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Razali NN, Raja Ali RA, Muhammad Nawawi KN, Yahaya A, Mohd Rathi ND, Mokhtar NM. Roles of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinases signaling pathway in inflammation-related cancer: Impact of rs10889677 variant and buparlisib in colitis-associated cancer. World J Gastroenterol 2023; 29:5543-5556. [PMID: 37970476 PMCID: PMC10642440 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v29.i40.5543] [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] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Revised: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Phosphatidylinositol-3-kinases (PI3K) is a well-known route in inflammation-related cancer. Recent discovery on PI3K-related genes revealed a potential variant that links ulcerative colitis (UC) and colorectal cancer (CRC) with colitis-associated cancer (CAC). PI3K/AKT pathway has been recommended as a potential additional therapeutic option for CRC due to its substantial role in modifying cellular processes. Buparlisib is a pan-class I PI3K inhibitor previously shown to reduce tumor growth. AIM To investigate the regulation of rs10889677 and the role of buparlisib in the PI3K signaling pathway in CAC pathogenesis. METHODS Genomic DNA from 32 colonic samples, including CAC (n = 7), UC (n = 10) and CRC (n = 15), was sequenced for the rs10889677 mutation. The mutant and wildtype fragments were amplified and cloned in the pmirGLO vector. The luciferase activity of cloned vectors was assessed after transfection into the HT29 cell line. CAC mice were induced by a mixture of a single azoxymethane injection and three cycles of dextran sulphate sodium, then buparlisib was administered after 14 d. The excised colon was subjected to immunohistochemistry for Ki67 and Cleaved-caspase-3 markers and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis for Pdk1 and Sgk2. RESULTS Luciferase activity decreased by 2.07-fold in the rs10889677 mutant, confirming the hypothesis that the variant disrupted miRNA binding sites, which led to an increase in IL23R expression and the activation of the PI3K signaling pathway. Furthermore, CAC-induced mice had a significantly higher disease activity index (P < 0.05). Buparlisib treatment significantly decreased mean weight loss in CAC-induced mice (P < 0.05), reduced the percentage of proliferating cells by 5%, and increased the number of apoptotic cells. The treatment also caused a downward trend of Pdk1 expression and significantly decreased Sgk2 expression. CONCLUSION Our findings suggested that the rs10889677 variant as a critical initiator of the PI3K signaling pathway, and buparlisib had the ability to prevent PI3K-non-AKT activation in the pathophysiology of CAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nurul Nadirah Razali
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Cheras 56000, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Raja Affendi Raja Ali
- School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Sunway City 47500, Malaysia
- GUT Research Group, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Cheras 56000, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Gastroenterology Unit, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Cheras 56000, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Khairul Najmi Muhammad Nawawi
- GUT Research Group, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Cheras 56000, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Gastroenterology Unit, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Cheras 56000, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Azyani Yahaya
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Cheras 56000, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Norshafila Diana Mohd Rathi
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Cheras 56000, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Norfilza Mohd Mokhtar
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Cheras 56000, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- GUT Research Group, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Cheras 56000, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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Nilles J, Weiss J, Haefeli WE, Ruez S, Theile D. How to avoid misinterpretation of dual reporter gene assay data affected by cell damage. Arch Toxicol 2022. [PMID: 35678845 DOI: 10.1007/s00204-022-03323-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [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: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The activity of nuclear receptors (e.g., pregnane x receptor, PXR) can be assessed by luminescence-based dual reporter gene assays. Under most conditions, receptor-activated firefly luminescence is normalized to Renilla luminescence, which is triggered by a constitutively active promoter. Simultaneous damage to the cells can however disrupt these signals and thus impair the interpretation of the data. Consequently, this study addressed three important aspects: First, idealized models were described, each highlighting crucial characteristics and important pitfalls of dual PXR reporter gene assays used to evaluate PXR activation or inhibition. Second, these models were supported by experimental data obtained with a strong PXR activator (rifampicin) with low cytotoxicity, a PXR activator with high cytotoxicity (dovitinib), a proposed PXR inhibitor that reportedly has no toxic effects (triptolide), and a cytotoxic control (oxaliplatin). Data were evaluated for relative PXR activity data, individual firefly or Renilla luminescence, and anti-proliferative effects of the compounds (assessed by crystal violet staining). Finally, a step-by-step guide is proposed to avoid misleading set-up of the assay or misinterpretation of the data obtained. Key considerations here include (1) omission of drug concentrations beyond 10–20% proliferation inhibition; (2) observation of Renilla luminescence, because this tends to indicate ‘false PXR activation’ when it inexplicably decreases; (3) parallel decrease of relative PXR activity and proliferation below baseline levels in conjunction with a sharp decrease in Renilla luminescence indicates ‘false PXR antagonism’; (4) non-sigmoidal relationships suggest the absence of concentration dependency.
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Alanazi JS, Latimer JJ. Host Cell Reactivation: Assay for Actively Transcribed DNA (Nucleotide Excision) Repair Using Luciferase Family Expression Vectors. Methods Mol Biol 2020; 2102:509-528. [PMID: 31989574 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-0223-2_28] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Host cell reactivation (HCR) is a transfection-based assay in which intact cells repair damage localized to exogenous DNA. This chapter provides instructions for the application of this technique, using as an exemplar UV irradiation as a source of damage to a luciferase reporter plasmid. Through measurement of the activity of a successfully transcribed and translated reporter enzyme, the amount of damaged plasmid that a cell can "reactivate" or repair and express can be quantitated. Different DNA repair pathways can be analyzed by this technique by damaging the reporter plasmid in different ways. Since it involves repair of a transcriptionally active gene, when applied to UV damage the HCR assay measures the capacity of the host cells to perform transcription-coupled repair (TCR), a subset of the overall nucleotide excision repair pathway that specifically targets transcribed gene sequences. This method features two ways to perform the assay using expression vectors with luciferase and beta galactosidase, as well as with firefly luciferase and Renilla luciferase using the same luminometer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jowaher S Alanazi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nova Southeastern University and AutoNation Breast Cancer Institute, Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA
| | - Jean J Latimer
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nova Southeastern University and AutoNation Breast Cancer Institute, Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA.
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De Leo TC, Nascimento Dos Santos S, Del Cistia Andrade C, Ricci E, Turato WM, Lopes NP, Oliveira RS, Bernardes ES, Dias-Baruffi M. Engineering of galectin-3 for glycan-binding optical imaging. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2019; 521:674-680. [PMID: 31685208 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2019.10.161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [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: 09/28/2019] [Accepted: 10/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is a multifunctional glycan-binding protein that participates in many pathophysiological events and has been described as a biomarker and potential therapeutic target for severe disorders, such as cancer. Several probes for Gal-3 or its ligands have been developed, however both the pathophysiological mechanisms and potential biomedical applications of Gal-3 remain not fully assessed. Molecular imaging using bioluminescent probes provides great sensitivity for in vivo and in vitro analysis for both cellular and whole multicellular organism tracking and target detection. Here, we engineered a chimeric molecule consisting of Renilla luciferase fused with mouse Gal-3 (RLuc-mGal-3). RLuc-mGal-3 preparation was highly homogenous, soluble, active, and has molecular mass of 65,870.95 Da. This molecule was able to bind to MKN45 cell surface, property which was inhibited by the reduction of Gal-3 ligands on the cell surface by the overexpression of ST6GalNAc-I. In order to obtain an efficient and stable delivery system, RLuc-mGal-3 was adsorbed to poly-lactic acid nanoparticles, which increased binding to MKN45 cells in vitro. Furthermore, bioluminescence imaging showed that RLuc-mGal-3 was able to indicate the presence of implanted tumor in mice, event drastically inhibited by the presence of lactose. This novel bioluminescent chimeric molecule offers a safe and highly sensitive alternative to fluorescent and radiolabeled probes with potential application in biomedical research for a better understanding of the distribution and fate of Gal-3 and its ligands in vitro and in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thais Canassa De Leo
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirao Preto, University of Sao Paulo, Av. Cafe S/N, CEP 14040-903, Ribeirao Preto, SP, Brazil
| | | | - Camillo Del Cistia Andrade
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirao Preto, University of Sao Paulo, Av. Cafe S/N, CEP 14040-903, Ribeirao Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Eduardo Ricci
- Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Walter Miguel Turato
- Department of Clinical and Toxicological Analyses, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Norberto Peporine Lopes
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirao Preto, University of Sao Paulo, Av. Cafe S/N, CEP 14040-903, Ribeirao Preto, SP, Brazil
| | | | | | - Marcelo Dias-Baruffi
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirao Preto, University of Sao Paulo, Av. Cafe S/N, CEP 14040-903, Ribeirao Preto, SP, Brazil.
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Abstract
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) play an active role in numerous cellular processes, from cell proliferation to differentiation, by modulating gene transcription through various signal transduction pathways. Transcriptional regulation coupled to reporter gene expression may be used to study both G protein-dependent and G protein-independent responses activated by GPCR ligands. Reporter genes are typically used to monitor changes in receptor-mediated cellular responses at the transcription/translation level. Genetic reporter assays are based on reporter gene expression in response to activation of specific signaling cascade, followed by monitoring the presence of the reporter protein by directly measuring its enzymatic activity. These optimized genes are expressed under the control of a response element to assess its transcriptional activity that can be readily detected by a luminescent signal. Firefly luciferase gene has been widely used as a genetic reporter that responds rapidly to modulation of a GPCR by agonists or antagonists. Luciferase assays have been successfully developed for deorphanization of GPCRs, high-throughput screening (HTS) applications for drug discovery and deciphering both canonical and non-canonical signaling of numerous GPCRs. The protocol outlined for STAT3-driven luciferase assay could be adapted with appropriate changes to any aspect of GPCR signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamiyet Unal
- Department of Molecular Cardiology, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, United States.
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Paulmurugan R, Afjei R, Sekar TV, Babikir HA, Massoud TF. A protein folding molecular imaging biosensor monitors the effects of drugs that restore mutant p53 structure and its downstream function in glioblastoma cells. Oncotarget 2018; 9:21495-21511. [PMID: 29765555 PMCID: PMC5940411 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.25138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [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: 01/16/2018] [Accepted: 03/15/2018] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Misfolding mutations in the DNA-binding domain of p53 alter its conformation, affecting the efficiency with which it binds to chromatin to regulate target gene expression and cell cycle checkpoint functions in many cancers, including glioblastoma. Small molecule drugs that recover misfolded p53 structure and function may improve chemotherapy by activating p53-mediated senescence. We constructed and optimized a split Renilla luciferase (RLUC) complementation molecular biosensor (NRLUC-p53-CRLUC) to determine small molecule-meditated folding changes in p53 protein. After initial evaluation of the biosensor in three different cells lines, we engineered endogenously p53P98L mutant (i.e. not affecting the DNA-binding domain) Ln229 glioblastoma cells, to express the biosensor containing one of four different p53 proteins: p53wt, p53Y220C, p53G245S and p53R282W. We evaluated the consequent phenotypic changes in these four variant cells as well as the parental cells after exposure to PhiKan083 and SCH529074, drugs previously reported to activate mutant p53 folding. Specifically, we measured induced RLUC complementation and consequent therapeutic response. Upon stable transduction with the p53 biosensors, we demonstrated that these originally p53P98L Ln229 cells had acquired p53 cellular phenotypes representative of each p53 protein expressed within the biosensor fusion protein. In these engineered variants we found a differential drug response when treated with doxorubicin and temozolomide, either independently or in combination with PhiKan083 or SCH529074. We thus developed a molecular imaging complementation biosensor that mimics endogenous p53 function for use in future applications to screen novel or repurposed drugs that counter the effects of misfolding mutations responsible for oncogenic structural changes in p53.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramasamy Paulmurugan
- Cellular Pathway Imaging Laboratory (CPIL), Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA 94305, USA
| | - Rayhaneh Afjei
- Laboratory for Experimental and Molecular Neuroimaging (LEMNI), Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Thillai V Sekar
- Cellular Pathway Imaging Laboratory (CPIL), Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA 94305, USA
| | - Husam A Babikir
- Laboratory for Experimental and Molecular Neuroimaging (LEMNI), Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Tarik F Massoud
- Laboratory for Experimental and Molecular Neuroimaging (LEMNI), Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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Cook PR, Tabor GT. Deciphering fact from artifact when using reporter assays to investigate the roles of host factors on L1 retrotransposition. Mob DNA 2016; 7:23. [PMID: 27895722 PMCID: PMC5120415 DOI: 10.1186/s13100-016-0079-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [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: 04/16/2016] [Accepted: 11/04/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The Long INterspersed Element-1 (L1, LINE-1) is the only autonomous mobile DNA element in humans and has generated as much as half of the genome. Due to increasing clinical interest in the roles of L1 in cancer, embryogenesis and neuronal development, it has become a priority to understand L1-host interactions and identify host factors required for its activity. Apropos to this, we recently reported that L1 retrotransposition in HeLa cells requires phosphorylation of the L1 protein ORF1p at motifs targeted by host cell proline-directed protein kinases (PDPKs), which include the family of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). Using two engineered L1 reporter assays, we continued our investigation into the roles of MAPKs in L1 activity. Results We found that the MAPK p38δ phosphorylated ORF1p on three of its four PDPK motifs required for L1 activity. In addition, we found that a constitutively active p38δ mutant appeared to promote L1 retrotransposition in HeLa cells. However, despite the consistency of these findings with our earlier work, we identified some technical concerns regarding the experimental methodology. Specifically, we found that exogenous expression of p38δ appeared to affect at least one heterologous promoter in an engineered L1 reporter, as well as generate opposing effects on two different reporters. We also show that two commercially available non-targeting control (NTC) siRNAs elicit drastically different effects on the apparent retrotransposition reported by both L1 assays, which raises concerns about the use of NTCs as normalizing controls. Conclusions Engineered L1 reporter assays have been invaluable for determining the functions and critical residues of L1 open reading frames, as well as elucidating many aspects of L1 replication. However, our results suggest that caution is required when interpreting data obtained from L1 reporters used in conjunction with exogenous gene expression or siRNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pamela R Cook
- Laboratory of Cell and Molecular Biology, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 8 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892 USA
| | - G Travis Tabor
- National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, 35 Convent Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892 USA
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Marcos-Vadillo E, García-Sánchez A. Promoter Assay Using Luciferase Reporter Gene in the A549 Cell Line. Methods Mol Biol 2016; 1434:199-211. [PMID: 27300540 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-3652-6_14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
Abstract
The development of reporters systems has simplified the study of promoter activity in different areas of knowledge, and represents an easy and fast approach to study genetic variations. In this chapter, we show a transfection protocol of A549 lung epithelial cells with a reporter vector, using the Luciferase-Renilla dual system for studying the variations caused by several polymorphisms in the promoter region of a gene.
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