Combined inhibition of the PI3K/mTOR/MEK pathway induces Bim/Mcl-2-regulated apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) progression and chemotherapy insensitivity have been associated with aberrant PI3K/mTOR/MEK signalling. However, cell death responses activated by inhibitors of these pathways can differ – contextually varying with tumour genetic background. Here, we demonstrate that combining the dual PI3K/mTOR inhibitor PF5212384 (PF384) and MEK inhibitor PD325901 (PD901) more effectively induces apoptosis compared with either agent alone, independent of KRAS mutational status in PDAC cell lines. Additionally, a non-caspase dependent decrease in cell viability upon PF384 treatment was observed, and may be attributed to autophagy and G0/G1 cell cycle arrest. Using reverse phase protein arrays, we identify key molecular events associated with the conversion of cytostatic responses (elicited by single inhibitor treatments) into a complete cell death response when PF384 and PD901 are combined. This response was also independent of KRAS mutation, occurring in both BxPC3 (KRAS wildtype) and MIA-PaCa-2 (KRAS^G12C mutated) cells. In both cell lines, Bim expression increased in response to PF384/PD901 treatment (by 60% and 48%, respectively), while siRNA-mediated silencing of Bim attenuated the apoptosis induced by combination treatment. In parallel, Mcl-1 levels decreased by 36% in BxPC3, and 30% in MIA-PaCa-2 cells. This is consistent with a functional role for Mcl-1, and siRNA-mediated silencing enhanced apoptosis in PF384/PD901-treated MIA-PaCa-2 cells, whilst Mcl-1 overexpression decreased apoptosis induction by 24%. Moreover, a novel role was identified for PDCD4 loss in driving the apoptotic response to PF384/PD901 in BxPC3 and MIA-PaCa-2 cell lines. Overall, our data indicates PF384/PD901 co-treatment activates the same apoptotic mechanism in wild-type or KRAS mutant PDAC cells.     

Mir-192 suppresses apoptosis and promotes proliferation in esophageal aquamous cell caicinoma by targeting Bim

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding RNAs of endogenous origin. Accumulating studies have shown aberrant miRNA expression plays an important role in many tumor types. However, the mechanisms by which miRNAs regulate esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) development remain poorly understood. In the present study, we assayed expression level of miR-192 in ESCC tissues and cell lines by real-time PCR, and defined the target gene and biological function by luciferase reporter assay, Western blot and apoptosis assay. We first verified that the expression level of miR-192 was significantly increased in ESCC tissues and cancer cells. Moreover, miR-192 over-expression inhibited cells apoptosis and promoted ESCC cells proliferation. We further demonstrated that miR-192 directly targeted 3’-UTR of Bim gene, and inhibited its protein expression. Importantly, Bim could reduce ESCC cells apoptosis ability induced by miR-192. These data suggest an important role of miR-192 in the molecular etiology of ESCC and implicate the potential application of miR-192 in ESCC therapy.     

Ergosterol purified from medicinal mushroom Amauroderma rude inhibits cancer growth in vitro and in vivo by up-regulating multiple tumor suppressors

We have previously screened thirteen medicinal mushrooms for their potential anti-cancer activities in eleven different cell lines and found that the extract of Amauroderma rude exerted the highest capacity in inducing cancer cell death. The current study aimed to purify molecules mediating the anti-cancer cell activity. The extract of Amauroderma rude was subject to fractionation, silica gel chromatography, and HPLC. We purified a compound and identified it as ergosterol by EI-MS and NMR, which was expressed at the highest level in Amauroderma rude compared with other medicinal mushrooms tested. We found that ergosterol induced cancer cell death, which was time and concentration dependent. In the in vivo experiment, normal mice were injected with murine cancer cell line B16 that is very aggressive and caused mouse death severely. We found that treatment with ergosterol prolonged mouse survival. We found that ergosterol-mediated suppression of breast cancer cell viability occurred through apoptosis and that ergosterol up-regulated expression of the tumor suppressor Foxo3. In addition, the Foxo3 down-stream signaling molecules Fas, FasL, BimL, and BimS were up-regulated leading to apoptosis in human breast cancer cells MDA-MB-231. Our results suggest that ergosterol is the main anti-cancer ingredient in Amauroderma rude, which activated the apoptotic signal pathway. Ergosterol may serve as a potential lead for cancer therapy.     

Bim和ULBP2的水平对肾母细胞瘤术后患儿复发及预后的影响

目的探讨并分析肾母细胞瘤术后患儿血清中Bim和ULBP2的水平变化,并分析其对患儿术后复发及预后的影响。方法选择行单侧肾母细胞瘤切除术患儿60例,根据不同分期分为2组,分别为中期组(Ⅱ~Ⅲ期,43例)和晚期组(Ⅳ~Ⅴ期,17例),人ELISA试剂盒检测各组患者血清中Bim和ULBP2的含量并进行比较,进一步分析其对患者复发及预后情况的影响。结果与中期组瘤组织相比,晚期组瘤组织中BIM相对表达量均显著降低,ULBP2相对表达量均显著增加(P<0.05);与瘤旁组织相比,两组瘤组织中BIM相对表达量均显著降低,ULBP2相对表达量均显著增加(P均<0.05)。与术前1 d和术后1 h相比,术后1 w两组患儿血清中Bim含量均显著上升,ULBP2含量均显著下降(P均<0.05),而两组患儿术前1 d和术后1 h相比,两指标变化均不具统计学意义(P均>0.05)。与中期组相比,晚期组术前1 d、术后1 h以及术后1 w,患儿血清中Bim含量均显著上升,ULBP2含量均显著下降(P均<0.05)。与中期组相比,晚期组术后复发、肺转移以及死亡等不良预后状况的总发生率显著上升(P<0.05)。肾母细胞瘤患儿预后状况与其根治性瘤肾切除术后血清中Bim的含量呈显著负相关,与血清中ULBP2的含量呈显著正相关(P均<0.01)。结论肾母细胞瘤术后可通过患儿血清中Bim和ULBP2的水平变化对其复发及预后进行评价,其预后状况与根治性瘤肾切除术后血清中Bim的含量呈显著负相关,与血清中ULBP2的含量呈显著正相关。     

Prosurvival Bcl-2 family members affect autophagy only indirectly,by inhibiting Bax and Bak

Antiapoptotic B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) family members such as Bcl-2, myeloid cell leukemia 1 (Mcl-1), and B-cell lymphoma-X large (Bcl-xL) are proposed to inhibit autophagy by directly binding to the BH3 domain of Beclin 1/Atg6. However, these Bcl-2 family proteins also block the proapoptotic activity of Bcl-2–associated X (Bax) and Bcl-2 homologous antagonist/killer (Bak), and many inducers of autophagy also cause cell death. Therefore, when the mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis pathway is functional, interpretation of such experiments is complicated. To directly test the impact of the endogenous antiapoptotic Bcl-2 family members on autophagy in the absence of apoptosis, we inhibited their activity in cells lacking the essential cell death mediators Bax and Bak. We also used inducible lentiviral vectors to overexpress Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, or Mcl-1 in cells and subjected them to treatments that promote autophagy. In the absence of Bax and Bak, Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, and Mcl-1 had no detectable effect on autophagy or cell death in myeloid or fibroblast cell lines. On the other hand, when Bax and Bak were present, inhibiting the prosurvival Bcl-2 family members stimulated autophagy, but this correlated with increased cell death. In addition, inhibition of autophagy induced by amino acid starvation, etoposide, or interleukin-3 withdrawal did not affect cell death in the absence of Bax and Bak. These results demonstrate that the antiapoptotic Bcl-2 family members do not directly inhibit components of the autophagic pathway but instead affect autophagy indirectly, owing to their inhibition of Bax and Bak.Autophagy is a process in which cellular material is degraded so that homeostasis can be maintained when nutrients are scarce. During macroautophagy (henceforth referred to as autophagy), cytoplasm is enveloped by the formation of the autophagosome, which when fused to the lysosome forms the autophagolysosome. This organelle degrades the enclosed cellular material and returns “building blocks” such as amino acids back to the cytoplasm. Autophagy was initially studied in yeast and subsequently in mammalian cells, where it has been proposed to be not only a mechanism to promote cell survival in conditions of starvation but also a mechanism by which cells can commit suicide (1).Much of our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of autophagy has come from studying the highly conserved Atg (autophagy-related) proteins. As autophagy progresses, microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 beta (LC3B)-I (Atg8 in yeast) in the cytoplasm is conjugated with phosphatidylethanolamine to form LC3B-II, which becomes associated with the autophagosomal membrane and is involved in its elongation. An increase in LC3B-II (and concomitant decrease in LC3B-I) is commonly used as a marker of autophagy. Because LC3B is also one of the only autophagy-associated proteins that remain attached to the autophagosome throughout the entire process, it is commonly used to visualize autophagosomes and autophagolysosomes.In yeast, Vacuolar protein sorting 30 (Vps30)/autophagy-related protein 6 (Atg6) is a core component of the class III phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (Vsp34) complex required for nucleation and assembly of the autophagosomal membrane. In a similar way, the mammalian Atg6 homolog, Beclin 1, is important for the formation of a complex with the mammalian PI3K Vps34 and nucleation of the autophagosome membrane. Beclin 1 was identified in yeast two-hybrid experiments using the antiapoptotic protein B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) as bait (2). It has been proposed that when nutrients are abundant, Bcl-2 and the related proteins Bcl-xL and myeloid cell leukemia 1 (Mcl-1) bind to Beclin 1 via Beclin 1’s BH3 domain and thereby inhibit induction of autophagy (Fig. 1A) (3–5). According to this model, when nutrients are scarce, Bcl-2 is phosphorylated by JNK1, which prevents its binding to Beclin 1 and allows it to initiate formation of autophagosomes (6).Open in a separate windowFig. 1.Inhibiting the prosurvival Bcl-2 family members does not promote nonapoptotic cell death or LC3B lipidation in the absence of Bax and Bak. (A) A simplified model illustrating the proposed role of the Bcl-2 family members. (B) MEFs were cotreated with 34 μM etoposide (VP-16) and indicated concentrations of ABT-737 for 96 h. Viability relative to cells not treated with ABT-737 was measured by the absence of PI uptake. The mean ± SD of two independent cell lines are shown relative (n = 4). (C) ABT-737 only promotes LC3B lipidation when Bax or Bak are present. Western blot of MEFs after a 4-h treatment with 1 μM ABT-737 or HBSS. (D) Induction of Bim_s does not alter LC3B levels. Bax^−/−Bak^−/− MEFs were treated with 1 μg/mL dox for 48 h or were cultured in HBSS for 4 h.In apoptosis, the roles of Bcl-2, Bcl-2–like protein W (Bcl-w), Mcl-1, and B-cell lymphoma-X large (Bcl-xL) are well established. They inhibit apoptosis in two ways: first by directly binding the proapoptotic effector proteins Bcl-2–associated X (Bax) and Bcl-2 homologous antagonist/killer (Bak), and second by binding to BH3-only proteins such as Bim, thereby preventing them from activating Bax and Bak (7, 8). The prosurvival Bcl-2 family members bind to Bim, Bak, and Bax and the BH3 mimetic compound ABT-737 via the BH3 binding groove, the same region as the proposed binding site for Beclin 1, and they bind competitively (Fig. 1A). In contrast, the roles for prosurvival Bcl-2 family members in the regulation of autophagy have been less well characterized, not least because their inhibition or knockdown can also trigger Bax/Bak-dependent apoptosis. Furthermore, many of the pivotal studies on the role of Bcl-2 in autophagy were performed using overexpression of one or both binding partners, putting into question the physiological relevance of the interactions. Because of these caveats, we decided to further investigate whether the prosurvival Bcl-2 family members can inhibit autophagy in cells unable to undergo mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis owing to deletion of genes for the essential apoptosis effector proteins Bax and Bak.To definitively determine whether the prosurvival Bcl-2 family members can regulate autophagy, we investigated whether inhibiting endogenous Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, and Mcl-1 could block autophagy in cells lacking Bax and Bak. We found that in both fibroblast and interleukin-3 (IL-3) dependent myeloid cell lines, treatment with the BH3 mimetic ABT-737, or altering the levels of Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, or Mcl-1, had no discernable effects on autophagy. Indeed, the prosurvival Bcl-2 proteins only affected LC3B lipidation when Bax and Bak were present and cells were undergoing apoptosis. These results do not support the model that direct interactions between Beclin 1 and the antiapoptotic Bcl-2 family members inhibit autophagy. Instead, they suggest that previously reported cellular effects are likely to be a consequence of inducing or modifying apoptotic events triggered by Bax or Bak (4, 9–11).     

阿托伐他汀干预减轻缺血复合冷应激诱导的大鼠心肌损伤

 摘要：目的 分析缺血复合冷应激对大鼠心肌的影响,探讨阿托伐他汀干预对这种复合应激下心肌的作用及可能机制。方法 以永久性左冠状动脉前降支结扎术+4℃冷刺激（8小时/天,4天）建立心肌缺血复合冷应激大鼠模型,复合应激前3天及后4天给以阿托伐他汀灌胃（20mg.kg-1.d-1）。超声心动图评价心功能,TTC染色法测定心肌梗死面积,western blotting法检测心肌p-PI3K、p-GSK3β、Bim、Caspase3蛋白表达。结果 心肌缺血复合冷应激使心功能恶化、梗死面积增大(P<0.01);阿托伐他汀干预后心功能改善、梗死面积缩小(P<0.01), p-PI3K、p-GSK3β表达上调(P<0.01),Bim、Caspase3表达下降(P<0.01)。结论 心肌缺血复合冷应激加重心肌损伤,阿托伐他汀干预能部分减弱此作用,其机制可能与激活PI3K/Akt/GSK3β通路及下调Bim表达有关。     

Bim蛋白在骨肉瘤细胞株中的表达及其意义

目的 检测Bim蛋白在3种骨肉瘤细胞中和1种正常成骨细胞中的表达.方法 提取成骨肉瘤细胞Saos-2和成骨细胞hFOB 1.19中总RNA,通过全基因组表达谱芯片比较Bim基因在Saos-2和hFOB 1.19中表达;对骨肉瘤细胞MG-63、U2-OS、Saos-2及成骨细胞hFOB 1.19细胞进行细胞爬片免疫荧光、提取4种细胞中的总蛋白进行Western blot、提取4种细胞中的总RNA进行荧光定量聚合酶链反应(PCR),检测4种细胞内Bim的表达,观察骨肉瘤细胞与成骨细胞中Bim的差异,并通过查阅文献分析全基因组表达谱芯片中筛查出与Bim蛋白表达有关的基因.结果 全基因组表达谱芯片结果为Saos-2/hFOB 1.19=0.32,Saos-2中Bim基因表达比hFOB 1.19下调2倍以上;免疫荧光显示Bim在3种骨肉瘤细胞中的表达显著低于hFOB 1.19;Western blot条带结果表明Bim蛋白在hFOB1.19里面表达最多,定量分析条带灰度显示MG-63、U2-os、Saos-2及hFOB1.19细胞里面的表达值为0.04±0.02、0.15±0.01、0.12±0.02、0.39±0.02,3种骨肉瘤细胞Bim蛋白水平明显低于成骨细胞(P＜0.05);荧光定量PCR检测得出骨肉瘤细胞MG-63、U2-os、Saos-2及hFOB1.19里Bim mRNA的2-△△CT为:1.00±0.03、1.96±0.21、1.20±0.14、0.64±0.07,3种骨肉瘤细胞Bim mRNA明显低于成骨细胞,差异有统计学意义(P＜0.05);通过文献报道+基因芯片筛查出了10种可能跟Bim蛋白表达及生物学作用相关联的基因.结论 Bim在mRNA和蛋白水平下,骨肉瘤细胞中表达量明显少于成骨细胞.

Abstract：

Objective To examine the expression of Bim protein in three osteosarcoma cell lines and the osteoblasts. Methods Comparison of whole genome expression profiling chip in osteosarcoma cell Saos-2 expression and osteoblast hFOB 1. 19 expression; and then the Bim expression were detected and authenticated by immunofluorescence, Western blotting, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on the MG-63, U2-OS, Saos-2 osteosarcoma cells and hFOB 1. 19 osteoblast to investigate the differences, and through literature review of whole-genome microarray screening for Bim expression of related genes. Results The gene expression microarray results of Saos-2/hFOB 1. 19 =0. 32,the Bim gene expression in Saos-2 is lower down than hFOB 1. 19 around 2 times; fluorescence signal of Bim in 3 osteosarcoma cells was significantly lower than hFOB 1. 19; Western blotting results show that Bim expression in hFOBl. 19 which is the most,quantitative analysis of band intensity showed MG-63, U2-os, Saos-2 and hFOBl. 19 expression is 0.04 ± 0. 02,0. 15 ± 0. 01,0. 12 ± 0. 02,0. 39 ± 0.02, Bim protein levels in osteosarcoma cells was significantly lower than osteoblast (P＜0. 05) ;fluorescence quantitative PCR detection of MG-63 ,U2-os,Saos-2 and hFOBl. 19 in Bim mRNA expression of 2-△△CT was:1. 00 ±0. 03,1. 96 ±0. 21,1. 20 ±0. 14,0. 64 ±0. 07, osteosarcoma cells Bim mRNA expression were significantly lower than that of osteoblast, the difference was significance (P＜0. 05) ;reviewed and gene chip screening came out of the 10 possible with Bim protein expression and biological function associated genes. Conclusion Bim mRNA and protein level expression in osteosarcoma cells were significantly lower than the osteoblast.     

内质网应激在Bim介导缺氧致心肌细胞凋亡中的作用

 目的：探讨内质网应激在Bim介导缺氧致心肌细胞凋亡中的作用。方法：在体外原代培养出生1~3 d大鼠心肌细胞,并用抗α-横纹肌肌动蛋白免疫组化法进行鉴定。设计并化学合成3对靶向bim的siRNA,用脂质体法将siRNA转染心肌细胞,筛选沉默效率最高的siRNA。实验分组：（1）空白对照组;（2）缺氧组;（3）缺氧+脂质体组;(4)缺氧+阴性对照siRNA组;(5)缺氧+Bim-siRNA组。MTT法观察细胞活性;流式细胞术检测细胞凋亡率及细胞内钙离子浓度变化情况;Western blotting检测内质网应激标志分子caspase-12和三磷酸肌醇（IP3）的表达情况。结果：免疫组化鉴定证实大鼠心肌细胞原代培养成功。在荧光显微镜下,转染了阴性对照siRNA组的细胞中观察到绿色荧光,即转染成功;Western blotting 结果显示,Bim-siRNA转染均能有效降低Bim蛋白的表达,其中第2对沉默效率最高,达到86.73%。缺氧损伤导致心肌细胞活性明显下降（P<005）,转染Bim-siRNA后细胞活性较阴性对照组升高。缺氧细胞凋亡率较对照组明显增加（P<0.01）,细胞内钙离子浓度明显增高,而沉默bim的表达能降低细胞凋亡率和细胞内钙离子浓度。缺氧导致内质网应激标志分子caspase-12和IP3表达较空白对照组明显上调（均P<005）,而抑制Bim表达后caspase-12和IP3表达明显降低。结论：沉默bim的表达能有效抑制缺氧导致心肌细胞凋亡的作用,内质网应激标志分子caspase-12和IP3可能参与了Bim介导缺氧致心肌细胞凋亡的过程。这有望为临床心肌缺血缺氧损伤的治疗提供新思路。     

IL‐15 modulates the balance between Bcl‐2 and Bim via a Jak3/1‐PI3K‐Akt‐ERK pathway to promote CD8αα+ intestinal intraepithelial lymphocyte survival

IL‐15 is an essential survival factor for CD8αα⁺ intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes (iIELs) in vitro and in vivo. However, the IL‐15‐induced survival signals in primary CD8αα⁺ iIELs remains elusive. Although Bcl‐2 level in CD8αα⁺ iIELs positively correlates with IL‐15Rα expression in the intestinal epithelial cells, overexpression of Bcl‐2 only moderately restores CD8αα⁺ γδ iIELs in Il15^?/? mice. Here, we found that IL‐15 promptly activated a Jak3‐Jak1‐PI3K‐Akt pathway that led to the upregulation of Bcl‐2 and Mcl‐1. This pathway also induced a delayed but sustained ERK1/2 activation, which not only was necessary for the maintenance of Bcl‐2 but also resulted in the phosphorylation of extra‐long Bim at Ser⁶⁵. The latter event facilitated the dissociation of Bim from Bcl‐2 without affecting Bim abundance in IL‐15‐treated CD8αα⁺ iIELs. Using an adoptive cell transfer approach, we found that either overexpression of Bcl‐2 or removal of Bim from CD8αα⁺ iIELs promoted their survival in Il15ra^?/? mice. Taken together, IL‐15 promotes CD8αα⁺ iIEL survival by both increasing Bcl‐2 levels and dissociating Bim from Bcl‐2 through activation of a Jak3‐Jak1‐PI3K‐Akt‐ERK1/2 pathway, which differs from a previously reported IL‐15‐induced survival signal.