Chemical radioprotection: a critical review of amifostine as a cytoprotector in radiotherapy

The use of chemical radioprotectors represents an obvious strategy to improve the therapeutic index in radiotherapy. Amofostine (WR-2721) has recently been approved for use in head and neck cancer to protect against radiation-induced xerostomia. Currently, the question has arisen whether amifostine could be used for radioprotection in broader terms. Amifostine may have the potential to enable intensified treatment by ameliorating mucosal reactions that are often a limiting factor in accelerated fractionation or concomitant chemoradiation. However, it has as yet not been clarified whether sufficient amifostine to reduce mucositis can be administered before each radiation fraction without causing unacceptable toxicity. Also, the optimal dosage and schedule of amifostine in chemoradiation combinations have not yet been established. The major concern related to radioprotectiors is the potential hazard of collateral tumor protection. A number of clinical studies have concluded that amifostine does not reduce antitumor efficacy. However, not even the largest study conducted, with over 300 patients, has sufficient statistical power to detect a clinically significant reduction in tumor control rate. To put this issue ultimately to a rest, a clinical trial with a sufficient accrual to definitely rule out a tumor protective effect of amifostine needs to be conducted. Substances reducing radiation-induced toxicity by modulating the biological response to radiation injury may represent an alternative concept in radioprotection. However, such agents are still at a developmental stage.     

多西紫杉醇对人胃癌细胞BGC-823 hTERT启动子转录活性及其调控基因c-myc表达的研究

目的:探讨多西紫杉醇对人胃癌细胞BGC-823端粒酶活性和端粒酶逆转录酶(hTERT)mRNA表达、hTERT启动子转录活性及其转录调控基因c-myc蛋白表达的影响。方法:加药多西紫杉醇24、48和72h后收集细胞,MTT比色法测定IC50值;分别采用PCR-ELISA法检测端粒酶活性和RT-PCR法检测端粒酶逆转录酶hTERT mRNA的表达;Luciferase法检测hTERT启动子活性;Western blot技术检测c-myc蛋白的表达。结果:多西紫杉醇可以明显抑制胃癌细胞BGC-823的端粒酶活性和hTERT mRNA的表达,呈一定的时效、量效关系;进一步研究发现,多西紫杉醇对胃癌细胞端粒酶活性的影响抑制了hTERT启动子转录活性的表达,同时对启动子转录活性调控蛋白c-myc表达的研究也证实了这一点。结论:hTERT mRNA的表达与胃癌的发生和演进有关,癌基因c-myc可能通过参与hTERT启动子转录活性的表达调控而调控hTERT mRNA表达。多西紫杉醇抑制胃癌细胞BGC-823的增殖可能与其抑制BGC-823细胞hTERT启动子转录活性和c-myc蛋白表达相关。     

Transcriptional activation of the c-myc gene by the c-myb and B-myb gene products.

To identify the target genes modulated by the myb gene product (Myb), a co-transfection assay with a Myb expression plasmid was performed. Both c-Myb and B-Myb, another member of the myb gene family, trans-activated the human c-myc promoter. DNAase I footprint analysis using the bacterially expressed c-Myb, identified multiple c-Myb binding sites in the c-myc promoter region. Deletion analysis of the c-myc promoter suggested that some number of Myb binding sites, not a specific Myb binding site, is important for the c-Myb-induced trans-activation of the c-myc promoter. Using the c-myc-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) construct as a reporter in a co-transfection assay, the domains of c-Myb required for trans-activation were examined. The functional domains of c-Myb identified using the c-myc promoter were almost the same as those identified previously with the artificial target gene containing Myb binding sites, but unlike the case with the artificial target gene the N-terminal half of the previously identified negative regulatory domains and the C-terminal 136 amino acids were required for the maximal trans-activation of the c-myc promoter. These results indicate that there are some differences in the regulation of Myb-dependent trans-activation in different target genes.     

Repression of MUC2 gene expression by butyrate,a physiological regulator of intestinal cell maturation

Sodium butyrate (NaB) inhibits proliferation, stimulates apoptosis, and promotes differentiation of human colon cancer cells along the absorptive phenotype. In vitro, butyrate induces a switch from cells with a secretory to an absorptive phenotype. Here, we report that NaB specifically represses the expression of the MUC2 gene, a differentiation marker of the secretory goblet cell lineage, in forskolin- and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate-induced HT29 cells, and Cl.16E cells, a clonal derivative of HT29 cells that spontaneously differentiates into goblet cells. Thus, NaB repression is independent of the nature of the stimulus that triggers MUC2 expression. Further, repression was independent of new protein synthesis. Our results suggest that inhibition of MUC2 is linked to the ability of butyrate to repress histone deacetylase activity, since trichostatin A, another inhibitor of histone deacetylases, also inhibited MUC2 expression in induced HT29 cells. Finally, we demonstrate that the NaB effect is specific for this marker of the secretory cell lineage, since carcinoembryonic antigen, which is expressed in both the secretory and absorptive cells, is induced by NaB. Thus, the NaB repression of a definitive function of the secretory cell lineage is a further mechanism, in addition to the effects on proliferation and apoptotic pathways, through which butyrate can regulate intestinal homeostasis.     

Amplification, expression and localization of the c-myc gene in BSp73 rat tumor cell lines

Metastatic (ASML 14-1, ASmv) and non metastatic (AS17-4) cell lines of the rat BSp73 pancreatic adenocarcinoma were investigated for amplification and expression of oncogene DNA. The c-myc gene was amplified, but only in one metastatic variant, ASML. The degree of amplification (3.5-fold) increased after prolongued in vitro cultivation (17.5-fold). All three tumor cell lines expressed c-myc and ras mRNA. Ras expression was at the same level as in rat liver. C-myc expression was considerably above the level in rat liver, but also differed considerably between the metastatic variants. In the metastatic ASML cells the c-myc gene was localized by in situ hybridization on a marker chromosome derived from chromosome 7. The karyotypes of the metastatic variants are different and have no common marker chromosomes. Our results obtained with the BSp73 tumor model do not support a role of the c-myc gene in the metastatic process.     

Stimulation of methotrexate resistance and dihydrofolate reductase gene amplification by c-myc

We have hypothesized that the c-myc oncogene might promote DNA amplification. Resistance to methotrexate (MTX), a widely used cancer chemotherapeutic agent, often results from amplification of the gene coding for the target enzyme, dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR). We report here that gratuitously induced expression of c-myc in rat fibroblasts grown in the presence of MTX greatly increases the number of colonies resistant to the drug. This effect is not related to an alteration of cell growth, and it can also be observed to a lesser extent when c-myc is induced prior to selection in MTX. The DHFR gene is amplified in nearly half of the colonies cultured under selection conditions. Given the likely role of the c-myc product in DNA replication, these results strongly suggest that expression of c-myc plays a role in methotrexate resistance by promoting DNA amplification.     

Differential expression of c-myc gene and c-fos gene in premalignant and malignant tissues from patients with familial polyposis coli

The expression of 8 oncogenes and the structures of 19 oncogenes were analyzed in 15 adenocarcinomas (12 primary and 3 metastatic), 18 adenomatous polyps, and 18 normal colonic mucosae derived from 19 patients with familial polyposis coli. The expression of c-myc gene was most elevated in carcinoma, and moderately elevated in adenoma, compared with corresponding normal colonic mucosa. In contrast, the expression of c-fos gene was markedly decreased in all samples of adenoma and carcinoma, compared with that of normal colonic mucosa. These characteristic expression patterns of c-myc and c-fos genes were revealed not only in familial polyposis coli but also in cases of nonhereditary colon carcinoma. Structures of the 19 oncogenes were not modified in either adenoma or carcinoma, except for amplification of the c-myc gene detected in one carcinoma, but not in adenoma, from the same patient. Analyses of the amplified c-myc gene suggest that gene duplication may relate to the mechanism of gene amplification. Thus, the enhanced expression of c-myc gene in adenoma and carcinoma may reflect the proliferative activity, while the c-fos gene may be a prerequisite to stabilize the state of terminal differentiation of colonic epithelial cells.     

Conditional expression and oncogenicity of c-myc linked to a CD2 gene dominant control region

Over-expression of the c-myc gene is widely implicated in the genesis of lymphoid neoplasia, including tumours of the T-cell lineage. To study the effects of deregulated c-myc expression on T-cell development and oncogenesis, we sought to generate a transgenic mouse model in which c-myc expression was targeted specifically to the T-cell lineage. A plasmid construct containing a dominant control region (DCR) from the human CD2 locus linked 5′ to the human c-myc gene was used to generate 2 lines of transgenic mice. Both strains developed thymic lymphoma at low frequency, but thymic development and peripheral T-cell numbers were otherwise apparently normal. Low tumour penetrance was consistent with the observed lack of stable CD2-myc transgene mRNA in tissues of healthy transgenic mice. In contrast, transgene RNA was detected in all malignant tumours as well as in early lymphomatous lesions. RNase protection analyses confirmed these findings and showed that the PI human c-myc promoter was active in all neoplastic tissues but not in the thymus or other tissues of healthy transgenic mice. Despite the low spontaneous tumour incidence, the presence of the transgene markedly and uniformly accelerated the onset of tumours after neonatal infection with Moloney murine leukaemia virus. All tumours were rearranged for T-cell receptor f3-chain genes and were of T-cell origin from their surface phenotype (Thy-I +. CD3+, CD4+/-, CDB+, slg-). Virus-accelerated tumours contained clonal integrations of Moloney murine leukaemia virus, suggesting that proviral insertional mutagenesis may have played a role in tumour development. Analysis of several candidate myccooperating genes failed to reveal any rearrangements apart from a low frequency involving proviral insertion at the pim-I locus. The CD2-myc mouse should therefore be a valuable system in screening for novel myc-collaborating genes involved in T-cell lymphoma.     

c-myc and p53 gene expression in the differentiation of temperature-sensitive mutants of teratocarcinoma F9 cells.

We have previously reported the isolation of several temperature-sensitive (ts) mutants of F9 cells. Further investigations showed that some mutants were induced to differentiate at non-permissive temperature of cell growth, accompanied by changes in the expression of various genes, whereas others were not. During the differentiation induced by shifting up to the non-permissive temperature, a rapid and transient decrease in both c-myc and p53 mRNA levels and rapid induction of c-jun mRNA were observed. These changes were specific in differentiation-inducible mutants and were not observed in a non-inducible mutant. In both types of mutants, the level of c-myc mRNA decreased in association with growth retardation at the non-permissive temperature. The p53 mRNA, however, showed specific increase in the differentiation-inducible ts mutants. These observations suggest distinct roles for p53 and c-myc from proliferation to differentiation in teratocarcinoma stem cells.     

Overexpression and amplification of the c-myc gene in mouse tumors induced by chemicals and radiations

We examined expression of the c-myc gene by the dot blot hybridization of total cellular RNA from mouse primary tumors induced by chemicals and radiations. Expression of the c-myc gene was found to be elevated in 69 cases among 177 independently induced tumors of 12 different types. DNA from tumors overexpressing the myc gene was analyzed by Southern blotting. No case of rearrangement was detected. However, amplification of the c-myc gene was found in 7 cases of primary sarcomas. These included 4 cases out of 24 methylcholanthrene-induced sarcomas and 3 cases out of 7 alpha-tocopherol-induced sarcomas. We also analyzed 8 cases of sarcomas induced by radiations, but could not find changes in the gene structure of the c-myc gene. Thus, our data indicate tumor type specificity and agent specificity of c-myc gene amplification.