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Biomedical subjects

I B Weinstein

Publications and source records attributed to I B Weinstein.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Overexpression of cyclin D1 enhances gene amplification.

Defects in cell cycle control and increased genomic instability, including gene amplification, often occur during cancer development. Cyclin D1 plays a pivotal role in G1, and this gene is frequently amplified and overexpressed in several types of human cancer. This study demonstrates that ectopic overexpression of cyclin D1 in a rat liver epithelial cell line markedly increased the yield of cells containing amplified copies of the CAD gene. This effect was associated with a loss of G1-S checkpoint control, although the cyclin D1-overexpressing cells had a normal p53 gene. The capacity of cyclin D1 to enhance gene amplification may contribute to the process of genomic instability during tumor development.

Animals↗

Frequent K-ras mutations in small bowel adenocarcinomas.

The reasons for the relatively rare occurrence of small bowel adenocarcinomas when compared to the high frequency of colonic adenocarcinomas are unknown. Activating mutations in the K-ras oncogene occur in about 40% of colonic adenocarcinomas, possibly reflecting the consequences of carcinogenic exposure. To study whether the low incidence of small bowel adenocarcinomas might be due to the absence of activation of cellular oncogenes in small bowel adenocarcinomas, we examined the frequency of K-ras mutations in small bowel adenocarcinomas. K-ras mutations were determined using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based method to detect codon 12 mutations by restriction fragment length polymorphism. PCR amplification was successful in six of nine small bowel adenocarcinoma samples, and revealed point mutations of K-ras at codon 12 in five of these six cases. We conclude that the small bowel might be exposed to carcinogens similar to those responsible for colorectal cancer, but may have developed protective mechanisms against cancer formation.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Increased expression of cyclin D1 is an early event in multistage colorectal carcinogenesis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Cyclin D1 gene amplification and/or overexpression occurs in several human cancers. The level of expression of cyclin D1 protein during the multistage process of human colon carcinogenesis was determined. METHODS: Cyclin D1 protein abundance was determined by immunostaining samples of normal colonic mucosa(n=23), transitional normal mucosa adjacent to adenomas or adenocarcinomas (n=41), hyperplastic polyps (n=8), adenomatous polyps (=35), and adenocarcinomas (n=27), using a polyclonal anti-human cyclin D1 antibody. RESULTS: Cyclin D1 nuclear staining occurred in 30% of adenocarcinomas and 34% of adenomatous polyps but not in hyperplastic polyps or normal or transitional mucosa. Nuclear staining did not correlate with sex, age, size, or dysplasia of the adenomatous polyps or with differentiation and Dukes' staging of the adenocarcinomas. Left-sided colon neoplasms showed nuclear staining more frequently than those right-sided lesions. Diffuse or supranuclear cytoplasmic staining occurred in about one third of hyperplastic polyps, adenomas, and adenocarcinomas and in transitional mucosa adjacent to adenocarcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: Increased nuclear expression of cyclin D1 occurs in around one third of colonic tumors as an early event during multistage process of colon carcinogenesis. Increased expression of cyclin D1 may perturb cell-cycle control in benign adenomas and thereby enhance tumor progression.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Increased expression of cyclin D1 in a murine mammary epithelial cell line induces p27kip1, inhibits growth, and enhances apoptosis.

Cyclin D1 is frequently amplified and/or overexpressed in human breast cancer and several other types of cancer. To examine the role of cyclin D1 in normal mammary epithelial cells, in the present study we have overexpressed human cyclin D1 in the mouse mammary epithelial cell line HC11, using retrovirus-mediated transduction. We found that the cyclin D1 overexpresser clones displayed a decrease in saturation density, a decrease in anchorage-independent growth, an increased fraction of cells in the G(zero)-G1 phase, and increased expression of beta-casein, when compared to the control cells. The latter finding suggested that they were more differentiated. Furthermore, the cyclin D1 overexpressers displayed a marked increase in susceptibility to induction of apoptosis by serum withdrawal or by treatment with hydroxyurea or the protein kinase C inhibitors CGP 41251 and Ro31-8220. Thus, in some mammary epithelial cells, increased expression of cyclin D1 can inhibit growth, induce differentiation, and enhance apoptosis. These effects might be due, at least in part, to the fact that these derivatives displayed increased expression of the p27kip1 inhibitory protein.

Animals↗

Increased expression of the cyclin D1 gene in Barrett's esophagus.

Previous studies have found a 3-10-fold amplification and overexpression of the cyclin D1 gene in about 32% of human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of increased expression of the cyclin D1 protein in Barrett's esophagus. Using 69 formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded human esophageal specimens, which had been removed endoscopically or obtained at surgery during 1993 and 1994, all immunohistochemical analyses were performed using an avidin-biotin complex immunoperoxidase technique. Increased nuclear expression of the cyclin D1 protein was noted in 32 of 69 samples (46%; 44% of the samples from males and 50% of the samples from females). Positive nuclear staining for the cyclin D1 protein in Barrett's disease with intestinal metaplasia was found in 38% of the male cases and 25% of the female cases, whereas in gastric metaplasia it was positive in 33% of men and 48% of women. Nuclear accumulation of the cyclin D1 protein was also found in both dysplastic and nondysplastic lesions, and it was not associated with sex, age, or cigarette or alcohol consumption. Samples from patients taking proton pump inhibitors tended to be less frequently positive (32%) for cyclin D1 nuclear staining when compared to patients taking H2 antagonists (45%) or antacids (55%). These studies suggest that increased expression of cyclin D1 is an early event in the tumorigenic process of esophageal adenocarcinomas and that the increased expression of this gene might predispose the epithelium to malignant transformation.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Relevance of cyclin D1 and other molecular markers to cancer chemoprevention.

Until recently studies on mutations in cellular genes implicated in multistage carcinogenesis have concentrated mainly on dominant acting mutations in cellular proto-oncogenes, genes that normally mediate agonist-induced signal transduction pathways, and recessive mutations in cellular tumor suppressor genes, whose normal products appear to inhibit cell growth and/or control differentiation and cell-cell interactions. It seems likely, however, that a third category of cellular genes, the cyclins and cyclin-related genes, may also be critical targets during multistage carcinogenesis because of the central role that they play in controlling cell cycle progression. These proteins could, therefore, provide biomarkers for identifying individuals at high risk of developing cancer and also serve as novel targets for chemopreventive agents. This paper reviews evidence that the gene cyclin D1 is amplified and/or overexpressed in a major fraction of human tumors, and that this can occur relatively early in the carcinogenic process. Mechanistic studies indicates that this overexpression plays a critical role in tumor progression as well as the maintenance of the tumorigenic phenotype. Thus, increased cyclin D1 expression can enhance gene amplification and cell transformation and antisense to cyclin D1 can revert malignant cells. The latter findings provide direct evidence that cyclin D and related proteins might be useful markers and also targets for cancer chemoprevention.

Anticarcinogenic Agents↗

Inhibition of the growth of glioblastomas by CGP 41251, an inhibitor of protein kinase C, and by a phorbol ester tumor promoter.

Protein kinase C (PKC) plays a central role in signal transduction pathways that mediate the action of certain growth factors, tumor promoters, and cellular oncogenes. To explore whether PKC might be an appropriate target for the chemotherapy of human brain tumors, cell lines were established from five glioblastomas, one mixed gliosarcoma and glioblastoma, two astrocytomas, and one choroid plexus carcinoma. The staurosporine derivative CGP 41251, an inhibitor of PKC, inhibited cell proliferation in all nine cell lines with an IC50 in the range of 0.4 micrometer. Drug withdrawal and clonogenicity assays showed that CGP 41251 induced an irreversible growth arrest. Three cell lines were examined in detail: two human glioblastoma cell lines, GB-1 and GB-2, and one gliosarcoma cell line, GS-1. All of these three cell lines were highly aneuploid and displayed morphologies and immunohistochemical markers characteristic of the glial lineage. The compound 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), a tumor promoter and activator of PKC, also inhibited the growth of these cell lines. CGP 41251 in combination with TPA caused further growth inhibition. Cultures treated with CGP 41251 displayed an increase in the fraction of cells in G2-M, a decrease of cells in S phase, and no consistent effect on G0-G1. Immunohistochemical analyses demonstrated that growth inhibition by CGP 41251 was associated with the formation of giant nuclei with extensive fragmentation and apoptotic bodies. These effects of CGP 41251 were abrogated by withdrawal of serum from the medium or by exposure of these cells to aphidicolin, actinomycin D, cycloheximide, or TPA. In contrast to the effects seen with the glioblastoma cell lines, nontransformed astrocyte lines remained viable in the presence of 0.4 and 0.8 micrometer CGP 41251 and displayed only a slight increase in the fraction of giant nuclei with fragmentation. The antitumor activity of CGP 41251 was demonstrated in vivo against xenografts of the glioblastoma cell lines U87 MG and U373 MG. These findings suggest that CGP 41251 might be a useful agent for the treatment of glioblastomas.

Aged↗

Antisense to cyclin D1 inhibits growth and reverses the transformed phenotype of human esophageal cancer cells.

The cyclin D1 gene is amplified and overexpressed in a significant fraction of human esophageal tumors, and several other types of human cancer, but the functional significance of this overexpression has not been established. To further address the roles of cyclin D1 in growth control and tumorigenesis, we have overexpressed an antisense cyclin D1 cDNA construct, either constitutively or inducibly, in the HCE7 human esophageal cancer cell line in which cyclin D1 is amplified and expressed at high levels. The expression of antisense cyclin D1 led to decreased expression of cyclin D1 at both mRNA and protein levels, and this was associated with a marked inhibition of cell proliferation. Antisense cyclin D1 expressing cells displayed a decreased plating efficiency, increased doubling time, decreased saturation density, increased cell size, decreased cyclin D1-associated in vitro kinase activity, decreased anchorage-independent growth, and a loss of tumorigenicity in nude mice. These findings provide direct evidence that the overexpression of cyclin D1 in certain tumor cells contributes to their abnormal growth and tumorigenicity. The ability to revert the transformed phenotype of these cells with antisense cyclin D1 suggests that cyclin D1 may be a useful target in cancer therapy.

Cell Adhesion↗

Stable overexpression of cyclin D1 in a human mammary epithelial cell line prolongs the S-phase and inhibits growth.

Amplification and/or increased expression of cyclin D1 occurs in an appreciable fraction of primary human breast carcinomas and several other types of human cancer. In addition, overexpression of cyclin D1 in rodent fibroblasts enhances growth and malignant transformation. The present study demonstrates that the extent of amplification and expression of cyclin D1 varies widely amongst a series of cell lines established from normal human mammary epithelium or human breast carcinomas. The HBL-100 mammary epithelial cell line did not display amplification or increased expression of cyclin D1. We used retrovirus-mediated transduction to obtain derivatives of this cell line that stably expressed relatively high levels of an exogenous cyclin D1 cDNA. These derivatives displayed an increased doubling time, decreased saturation density, decreased cloning efficiency, decreased anchorage-independent growth, an increased fraction of cells in the S-phase, and decreased tumorigenicity. Thus, increased expression of cyclin D1 in this cell line markedly inhibits rather than enhances growth, which may be due to the prolongation of S-phase.

Breast↗

Two closely related isoforms of protein kinase C produce reciprocal effects on the growth of rat fibroblasts. Possible molecular mechanisms.

We have previously reported that two closely related protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms, PKC alpha and PKC beta I, had divergent effects on the growth and transformation of the same parental R6 rat embryo fibroblast cell line (Housey, G. M., Johnson, M. D., Hsiao, W.-L. W. O'Brian, C. A., Murphey, J. P., Kirschmeier, P., and Weinstein, I. B. (1988) Cell 52, 343-354; Borner, C., Filipuzzi, I., Weinstein, I. B., and Imber, R. (1991) Nature 353, 78-80). Whereas cells that overexpress PKC beta I lost anchorage dependence, grew to higher saturation densities, and generated small tumors when injected into nude mice, none of these properties were seen with cells that overexpress PKC alpha. In fact, the latter cells grew even slower and to lower saturation densities as compared to control cells. Here we investigate possible molecular mechanisms underlying the reciprocal effects of PKC alpha and PKC beta I. Overexpression of both isoforms enhanced 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13 acetate-induced expression of the growth regulatory genes c-jun, c-myc, and collagenase and enhanced feedback inhibition of epidermal growth factor receptor binding and cellular levels of diacylglycerol. However, the cells overexpressing PKC beta I differed from those overexpressing PKC alpha by displaying a decreased requirement for growth factors and by the production of a mitogenic factor. Thus, the basis for enhanced growth and transformation of cells overexpressing PKC beta I may be the establishment of an autocrine growth factor loop. These findings may be relevant to the roles of specific isoforms of PKC in carcinogenesis and tumor growth.

Animals↗

Expression of phospholipases gamma 1, beta 1, and delta 1 in primary human colon carcinomas and colon carcinoma cell lines.

The levels of expression of phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase Cs (PLCs) were examined in a series of primary human colon carcinomas and in eight colon carcinoma cell lines by using monoclonal antibodies and cDNA probes for PLC gamma 1, PLC beta 1, and PLC delta 1. Western and northern blot analyses of PLC gamma 1 revealed elevated expression of this isozyme at both the protein and mRNA levels in most tumors when compared with paired adjacent normal mucosa samples (in 11 of 13 pairs in the western blots and 8 of 9 pairs in the northern blots). On the other hand, decreased levels of the PLC delta 1 protein were seen in most colon carcinomas (12 of 13 paired samples). The levels of PLC beta 1 protein were too low to detect possible differences between the carcinoma and normal mucosa samples. Relatively high expression of PLC gamma 1 was found in almost all of the eight human colon carcinoma cell lines at both the protein and mRNA levels. Only weak expression of PLC beta 1 was detected in these cell lines, by both western and northern blot analyses, and PLC delta 1 protein was not detected in any of the carcinoma cell lines. These findings provide evidence that colon carcinomas display altered expression of individual isoforms of PLCs and suggest that increased expression of PLC gamma 1 may play an important role in colon carcinogenesis.

Adult↗

Selective translocation of protein kinase C-delta in PC12 cells during nerve growth factor-induced neuritogenesis.

The specific intracellular signals initiated by nerve growth factor (NGF) that lead to neurite formation in PC12 rat pheochromocytoma cells are as of yet unclear. Protein kinase C-delta (PKC delta) is translocated from the soluble to the particulate subcellular fraction during NGF-induced-neuritogenesis; however, this does not occur after treatment with the epidermal growth factor, which is mitogenic but does not induce neurite formation. PC12 cells also contain both Ca(2+)-sensitive and Ca(2+)-independent PKC enzymatic activities, and express mRNA and immunoreactive proteins corresponding to the PKC isoforms alpha, beta, delta, epsilon, and zeta. There are transient decreases in the levels of immunoreactive PKCs alpha, beta, and epsilon after 1-3 days of NGF treatment, and after 7 days there is a 2.5-fold increase in the level of PKC alpha, and a 1.8-fold increase in total cellular PKC activity. NGF-induced PC12 cell neuritogenesis is enhanced by 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) in a TPA dose- and time-dependent manner, and this differentiation coincides with abrogation of the down-regulation of PKC delta and other PKC isoforms, when the cells are treated with TPA. Thus a selective activation of PKC delta may play a role in neuritogenic signals in PC12 cells.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Altered expression of cyclins and c-fos in R6 cells that overproduce PKC epsilon.

Since PKC epsilon functions as an oncogene when stably overexpressed in R6 rat fibroblasts (Cacace et al. 1993) in the present study we examined whether transformed R6-PKC epsilon cells display abnormalities in the expression of specific early response and cyclin genes. When vector control and R6-PKC epsilon cells were starved of serum for 72 h they arrested in G0/G1 and showed passage through the cell cycle at similar rates after subsequent stimulation with 10% fetal calf serum plus TPA. In PKC epsilon cells, induction of cyclin D1 protein was markedly reduced, and that of cyclin A was slightly reduced when compared to control cells. Northern blot analyses indicated that decreased expression of cyclin D1 and A protein in PKC epsilon cells is due to translational or post-translational effects. A study of early response gene expression in PKC epsilon cells indicated that there was a marked reduction in the expression of c-fos mRNA but not in c-jun or c-myc mRNAs. The marked decreases in cyclin D1 and c-fos expression seen in PKC epsilon cells were not seen in R6 cells that overexpress PKCs alpha or beta. These findings suggest that PKC epsilon cells bypass certain normal signal transduction and cyclin-controlled pathways involved in cell proliferation.

Animals↗

The phorbol ester TPA markedly enhances the binding of calcium to the regulatory domain of protein kinase C beta 1 in the presence of phosphatidylserine.

Activation of protein kinase enzyme activity by Ca2+ and diacylglycerol or phorbol esters is a feature of certain isoforms of protein kinase C (PKC). Although the binding sites of phorbol ester on the regulatory domain of PKC have been extensively studied, little is known about the actual mechanisms of Ca2+ binding and how this leads to enzyme activation. We previously reported that high affinity binding of 45Ca2+ to the regulatory domain of PKC beta 1, expressed as a GST fusion protein in Escherichia coli, is dependent on the presence of phosphatidylserine (PS) or 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA). In the present study we have used this system to further analyze Ca2+ binding. Using various deletions, we found that different domains in the regulatory domain of PKC beta 1 are involved in TPA-induced Ca2+ binding, depending on whether or not PS was also present in the binding assay. In addition, Ca2+ binding in the presence of TPA alone displayed very different kinetics than Ca2+ binding in the presence of TPA and PS. Scatchard analysis indicated that in the presence of TPA, the Kd value for Ca2+ binding was 51.9 microM. However, in the presence of both TPA and PS, the Kd value dropped to 0.23 microM. These results provide direct evidence that TPA activates certain isoforms of PKC by enhancing PS-dependent Ca2+ binding, thus decreasing the Kd value for Ca2+ binding to a physiological level.

Binding Sites↗

Overexpression of protein kinase C beta 1 in the SW480 colon cancer cell line causes growth suppression.

Using a retroviral vector system we have established derivatives of the E8 subclone of the human colon cancer cell line SW480 that stably overproduce a full-length rat cDNA encoding the beta 1 isoform of protein kinase C (PKC beta 1). In contrast to vectrol control cells, when treated with the tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate (TPA), the overexpressing cell lines displayed a striking increase in doubling time, and a decrease in saturation density. Western blot analysis indicated that treatment with TPA was also associated with translocation and partial downregulation of the exogenous PKC beta 1 in the over-expressor cell lines. These results extend previous evidence that PKC beta 1 can inhibit the growth of the HT29 human colon cancer cell line. The HT29 cells have a normal c-k-ras oncogene but the SW480 cells used in the present study have an activating mutation in this oncogene. Thus PKC beta 1 can function as a suppressor in both types of colon cancer cells.

Animals↗

Design of a selectable reporter for the detection of mutations in mammalian simple repeat sequences.

To study the mutator phenotype characteristic of tumors showing widespread replication errors at simple DNA repeat sequences (RER+), we designed a selectable reporter system for the detection of such mutations in mammalian cells. A hygromycin B phosphotransferase gene was rendered out-of-frame by the insertion of a (CA)13 dinucleotide repeat tract immediately following the ATG start codon, and subcloned into a retroviral expression vector containing a G418 (neo) selectable marker. Following transduction of this construct into cultured cells, clonal neo+ cell lines were established and then tested for their ability to form colonies in hygromycin B-containing medium. Using this system, we found that the HCT116, LS174T and LS180 human colon carcinoma cell lines acquire hygromycin resistance (hygr) at a 100-fold higher frequency than the HT29, SW480, DLD-1 and HCT15 human colon carcinoma and NIH3T3 fibroblast cell lines, and at a 25-fold higher rate than the Rat 6 embyro fibroblast cell line. DNA sequence analysis indicated that frameshift mutations had occurred within the CA dinucleotide repeat tract in HCT116 cells that became hygr. Thus, the mutation rates at simple repeated sequences in mammalian cell lines can be readily determined and studied using this system.

3T3 Cells↗