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Sue-Hwa Lin

Publications and source records attributed to Sue-Hwa Lin.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

SHP1 phosphatase-dependent T cell inhibition by CEACAM1 adhesion molecule isoforms.

T cell activation through the T cell receptor (TCR) is subsequently modified by secondary signals that are either stimulatory or inhibitory. We show that CEACAM1 adhesion molecule isoforms containing a long cytoplasmic domain inhibited multiple T cell functions as a consequence of TCR ligation. Overexpression of CEACAM1 resulted in decreased proliferation, allogeneic reactivity, and cytokine production in vitro and delayed type hypersensitivity and inflammatory bowel disease in mouse models in vivo. Conditioned deletion of CEACAM1 in T cells caused increased TCR-CD3 complex signaling. This T cell regulation was dependent upon the presence of immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibition motifs (ITIM) within the cytoplasmic domain of CEACAM1 and the Src homology 2 domain-containing protein tyrosine-phosphatase 1 (SHP1) in the T cell. Thus, CEACAM1 overexpression or deletion in T cells resulted in T cell inhibition or activation, respectively, revealing a role for CEACAM1 as a class of inhibitory receptors potentially amenable to therapeutic manipulation.

Adoptive Transfer↗

Pilot trial of bone-targeted therapy with zoledronate, thalidomide, and interferon-gamma for metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a bone-targeted regimen consisting of zoledronate, thalidomide, and interferon-gamma in patients with renal cell carcinoma and bone metastases. METHODS: Eligible patients had radiographic evidence of bone metastasis. Impending pathologic fractures or spinal cord compressions must have been controlled by surgery or radiation therapy before enrollment. Zoledronate (4 mg) was given intravenously every 4 weeks, thalidomide (300 mg) was given orally once a day, and interferon-gamma (100 microg) was given subcutaneously once a week. Patients were evaluated for time to skeletal-related events, the appearance of calcification in osteolytic metastases, and levels of the bone formation/resorption markers. RESULTS.: Fifteen patients were treated between November 2002 and November 2003; 12 had previously undergone surgery, radiation, or embolization for their bone metastases; 11 had more than 3 sites of bone involvement; and 9 also had nonosseous metastases in the lung, liver, lymph node, pancreas, or adrenal gland. The median time to progression was 8.3 weeks (range, 2.1-48 weeks). The median time to a skeletal-related event was 12.0 weeks (range, 3.9-46.4 weeks). Two patients discontinued treatment because of adverse drug reactions (1 deep venous thrombosis and 1 myocardial infarction). Two patients experienced pain improvement and developed calcification in osseous metastases; these patients also showed favorable changes in bone marker levels. CONCLUSIONS: In this pilot study a bone-targeted regimen combining zoledronate, thalidomide, and interferon-gamma was well tolerated and might provide clinical benefit for a small subset of patients with renal cell carcinoma and bone metastases.

Adult↗

NudC is required for Plk1 targeting to the kinetochore and chromosome congression.

The equal distribution of chromosomes during mitosis is critical for maintaining the integrity of the genome. Essential to this process are the capture of spindle microtubules by kinetochores and the congression of chromosomes to the metaphase plate . Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) is a mitotic kinase that has been implicated in microtubule-kinetochore attachment, tension generation at kinetochores, tension-responsive signal transduction, and chromosome congression . The tension-sensitive substrates of Plk1 at the kinetochore are unknown. Here, we demonstrate that human Nuclear distribution protein C (NudC), a 42 kDa protein initially identified in Aspergillus nidulans and shown to be phosphorylated by Plk1 , plays a significant role in regulating kinetochore function. Plk1-phosphorylated NudC colocalizes with Plk1 at the outer plate of the kinetochore. Depletion of NudC reduced end-on microtubule attachments at kinetochores and resulted in defects in chromosome congression at the metaphase plate. Importantly, NudC-deficient cells exhibited mislocalization of Plk1 and the Kinesin-7 motor CENP-E from prometaphase kinetochores. Ectopic expression of wild-type NudC, but not NudC containing mutations in the Plk1 phosphorylation sites, recovered Plk1 localization at the kinetochore and rescued chromosome congression. Thus, NudC functions as both a substrate and a spatial regulator of Plk1 at the kinetochore to promote chromosome congression.

Cell Cycle Proteins↗

The central role of osteoblasts in the metastasis of prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common malignancy in men. Although mortality from PCa has been declining over the past decade, metastasis can substantially shorten survival time and remains a major challenge in maintaining quality of life for survivors. PCa cells preferentially metastasize to bone and typically result in osteoblastic lesions. In the late stages of disease, however, osteolytic lesions are observed. The mechanisms of PCa bone metastasis are still unclear, but relationships between the PCa cells and the bone tissue elements are suspected of being more complex than initially thought. Far from being an innocent bystander, the bone participates actively in the metastatic process and provides the cancer cells with growth factors and a fertile environment. Among the various cells in the bone environment, osteoblasts have a central role through their bidirectional interactions with the PCa cells. This review discusses the possible mechanisms of PCa bone metastasis and highlights the essential role of osteoblasts in the metastasis of PCa to bone.

Animals↗

Therapy tolerance in selected patients with androgen-independent prostate cancer following strontium-89 combined with chemotherapy.

PURPOSE: Clinicians may have reservations about using strontium-89 for the treatment of bone metastases because of concerns that it may limit future use of chemotherapy. We assessed the rate of bone marrow failure in patients with prostate cancer who had received a dose of strontium-89. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This subgroup analysis involved 34 patients with androgen-independent prostate cancer who had been given a dose of strontium-89 and six weekly doses of doxorubicin after response to induction chemotherapy. We assessed subsequent hematotoxicity in terms of bone marrow failure and the ability to tolerate additional treatments during a median of 25 months (range, 7 to 76 months) after the strontium-89 was administered. RESULTS: No patients developed bone marrow failure within 6 months of receiving strontium-89. Five (15%) of 34 patients developed bone marrow failure at a median 23 months (range, 6 to 53 months) after the strontium-89 treatment. Bone marrow biopsy performed in two of these five patients showed complete replacement of the marrow by tumor. Thirty-one patients (91%) received subsequent cytotoxic treatments at a median 11 months (range, 1 to 33 months) after the strontium-89 treatment. CONCLUSION: This analysis demonstrated that a single dose of strontium-89 combined with chemotherapy did not affect the delivery of subsequent courses of chemotherapy in a select group of patients. However, a majority of these therapies were given off protocol and were administered at a dose schedule that might be considered inappropriate or inadequate. The clinical role and safety profile of radiopharmaceuticals combined with chemotherapy in prostate cancer therapy deserve further exploration.

Aged↗

SRC-3 is required for prostate cancer cell proliferation and survival.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in America. Currently, steroid receptor coactivators have been proposed to mediate the development and progression of prostate cancer, at times in a steroid-independent manner. Steroid receptor coactivator-3 (SRC-3, p/CIP, AIB1, ACTR, RAC3, and TRAM-1) is a member of the p160 family of coactivators for nuclear hormone receptors including the androgen receptor. SRC-3 is frequently amplified or overexpressed in a number of cancers. However, the role of SRC-3 in cancer cell proliferation and survival is still poorly understood. In this study, we show that SRC-3 is overexpressed in prostate cancer patients and its overexpression correlates with prostate cancer proliferation and is inversely correlated with apoptosis. Consistent with patient data, we have observed that reduction of SRC-3 expression by small interfering RNA decreases proliferation, delays the G1-S transition, and increases cell apoptosis of different prostate cancer cell lines. Furthermore, with decreased SRC-3 expression, proliferating cell nuclear antigen and Bcl-2 expression, as well as bromodeoxyuridine incorporation in prostate cancer cells are reduced. Finally, knockdown of SRC-3 with inducible short hairpin RNA expression in prostate cancer cells decreased tumor growth in nude mice. Taken together, these findings indicate that SRC-3 is an important regulator of prostate cancer proliferation and survival.

Acetyltransferases↗

16-kDa prolactin down-regulates inducible nitric oxide synthase expression through inhibition of the signal transducer and activator of transcription 1/IFN regulatory factor-1 pathway.

Angiogenesis plays a key role in promoting tumorigenesis and metastasis. Several antiangiogenic factors have been shown to inhibit tumor growth in animal models. Understanding their mechanism of action would allow for better therapeutic application. 16-kDa prolactin (PRL), a NH2-terminal natural breakdown fragment of the intact 23-kDa PRL, exerts potent antiangiogenic and antitumor activities. The signaling mechanism involved in 16-kDa PRL action in endothelial cells remains unclear. One of the actions of 16-kDa PRL is to attenuate the production of nitric oxide (NO) through the inhibition of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) expression in endothelial cells. To delineate the signaling mechanism from 16-kDa PRL, we examined the effect of 16-kDa PRL on interleukin IL-1beta-inducible iNOS expression, which is regulated by two parallel pathways, one involving IFN regulatory factor 1 (IRF-1) and the other nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB). Our studies showed that 16-kDa PRL specifically blocked IRF-1 but not NF-kappaB signaling to the iNOS promoter. We found that IL-1beta regulated IRF-1 gene expression through stimulation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), which mediated signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (Stat1) serine phosphorylation and Stat1 nuclear translocation to activate the IRF-1 promoter. 16-kDa PRL effectively inhibited IL-1beta-inducible p38 MAPK phosphorylation, resulting in blocking Stat1 serine phosphorylation, its subsequent nuclear translocation and activation of the Stat1 target gene IRF-1. Thus, 16-kDa PRL inhibits the p38 MAPK/Stat1/IRF-1 pathway to attenuate iNOS/NO production in endothelial cells.

Animals↗

Insulin acutely decreases hepatic fatty acid synthase activity.

Insulin is viewed as a positive regulator of fatty acid synthesis by increasing fatty acid synthase (FAS) mRNA transcription. We uncover a new mechanism by which insulin acutely reduces hepatic FAS activity by inducing phosphorylation of the carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1) and its interaction with FAS. Ceacam1 null mice (Cc1(-/-)) show loss of insulin's ability to acutely decrease hepatic FAS activity. Moreover, adenoviral delivery of wild-type, but not the phosphorylation-defective Ceacam1 mutant, restores the acute effect of insulin on FAS activity in Cc1(-/-) primary hepatocytes. Failure of insulin to acutely reduce hepatic FAS activity in hyperinsulinemic mice, including L-SACC1 transgenics with liver inactivation of CEACAM1, and Ob/Ob obese mice, suggests that the acute effect of insulin on FAS activity depends on the prior insulinemic state. We propose that this mechanism acts to reduce hepatic lipogenesis incurred by insulin pulses during refeeding.

Animals↗

Expression of recombinant MDA-BF-1 with a kinase recognition site and a 7-histidine tag for receptor binding and purification.

Prostate cancer metastasizes predominantly to bone, where it induces osteoblastic lesions. Paracrine factors secreted by the metastatic cancer cells are thought to mediate these events. We previously isolated a novel bone metastasis-related factor (MDA-BF-1) from bone marrow aspirate samples from patients with prostate cancer and bone metastasis, and found that this factor stimulated osteoblast differentiation, possibly by interacting with a receptor on the osteoblasts. Identifying this putative MDA-BF-1 receptor biochemically requires the expression of MDA-BF-1 for receptor binding assays and for the preparation of a ligand-affinity column. We tagged MDA-BF-1 with a peptide containing a protein kinase A phosphorylation site plus a 7-histidine sequence to facilitate the labeling of MDA-BF-1 for receptor binding assay and the binding of MDA-BF-1 to an immobilized metal affinity column. The recombinant MDA-BF-1 protein (MDA-BF1-kinase-his) was expressed in Sf9 cells using a baculovirus expression system. About 0.8 mg of purified MDA-BF1-kinase-his protein was obtained from 4 x 10(8) Sf9 cells. MDA-BF1-kinase-his can be phosphorylated by PKA with a specific activity around 10(5)cpm/mug protein. Receptor binding assays using this (32)P-labeled MDA-BF-1 showed that MDA-BF-1 bound to membranes prepared from Saos-2, an osteosarcoma cell line, and C2C12, a mouse pluripotent mesenchymal precursor cell line that can be induced to become osteoblast by BMP-2. In contrast, MDA-BF-1 did not bind to membranes from PC-3 human prostate cancer cells or HEK293 human embryonic kidney cells. These observations suggest that the MDA-BF-1 receptor is expressed in cells of osteoblastic lineage. In addition to its use as a ligand for receptor binding assays, a ligand affinity column can be prepared by binding MDA-BF1-kinase-his to an IMAC for the purification of MDA-BF-1 receptor.

Animals↗

Osteoblasts in prostate cancer metastasis to bone.

Metastasis to bone is common in lung, kidney, breast and prostate cancers. However, prostate cancer is unique in that bone is often the only clinically detectable site of metastasis, and the resulting tumours tend to be osteoblastic (bone forming) rather than osteolytic (bone lysing). The interaction between host cells and metastatic cancer cells is an important component of organ-specific cancer progression. How can this knowledge lead to the development of more effective therapies?

Bone Neoplasms↗

Identification of a novel protein, LYRIC, localized to tight junctions of polarized epithelial cells.

Tight junctions (TJ) are multiprotein complexes that function to regulate paracellular transport of molecules through epithelial and endothelial cell layers. Many new tight junction-associated proteins have been identified in the past few years, and their functional roles and interactions have just begun to be elucidated. In this paper, we describe a novel protein LYsine-RIch CEACAM1 co-isolated (LYRIC) that is widely expressed and highly conserved between species. LYRIC has no conserved domains that would indicate function and does not appear to be a member of a larger protein family. Data from analysis of rat and human tissue sections and cell lines show that LYRIC colocalizes with tight junction proteins ZO-1 and occludin in polarized epithelial cells, suggesting that LYRIC is part of the tight junction complex. LYRIC dissociates from ZO-1 when junctional complexes are disrupted, and as tight junctions reform, ZO-1 relocalizes before LYRIC. These results suggest that LYRIC is most likely not a structural component required for TJ formation, but rather is recruited during the maturation of the tight junction complex.

Animals↗

16K-prolactin inhibits activation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase, intracellular calcium mobilization, and endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation.

Activation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and subsequent nitric oxide production (NO) are events that mediate the effect of important angiogenic, vasopermeability, and vasorelaxation factors, including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), bradykinin (BK), and acetylcholine (ACh). The N-terminal 16-kDa fragment of prolactin (16K-PRL) acts on endothelial cells to inhibit angiogenesis both in vivo and in vitro. Here, we show that 16K-PRL inhibits VEGF-induced eNOS activation in endothelial cells. Inhibition of eNOS activation may mediate the antiangiogenic properties of 16K-PRL, because the NO donor (Z)-1-[2-(2-aminoethyl)- N-(2-ammonio-ethyl)amino]diazen-1-ium-1,2-diolate (DETANONOate) prevented 16K-PRL from blocking the VEGF-induced proliferation of endothelial cells. In addition, 16K-PRL inhibited eNOS activation by BK and blocked the BK-evoked transient increase in intracellular Ca(2+) in endothelial cells. This finding suggests that 16K-PRL interferes with the mobilization of intracellular Ca(2+), thereby inhibiting the Ca(2+)-dependent activation of eNOS. Blockage of eNOS activation can lead to inhibition of vasodilation. Consistently, 16K-PRL inhibited BK-induced relaxation of coronary vessels in isolated perfused guinea pig hearts. Moreover, 16K-PRL inhibited eNOS activation induced by ACh, and this action resulted in the inhibition of both ACh-evoked relaxation of coronary vessels in isolated perfused rat hearts and ACh-induced, endothelium-dependent relaxation of rat aortic segments. In conclusion, 16K-PRL can block the Ca(2+)-mediated activation of eNOS by three different vasoactive substances, and this action results in the inhibition of both angiogenesis and vasorelaxation.

Animals↗

Two variable regions in carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule1 N-terminal domains located in or next to monoclonal antibody and adhesion epitopes show evidence of recombination in rat but not in human.

In this paper, we have characterized the structure, evolutionary origin, and function of rat and human carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule1 (CEACAM1) multifunctional Ig-like cell adhesion proteins that are expressed by many epithelial tissues. Restriction enzyme digestion reverse transcriptase-PCR analysis identified three cDNAs encoding novel CEACAM1 N-domains. Comparative sequence analysis showed that human and rat CEACAM1 N-domains segregated into two groups differing in similarity to rat CEACAM1(a)-4L and human CEACAM1. Sequence variability analysis indicated that both human and rat N-domains possessed two variable regions, and one contained a major adhesive epitope. Recombination analysis showed that the group of rat but not human N-domains with high sequence similarity was derived at least in part by recombination. Binding assays revealed that three monoclonal antibodies with strong reactivity for the CEACAM1(a)-4L N-domain showed no reactivity with CEACAM1(b)-4S, an allele with a different N-domain sequence. CEACAM1(b)-4S displayed adhesive activity efficiently blocked by a synthetic peptide corresponding to the adhesive epitope in CEACAM1(a)-4L. Blocking analysis also showed that the adhesive epitope for rat CEACAM1 was located downstream from the equivalent human and mouse epitopes. Glycosylation analysis demonstrated O-linked sugars on rat CEACAM1(b)-4S from COS-1 cells. However, this was not the alteration responsible for the lack of monoclonal antibody reactivity. When considered together with previous studies, our findings suggest an inverse relationship between functionality and amino acid sequence similarity to CEACAM1. Like IgG, the N-domain of CEACAM1 appears to tolerate 10-15% sequence diversification without loss of function but begins to show either altered specificity or diminished functionality at higher levels.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Identification of Sp2 as a transcriptional repressor of carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1 in tumorigenesis.

Down-regulation of carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1) tumor suppressor gene expression is common in several malignancies including prostate, colon, and breast cancer. The mechanism that mediates this down-regulation is not known. Here, we report that down-regulation of CEACAM1 expression in prostate cancer cells occurs primarily at the transcriptional level and is mediated by Sp2, a member of the Sp family of transcription factors. Sp2 binds to the CEACAM1 promoter in vitro and in vivo, and transient overexpression of Sp2 down-regulates endogenous CEACAM1 expression in normal prostate epithelial cells. Sp2 appears to repress CEACAM1 gene expression by recruiting histone deacetylase activity to the CEACAM1 promoter. In human prostate cancer specimens, Sp2 expression is high in prostate cancer cells but low in normal prostate epithelial cells and is inversely correlated with CEACAM1 expression. Our studies show that transcriptional repression by Sp2 represents one mechanism by which CEACAM1 tumor suppressor gene is down-regulated in prostate cancer.

Acetyltransferases↗

Inhibition of prostate tumor growth by overexpression of NudC, a microtubule motor-associated protein.

Microtubules play a central role in coordinating various cellular functions that are orchestrated by their interaction with molecular motors. Anticancer drugs that target microtubule dynamics have been shown to be effective in cancer treatment. However, the effect of microtubule motor-associated molecules on cancer cell proliferation is not clear. Here, we investigated the role of NudC, a nuclear movement protein associated with the microtubule motor dynein, on prostate tumorigenesis. Recombinant adenovirus expressing NudC (Ad-NudC) was used to examine the effects of NudC on the tumorigenicity of prostate cancer cells. Expression of NudC in LNCaP cells inhibited their anchorage-independent growth in a soft agar colony assay. Expression of NudC in DU145 or PC-3 cells inhibited tumor growth in a subcutaneous xenograft model. At the cellular level, expression of NudC in DU145 and PC-3 cells inhibited cell proliferation at 48 h after Ad-NudC infection. FACS analysis of cell cycle distribution showed that 50-60% of Ad-NudC-infected PC-3 cells have a G2/M-phase DNA content compared to about 16-19% in Ad-Luciferase (Ad-Luc)-infected control cells, suggesting that NudC overexpression resulted in aberrant cell cycle progression. Immunofluorescence microscopy revealed a significant increase in cells with a single enlarged nucleus and cells exhibiting multiple nuclei, along with a concomitant increase in cell size in Ad-NudC-infected cells. These results suggest that NudC overexpression led to a block in cell division of prostate cancer cells, and that Ad-NudC may provide a new anticancer drug approach targeting the function of a microtubule motor-associated protein.

Adenoviridae↗

Gene selection for oligonucleotide array: an approach using PM probe level data.

MOTIVATION: Analysis of oligonucleotide array data, especially to select genes of interest, is a highly challenging task because of the large volume of information and various experimental factors. Moreover, interaction effect (i.e. expression changes depend on probe effects) complicates the analysis because current methods often use an additive model to analyze data. We propose an approach to address these issues with the aim of producing a more reliable selection of differentially expressed genes. The approach uses the rank for normalization, employs the percentile-range to measure expression variation, and applies various filters to monitor expression changes. RESULTS: We compare our approach with MAS and Dchip models. A data set from an angiogenesis study is used for illustration. Results show that our approach performs better than other methods either in identification of the positive control gene or in PCR confirmatory tests. In addition, the invariant set of genes in our approach provides an efficient way for normalization.

Algorithms↗

Up-regulation of MDA-BF-1, a secreted isoform of ErbB3, in metastatic prostate cancer cells and activated osteoblasts in bone marrow.

Prostate cancer (PCa) has a propensity to metastasize to bone. The identification of molecules that mediate the biological interactions between PCa cells and the bone environment is crucial to the understanding of PCa bone metastasis. The present study has used protein purification to identify bone metastasis-related factors present in bone marrow aspirates from PCa patients with bone metastasis. MDA-BF-1 was the first bone metastasis factor to be identified and is a secreted isoform of the ErbB3 growth factor receptor. To determine which cell types in PCa bone metastases express MDA-BF-1, MDA-BF-1 expression was studied in both primary and metastatic PCa cells, using an antibody to the extracellular domain (Ab10) and another to the cytoplasmic domain (RTJ.2) of ErbB3 to distinguish MDA-BF-1 from p180-ErbB3. It was found that epithelial cells in primary PCa did not express MDA-BF-1. In contrast, epithelial cells in 41 of 45 PCa metastases (18 of 19 lymph node metastases and 23 of 26 bone metastases), and activated osteoblasts in bone metastases, expressed MDA-BF-1. In addition, newly formed bone matrices adjacent to activated osteoblasts were also immunopositive for MDA-BF-1, suggesting that activated osteoblasts secrete MDA-BF-1. These observations indicate that MDA-BF-1 is up-regulated in metastatic PCa and raise the interesting possibility that MDA-BF-1 may play a role in the metastasis and progression of PCa, particularly in bone.

Antibodies↗