Role of STAT3/5 and Bcl-2/xL in 2-methoxyestradiol-induced endoreduplication of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells

2‐methoxyestradiol (2ME2), an endogenous metabolite of 17‐β‐estradiol, has been shown to induce apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in various tumor models. We have previously shown that 2ME2 induced endoreduplication in a well‐differentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) HK‐1 and a poorly differentiated C666‐1 cell line. In the present study, we studied the survival factors involved in 2ME2‐induced endoreduplicating NPC cells. In the HK‐1 cells, knockdown of BcL‐xL expression by siRNA resulted in the reduction of endoreduplication and an increase in the percentage of apoptosis. Further mechanistic study revealed that 2ME2 enhanced the expression of the phosphorylated form of STAT5 (p‐STAT5‐Y694), but not p‐STAT3 (Y705) and p‐STAT3 (S727), in the nucleus of HK‐1 cells. Pre‐treatment of cells with JAK/STAT inhibitor AG490 and STAT5 inhibitor resulted not only in the reduced expression of Bcl‐xL, but also reduced the percentage of endoreduplicating cells. In contrast, 2ME2 enhanced the expression of p‐STAT3 in the poorly differentiated C666‐1 cells. Pharmacological inhibition of STAT3 or Bcl‐2/xL resulted in a decrease in endoreduplication of C666‐1 cells. Taken together, the expression of p‐STAT5 and p‐STAT3 was upregulated in 2ME2‐induced endoreduplicating HK‐1 and C666‐1 cells, respectively. Combination of 2ME2 with Bcl‐2/xL inhibitor is a novel strategy to reduce the formation of endoreduplicating cells during chemotherapeutic treatment of NPC. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Systemic delivery of siRNA specific to tumor mediated by atelocollagen: Combined therapy using siRNA targeting Bcl‐xL and cisplatin against prostate cancer

The largest obstacle to the effective use of short interfering RNA (siRNA) in an animal body is the ability to deliver it to the target tissue. Here we showed a systemic delivery method of siRNA specific to pregrown solid tumors via atelocollagen. Atelocollagen facilitated the selective uptake of siRNA into the tumors when an siRNA/atelocollagen complex was administered intravenously to mice. We chose a Bcl‐xL protein as a model target to prove the therapeutic efficacy of the atelocollagen‐mediated method. Bcl‐xL acts as an anti‐apoptotic factor, which is overexpressed in many cancers, including prostate cancer. One of the four designed siRNAs to human Bcl‐xL potently inhibited the expression of Bcl‐xL by the PC‐3 human prostate cancer cell line in vitro, leading to cell apoptosis. Intravenous injections for3 consecutive days (siRNA, 100 μg/injection per day as a complex with atelocollagen) effectively downregulated Bcl‐xL expression in the PC‐3 xenograft. We administered four series of 3 consecutive days of intravenous injections each, for a total of 12 injections, which significantly inhibited tumor growth when the treatment was combined with cisplatin (2 mg/kg). Local injection of Bcl‐xL siRNA also potently inhibited tumor growth. All of the tumors treated with Bcl‐xL siRNA/atelocollagen complex via both intravenous and intratumoral injection showed terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase‐mediated dUTP nick‐end labeling‐positive apoptosis. There were no severe side effects such as interferon‐α induction and liver or renal damage in mice. Our results indicate that systemic delivery of siRNA via atelocollagen, which specifically targets tumors, is safe and feasible for cancer therapy. © 2009 UICC     

STAT3 activation contributes directly to Epstein‐Barr virus–mediated invasiveness of nasopharyngeal cancer cells in vitro

Nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) is an Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV)‐associated head and neck cancer prevalent in Asia. Although with reasons not fully understood, the intrinsic invasiveness of NPC is believed to be EBV‐linked. Recently, EBV was found to induce STAT3 activation. Constitutive STAT3 activation correlated with advanced clinical staging in NPC. We hypothesized that STAT3 activation by EBV directly contributes to the intrinsic invasiveness of NPC cells. Phospho‐STAT3‐Tyr705 was detected in high percentage of NPC tumors (7/10 cases). Using a paired NPC cell line model, HONE‐1 and the EBV‐infected counterpart, HONE‐1‐EBV, we found that HONE‐1‐EBV expressed a higher level of phospho‐STAT3‐Tyr705 and was ～11‐fold more invasive than HONE‐1. In HONE‐1‐EBV, STAT3 siRNA targeting inhibited both spontaneous and serum‐induced invasion, as well as cell growth. Conversely, activation of STAT3 (by expressing an activated STAT3 mutant, namely STAT3C) in the parental HONE‐1, mimicking EBV‐induced STAT3 activation, significantly enhanced its invasiveness and proliferation, which was accompanied by increased expression of markers of mesenchymal status, proliferation and anti‐apoptosis. Our results demonstrated that EBV‐induced STAT3 activation is responsible for NPC cell proliferation and invasion. This was further confirmed by a small molecule inhibitor of JAK/STAT3, JSI‐124. JSI‐124 inhibited STAT3 activation in HONE‐1‐EBV, with subsequent growth inhibition, induction of PARP cleavage, abrogation of anchorage‐independent growth and invasion. We found that EBV‐independent activation of STAT3 by a growth factor, EGF, also contributed to NPC invasion. In conclusion, EBV‐induced STAT3 activation directly contributes to the intrinsic invasiveness of NPC cells and STAT3 targeting may be beneficial in treating aggressive NPC. © 2009 UICC     

6-Bromoindirubin-3'-oxime inhibits JAK/STAT3 signaling and induces apoptosis of human melanoma cells

STAT3 is persistently activated and contributes to malignant progression in various cancers. Janus activated kinases (JAK) phosphorylate STAT3 in response to stimulation by cytokines or growth factors. The STAT3 signaling pathway has been validated as a promising target for development of anticancer therapeutics. Small-molecule inhibitors of JAK/STAT3 signaling represent potential molecular-targeted cancer therapeutic agents. In this study, we investigated the role of JAK/STAT3 signaling in 6-bromoindirubin-3'-oxime (6BIO)-mediated growth inhibition of human melanoma cells and assessed 6BIO as a potential anticancer drug candidate. We found that 6BIO is a pan-JAK inhibitor that induces apoptosis of human melanoma cells. 6BIO directly inhibited JAK-family kinase activity, both in vitro and in cancer cells. Apoptosis of human melanoma cells induced by 6BIO was associated with reduced phosphorylation of JAKs and STAT3 in both dose- and time-dependent manners. Consistent with inhibition of STAT3 signaling, expression of the antiapoptotic protein Mcl-1 was downregulated. In contrast to the decreased levels of phosphorylation of JAKs and STAT3, phosphorylation levels of the Akt and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling proteins were not inhibited in cells treated with 6BIO. Importantly, 6BIO suppressed tumor growth in vivo with low toxicity in a mouse xenograft model of melanoma. Taken together, these results show that 6BIO is a novel pan-JAK inhibitor that can selectively inhibit STAT3 signaling and induces tumor cell apoptosis. Our findings support further development of 6BIO as a potential anticancer therapeutic agent that targets JAK/STAT3 signaling in tumor cells.