| 1. |
- Brnjic, Slavica, et al.
(författare)
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Induction of Tumor Cell Apoptosis by a Proteasome Deubiquitinase Inhibitor Is Associated with Oxidative Stress
- 2014
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Ingår i: Antioxidants and Redox Signaling. - : Mary Ann Liebert Inc. - 1523-0864 .- 1557-7716. ; 21:17, s. 2271-2285
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aims: b-AP15 is a recently described inhibitor of the USP14/UCHL5 deubiquitinases (DUBs) of the 19S proteasome. Exposure to b-AP15 results in blocking of proteasome function and accumulation of polyubiquitinated protein substrates in cells. This novel mechanism of proteasome inhibition may potentially be exploited for cancer therapy, in particular for treatment of malignancies resistant to currently used proteasome inhibitors. The aim of the present study was to characterize the cellular response to b-AP15-mediated proteasome DUB inhibition. Results: We report that b-AP15 elicits a similar, but yet distinct, cellular response as the clinically used proteasome inhibitor bortezomib. b-AP15 induces a rapid apoptotic response, associated with enhanced induction of oxidative stress and rapid activation of Jun-N-terminal kinase 1/2 (JNK)/activating protein-1 signaling. Scavenging of reactive oxygen species and pharmacological inhibition of JNK reduced b-AP15-induced apoptosis. We further report that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is induced by b-AP15 and is involved in apoptosis induction. In contrast to bortezomib, ER stress is associated with induction of alpha-subunit of eukaryotic initiation factor 2 phosphorylation. Innovation: The findings establish that different modes of proteasome inhibition result in distinct cellular responses, a finding of potential therapeutic importance. Conclusion: Our data show that enhanced oxidative stress and ER stress are major determinants of the strong apoptotic response elicited by the 19S DUB inhibitor b-AP15. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 21, 2271-2285.
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| 2. |
- Grannas, Karin, et al.
(författare)
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Crosstalk between Hippo and TGF beta : Subcellular Localization of YAP/TAZ/Smad Complexes
- 2015
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Ingår i: Journal of Molecular Biology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0022-2836 .- 1089-8638. ; 427:21, s. 3407-3415
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Hippo pathway plays a crucial role in growth control, proliferation and tumor suppression. Activity of the signaling pathway is associated with cell density sensing and tissue organization. Furthermore, the Hippo pathway helps to coordinate cellular processes through crosstalk with growth-factor-mediated signaling pathways such as TGF beta. Here we have examined the localization of interactions between proteins of the Hippo pathway (YAP/TAZ) and TGF beta (Smad2/3) signaling pathway by using in situ proximity ligation assays. We investigated the formation of protein complexes between YAP/TAZ and Smad2/3 and examined how these interactions were affected by TGF beta stimulation and cell density in HaCaT keratinocytes and in Smad4-deficient HT29 colon cancer cells. We demonstrate that TGF beta induces formation of YAP/TAZ-Smad2/3 complexes in HaCaT cells. Under sparse cell conditions, the complexes were detected to a higher degree and were predominantly located in the nucleus, while under dense culture conditions, the complexes were fewer and mainly located in the cytoplasm. Surprisingly, we could not detect any YAP/TAZ Smad2/3 complexes in HT29 cells. To examine if Smad4 deficiency was responsible for the absence of interactions, we treated HaCaT cells with siRNA targeting Smad4. However, we could still observe complex formation in the siRNA-treated cells, suggesting that Smad4 is not essential for the YAP Smad2/3 interaction. In conclusion, this study shows localized, density-dependent formation of YAP/TAZ Smad2/3 complexes in HaCaT cells and provides evidence supporting a crosstalk between the Hippo and the TGF beta signaling pathways.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Hillert, Ellin-Kristina, et al.
(författare)
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Proteasome inhibitor b-AP15 induces enhanced proteotoxicity by inhibiting cytoprotective aggresome formation
- 2019
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Ingår i: Cancer Letters. - : ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD. - 0304-3835 .- 1872-7980. ; 448, s. 70-83
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Proteasome inhibitors have been shown to induce cell death in cancer cells by triggering an acute proteotoxic stress response characterized by accumulation of poly-ubiquitinated proteins, ER stress and the production of reactive oxygen species. The aggresome pathway has been described as an escape mechanism from proteotoxicity by sequestering toxic cellular aggregates. Here we show that b-AP15, a small-molecule inhibitor of proteasomal deubiquitinase activity, induces poly-ubiquitin accumulation in absence of aggresome formation. b-AP15 was found to affect organelle transport in treated cells, raising the possibility that microtubule-transport of toxic protein aggregates is inhibited, leading to enhanced cytotoxicity. In contrast to the antiproliferative effects of the clinically used proteasome inhibitor bortezomib, the effects of b-AP15 are not further enhanced by the histone deacetylase inhibitor suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA). Our results suggest an inhibitory effect of b-AP15 on the transport of misfolded proteins, resulting in a lack of aggresome formation, and a strong proteotoxic stress response.
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| 5. |
- Mazurkiewicz, Magdalena, et al.
(författare)
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Acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells are sensitive to disturbances in protein homeostasis induced by proteasome deubiquitinase inhibition
- 2017
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Ingår i: Oncotarget. - : IMPACT JOURNALS LLC. - 1949-2553. ; 8:13, s. 21115-21127
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The non-genotoxic nature of proteasome inhibition makes it an attractive therapeutic option for the treatment of pediatric malignancies. We recently described the small molecule VLX1570 as an inhibitor of proteasome deubiquitinase (DUB) activity that induces proteotoxic stress and apoptosis in cancer cells. Here we show that acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cells are highly sensitive to treatment with VLX1570, resulting in the accumulation of polyubiquitinated proteasome substrates and loss of cell viability. VLX1570 treatment increased the levels of a number of proteins, including the chaperone HSP70B , the oxidative stress marker heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and the cell cycle regulator p21(Cip1). Unexpectedly, polybiquitin accumulation was found to be uncoupled from ER stress in ALL cells. Thus, increased phosphorylation of eIF2a occurred only at supra-pharmacological VLX1570 concentrations and did not correlate with polybiquitin accumulation. Total cellular protein synthesis was found to decrease in the absence of eIF2a phosphorylation. Furthermore, ISRIB (Integrated Stress Response inhibitor) did not overcome the inhibition of protein synthesis. We finally show that VLX1570 can be combined with L-asparaginase for additive or synergistic antiproliferative effects on ALL cells. We conclude that ALL cells are highly sensitive to the proteasome DUB inhibitor VLX1570 suggesting a novel therapeutic option for this disease.
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| 6. |
- Mazurkiewicz, Magdalena
(författare)
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Inhibition of 19S proteasome deubiquitinases as a promising strategy in cancer therapy
- 2017
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) is the main degradation system in the eukaryotic cell and it is involved in the regulation of many crucial cellular pathways; such as signal transduction, proliferation, DNA repair, cell death, and cell cycle regulation. In comparison to cells in healthy tissues, cancer cells proliferate faster and have increased protein synthesis rate; therefore in order to preserve cellular fitness they are more dependent on UPS than normal cells. This therapeutic window has been investigated for more than 30 years and intensive studies led to the discovery of first and second generation 20S proteasome inhibitors that have been successfully applied in the treatment of multiple myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma. However; in spite of initial positive outcomes, patients eventually gain resistance and suffer from the disease relapse. Therefore there is a strong interest in the development of new drugs targeting the UPS through alternative mechanisms. b-AP15/VLX1570 is a novel inhibitor of proteasome, recently discovered in our group, which does not block the activity of 20S catalytic core, but instead it inhibits two 19S deubiquitinating enzymes, USP14 and UCHL5. It is a small molecule with α,β- unsaturated carbonyl units that binds reversibly to cysteine deubiquitinases via Michael reaction. Despite reversible binding of the drug, commitment to death induced by b- AP15/VLX1570 is irreversible, which is due to the rapid uptake of the drug and subsequent retention in the cellular compartment. To some extent cellular response to the treatment with b-AP15/VLX1570 and bortezomib are similar: it results in the accumulation of polyubiquitinated proteins, induction of ER stress and eventually apoptosis and cell death. Treatment with b-AP15/VLX1570 however, induces higher level of proteotoxic stress, higher level of ROS and more rapid and potent apoptotic response. We found that VLX1570, a b- AP15 analogue optimized for clinical administration, has strong anti-cancer activity against multiple myeloma and acute lymphoblastic leukemia. In addition we found that the DUB inhibitor is active on cells resistant to bortezomib. This findings suggest that VLX1570 is a promising candidate drug and is currently investigated in Phase I clinical trials for the treatment of multiple myeloma resistant to conventional proteasome inhibitors. Application of proteasome inhibitors in the treatment of solid tumors remains limited and primary and acquired resistance continues to be a concern during the development of new therapies. Using multicellular spheroids as solid tumor model, we discovered that overexpression of PA28, a stress-induced regulatory particle of proteasome, can moderate the response of cancer cells to proteasome inhibitors. Taken together our data shows that proteasome DUB inhibitors have potential as a treatment option for malignancies and that differences in UPS expression may have relevance for the survival of different tumor types.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Pellegrini, Paola, et al.
(författare)
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A drug screening assay on cancer cells chronically adapted to acidosis
- 2018
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Ingår i: Cancer Cell International. - : BMC. - 1475-2867. ; 18
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Drug screening for the identification of compounds with anticancer activity is commonly performed using cell lines cultured under normal oxygen pressure and physiological pH. However, solid tumors are characterized by a microenvironment with limited access to nutrients, reduced oxygen supply and acidosis. Tumor hypoxia and acidosis have been identified as important drivers of malignant progression and contribute to multicellular resistance to different forms of therapy. Tumor acidosis represents an important mechanism mediating drug resistance thus the identification of drugs active on acid-adapted cells may improve the efficacy of cancer therapy. Methods: Here, we characterized human colon carcinoma cells (HCT116) chronically adapted to grow at pH 6.8 and used them to screen the Prestwick drug library for cytotoxic compounds. Analysis of gene expression profiles in parental and low pH-adapted cells showed several differences relating to cell cycle, metabolism and autophagy. Results: The screen led to the identification of several compounds which were further selected for their preferential cytotoxicity towards acid-adapted cells. Amongst 11 confirmed hits, we primarily focused our investigation on the benzoporphyrin derivative Verteporfin (VP). VP significantly reduced viability in low pH-adapted HCT116 cells as compared to parental HCT116 cells and normal immortalized epithelial cells. The cytotoxic activity of VP was enhanced by light activation and acidic pH culture conditions, likely via increased acid-dependent drug uptake. VP displayed the unique property to cause light-dependent cross-linking of proteins and resulted in accumulation of polyubiquitinated proteins without inducing inhibition of the proteasome. Conclusions: Our study provides an example and a tool to identify anticancer drugs targeting acid-adapted cancer cells.
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| 9. |
- Selvaraju, Karthik, et al.
(författare)
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Inhibition of proteasome deubiquitinase activity : a strategy to overcome resistance to conventional proteasome inhibitors?
- 2015
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Ingår i: Drug resistance updates. - : Elsevier BV. - 1368-7646 .- 1532-2084. ; 21-22, s. 20-29
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Although more traditionally associated with degradation and maintenance of protein homeostasis, the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) has emerged as a critical component in the regulation of cancer cell growth and survival. The development of inhibitors that block the proteolytic activities of the proteasome have highlighted its suitability as a bona fide anti-cancer drug target. However, key determinants including the development of drug resistance and dose-limiting toxicity call for the identification of alternative components of the UPS for novel drug targeting. Recently the deubiquitinases (DUBS), a diverse family of enzymes that catalyze ubiquitin removal, have attracted significant interest as targets for the development of next generation UPS inhibitors. In particular, pharmacological inhibition of the proteasomal cysteine DUBs (i.e., USP14 and UCHL5) has been shown to be particularly cytotoxic to cancer cells and inhibit tumour growth in several in vivo models. In the current review we focus on the modes of action of proteasome DUB inhibitors and discus the potential of DUB inhibitors to circumvent acquired drug resistance and provide a therapeutic option for the treatment of cancer.
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| 10. |
- Wang, Xin, et al.
(författare)
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The 19S Deubiquitinase Inhibitor b-AP15 Is Enriched in Cells and Elicits Rapid Commitment to Cell Death
- 2014
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Ingår i: Molecular Pharmacology. - 0026-895X .- 1521-0111. ; 85:6, s. 932-945
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- b-AP15 [(3E, 5E)-3,5-bis[(4-nitrophenyl) methylidene]-1-(prop-2enoyl) piperidin-4-one] is a small molecule inhibitor of the ubiquitin specific peptidase (USP) 14/ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase (UCH) L5 deubiquitinases of the 19S proteasome that shows antitumor activity in a number of tumor models, including multiple myeloma. b-AP15 contains an alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl unit that is likely to react with intracellular nucleophiles such as cysteine thiolates by Michael addition. We found that binding of b-AP15 to USP14 is partially reversible, and that inhibition of proteasome function is reversible in cells. Despite reversible binding, tumor cells are rapidly committed to apoptosis/cell death after exposure to b-AP15. We show that b-AP15 is rapidly taken up from the medium and enriched in cells. Enrichment provides an explanation of the stronger potency of the compound in cellular assays compared with in vitro biochemical assays. Cellular uptake was impaired by 30-minute pretreatment of cells with low concentrations of N-ethylmaleimide (10 mu M), suggesting that enrichment was thiol dependent. We report that in addition to inhibition of deubiquitinases, b-AP15 inhibits the selenoprotein thioredoxin reductase (TrxR). Whereas proteasome inhibition was closely associated with cell death induction, inhibition of TrxR was not. TrxR inhibition is, however, likely to contribute to triggering of oxidative stress observed with b-AP15. Furthermore, we present structure-activity, in vivo pharmacokinetic, and hepatocyte metabolism data for b-AP15. We conclude that the strong enrichment of b-AP15 in cells and a rapid commitment to apoptosis/cell death are factors that likely contribute to the strong antitumor activity of this compound.
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