Assessing real-time sun protection decisions using audio diaries: feasibility and outcomes

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Synthetic Lethality between CDK and PARP Inhibition

PARP1/2 are required for single-strand break repair, and their inhibition causes DNA replication fork collapse and double-strand break (DSB) formation. These DSBs are primarily repaired via homologous recombination (HR), a high-fidelity repair pathway. Should HR be deficient, DSBs may be repaired via error-prone nonhomologous end-joining mechanisms, or may persist, ultimately resulting in cell death. The combined disruption of PARP and HR activities thus produces synthetic lethality. Multiple myeloma cells are characterized by chromosomal instability and pervasive DNA damage, implicating aberrant DNA repair. Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK), upstream modulators of HR, are dysregulated in multiple myeloma. Here, we show that a CDK inhibitor, dinaciclib, impairs HR repair and sensitizes multiple myeloma cells to the PARP1/2 inhibitor ABT-888. Dinaciclib abolishes ABT-888–induced BRCA1 and RAD51 foci and potentiates DNA damage, indicated by increased H2AX foci. Dinaciclib treatment reduces expression of HR repair genes, including Rad51, and blocks BRCA1 phosphorylation, a modification required for HR repair, thus inhibiting HR repair of chromosome DSBs. Cotreatment with dinaciclib and ABT-888 in vitro resulted in synthetic lethality of multiple myeloma cells, but not normal CD19⁺ B cells, and slowed growth of multiple myeloma xenografts in SCID mice almost two-fold. These findings support combining dinaciclib with PARP inhibitors for multiple myeloma therapy. Mol Cancer Ther; 15(2); 241–50. ©2015 AACR.

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Selected Articles from This Issue

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GC1118, with a Distinct EGFR-Binding Epitope and Efficacy

The EGFR-targeted monoclonal antibodies are a valid therapeutic strategy for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). However, only a small subset of mCRC patients has therapeutic benefits and there are high demands for EGFR therapeutics with a broader patient pool and more potent efficacy. In this study, we report GC1118 exhibiting a different character in terms of binding epitope, affinity, mode of action, and efficacy from other anti-EGFR antibodies. Structural analysis of the EGFR–GC1118 crystal complex revealed that GC1118 recognizes linear, discrete N-terminal epitopes of domain III of EGFR, critical for EGF binding but not overlapping with those of other EGFR-targeted antibodies. GC1118 exhibited superior inhibitory activity against high-affinity EGFR ligands in terms of EGFR binding, triggering EGFR signaling, and proliferation compared with cetuximab and panitumumab. EGFR signaling driven by low-affinity ligands, on the contrary, was well inhibited by all the antibodies tested. GC1118 demonstrated robust antitumor activity in tumor xenografts with elevated expression of high-affinity ligands in vivo, whereas cetuximab did not. Considering the significant role of high-affinity EGFR ligands in modulating tumor microenvironment and inducing resistance to various cancer therapeutics, our study suggests a potential therapeutic advantage of GC1118 in terms of efficacy and a range of benefited patient pool. Mol Cancer Ther; 15(2); 251–63. ©2015 AACR.

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Inhibition of Class I HDACs in Urothelial Carcinoma

Class I histone deacetylases HDAC1 and HDAC2 contribute to cell proliferation and are commonly upregulated in urothelial carcinoma. To evaluate whether specific inhibition of these enzymes might serve as an appropriate therapy for urothelial carcinoma, siRNA-mediated knockdown and specific pharmacologic inhibition of HDAC1 and HDAC2 were applied in urothelial carcinoma cell lines (UCC) with distinct HDAC1 and HDAC2 expression profiles. HDACs and response marker proteins were followed by Western blotting and qRT-PCR. Effects of class I HDAC suppression on UCCs were analyzed by viability, colony forming, and caspase-3/7 assays; flow cytometry, senescence and lactate dehydrogenase cytotoxicity assays; and immunofluorescence staining. Whereas single knockdowns of HDAC1 or HDAC2 were impeded by compensatory upregulation of the other isoenzyme, efficient double knockdown of HDAC1 and HDAC2 reduced proliferation by up to 80% and induced apoptosis-like cell death in all UCCs. Clonogenic growth was cell line– and HDAC-dependently reduced, with double knockdown of HDAC1 and HDAC2 being usually most efficient. Class I HDAC-specific inhibitors, especially the more specific HDAC1/2 inhibitors romidepsin and givinostat, significantly reduced proliferation of all UCCs (IC₅₀, 3.36 nmol/L–4.59 μmol/L). Romidepsin and givinostat also significantly inhibited clonogenic growth of UCCs, with minor effects on nontumorigenic controls. Intriguingly, these compounds induced primarily S-phase disturbances and nonapoptotic cell death in UCCs. Thus, although both ways of inhibiting HDAC1/2 share mechanisms and efficaciously inhibit cell proliferation, their modes of action differ substantially. Regardless, combined inhibition of HDAC1/2 appears to represent a promising strategy for urothelial carcinoma therapy. Mol Cancer Ther; 15(2); 299–312. ©2016 AACR.

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Inhibition of Endothelial AKT and ERK by 2-DG

Interference with endothelial cell metabolism is a promising, yet unexploited strategy for angiogenesis inhibition. We reported that the glucose analogue 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) inhibits angiogenesis at significantly lower concentrations than those required for tumor cytotoxicity. Here, we found that hypersensitivity to 2-DG in endothelial cells is not associated with enhanced drug uptake compared with tumor cells, but with time-dependent, endothelial-selective inhibition of AKT and ERK phosphorylation. Downregulation of these critical survival pathways is shown to be due to 2-DG's interference with N-linked glycosylation, leading to alterations in VEGFR2 (and downstream signaling) as well as induction of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, GSK3β activation, and apoptosis. In vivo, periocular administration of 2-DG in LH_BETAT_AG mice was associated with significant reduction of newly formed (CD105⁺) tumor capillaries, ER stress (GRP 78 expression), and endothelial apoptosis (TUNEL). These findings uniquely link N-linked glycosylation inhibition, ER stress, and ERK/AKT downregulation in endothelial cells, and provide a novel drug development strategy to overcome resistance mechanisms to currently available antiangiogenic agents. Mol Cancer Ther; 15(2); 264–75. ©2015 AACR.

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Choline Kinase in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

Choline kinase α (CHKα) plays a crucial role in the regulation of membrane phospholipid synthesis and has oncogenic properties in vitro. We have analyzed the expression of CHKα in cell lines derived from pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and have found increased CHKα expression, associated with differentiation. CHKα protein expression was directly correlated with sensitivity to MN58b, a CHKα inhibitor that reduced cell growth through the induction of apoptosis. Accordingly, CHKα knockdown led to reduced drug sensitivity. In addition, we found that gemcitabine-resistant PDAC cells displayed enhanced sensitivity to CHKα inhibition and, in vitro, MN58b had additive or synergistic effects with gemcitabine, 5-fluorouracil, and oxaliplatin, three active drugs in the treatment of PDAC. Using tissue microarrays, CHKα was found to be overexpressed in 90% of pancreatic tumors. While cytoplasmic CHKα did not relate to survival, nuclear CHKα distribution was observed in 43% of samples and was associated with longer survival, especially among patients with well/moderately differentiated tumors. To identify the mechanisms involved in resistance to CHKα inhibitors, we cultured IMIM-PC-2 cells with increasingly higher concentrations of MN58b and isolated a subline with a 30-fold higher IC₅₀. RNA-Seq analysis identified upregulation of ABCB1 and ABCB4 multidrug resistance transporters, and functional studies confirmed that their upregulation is the main mechanism involved in resistance. Overall, our findings support the notion that CHKα inhibition merits further attention as a therapeutic option in patients with PDAC and that expression levels may predict response. Mol Cancer Ther; 15(2); 323–33. ©2016 AACR.

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