finally confirmed by pharmacological depletion of microglia from the brain of mice. RESULTS Our data demonstrate the existence of a novel neuroprotective mechanism mediated by a direct microglia-to-neuron contact supported by functional actin structures. This cellular contact stimulates the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 activity in neurons, a key signal involved in drug detoxification, redox balance, metabolism, autophagy, lysosomal biogenesis, mitochondrial dysfunctions, and neuroinflammation. The central role played by microglia in this neuronal response in vivo was proven by depletion of the lineage in the brain of reporter mice. Pharmacological inhibition of microglial β-glucocerebrosidase was proven to induce morphological changes, to turn on an anti-inflammatory/repairing pathway, and to hinder the microglia ability to activate the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 response, thus increasing the neuronal susceptibility to neurotoxins. CONCLUSION This mechanism provides a possible explanation for the increased risk of neurodegeneration observed in carriers of GBA mutations and suggest novel therapeutic strategies designed to revert the microglial phenotype associated with β-glucocerebrosidase inhibition, aimed at resetting the protective microglia-to-neuron communication.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alessandro Villa
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
| | | | - Federica Mornata
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Vegeto
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Adriana Maggi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Paolo Ciana
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
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11
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Villa A, Garofalo M, Crescenti D, Rizzi N, Brunialti E, Vingiani A, Belotti P, Sposito C, Franzè S, Cilurzo F, Pruneri G, Recordati C, Giudice C, Giordano A, Tortoreto M, Beretta G, Stefanello D, Manenti G, Zaffaroni N, Mazzaferro V, Ciana P. Transplantation of autologous extracellular vesicles for cancer-specific targeting. Am J Cancer Res 2021; 11:2034-2047. [PMID: 33500707 PMCID: PMC7797692 DOI: 10.7150/thno.51344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 11/11/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Nano- and microsized extracellular vesicles (EVs) are naturally occurring cargo-bearing packages of regulatory macromolecules, and recent studies are increasingly showing that EVs are responsible for physiological intercellular communication. Nanoparticles encapsulating anti-tumor theranostics represent an attractive “exosome-interfering” strategy for cancer therapy. Methods: Herein, by labeling plasma-derived EVs with indocyanine green (ICG) and following their biodistribution by in vivo and ex vivo imaging, we demonstrate the existence of nanoparticles with a highly selective cancer tropism in the blood of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients but not in that of healthy volunteers. Results: In CRC patient-derived xenograft (PDX) mouse models, we show that transplanted EVs recognize tumors from the cognate nanoparticle-generating individual, suggesting the theranostic potential of autologous EVs encapsulating tumor-interfering molecules. In large canine breeds bearing spontaneous malignant skin and breast tumors, the same autologous EV transplantation protocol shows comparable safety and efficacy profiles. Conclusions: Our data show the existence of an untapped resource of intercellular communication present in the blood of cancer patients, which represents an efficient and highly biocompatible way to deliver molecules directly to the tumor with great precision. The novel EV-interfering approach proposed by our study may become a new research direction in the complex interplay of modern personalized cancer therapy.
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12
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Garofalo M, Villa A, Brunialti E, Crescenti D, Dell'Omo G, Kuryk L, Vingiani A, Mazzaferro V, Ciana P. Cancer-derived EVs show tropism for tissues at early stage of neoplastic transformation. Nanotheranostics 2021; 5:1-7. [PMID: 33391971 PMCID: PMC7738946 DOI: 10.7150/ntno.47226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Accepted: 08/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
From the past decade, extracellular vesicles (EVs) have attracted considerable attention as tools for the selective delivery of anti-neoplastic drugs to cancer tissues. Compared to other nanoparticles, EVs display interesting unique features including immune compatibility, low toxicity and the ability to encapsulate a large variety of small- and macro-molecules. However, in virtually all studies, investigations on EVs have been focused on fully transformed cancers: the possibility to apply EV technology also to early-stage tumors has never been explored. Methods: Herein, we studied the ability of cancer-derived EVs to recognize and deliver their cargo also to incipient cancers. To this purpose, EV biodistribution was studied in MMTV-NeuT genetically modified mice during early mammary transformation, in fully developed breast tumors and in the normal gland of wild type syngeneic mice. EVs were loaded with indocyanine green (ICG), a near-infrared (NIR) dye together with oncolytic viruses and i.v. injected in mice. The nanoparticle biodistribution was assayed by in vivo and ex vivo optical imaging (detecting the ICG) and semiquantitative real-time PCR (measuring the adenoviral genome) in different tissues. Results: Our results demonstrate the ability of cancer-derived EVs to recognize early-stage neoplastic tissues opening the possibility to selectively deliver theranostics also for tumor prevention. Conclusions: Taken together our study demonstrates the ability of EVs to recognize and deliver diagnostic and therapeutic agents not only to fully transformed tissues but also to early stage tumors. These findings pave the way for the synthesis of “universal” EVs-based formulation for targeted cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariangela Garofalo
- Department of Health Sciences, Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Milan, Italy.,Current address: Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padova, Italy
| | - Alessandro Villa
- Department of Health Sciences, Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Milan, Italy
| | - Electra Brunialti
- Department of Health Sciences, Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Milan, Italy.,Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Daniela Crescenti
- Department of Health Sciences, Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Milan, Italy.,Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Giulia Dell'Omo
- Department of Health Sciences, Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Milan, Italy
| | - Lukasz Kuryk
- Targovax Oy, Clinical Science, Helsinki, Finland.,National Institute of Public Health - National Institute of Hygiene, Department of Virology, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Andrea Vingiani
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.,Istituto Nazionale Tumori Fondazione IRCCS, National Cancer Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Mazzaferro
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.,Istituto Nazionale Tumori Fondazione IRCCS, National Cancer Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Paolo Ciana
- Department of Health Sciences, Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Milan, Italy
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13
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Dell'Omo
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, Milan 20133, Italy
| | - Paolo Ciana
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, Milan 20133, Italy
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14
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Garofalo M, Villa A, Crescenti D, Marzagalli M, Kuryk L, Limonta P, Mazzaferro V, Ciana P. Heterologous and cross-species tropism of cancer-derived extracellular vesicles. Theranostics 2019; 9:5681-5693. [PMID: 31534511 PMCID: PMC6735396 DOI: 10.7150/thno.34824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2019] [Accepted: 04/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are naturally occurring cargo delivery vesicles that have recently received considerable attention for their roles in intercellular communication in many physiological and pathological processes, including tumourigenesis. EVs generated by different tissues demonstrated specific homing: in particular, cancer-derived EVs showed a selective tropism for the tumor tissue from which the vesicles originated. For this property, EVs have been proposed as drug delivery tools for anti-cancer therapies, although the limited knowledge about their in vivo tropism hinders their therapeutic applications. The current study aimed to characterize the targeting properties of cancer-derived EVs in vitro and their biodistribution in vivo, by using an imaging approach. Methods: EVs were generated from: i) murine lung (LL/2) and colon (MC-38) cancer lines, ii) human lung cancer cell line (A549) and iii) human liver biopsy samples from healthy individuals. EVs were loaded with fluorescent dyes alone or in combination with a biopharmaceutical agent, the oncolytic adenovirus (OV), characterized for charge and size and tested for their activity in cancer cell lines. Finally, optical imaging was extensively applied to study in vivo and ex vivo the biodistribution of EVs originated from different sources in different mouse models of cancer, including xenograft, syngeneic graft and the MMTV-NeuT genetically modified animal. Results: We initially demonstrated that even loading EVs even with a large biopharmaceutical oncolytic viruses (OVs) did not significantly change their charge and dimension properties, while increasing their anti-neoplastic activity compared to the virus or EVs alone. Interestingly, this activity was observed even if the EVs derived from lung cancer were applied to colon carcinoma cell lines and vice versa, suggesting that the EV uptake occurred in vitro without any specificity for the cancer cells from which the vesicles originated. When administered i.v (intravenously) to the mouse models of cancer, the tumour-derived EVs, but not the EVs derived from a healthy tissue, demonstrated a selective accumulation of the fluorescence at the tumour site 24 h after injection; adding OVs to the formulation did not change the tumour-specific tropism of the EVs also in vivo. Most interestingly, the in vivo experiments confirmed the in vitro observation of the generalized tropism of tumour-derived EVs for any neoplastic tissue, independent of the tumour type or even the species originating the vesicles. Conclusions: Taken together, our in vitro and in vivo data demonstrate for the first time a heterologous, cross-species tumour-tropism for cancer-derived EVs. This finding challenges our current view on the homing properties of EVs and opens new avenues for the selective delivery of diagnostic/therapeutic agents to solid tumours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariangela Garofalo
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Alessandro Villa
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Daniela Crescenti
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Monica Marzagalli
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Lukasz Kuryk
- Targovax Oy, Clinical Science, Helsinki, Finland
- National Institute of Public Health - National Institute of Hygiene, Department of Virology, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Patrizia Limonta
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Mazzaferro
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale Tumori Fondazione IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Paolo Ciana
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
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15
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Carrano N, Samaddar T, Brunialti E, Franchini L, Marcello E, Ciana P, Mauceri D, Di Luca M, Gardoni F. The Synaptonuclear Messenger RNF10 Acts as an Architect of Neuronal Morphology. Mol Neurobiol 2019; 56:7583-7593. [DOI: 10.1007/s12035-019-1631-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2019] [Accepted: 04/29/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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16
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Della Torre S, Rando G, Meda C, Ciana P, Ottobrini L, Maggi A. Transcriptional activity of oestrogen receptors in the course of embryo development. J Endocrinol 2018; 238:165-176. [PMID: 30012715 PMCID: PMC6084787 DOI: 10.1530/joe-18-0003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2018] [Accepted: 06/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Oestrogens are well-known proliferation and differentiation factors that play an essential role in the correct development of sex-related organs and behaviour in mammals. With the use of the ERE-Luc reporter mouse model, we show herein that throughout mouse development, oestrogen receptors (ERs) are active starting from day 12 post conception. Most interestingly, we show that prenatal luciferase expression in each organ is proportionally different in relation to the germ layer of the origin. The luciferase content is highest in ectoderm-derived organs (such as brain and skin) and is lowest in endoderm-derived organs (such as liver, lung, thymus and intestine). Consistent with the testosterone surge occurring in male mice at the end of pregnancy, in the first 2 days after birth, we observed a significant increase in the luciferase content in several organs, including the liver, bone, gonads and hindbrain. The results of the present study show a widespread transcriptional activity of ERs in developing embryos, pointing to the potential contribution of these receptors in the development of non-reproductive as well as reproductive organs. Consequently, the findings reported here might be relevant in explaining the significant differences in male and female physiopathology reported by a growing number of studies and may underline the necessity for more systematic analyses aimed at the identification of the prenatal effects of drugs interfering with ER signalling, such as aromatase inhibitors or endocrine disrupter chemicals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Della Torre
- Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative DiseasesUniversity of Milan, Milan, Italy
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular SciencesUniversity of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Gianpaolo Rando
- Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative DiseasesUniversity of Milan, Milan, Italy
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular SciencesUniversity of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Clara Meda
- Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative DiseasesUniversity of Milan, Milan, Italy
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular SciencesUniversity of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Paolo Ciana
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-OncologyUniversity of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Luisa Ottobrini
- Department of Pathophysiology and TransplantationUniversity of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Adriana Maggi
- Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative DiseasesUniversity of Milan, Milan, Italy
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular SciencesUniversity of Milan, Milan, Italy
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17
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Garofalo M, Saari H, Somersalo P, Crescenti D, Kuryk L, Aksela L, Capasso C, Madetoja M, Koskinen K, Oksanen T, Mäkitie A, Jalasvuori M, Cerullo V, Ciana P, Yliperttula M. Antitumor effect of oncolytic virus and paclitaxel encapsulated in extracellular vesicles for lung cancer treatment. J Control Release 2018; 283:223-234. [PMID: 29864473 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2018.05.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2017] [Revised: 05/10/2018] [Accepted: 05/14/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Standard of care for cancer is commonly a combination of surgery with radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy. However, in some advanced cancer patients this approach might still remaininefficient and may cause many side effects, including severe complications and even death. Oncolytic viruses exhibit different anti-cancer mechanisms compared with conventional therapies, allowing the possibility for improved effect in cancer therapy. Chemotherapeutics combined with oncolytic viruses exhibit stronger cytotoxic responses and oncolysis. Here, we have investigated the systemic delivery of the oncolytic adenovirus and paclitaxel encapsulated in extracellular vesicles (EV) formulation that, in vitro, significantly increased the transduction ratio and the infectious titer when compared with the virus and paclitaxel alone. We demonstrated that the obtained EV formulation reduced the in vivo tumor growth in animal xenograft model of human lung cancer. Indeed, we found that combined treatment of oncolytic adenovirus and paclitaxel encapsulated in EV has enhanced anticancer effects both in vitro and in vivo in lung cancer models. Transcriptomic comparison carried out on the explanted xenografts from the different treatment groups revealed that only 5.3% of the differentially expressed genes were overlapping indicating that a de novo genetic program is triggered by the presence of the encapsulated paclitaxel: this novel genetic program might be responsible of the observed enhanced antitumor effect. Our work provides a promising approach combining anticancer drugs and viral therapies by intravenous EV delivery as a strategy for the lung cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Garofalo
- Division of Pharmaceutical Biosciences and Centre for Drug Research, University of Helsinki, Viikinkaari 5, Helsinki 00790, Finland; Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti 9, Milan 20133, Italy.
| | - H Saari
- Division of Pharmaceutical Biosciences and Centre for Drug Research, University of Helsinki, Viikinkaari 5, Helsinki 00790, Finland
| | - P Somersalo
- Division of Pharmaceutical Biosciences and Centre for Drug Research, University of Helsinki, Viikinkaari 5, Helsinki 00790, Finland; Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti 9, Milan 20133, Italy
| | - D Crescenti
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti 9, Milan 20133, Italy
| | - L Kuryk
- Division of Pharmaceutical Biosciences and Centre for Drug Research, University of Helsinki, Viikinkaari 5, Helsinki 00790, Finland; National Institute of Public Health - National Institute of Hygiene, Department of Virology, 24 Chocimska str, 00-791 Warsaw, Poland; Targovax Oy, R&D, Clinical Science, R&D, Saukonpaadenranta 2, 00180 Helsinki, Finland
| | - L Aksela
- Division of Pharmaceutical Biosciences and Centre for Drug Research, University of Helsinki, Viikinkaari 5, Helsinki 00790, Finland
| | - C Capasso
- Laboratory of ImmunoViroTherapy, Drug Research Program, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Viikinkaari 5, Helsinki 00790, Finland
| | - M Madetoja
- Made Consulting, Tykistökatu 4 B, FI-20520 Turku, Finland
| | - K Koskinen
- Biological and Environmental Science, Nanoscience Center, University of Jyväskylä, Survontie 9C, 40500, Finland
| | - T Oksanen
- Division of Pharmaceutical Biosciences and Centre for Drug Research, University of Helsinki, Viikinkaari 5, Helsinki 00790, Finland
| | - A Mäkitie
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, P.O.Box 263, FI_00029 HUS, Helsinki, Finland
| | - M Jalasvuori
- Division of Pharmaceutical Biosciences and Centre for Drug Research, University of Helsinki, Viikinkaari 5, Helsinki 00790, Finland; Biological and Environmental Science, Nanoscience Center, University of Jyväskylä, Survontie 9C, 40500, Finland
| | - V Cerullo
- Laboratory of ImmunoViroTherapy, Drug Research Program, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Viikinkaari 5, Helsinki 00790, Finland
| | - P Ciana
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti 9, Milan 20133, Italy
| | - M Yliperttula
- Division of Pharmaceutical Biosciences and Centre for Drug Research, University of Helsinki, Viikinkaari 5, Helsinki 00790, Finland.
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18
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Carafa V, Nebbioso A, Cuomo F, Rotili D, Cobellis G, Bontempo P, Baldi A, Spugnini EP, Citro G, Chambery A, Russo R, Ruvo M, Ciana P, Maravigna L, Shaik J, Radaelli E, De Antonellis P, Tarantino D, Pirolli A, Ragno R, Zollo M, Stunnenberg HG, Mai A, Altucci L. RIP1–HAT1–SIRT Complex Identification and Targeting in Treatment and Prevention of Cancer. Clin Cancer Res 2018. [DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-17-3081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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19
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Cicchillitti L, Manni I, Mancone C, Regazzo G, Spagnuolo M, Alonzi T, Carlomosti F, Dell'Anna ML, Dell'Omo G, Picardo M, Ciana P, Capogrossi MC, Tripodi M, Magenta A, Rizzo MG, Gurtner A, Piaggio G. The laminA/NF-Y protein complex reveals an unknown transcriptional mechanism on cell proliferation. Oncotarget 2018; 8:2628-2646. [PMID: 27793050 PMCID: PMC5356829 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.12914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2016] [Accepted: 10/10/2016] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Lamin A is a component of the nuclear matrix that also controls proliferation by largely unknown mechanisms. NF-Y is a ubiquitous protein involved in cell proliferation composed of three subunits (-YA -YB -YC) all required for the DNA binding and transactivation activity. To get clues on new NF-Y partner(s) we performed a mass spectrometry screening of proteins that co-precipitate with the regulatory subunit of the complex, NF-YA. By this screening we identified lamin A as a novel putative NF-Y interactor. Co-immunoprecipitation experiments and confocal analysis confirmed the interaction between the two endogenous proteins. Interestingly, this association occurs on euchromatin regions, too. ChIP experiments demonstrate lamin A enrichment in several promoter regions of cell cycle related genes in a NF-Y dependent manner. Gain and loss of function experiments reveal that lamin A counteracts NF-Y transcriptional activity. Taking advantage of a recently generated transgenic reporter mouse, called MITO-Luc, in which an NF-Y–dependent promoter controls luciferase expression, we demonstrate that lamin A counteracts NF-Y transcriptional activity not only in culture cells but also in living animals. Altogether, our data demonstrate the occurrence of lamin A/NF-Y interaction and suggest a possible role of this protein complex in regulation of NF-Y function in cell proliferation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Cicchillitti
- Department of Research, Advanced Diagnostics and Technological Innovation, SAFU Unit, Translational Research Area, Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, 00144 Rome, Italy
| | - Isabella Manni
- Department of Research, Advanced Diagnostics and Technological Innovation, SAFU Unit, Translational Research Area, Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, 00144 Rome, Italy
| | - Carmine Mancone
- National Institute for Infectious Diseases L. Spallanzani, IRCCS, Department of Epidemiology and Preclinical Research, 00149 Rome, Italy.,Department of Cellular Biotechnologies and Haematology, Istituto Pasteur Italia, Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Giulia Regazzo
- Department of Research, Advanced Diagnostics and Technological Innovation, Genomic and Epigenetic Unit, Translational Research Area, Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Manuela Spagnuolo
- Department of Research, Advanced Diagnostics and Technological Innovation, Genomic and Epigenetic Unit, Translational Research Area, Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Tonino Alonzi
- National Institute for Infectious Diseases L. Spallanzani, IRCCS, Department of Epidemiology and Preclinical Research, 00149 Rome, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Carlomosti
- Fondazione Luigi Maria Monti, Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata-IRCCS, Laboratorio di Patologia Vascolare, 00167 Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Lucia Dell'Anna
- Cutaneous Physiopathology and Integrated Center of Metabolomics Research, San Gallicano Dermatologic Institute, IRCCS, 00144 Rome, Italy
| | - Giulia Dell'Omo
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology and Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Mauro Picardo
- Cutaneous Physiopathology and Integrated Center of Metabolomics Research, San Gallicano Dermatologic Institute, IRCCS, Via Elio Chianesi 53, 00144, Rome, Italy
| | - Paolo Ciana
- Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Maurizio C Capogrossi
- Fondazione Luigi Maria Monti, Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata-IRCCS, Laboratorio di Patologia Vascolare, Via dei Monti di Creta 104, Rome 00167, Italy Rome, Italy
| | - Marco Tripodi
- National Institute for Infectious Diseases L. Spallanzani, IRCCS, Department of Epidemiology and Preclinical Research, 00149 Rome, Italy.,Department of Cellular Biotechnologies and Haematology, Istituto Pasteur Italia, Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Alessandra Magenta
- Fondazione Luigi Maria Monti, Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata-IRCCS, Laboratorio di Patologia Vascolare, Via dei Monti di Creta 104, Rome 00167, Italy Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Giulia Rizzo
- Department of Research, Advanced Diagnostics and Technological Innovation, Genomic and Epigenetic Unit, Translational Research Area, Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Aymone Gurtner
- Department of Research, Advanced Diagnostics and Technological Innovation, SAFU Unit, Translational Research Area, Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, 00144 Rome, Italy
| | - Giulia Piaggio
- Department of Research, Advanced Diagnostics and Technological Innovation, SAFU Unit, Translational Research Area, Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, 00144 Rome, Italy
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20
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Rizzi N, Brunialti E, Cerri S, Cermisoni G, Levandis G, Cesari N, Maggi A, Blandini F, Ciana P. In vivo imaging of early signs of dopaminergic neuronal death in an animal model of Parkinson's disease. Neurobiol Dis 2018; 114:74-84. [PMID: 29486298 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2018.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2017] [Revised: 02/02/2018] [Accepted: 02/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The Parkinson's disease (PD) evolves over an extended period of time with the onset occurring long before clinical signs begin to manifest. Characterization of the molecular events underlying the PD onset is instrumental for the development of diagnostic markers and preventive treatments, progress in this field is hindered by technical limitations. We applied an imaging approach to demonstrate the activation of Nrf2 transcription factor as a hallmark of neurodegeneration in neurotoxin-driven models of PD. In dopaminergic SK-N-BE neuroblastoma cells, Nrf2 activation was detected in cells committed to die as proven by time lapse microscopy; in the substantia nigra pars compacta area of the mouse brain, the Nrf2 activation preceded dopaminergic neurodegeneration as demonstrated by in vivo and ex vivo optical imaging, a finding confirmed by co-localization experiments carried out by immunohistochemistry. Collectively, our results identify the Nrf2 signaling as an early marker of neurodegeneration, anticipating dopaminergic neurodegeneration and motor deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicoletta Rizzi
- Center of Excellence for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Electra Brunialti
- Center of Excellence for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Silvia Cerri
- Laboratory of Functional Neurochemistry, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, via Mondino 2, 27100 Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Greta Cermisoni
- Center of Excellence for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Giovanna Levandis
- Laboratory of Functional Neurochemistry, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, via Mondino 2, 27100 Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Nicoletta Cesari
- Centro Clinico-Veterinario e Zootecnico-Sperimentale d'Ateneo, University of Milan, Via dell'Università 6, 26900 Lodi, Italy
| | - Adriana Maggi
- Center of Excellence for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Fabio Blandini
- Laboratory of Functional Neurochemistry, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, via Mondino 2, 27100 Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Paolo Ciana
- Center of Excellence for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133 Milan, Italy.
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Abstract
Most of the ageing-associated pathologies are coupled with a strong inflammatory component that accelerates the progress of the physiopathological functional decline related to ageing. The currently available pharmacological tools for the control of neuroinflammation present several side effects that restrict their application, particularly in chronic disorders. The discovery of the potential anti-inflammatory action exerted by endogenous oestrogens, as well as the finding that activation of oestrogen receptor α results in a significant decrease of inflammation at the cellular level and in models of inflammatory diseases, prompted us to embark in a series of studies aimed at the generation of reporter systems, allowing us to (i) understand the anti-inflammatory action of oestrogens at molecular level; (ii) evaluate the extent to which the action of this steroid hormone was relevant in models of pathologies characterised by a strong inflammatory component; and (iii) investigate the efficacy of novel, synthetic oestrogens endowed with anti-inflammatory activity. Accordingly, we conceived the NFκB-luc2 reporter mouse, a model characterised by dual reporter genes for fluorescence and bioluminescence imaging under the control of a synthetic DNA able to bind the transcription factor nuclear factor kappa B, the master regulator of the expression of most of the cytokines responsible for the initial phase of acute inflammation. Here, we summarise the philosophy that has driven our research in the past years, as well as some of the results obtained so far.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Rizzi
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Center of Excellence for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - A Villa
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Center of Excellence for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - V Benedusi
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Center of Excellence for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - E Brunialti
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Center of Excellence for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - N Cesari
- Centro Clinico-Veterinario e Zootecnico-Sperimentale d'Ateneo, University of Milan, Lodi, Italy
| | - P Ciana
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - A Maggi
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Center of Excellence for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
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Della Torre S, Lolli F, Ciana P, Maggi A. Erratum to: Sexual Dimorphism and Estrogen Action in Mouse Liver. Sex and Gender Factors Affecting Metabolic Homeostasis, Diabetes and Obesity 2018; 1043:E1. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-70178-3_28] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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Huang E, Qu D, Huang T, Rizzi N, Boonying W, Krolak D, Ciana P, Woulfe J, Klein C, Slack RS, Figeys D, Park DS. PINK1-mediated phosphorylation of LETM1 regulates mitochondrial calcium transport and protects neurons against mitochondrial stress. Nat Commun 2017; 8:1399. [PMID: 29123128 PMCID: PMC5680261 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-01435-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2016] [Accepted: 09/18/2017] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Mutations in PTEN-induced kinase 1 (PINK1) result in a recessive familial form of Parkinson’s disease (PD). PINK1 loss is associated with mitochondrial Ca2+ mishandling, mitochondrial dysfunction, as well as increased neuronal vulnerability. Here we demonstrate that PINK1 directly interacts with and phosphorylates LETM1 at Thr192 in vitro. Phosphorylated LETM1 or the phospho-mimetic LETM1-T192E increase calcium release in artificial liposomes and facilitates calcium transport in intact mitochondria. Expression of LETM1-T192E but not LETM1-wild type (WT) rescues mitochondrial calcium mishandling in PINK1-deficient neurons. Expression of both LETM1-WT and LETM1-T192E protects neurons against MPP+–MPTP-induced neuronal death in PINK1 WT neurons, whereas only LETM1-T192E protects neurons under conditions of PINK1 loss. Our findings delineate a mechanism by which PINK1 regulates mitochondrial Ca2+ level through LETM1 and suggest a model by which PINK1 loss leads to deficient phosphorylation of LETM1 and impaired mitochondrial Ca2+ transport.. Mutations in the mitochondrial kinase PINK1 result in familial Parkinson’s disease. Here the authors show that LETM1, a mitochondrial inner membrane protein, is a substrate of PINK1 that regulates Ca2+ handling in mitochondria in response to mitochondrial toxins.
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Affiliation(s)
- En Huang
- University of Ottawa Brain and Mind Research Institute, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada, K1H 8M5
| | - Dianbo Qu
- University of Ottawa Brain and Mind Research Institute, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada, K1H 8M5
| | - Tianwen Huang
- University of Ottawa Brain and Mind Research Institute, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada, K1H 8M5
| | - Nicoletta Rizzi
- Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Pharmacological Sciences, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Wassamon Boonying
- University of Ottawa Brain and Mind Research Institute, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada, K1H 8M5
| | - Dorothy Krolak
- University of Ottawa Brain and Mind Research Institute, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada, K1H 8M5
| | - Paolo Ciana
- Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - John Woulfe
- Centre for Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada, K1H 8M5
| | - Christine Klein
- Institute of Neurogenetics, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Ruth S Slack
- University of Ottawa Brain and Mind Research Institute, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada, K1H 8M5
| | - Daniel Figeys
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, and Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada, K1H 8M5
| | - David S Park
- University of Ottawa Brain and Mind Research Institute, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada, K1H 8M5.
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Rizzi N, Rebecchi M, Levandis G, Ciana P, Maggi A. Identification of novel loci for the generation of reporter mice. Nucleic Acids Res 2017; 45:e37. [PMID: 27899606 PMCID: PMC5389565 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkw1142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2016] [Accepted: 11/08/2016] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Deciphering the etiology of complex pathologies at molecular level requires longitudinal studies encompassing multiple biochemical pathways (apoptosis, proliferation, inflammation, oxidative stress). In vivo imaging of current reporter animals enabled the spatio-temporal analysis of specific molecular events, however, the lack of a multiplicity of loci for the generalized and regulated expression of the integrated transgenes hampers the creation of systems for the simultaneous analysis of more than a biochemical pathways at the time. We here developed and tested an in vivo-based methodology for the identification of multiple insertional loci suitable for the generation of reliable reporter mice. The validity of the methodology was tested with the generation of novel mice useful to report on inflammation and oxidative stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicoletta Rizzi
- Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases and Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti 9 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Monica Rebecchi
- Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases and Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti 9 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Giovanna Levandis
- Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases and Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti 9 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Paolo Ciana
- Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases and Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology (DIPO), University of Milan, Via Balzaretti 9 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Adriana Maggi
- Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases and Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti 9 20133 Milan, Italy
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Abstract
Recent studies have demonstrated that in mice, the estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) is expressed in the liver and has a direct effect on the regulation of the hepatic genes relevant for energy metabolism and drug metabolism. The sex-related differential expression of the hepatic ERα raises the questions as to whether this receptor is responsible for the sexual differences observed in the physiopathology of the liver.
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Affiliation(s)
- Della Torre
- Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases and Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, MI, Italy
| | - Federica Lolli
- Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases and Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, MI, Italy
| | - Paolo Ciana
- Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases and Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, MI, Italy
| | - Adriana Maggi
- Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases and Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, MI, Italy.
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26
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Vantaggiato C, Dell’Omo G, Ramachandran B, Manni I, Radaelli E, Scanziani E, Piaggio G, Maggi A, Ciana P. Bioluminescence imaging of estrogen receptor activity during breast cancer progression. Am J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 2016; 6:32-41. [PMID: 27069764 PMCID: PMC4749503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2015] [Accepted: 09/25/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Estrogen receptors (ER) are known to play an important regulatory role in mammary gland development as well as in its neoplastic transformation. Although several studies highlighted the contribution of ER signaling in the breast transformation, little is known about the dynamics of ER state of activity during carcinogenesis due to the lack of appropriate models for measuring the extent of receptor signaling in time, in the same animal. To this aim, we have developed a reporter mouse model for the non-invasive in vivo imaging of ER activity: the ERE-Luc reporter mouse. ERE-Luc is a transgenic mouse generated with a firefly luciferase (Luc) reporter gene driven by a minimal promoter containing an estrogen responsive element (ERE). This model allows to measure receptor signaling in longitudinal studies by bioluminescence imaging (BLI). Here, we have induced sporadic mammary cancers by treating systemically ERE-Luc reporter mice with DMBA (9,10-dimethyl 1,2-benzanthracene) and measured receptor signaling by in vivo imaging in individual animals from early stage until a clinically palpable tumor appeared in the mouse breast. We showed that DMBA administration induces an increase of bioluminescence in the whole abdominal area 6 h after treatment, the signal rapidly disappears. Several weeks later, strong bioluminescence is observed in the area corresponding to the mammary glands. In vivo and ex vivo imaging analysis demonstrated that this bioluminescent signal is localized in the breast area undergoing neoplastic transformation. We conclude that this non-invasive assay is a novel relevant tool to identify the activation of the ER signaling prior the morphological detection of the neoplastic transformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Vantaggiato
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Milan20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Giulia Dell’Omo
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Milan20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Balaji Ramachandran
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Milan20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Isabella Manni
- Department of Research, Advanced Diagnostics and Technological Innovation, Regina Elena National Cancer InstituteVia Elio Chianesi 53, 00144, Rome, Italy
| | - Enrico Radaelli
- Mouse & Animal Pathology Lab, Fondazione Filarete Viale Ortles22/4 - 20139, Milano, Italy
| | - Eugenio Scanziani
- Mouse & Animal Pathology Lab, Fondazione Filarete Viale Ortles22/4 - 20139, Milano, Italy
| | - Giulia Piaggio
- Department of Research, Advanced Diagnostics and Technological Innovation, Regina Elena National Cancer InstituteVia Elio Chianesi 53, 00144, Rome, Italy
| | - Adriana Maggi
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Milan20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Paolo Ciana
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Milan20133, Milan, Italy
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Della Torre S, Ciana P. Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators and the Tissue-Selective Estrogen Complex: Analysis of Cell Type-Specific Effects Using In Vivo Imaging of a Reporter Mouse Model. Methods Mol Biol 2016; 1366:297-313. [PMID: 26585144 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-3127-9_23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) are a class of compounds that act differentially on the estrogen receptor (ER) in various tissues with a mixed agonist/antagonistic activity (agonistic in some tissues while antagonist in others). This peculiarity represents a challenge for developing new hormone replacement therapies (HRTs) and highlights the need of new tools to evaluate the specific effects of a given SERM in different organs/tissues of an entire organism and with time. Reporter mice represent invaluable tools in pharmacology to analyze specific signaling in physiological conditions and monitor the effects of drugs acting on these signals in a spatio-temporal dimension. Here, we describe an in vivo protocol to examine the effects of different SERMs on estrogen receptor activity by using the ERE-Luc reporter model, a mouse that reports ER transcriptional activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Della Torre
- Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases and Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, via Balzaretti 9, 20133, Milan, Italy.
| | - Paolo Ciana
- Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases and Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, via Balzaretti 9, 20133, Milan, Italy
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28
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Temkin AM, Bowers RR, Magaletta ME, Holshouser S, Maggi A, Ciana P, Guillette LJ, Bowden JA, Kucklick JR, Baatz JE, Spyropoulos DD. Effects of Crude Oil/Dispersant Mixture and Dispersant Components on PPARγ Activity in Vitro and in Vivo: Identification of Dioctyl Sodium Sulfosuccinate (DOSS; CAS #577-11-7) as a Probable Obesogen. Environ Health Perspect 2016; 124:112-9. [PMID: 26135921 PMCID: PMC4710608 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.1409672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2014] [Accepted: 06/09/2015] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The obesity pandemic is associated with multiple major health concerns. In addition to diet and lifestyle, there is increasing evidence that environmental exposures to chemicals known as obesogens also may promote obesity. OBJECTIVES We investigated the massive environmental contamination resulting from the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill, including the use of the oil dispersant COREXIT in remediation efforts, to determine whether obesogens were released into the environment during this incident. We also sought to improve the sensitivity of obesogen detection methods in order to guide post-toxicological chemical assessments. METHODS Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) transactivation assays were used to identify putative obesogens. Solid-phase extraction (SPE) was used to sub-fractionate the water-accommodated fraction generated by mixing COREXIT, cell culture media, and DWH oil (CWAF). Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) was used to identify components of fractionated CWAF. PPAR response element (PPRE) activity was measured in PPRE-luciferase transgenic mice. Ligand-binding assays were used to quantitate ligand affinity. Murine 3T3-L1 preadipocytes were used to assess adipogenic induction. RESULTS Serum-free conditions greatly enhanced the sensitivity of PPARγ transactivation assays. CWAF and COREXIT had significant dose-dependent PPARγ transactivation activities. From SPE, the 50:50 water:ethanol volume fraction of CWAF contained this activity, and LC-MS indicated that major components of COREXIT contribute to PPARγ transactivation in the CWAF. Molecular modeling predicted several components of COREXIT might be PPARγ ligands. We classified dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate (DOSS), a major component of COREXIT, as a probable obesogen by PPARγ transactivation assays, PPAR-driven luciferase induction in vivo, PPARγ binding assays (affinity comparable to pioglitazone and arachidonic acid), and in vitro murine adipocyte differentiation. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that DOSS is a putative obesogen worthy of further study, including epidemiological and clinical investigations into laxative prescriptions consisting of DOSS. CITATION Temkin AM, Bowers RR, Magaletta ME, Holshouser S, Maggi A, Ciana P, Guillette LJ, Bowden JA, Kucklick JR, Baatz JE, Spyropoulos DD. 2016. Effects of crude oil/dispersant mixture and dispersant components on PPARγ activity in vitro and in vivo: identification of dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate (DOSS; CAS #577-11-7) as a probable obesogen. Environ Health Perspect 124:112-119; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1409672.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Robert R. Bowers
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
| | | | - Steven Holshouser
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
| | - Adriana Maggi
- Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Paolo Ciana
- Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Louis J. Guillette
- Marine Biomedical Sciences Program, and
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
| | - John A. Bowden
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
| | - John R. Kucklick
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
| | - John E. Baatz
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
- Department of Pediatrics and Neonatology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
| | - Demetri D. Spyropoulos
- Marine Biomedical Sciences Program, and
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
- Address correspondence to D.D. Spyropoulos, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, MUSC, Darby Children’s Research Institute, CRI 207, 173 Ashley Ave., Charleston, SC 29425 USA. Telephone: (843) 792-1625. E-mail:
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Rizzi N, Manni I, Vantaggiato C, Delledonne GA, Gentileschi MP, Maggi A, Piaggio G, Ciana P. In VivoImaging of Cell Proliferation for a Dynamic, Whole Body, Analysis of Undesired Drug Effects. Toxicol Sci 2015; 145:296-306. [DOI: 10.1093/toxsci/kfv056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Oliva P, Roncoroni C, Radaelli E, Brunialti E, Rizzi N, De Maglie M, Scanziani E, Piaggio G, Ciana P, Komm B, Maggi A. Global Profiling of TSEC Proliferative Potential by the Use of a Reporter Mouse for Proliferation. Reprod Sci 2012; 20:119-28. [DOI: 10.1177/1933719111431002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Oliva
- TOP srl, Transgenic Operative Products, Lodi, Italy
| | | | - Enrico Radaelli
- DIPAV, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | | | | | - Marcella De Maglie
- TOP srl, Transgenic Operative Products, Lodi, Italy
- DIPAV, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Giulia Piaggio
- Experimental Oncology Department, Istituto Regina Elena, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Paolo Ciana
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Barry Komm
- Pfizer Inc. (B.K.), Collegeville, Pennsylvania 19426, USA
| | - Adriana Maggi
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
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Goeman F, Manni I, Artuso S, Ramachandran B, Toietta G, Bossi G, Rando G, Cencioni C, Germoni S, Straino S, Capogrossi MC, Bacchetti S, Maggi A, Sacchi A, Ciana P, Piaggio G. Molecular imaging of nuclear factor-Y transcriptional activity maps proliferation sites in live animals. Mol Biol Cell 2012; 23:1467-74. [PMID: 22379106 PMCID: PMC3327325 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e12-01-0039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
The activity of the nuclear factor-Y (NF-Y) transcription factor is restricted to proliferating cells in vitro. We engineered transgenic mice that enabled bioluminescence imaging of NF-Y activity in every area of the body. We visualized areas of proliferation, and we highlight for the first time a role of NF-Y activity in hepatocyte proliferation during liver regeneration. In vivo imaging involving the use of genetically engineered animals is an innovative powerful tool for the noninvasive assessment of the molecular and cellular events that are often targets of therapy. On the basis of the knowledge that the activity of the nuclear factor-Y (NF-Y) transcription factor is restricted in vitro to proliferating cells, we have generated a transgenic reporter mouse, called MITO-Luc (for mitosis-luciferase), in which an NF-Y–dependent promoter controls luciferase expression. In these mice, bioluminescence imaging of NF-Y activity visualizes areas of physiological cell proliferation and regeneration during response to injury. Using this tool, we highlight for the first time a role of NF-Y activity on hepatocyte proliferation during liver regeneration. MITO-Luc reporter mice should facilitate investigations into the involvement of genes in cell proliferation and provide a useful model for studying aberrant proliferation in disease pathogenesis. They should be also useful in the development of new anti/proproliferative drugs and assessment of their efficacy and side effects on nontarget tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frauke Goeman
- Experimental Oncology Department, Istituto Regina Elena, 00158 Rome, Italy
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Roncoroni C, Rizzi N, Brunialti E, Cali JJ, Klaubert DH, Maggi A, Ciana P. Molecular imaging of cytochrome P450 activity in mice. Pharmacol Res 2012; 65:531-6. [PMID: 22391453 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2012.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2011] [Revised: 02/17/2012] [Accepted: 02/17/2012] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Detailed knowledge of drug metabolism is relevant information provided by preclinical drug development research. Oxidative enzymes such as those belonging to P450 family of cytochromes (CYP) play a prominent role in drug metabolism. Here, we propose an innovative method based on bioluminescence in vivo imaging which has the potential to simplify the in vivo measurement of CYP activity also providing a dynamic measure of the effects of a drug on a specific P450 enzyme complex in a living mouse. The method is based on a pro-luciferin which can be converted into the active luciferase substrate by a specific P450 activity. The pro-luciferin is administered to a luciferase reporter mouse which produces luminescent signals in relation to the cytochrome activity present in each tissue. The photon emission generated can be easily localized and quantified by optical imaging. To demonstrate the validity of the system, we pharmacologically induced hepatic Cyp3a in the reporter mouse and proved that pro-luciferin administration generates a Cyp3a selective signal in the chest area that can be efficiently detected by optical imaging. The kind of tool generated has the potential to be exploited for the study of additional CYPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Roncoroni
- Top (Transgenic Operative Products) Srl, via Einstein, 26900 Lodi, Italy
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Della Torre S, Biserni A, Rando G, Monteleone G, Ciana P, Komm B, Maggi A. The conundrum of estrogen receptor oscillatory activity in the search for an appropriate hormone replacement therapy. Endocrinology 2011; 152:2256-65. [PMID: 21505049 PMCID: PMC3100626 DOI: 10.1210/en.2011-0173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
By the use of in vivo imaging, we investigated the dynamics of estrogen receptor (ER) activity in intact, ovariectomized, and hormone-replaced estrogen response element-luciferase reporter mice. The study revealed the existence of a long-paced, noncircadian oscillation of ER transcriptional activity. Among the ER-expressing organs, this oscillation was asynchronous and its amplitude and period were tissue dependent. Ovariectomy affected the amplitude but did not suppress ER oscillations, suggesting the presence of tissue endogenous oscillators. Long-term administration of raloxifene, bazedoxifene, combined estrogens alone or with basedoxifene to ovariectomized estrogen response element-luciferase mice showed that each treatment induced a distinct spatiotemporal profile of ER activity, demonstrating that the phasing of ER activity among tissues may be regulated by the chemical nature and the concentration of circulating estrogen. This points to the possibility of a hierarchical organization of the tissue-specific pacemakers. Conceivably, the rhythm of ER transcriptional activity translates locally into the activation of specific gene networks enabling ER to significantly change its physiological activity according to circulating estrogens. In reproductive and nonreproductive organs this hierarchical regulation may provide ER with the signaling plasticity necessary to drive the complex metabolic changes occurring at each female reproductive status. We propose that the tissue-specific oscillatory activity here described is an important component of ER signaling necessary for the full hormone action including the beneficial effects reported for nonreproductive organs. Thus, this mechanism needs to be taken in due consideration to develop novel, more efficacious, and safer hormone replacement therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Della Torre
- Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases and Department of Pharmacological Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
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Abstract
Sex hormones modulate proliferation, apoptosis, migration, metastasis and angiogenesis in cancer cells influencing tumourigenesis from the early hyperplastic growth till the end-stage metastasis. Although decades of studies have detailed these effects at the level of molecular pathways, where and when these actions are needed for the growth and progression of hormone-dependent neoplasia is poorly elucidated. Investigation of the hormone influences in carcinogenesis in the spatio-temporal dimension is expected to unravel critical steps in tumour progression and in the onset of resistance to hormone therapies. Non-invasive in vivo imaging represents a powerful tool to follow in time hormone signalling in the whole body during tumour development. This review summarizes the tools currently available to follow hormone action in living organisms.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Apoptosis
- Cell Transformation, Neoplastic
- Disease Progression
- Female
- Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic/physiology
- Genes, Reporter
- Gonadal Steroid Hormones/adverse effects
- Gonadal Steroid Hormones/biosynthesis
- Gonadal Steroid Hormones/physiology
- Gonadal Steroid Hormones/toxicity
- Luminescent Proteins/analysis
- Luminescent Proteins/genetics
- Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental/chemically induced
- Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental/genetics
- Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental/metabolism
- Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental/pathology
- Mice
- Mice, Transgenic
- Neoplasms, Experimental/blood supply
- Neoplasms, Experimental/metabolism
- Neoplasms, Experimental/physiopathology
- Neoplasms, Hormone-Dependent/blood supply
- Neoplasms, Hormone-Dependent/metabolism
- Neoplasms, Hormone-Dependent/physiopathology
- Neovascularization, Pathologic/physiopathology
- Receptors, Androgen/genetics
- Receptors, Androgen/physiology
- Receptors, Estrogen/genetics
- Receptors, Estrogen/physiology
- Receptors, Progesterone/genetics
- Receptors, Progesterone/physiology
- Recombinant Fusion Proteins/analysis
- Recombinant Fusion Proteins/genetics
- Signal Transduction
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Affiliation(s)
- Balaji Ramachandran
- Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases and Department of Pharmacological Sciences, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti, 9 I-20123 Milan, Italy
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35
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Della Torre S, Rando G, Meda C, Stell A, Chambon P, Krust A, Ibarra C, Magni P, Ciana P, Maggi A. Amino acid-dependent activation of liver estrogen receptor alpha integrates metabolic and reproductive functions via IGF-1. Cell Metab 2011; 13:205-14. [PMID: 21284987 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2011.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2009] [Revised: 09/16/2010] [Accepted: 12/30/2010] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Throughout evolution, organisms have devised strategies to limit fertility in case of prolonged starvation. In mammals, the liver plays a central role in the orchestration of mechanisms allowing for the maintenance of energy homeostasis. We here demonstrate that dietary amino acids regulate the transcriptional activity of hepatic estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) through an mTOR-dependent mechanism. As a result of ERα activation, hepatic IGF-1 mRNA and blood IGF-1 are increased. Conversely, calorie restriction or selective ablation of ERα in the liver decrease blood IGF-1 to levels inadequate for the correct proliferation of the lumen epithelium in the uterus and the progression of the estrous cycle. We propose that the liver acts as critical mediator of energetic and reproductive functions responsible for the blockade of the estrous cycle in case of protein scarcity. Our findings may provide novel insights to understand the cause of selected forms of infertility and metabolic alterations in women after menopause.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Della Torre
- Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Milan, Milan, 20133, Italy
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36
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Maggi A, Ciana P. Biotechnological animal models for the study of novel drugs. J Biotechnol 2010. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2010.08.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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37
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Nebbioso A, Dell'Aversana C, Bugge A, Sarno R, Valente S, Rotili D, Manzo F, Teti D, Mandrup S, Ciana P, Maggi A, Mai A, Gronemeyer H, Altucci L. HDACs class II-selective inhibition alters nuclear receptor-dependent differentiation. J Mol Endocrinol 2010; 45:219-28. [PMID: 20639404 DOI: 10.1677/jme-10-0043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Epigenetic deregulation contributes to diseases including cancer, neurodegeneration, osteodystrophy, cardiovascular defects, and obesity. For this reason, several inhibitors for histone deacetylases (HDACs) are being validated as novel anti-cancer drugs in clinical studies and display important anti-proliferative activities. While most inhibitors act on both class I, II, and IV HDACs, evidence is accumulating that class I is directly involved in regulation of cell growth and death, whereas class II members regulate differentiation processes, such as muscle and neuronal differentiation. Here, we show that the novel class II-selective inhibitor MC1568 interferes with the RAR- and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ)-mediated differentiation-inducing signaling pathways. In F9 cells, this inhibitor specifically blocks endodermal differentiation despite not affecting retinoic acid-induced maturation of promyelocytic NB4 cells. In 3T3-L1 cells, MC1568 attenuates PPARγ-induced adipogenesis, while the class I-selective MS275 blocked adipogenesis completely thus revealing a different mode of action and/or target profile of the two classes of HDACs. Using in vivo reporting PPRE-Luc mice, we find that MC1568 impairs PPARγ signaling mostly in the heart and adipose tissues. These results illustrate how HDAC functions can be dissected by selective inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Nebbioso
- Dipartimento di Patologia Generale, Seconda Università di Napoli, Naples, Italy
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38
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Dondi D, Piccolella M, Biserni A, Della Torre S, Ramachandran B, Locatelli A, Rusmini P, Sau D, Caruso D, Maggi A, Ciana P, Poletti A. Estrogen receptor beta and the progression of prostate cancer: role of 5alpha-androstane-3beta,17beta-diol. Endocr Relat Cancer 2010; 17:731-42. [PMID: 20562232 DOI: 10.1677/erc-10-0032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Prostate cancer (PC) develops in response to an abnormal activation of androgen receptor induced by circulating androgens and, in its initial stages, is pharmacologically controlled by androgen blockade. However, androgen ablation therapy often allows androgen-independent PC development, generally characterized by increased invasiveness. We previously reported that 5alpha-androstane-3beta,17beta-diol (3beta-Adiol) inhibits the migration of PC cell lines via the estrogen receptor beta (ERbeta) activation. Here, by combining in vitro assays and in vivo imaging approaches, we analyzed the effects of 3beta-Adiol on PC proliferation, migration, invasiveness, and metastasis in cultured cells and in xenografts using luciferase-labeled PC3 (PC3-Luc) cells. We found that 3beta-Adiol not only inhibits PC3-Luc cell migratory properties, but also induces a broader anti-tumor phenotype by decreasing the proliferation rate, increasing cell adhesion, and reducing invasive capabilities in vitro. All these 3beta-Adiol activities are mediated by ERbeta and cannot be reproduced by the physiological estrogen, 17beta-estradiol, suggesting the existence of different pathways activated by the two ERbeta ligands in PC3-Luc cells. In vivo, continuous administration of 3beta-Adiol reduces growth of established tumors and counteracts metastasis formation when PC3-Luc cells are engrafted s.c. in nude mice or are orthotopically injected into the prostate. Since 3beta-Adiol has no androgenic activity, and cannot be converted to androgenic compounds, the effects here described entail a novel potential application of this agent against human PC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donatella Dondi
- Departments of Endocrinology, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133 Milano, Italy
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Biserni A, Roncoroni C, Kirkland T, Klaubert D, Maggi A, Ciana P. Abstract 4319: A novel tool to study apoptosis in living mice. Cancer Res 2010. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am10-4319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
INTRODUCTION. The limitations of cellular models and xenograft for the identification of anti-neoplastic drugs are well known. The purpose of our study is to test the validity of a novel methodology to identify apoptotic cells in living mice genetically modified or pharmacologically treated to develop cancer.
METHODS AND RESULTS. The method presented here relies on the combined use of reporter mice engineered to express the luciferase gene ubiquitously (1-2) and modified luciferase substrates (Glo technology) where a pro-luciferin (VivoGlo Caspase-3/7) is converted into a luminogenic substrate only in the presence of the apoptotic enzymes Caspase-3/7 (3-4). The novel methodology was tested by inducing liver apoptosis in luciferase reporter mice by a single i.p. injection of D-galactosamine (D-GalN; 800mg/kg) and Lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 100μg/kg) shown to increase the number of apoptotic cells in the liver of 5-10 fold compared to vehicle-treated animals (5); 6 hours after LPS/D-GalN or vehicle administration, mice were treated i.p. with increasing doses (17-150mg/kg) of the VivoGlo Caspase-3/7 substrate (Z-DEVD-Aminoluciferin, Sodium Salt) and subjected to the bioluminescence in vivo imaging procedure. The in vivo imaging data obtained clearly show a dose-dependent increase of photon emission in the hepatic area of mice treated with D-GalN/LPS. No photon emission was observed in organs not affected by the apoptotic treatment. A complete analysis of pro-apoptotic effects induced by the treatment was carried out by ex vivo imaging acquisition of photon emission in several dissected tissues. This investigation confirmed that light emission observed in vivo was produced selectively by liver and adipose tissues. Finally, the presence of increased apoptotic cells in liver was also confirmed by western blot analysis and Caspase-3/7 enzymatic activity assay carried out on protein extracts.
CONCLUSIONS. The present study, by showing the power of modified luciferin substrates to label apoptotic cells in living animals, provides an important advancement over current imaging methodologies based on fluorescence, nuclear or magnetic resonance including: virtually null background, high sensitivity and simple instrumentation needed for the in vivo imaging measurement of the Caspase-3/7 activity. The present application carried out in reporter mice genetically engineered to develop specific cancers will open the way to novel, more predictive approaches for the study of anti-cancer treatments that will enable, for the first time, to measure drug efficacy in space and time providing relevant information to be rapidly translated to human therapy.
REFERENCES
1- Maggi et al. Trends Pharmacol Sci. 2004.
2- Maggi A and Ciana P Nat Rev Drug Discov. 2005.
3- Meisenheimer PL et al. Promega Notes 2008.
4- Kizaka-Kondoh S et al. Clin Cancer Res. 2009.
5- Nakama T et al. Hepatology. 2001.
Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4319.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Adriana Maggi
- 3Department of Pharmacological Sciences, University of Milan., Milan, Italy
| | - Paolo Ciana
- 3Department of Pharmacological Sciences, University of Milan., Milan, Italy
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Rando G, Horner D, Biserni A, Ramachandran B, Caruso D, Ciana P, Komm B, Maggi A. An innovative method to classify SERMs based on the dynamics of estrogen receptor transcriptional activity in living animals. Mol Endocrinol 2010; 24:735-44. [PMID: 20197311 DOI: 10.1210/me.2009-0514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Using a mouse model engineered to measure estrogen receptor (ER) transcriptional activity in living organisms, we investigated the effect of long-term (21 d) hormone replacement on ER signaling by whole-body in vivo imaging. Estrogens and selective ER modulators were administered daily at doses equivalent to those used in humans as calculated by the allometric approach. As controls, ER activity was measured also in cycling and ovariectomized mice. The study demonstrated that ER-dependent transcriptional activity oscillated in time, and the frequency and amplitude of the transcription pulses was strictly associated with the target tissue and the estrogenic compound administered. Our results indicate that the spatiotemporal activity of selective ER modulators is predictive of their structure, demonstrating that the analysis of the effect of estrogenic compounds on a single surrogate marker of ER transcriptional activity is sufficient to classify families of compounds structurally and functionally related. For more than one century, the measure of drug structure-activity relationships has been based on mathematical equations describing the interaction of the drug with its biological receptor. The understanding of the multiplicity of biological responses induced by the drug-receptor interaction demonstrated the limits of current approach and the necessity to develop novel concepts for the quantitative analysis of drug action. Here, a systematic study of spatiotemporal effects is proposed as a measure of drug efficacy for the classification of pharmacologically active compounds. The application of this methodology is expected to simplify the identification of families of molecules functionally correlated and to speed up the process of drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianpaolo Rando
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
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41
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Abstract
Reporter mice associated to molecular imaging represent a major asset for the study of the spatio-temporal effects of drugs in living animals. The field is still relatively young and so far the number of animals genetically modified to express a given reporter gene ubiquitously and under the control of specific drugs is still limited. For a reporter animal the indispensable elements for the application to drug research and development are (i) the short life of the reporter enabling to have a clear view of the onset as well as the termination of drug effects, (ii) the generalized, drug-dependent activation of the reporter, and (iii) imaging modality suitable for high-throughput analysis. Because of its relative cheapness and ease to perform, in addition to all the above considerations, bioluminescence-based imaging is now regarded as the best imaging technology to be applied to the field of drug research. We show here the application of reporter mouse systems for drug screening in living animals in order to compare drug potency on target and specificity of action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianpaolo Rando
- Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases and Department of Pharmacological Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
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Meroni G, Rajabi M, Ciana P, Maggi A, Santaniello E. Synthesis of 2-substituted-6-hydroxy and 6-methoxy benzothiazoles from 1,4-benzoquinone. ARKIVOC 2009. [DOI: 10.3998/ark.5550190.0011.607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
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43
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Santaniello E, Meroni G, Ciana P, Maggi A. A New Synthesis of 2-Cyano-6-hydroxybenzothiazole, the Key Intermediate of d-Luciferin, Starting from 1,4-Benzoquinone. Synlett 2009. [DOI: 10.1055/s-0029-1217971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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44
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Meroni G, Ciana P, Meda C, Maggi A, Santaniello E. 2,6-Disubstituted benzothiazoles, analogues of the aromatic core of D-luciferin: synthesis and evaluation of the affinity for Photinus pyralis luciferase. ARKIVOC 2009. [DOI: 10.3998/ark.5550190.0010.b03] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
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45
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Rando G, Ramachandran B, Rebecchi M, Ciana P, Maggi A. Differential effect of pure isoflavones and soymilk on estrogen receptor activity in mice. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 2009; 237:288-97. [DOI: 10.1016/j.taap.2009.03.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2008] [Revised: 03/17/2009] [Accepted: 03/26/2009] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
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46
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Montani C, Penza M, Jeremic M, Rando G, Ciana P, Maggi A, La Sala G, De Felici M, Di Lorenzo D. Estrogen Receptor-mediated Transcriptional Activity of Genistein in the Mouse Testis. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2009; 1163:475-7. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2008.03657.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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47
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Stell A, Belcredito S, Ciana P, Maggi A. Molecular imaging provides novel insights on estrogen receptor activity in mouse brain. Mol Imaging 2008; 7:283-292. [PMID: 19123998 PMCID: PMC2744878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Estrogen receptors have long been known to be expressed in several brain areas in addition to those directly involved in the control of reproductive functions. Investigations in humans and in animal models suggest a strong influence of estrogens on limbic and motor functions, yet the complexity and heterogeneity of neural tissue have limited our approaches to the full understanding of estrogen activity in the central nervous system. The aim of this study was to examine the transcriptional activity of estrogen receptors in the brain of male and female mice. Exploiting the ERE-Luc reporter mouse, we set up a novel, bioluminescence-based technique to study brain estrogen receptor transcriptional activity. Here we show, for the first time, that estrogen receptors are similarly active in male and female brains and that the estrous cycle affects estrogen receptor activity in regions of the central nervous system not known to be associated with reproductive functions. Because of its reproducibility and sensitivity, this novel bioluminescence application stands as a candidate as an innovative methodology for the study and development of drugs targeting brain estrogen receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessia Stell
- Center for Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
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48
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Abstract
Estrogen receptors have long been known to be expressed in several brain areas in addition to those directly involved in the control of reproductive functions. Investigations in humans and in animal models suggest a strong influence of estrogens on limbic and motor functions, yet the complexity and heterogeneity of neural tissue have limited our approaches to the full understanding of estrogen activity in the central nervous system. The aim of this study was to examine the transcriptional activity of estrogen receptors in the brain of male and female mice. Exploiting the ERE-Luc reporter mouse, we set up a novel, bioluminescence-based technique to study brain estrogen receptor transcriptional activity. Here we show, for the first time, that estrogen receptors are similarly active in male and female brains and that the estrous cycle affects estrogen receptor activity in regions of the central nervous system not known to be associated with reproductive functions. Because of its reproducibility and sensitivity, this novel bioluminescence application stands as a candidate as an innovative methodology for the study and development of drugs targeting brain estrogen receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessia Stell
- From the Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Silvia Belcredito
- From the Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Paolo Ciana
- From the Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Adriana Maggi
- From the Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
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Di Lorenzo D, Rando G, Ciana P, Maggi A. Molecular imaging, an innovative methodology for whole-body profiling of endocrine disrupter action. Toxicol Sci 2008; 106:304-11. [PMID: 18794234 DOI: 10.1093/toxsci/kfn191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Endocrine disrupters (EDs) are environment and food contaminants known to alter metabolic functions of mammals by interfering with specific endocrine pathways. Many EDs act on steroid hormone target cells by interacting with intracellular receptors (IRs) like estrogen receptors, androgen receptors, and thyroid hormone receptors; other receptors may be engaged. IRs are ligand-operated transcription factors acting in concert with general or cell-specific coregulators. The newly acquired awareness on the panoply of IR functions has increased the concern on potential, unsought, harmful effects of EDs on human health and has questioned the capability of currently available methodologies to identify and study EDs in the environment and in the food chain. Indeed, current in vivo and in vitro methodologies restrict the analysis to very specific organs or cell systems, with obvious limitations in predicting the systemic metabolic consequences of ED exposure. The emphasis recently laid by Regulatory Authorities, including European Center for the Validation of Alternative Methods, on the generation of in vitro model systems for toxicological analyses discouraged the development of models suitable to envision the whole spectrum of ED body actions required when studying compounds acting through IRs. Molecular imaging now provides the opportunity to quantify ED effects in living organisms enabling, for the first time, to acquire a full comprehension of the systemic effects of acute and prolonged exposure to EDs, solving the issue of the potential harm due to repeated low-dose exposure. The systems here reviewed are of unquestionable toxicological relevance and need to be taken into consideration to improve the methodology currently available and in use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego Di Lorenzo
- Laboratory of Biotechnology, Civic Hospital of Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy
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50
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Dondi D, Piccolella M, Ciana P, Maggi A, Locatelli A, Motta M, Sau D, Poletti A. Estrogen receptor beta and the progression of prostate cancer – role of 5alpha-androstane-3beta,17beta-diol (3beta-Adiol). EJC Suppl 2008. [DOI: 10.1016/s1359-6349(08)71486-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022] Open
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