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The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine-kinase inhibitor gefitinib (Iressa, ZD1839) has shown promising activity preclinically and clinically. Because comparative investigations of drug-resistant sublines with their parental cells are useful approaches to identifying the mechanism of gefitinib resistance and select factors that determine sensitivity to gefitinib, we established a human non-small cell lung carcinoma subline (PC-9/ZD) that is resistant to gefitinib. PC-9/ZD cells are approximately 180-fold more resistant to gefitinib than their parental PC-9 cells and PC-9/ZD cells do not exhibit cross-resistance to conventional anticancer agents or other tyrosine kinase inhibitors, except AG-1478, a specific inhibitor of EGFR. PC-9/ZD cells also display significant resistance to gefitinib in a tumor-bearing animal model. To elucidate the mechanism of resistance, we characterized PC-9/ZD cells. The basal level of EGFR in PC-9 and PC-9/ZD cells was comparable. A deletion mutation was identified within the kinase domain of EGFR in both PC-9 and PC-9/ZD, but no difference in the sequence of EGFR cDNA was detected in either cell line. Increased EGFR/HER2 (and EGFR/HER3) heterodimer formations were demonstrated in PC-9/ZD cells by chemical cross-linking and immunoprecipitation analysis in cells unexposed to gefitinib. Exposure to gefitinib increased heterodimer formation in PC-9 cells, but not in PC-9/ZD cells. Gefitinib inhibits EGFR autophosphorylation in a dose-dependent manner in PC-9 cells but not in PC-9/ZD cells. A marked difference in inhibition of site-specific phosphorylation of EGFR was observed at Tyr1068 compared to other tyrosine residues (Tyr845, 992 and 1045). To elucidate the downstream signaling in the PC9/ZD cellular machinery, complex formation between EGFR and its adaptor proteins GRB2, SOS, and Shc was examined. A marked reduction in the GRB2-EGFR complex and absence of SOS-EGFR were observed in PC-9/ZD cells, even though the protein levels of GRB2 and SOS in PC-9 and PC-9/ZD cells were comparable. Expression of phosphorylated AKT was increased in PC-9 cells and inhibited by 0.02 microM gefitinib. But the inhibition was not significant in PC-9/ZD cells. These results suggest that alterations of adaptor-protein-mediated signal transduction from EGFR to AKT is a possible mechanism of the resistance to gefitinib in PC-9/ZD cells. These phenotypes including EGFR-SOS complex and heterodimer formation of HER family members are potential biomarkers for predicting resistance to gefitinib., ((c) 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins (hnRNPs) are involved in several RNA-related biological processes. We demonstrated hnRNP L as a candidate protein of DARP (duocarmycin-DNA adduct recognizing protein) by gel shift assay and amino acid sequencing. Stable transfectants of hnRNP L showed high sensitivity of the cells to the growth inhibitory effect of KW-2189, a duocarmycin derivative in vitro. Immunostaining of hnRNP L demonstrated differential intracellular localization of hnRNP L among human lung cancer cell lines. A transfection study using a series of deletion mutants of hnRNP L fused to indicated that the N-terminal portions of RRM(RNA recognition motif)1, RRM3 and RRM2 are involved in localization of hnRNP L. We identified sequences in these portions that have high homology with the sequences of known NLS (nuclear localization signal) and NES (nuclear export signal). hnRNP L is a factor that determines the sensitivities of cancer cells to the minor groove binder, and overexpression and differential intracellular localization of hnRNP L are involved in its function in lung cancer., (Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

Epidermal growth factor receptor [EGFR (HER1, erbB1)] is a receptor with associated tyrosine kinase activity, and is expressed in colorectal cancers and many other solid tumors. We examined the effect of the selective EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) gefitinib ("Iressa") in combination with the DNA topoisomerase I inhibitor CPT-11 (irinotecan) on human colorectal cancer cells. EGFR mRNA and protein expression were detected by RT-PCR and immunoblotting in all 7 colorectal cancer cell lines studied. Gefitinib inhibited the cell growth of the cancer cell lines in vitro with an IC(50) range of 1.2-160 microM by 3,(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Lovo cells exhibited the highest level of protein and autophosphorylation of EGFR and were the most sensitive to gefitinib. The combination of gefitinib and CPT-11 induced supra-additive inhibitory effects in COLO320DM, WiDR and Lovo cells, assessed by an in vitro MTT assay. Administration of gefitinib and CPT-11 had a supra-additive inhibitory effect on WiDR cells and tumor shrinkage was observed in Lovo cell xenografts established in nude mice, whereas no additive effect of combination therapy was observed in COLO320DM cells. To elucidate the mechanisms of synergistic effects, the effect of CPT-11-exposure on phosphorylation of EGFR was examined by immunoprecipitation. CPT-11 increased phosphorylation of EGFR in Lovo and WiDR cells in time- and dose-dependent manners. This EGFR activation was completely inhibited by 5 microM gefitinib and gefitinib-induced apoptosis was enhanced by combination with CPT-11, measured by PARP activation although no PARP activation was induced by 5 microM CPT-11 alone. These results suggested that these modification of EGFR by CPT-11, in Lovo cells, is a possible mechanism for the synergistic effect of CPT-11 and gefitinib. These findings imply that the EGFR-TKI gefitinib and CPT-11 will be effective against colorectal tumor cells that express high levels of EGFR, and support clinical evaluation of gefitinib in combination with CPT-11, in the treatment of colorectal cancers., (Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

Angiogenesis is an essential process for tumor growth and is regulated by tumor-derived angiogenic cytokines. Osteopontin (OPN) is one of the cytokines produced by various tumor cells and is suggested to be involved in angiogenesis by upregulating endothelial cell migration in cooperation with vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF). To provide evidence of OPN involvement in a causal role in tumor angiogenesis, we generated a stable transfectant from murine neuroblastoma C1300 cells to constitutively secrete high levels of murine OPN. The OPN mRNA expression and protein secretion were confirmed by RT-PCR and ELISA, respectively. The biological activity of secreted OPN was determined with migration assay by using human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). Transfection with OPN gene did not increase VEGF production and did not affect gene expression of other angiogenic factors confirmed by complementary DNA macroarray system. To demonstrate the effect of OPN on tumor-induced angiogenesis in vivo, millipore chambers containing OPN-transfected or control cells were implanted to the dorsal air sac of mice. The OPN-transfected cells significantly induced neovascularization in comparison to the control cells in mice. Conclusively, these results provide direct evidence of OPN involvement in the role of tumor angiogenesis., (Copyright 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

Selective tyrosine kinase inhibitors are regarded as promising antitumor agents for cancer treatment. Iressa (ZD1839) is an orally active, selective EGFR-TKI (epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitor) that blocks signal transduction pathways implicated in cancer cell proliferation, survival and other host-dependent processes promoting cancer growth. The cellular mechanisms of ZD1839 action against human malignant cells and drug-resistant cells were evaluated in vitro. Among the cell lines tested, ZD1839 showed a strong growth-inhibitory effect in vitro on human leukemic cells resistant to phorbol ester. This cell line, K562/TPA, shows a non-P-glycoprotein-mediated multidrug-resistant phenotype. The IC50 value of ZD1839 on K562/TPA was approximately 400-fold lower than that on the parental K562 cell (K562 = 12 +/- 2 microM; K562/TPA = 0.025 +/- 0.002 microM) in vitro as determined by a dye formation assay. The expression of EGFR and EGFR mRNA was clearly present in K562/TPA but not in parental K562 cells as determined by Western blotting and RT-PCR. EGFR was autophosphorylated in K562/TPA detected by the antiphosphotyrosine antibody. The in vivo antitumor effects of ZD1839 on K562 and K562/TPA cells were also investigated in BALB/c nude mice. K562/TPA cells transplanted subcutaneously into mice disappeared completely with ZD1839 treatment (20 mg/kg/day, days 3-9). This was not the case in K562 cells. These results suggest that ZD1839 is highly active against tumor cells with non-P-glycoprotein-mediated multidrug resistance that express EGFR. Iressa is a trademark of AstraZeneca (Cheshire, UK)., (Copyright 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.)

Daphnane-type diterpene gnidimacrin (NSC252940), isolated from a Chinese plant, exhibited antitumor activity against murine leukemias and solid tumors. At concentrations of 10(-9) to 10(-10) M, this agent strongly inhibited the growth of human tumor cell lines. In sensitive human leukemia K562 cells, gnidimacrin is a PKC activator that arrests the cell cycle in the G(1) phase by inhibiting cdk2 activity. A 4 hr exposure of K562 cells to gnidimacrin induced the CDK inhibitor p21(WAF1/Cip1), but this effect was transient and did not correlate temporally with the onset of G(1) arrest. Expression of cdc25A, a phosphatase that activates cdk2, was reduced during 24-hr exposure to gnidimacrin. Moreover, the suppression corresponded in a concentration- and time-dependent manner to both the inhibition of cdk2 activity and the mobility shift observed when cdk2 was electrophoresed on SDS-PAGE, indicating that the phosphorylation state of cdk2 must change. Cyclin E, the other regulator of cdk2 activity, was not influenced by gnidimacrin. These results suggest that gnidimacrin exerts antitumor activity through suppression of cdc25A and inhibition of cdk2 activity., (Copyright 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

PDT has been reported to induce cancer cell expression of cytokines, such as IL-6 and TNF-alpha, but it has been unclear whether cytokine expression by cancer cells is directly related to the antitumor effect of PDT. We treated Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) cells with a new photosensitizer, mono-L-aspartyl chlorin e6 (NPe6) and light from a diode laser and found that expression of the mRNA of IL-2, IL-6, and TNF-alpha was increased by NPe6-mediated-PDT 6 hr later. To elucidate the mechanism of the direct anti-tumor effect of cytokine expression, we examined the photosensitivity of cytokine-gene-transfected cells, namely LLC-IL-2, LLC-IL-6, and LLC-TNF-alpha cells, by MTT assay. The IL-6 gene transfected, LLC-IL-6 cells were significantly more sensitive to cytotoxic effects than the parent LLC cells and other cytokine gene-transfected cells. This finding indicates that IL-6 expression modulates cellular sensitivity to PDT and that IL-2 and TNF-alpha expressions does not. In addition, the apoptosis of LLC-IL-6 cells induced by NPe6-PDT was greater than in the other cells as determined by DNA fragmentation and staining of apoptotic nuclei. Because IL-6 has been reported to induce apoptosis by downregulating expression of Bcl-2, we analyzed the expression of apoptosis-related Bcl-2, Bax, and cytochrome C by Western blot analysis. Decreased expression of Bcl-2 and cytochrome C was observed in both LLC cells and LLC-IL-6 cells. Bax protein increased in a time-dependent manner, and the ratio of Bax to Bcl-2 rose markedly after PDT in LLC-IL-6 cells. These results suggest that the increased sensitivity of LLC-IL-6 cells to PDT-induced cytotoxicity results from the high ratio of Bax to Bcl-2 in the IL-6-dependent apoptotic pathway. In conclusion, IL-6 expression plays a role in cellular sensitivity to PDT, and combination of IL-6 and PDT may provide a new strategy for cancer treatment., (Copyright 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc. Copyright 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

We made an intracellular single-chain variable fragment (sFv) from the C219 monoclonal antibody that recognized the intracellular domain of the multidrug resistance (MDR) gene product, P-glycoprotein (P-gp). Immuno-cytochemistry using the FITC conjugated anti-C-myc tag antibody showed that the sFv protein was expressed in the cytoplasm of the cells. Although transfection of the sFv did not result in the down-regulation of P-gp expression in P-gp positive MDR cells as determined by flow cytometry analysis, Adriamycin (ADM) uptake and Rhodamine123 (Rh123) retention were increased by the C219 intra-cellular sFv transfection. The transfected cells exhibited a higher sensitivity to ADM using a 10-day colony formation assay. The conventional 3-day MTT assay showed the drug resistant tendency in C219 sFv transfected cell we tested. The growth rate of C219 sFv transfected cells was delayed in all non-MDR and MDR cells that might be the reason why C219 transfected cells exhibited the drug resistant tendency in the MTT assay. Despite this unexpected effect of C219 sFv on growth rate, our data suggest that the intra-cellular sFv technique could knockout MDR functionally and may offer a means of increasing the effectiveness of tumor chemotherapy., (Copyright 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

Aragusterol A (YTA0040), isolated from the Okinawan marine sponge of the genus Xestospongia, is a potent anti-tumor marine steroid that possesses a unique structural component. This compound showed broad-spectrum anti-proliferative activity against a panel of 14 human cancer cell lines (IC(50) = 0.01-1.6 microM). P-glycoprotein-mediated, multidrug-resistant cells showed cross-resistance to YTA0040 cells, whereas cisplatin-resistant non-small-cell lung-cancer (NSCLC) sublines showed a collateral sensitivity to YTA0040. In transplantable murine tumor models, YTA0040 displayed a broad spectrum and high degree of anti-tumor activity when administered i.p. or p.o. (life span T/C = 135-234%). In P388 murine leukemia cells, YTA0040 caused dose- and time-dependent suppression of nucleic acid and protein synthesis, with protein synthesis being more potently and rapidly inhibited than nucleic acid synthesis. Flow-cytometric analysis revealed that YTA0040 blocked the entry of human NSCLC-derived A549 cells into S phase, leading to arrest in the G(1) phase of the cell cycle. Western blot analysis demonstrated that YTA0040 caused a dose-dependent decrease in the levels of expression of hyperphosphorylated pRb and cyclin A in A549 cells. The level of p53 protein expression was decreased by YTA0040 treatment. A higher concentration of YTA0040 down-regulated the levels of expression of CDK2, CDK4, cyclin D1 and cyclin E. These findings indicated that YTA0040 arrested human NSCLC cells in late G(1) phase of the cell cycle through inhibition of pRb phosphorylation. Inhibition of pRb phosphorylation by YTA0040 resulted from down-regulation of levels of expression of the CDKs and cyclins involved in the G(1)/S transition and not from induction of p53 and/or the CDK inhibitor p21., (Copyright 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

A tumor-suppressor gene, p16(INK4), which is deleted or mutated in tumors, regulates cell-cycle progression through a G(1)-S restriction point by inhibiting CDK4(CDK6)/cyclin-D-mediated phosphorylation of pRb. We have found that ectopic p16(INK4) expression increased cellular sensitivity of human non-small-cell-lung-cancer (NSCLC) A549 cells to a selective growth-inhibitory effect induced by the topoisomerase-I inhibitor 11, 7-ethyl-10-[4-(1-piperidino)-1-piperidino] carbonyloxy camptothecin (CPT-11) in vitro. In this study, we observed enhanced apoptosis characterized by DNA fragmentation in A549 cells transfected with p16(INK4) cDNA (A549/p16-1) and treated with CPT-11. This apoptosis was suppressed by the inhibitor of interleukin-1beta-converting enzyme (ICE/caspase-1) or ICE-like proteases, Z-Asp-CH2-DCB, as determined by DNA fragmentation and proteolytic cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, a natural substrate for CPP32/caspase-3. In A549/p16-1 cells, cytosolic peptidase activities that cleaved Z-DEVD-7-amino-4-trifluoromethylcoumarin increased during CPT-11-induced apoptosis and were suppressed by a highly specific caspase-3 and caspase-3-like inhibitor, Z-DEVD-fluoromethylketone. These findings indicate that p16(INK) is positively involved in the activation pathway of the caspase-3 induced by CPT-11. The increased delay in S-phase progression and subsequent induction of apoptosis were observed in CPT-11-treated A549/p16-1 cells on the basis of DNA histograms. Specific down-regulation of the cyclin-A protein level in A549/p16-1 cells was observed after CPT-11-treatment, whereas cyclin B, cdk2, and cdc2 protein levels were unaffected. These results suggest that ectopic p16(INK4) expression inappropriately decreases cyclin A and thereby terminates CPT-11-induced G(2)/M accumulation, which is followed by increased apoptosis in p16(INK4)-expressing A549 cells., (Copyright 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

UCN-01 (7-hydroxystaurosporine) inhibits the growth of various malignant cell lines in vitro and in vivo. In this study, a human small cell lung carcinoma subline resistant to UCN-01, SBC-3/UCN, was established and characterized. SBC-3/UCN cells showed 8-fold greater resistance to the UCN-01-induced growth-inhibitory effect than the parent cells, SBC-3. No UCN-01-induced G1 accumulation in SBC-3 cells was observed in SBC-3/UCN cells and decreased expression of phosphorylated RB protein was found in SBC-3 cells. Neither basal expression nor induction of p21(Cip1) by UCN-01 treatment was detected in the SBC-3/UCN cell line. An inhibitory effect of UCN-01 on CDK2 activity, which is mediated by p21(Cip1)/CDK2 complex formation upon UCN-01 treatment, was observed in SBC-3 but not in SBC-3/UCN cells. SBC-3/UCN showed higher CDK6 activity than SBC-3 cells. UCN-01 did not inhibit the CDK4 and CDK6 activities in both cells. We screened the cell cycle regulatory molecules associated with G(1)/S progression and found a remarked decrease in interferon regulatory factor 1 (IRF-1), which is known to cooperate with p53 in p21(Cip1) induction. Our results suggest that p21(Cip1) regulation via the IRF-1-associated pathway may represent a major determinant of UCN-01-induced growth inhibition in human lung cancer cells., (Copyright 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

Ganglioside GM2 is expressed on the surface of neuroblastoma and glioblastoma cells, and may also be detected on lung cancer cells. We reported previously that anti-ganglioside GM2 antibody exhibited strong in vitro anti-tumor activity against adriamycin-resistant cancer cells, which overexpressed ganglioside GM2. In the present study, we examined the in vivo anti-tumor effect of the chimeric anti-ganglioside GM2 antibody, KM966, against human lung and breast carcinoma cells, SBC-3 and MCF-7, and respective adriamycin-resistant clones, SBC-3/ADM and AdrR MCF-7 in BALB/c nu/nu mice. Ratios of tumor volume (T/C) between KM966-treated group and control group were 0.01 for SBC-3, 0.00 for SBC-3/ADM, 0.85 for MCF-7 and 0.34 for AdrR MCF-7 cells, respectively. Nude mice, which were pretreated with anti-asialo GM1 antibody to remove natural killer cells, were transplanted with 4 x 10(7) of SBC-3 and SBC-3/ADM subcutaneously. Seven days later, when tumors had grown to a diameter of over 8 mm, mice began to receive intravenous treatment of 120 microgram/mouse KM966 daily. Fourteen daily treatments induced regression to less than 4-mm diameter in 4/5 SBC-3 tumors and 5/5 of SBC-3/ADM tumors. All SBC-3/ADM tumors disappeared completely, suggesting that KM966 exerts a strong in vivo anti-tumor effect on ganglioside GM2-expressing cancer cells. In KM966-treated mice, the surface of the tumor cells stained positive with anti-human IgG. In addition, numerous leukocytes had infiltrated into the tumor mass. Antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) of KM966 against tumor cells was examined in vitro by (51)Cr-release assay and revealed that KM966 induces ADCC activity against ganglioside GM2-expressing tumors. Our results suggest that immunotherapy using KM966 may be useful for the treatment of ganglioside GM2-expressing solid tumors., (Copyright 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

Daphnane-type diterpene gnidimacrin isolated from the Chinese plant Stellera chamaejasme L. is an antitumor agent that activates protein kinase C (PKC). The mechanism of antitumor action of gnidimacrin and the possible involvement of PKC were examined using sensitive K562 and refractory HLE cells. Gnidimacrin did bind to K562 cells 3 times more than to HLE cells. Immunoblot analyses revealed pronounced PKC betaII expression in gnidimacrin sensitive cell lines including K562 cells, while refractory HLE cells strongly expressed PKC alpha, but not PKC betaII. In a 24-hr exposure of K562 cells to gnidimacrin, G1 phase arrest and inhibition of cdk2 kinase activity was found at growth-inhibitory concentration (0.0005 microg/ml). Complete inhibition of cdk2 activity and maximum G1 phase arrest were observed at 0.005 microg/ml, however, these biological effects were reduced at 0.05 microg/ml (260 times the 50% inhibitory concentration). Cellular PKC after a 24-hr exposure was examined by immunoblot analysis and specific binding of [3H]phorbol-12,13-dibutyrate as a ligand of PKC. Expression and the amount of functional PKC of K562 cells were not changed at 0.002 microg/ml, but down-regulated to less than 1/10th of the control at 0.05 microg/ml. The reduction of biological effects at 0.05 microg/ml is most likely due to PKC down-regulation. Our results suggest that PKC (particularly betaII) is one of the major determinants of the ability of cells to respond to gnidimacrin and that the antitumor action might be associated with cell-cycle regulation through suppression of cdk2 activity.

This study examined the effects of full-length p16 gene transfer by recombinant adenovirus on cell growth and on sensitivity to CDDP or ACNU chemotherapies. We developed a recombinant adenovirus expressing the full-length human p16 gene (AxCA-hp16) by the COS-TPC method. AxCA-hp16 was infected into the p16-null human glioma cell line, U251MG. AxCA-hp16 infection inhibited proliferation of U251MG cells. A proliferation assay employing MTT showed that AxCA-hp16 infection induced chemoresistance, preventing CDDP-induced cell death (11- to 15-fold) and ACNU-induced cell death (80- to 92-fold). In the absence of AxCA-hp16, cell death was induced with CDDP or ACNU at 3 to 5 days after treatment, as demonstrated by Trypan-blue exclusion. Flow-cytometric analysis showed that CDDP or ACNU arrested cells in the G2 phase on day 1 and that cells re-entered the cycle on day 3. However, the cells infected with AxCA-hp16 after CDDP or ACNU treatment showed G1 arrest on day 5 after re-entering the cycle from G2 arrest on day 3. The cells infected with AxCA-hp16 before CDDP or ACNU treatment showed G1 arrest over the 5 days after the infection. This study demonstrated that G1 arrest induced with p16-gene expression prevents ACNU- or CDDP-induced cell death. The cell death induced by ACNU and CDDP therefore appears to occur in the phase after the G1/S check point.

The induction and augmentation of tumor non-specific immunity and of tumor-specific immunity by intrapleural, intraperitoneal and subcutaneous injection of interleukin-2 (IL-2) gene-modified Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) cells (LLC-IL2) was tested in C57BL/6 mice. Intrapleural injection of LLC cells induced lung tumors with a malignant effusion, intraperitoneal injection induced peritoneal tumors with ascites and subcutaneous injection induced subcutaneous tumors. Intrapleural injection of irradiated LLC-IL2 cured pre-existing lung LLC tumors and extended the survival of the mice but did not affect survival of mice with pre-existing peritoneal tumors nor did it affect the growth of s.c. tumors. Intraperitoneal injection of irradiated LLC-IL2 cured pre-existing LLC peritoneal tumors and extended the survival of the mice but did not affect survival of mice bearing lung tumors nor did it affect the growth of s.c. tumors. Subcutaneous injection of irradiated LLC-IL2 did not affect the growth of preexisting s.c. tumors and also did not improve survival of mice bearing the lung or peritoneal tumors. Injection with irradiated LLC-IL2 by all routes, i.e., intrapleural, intraperitoneal and s.c., protected against subsequent re-challenge with LLC. Eight days after the initial immunization (early stage of immunization), non-adherent mononuclear cells in the peritoneal cavity of the mice treated with intraperitoneal injection of irradiated LLC-IL2 displayed enhanced cytotoxicity against LLC, B16-F10 and P815 cells, while the cytotoxic activity of spleen cells in the same mice did not change. The efficiency of induction of tumor-specific immunity was the strongest after intraperitoneal immunization and weakest after s.c. immunization. In vitro analysis using the spleen cells of mice immunized with irradiated LLC-IL2 suggested that CD8+ T cells play a key role in tumor-specific immunity.

A novel antitumor antibiotic 7-N-[2-[[2-(gamma-L-glutamylamino)ethyl]dithio]ethyl] mitomycin C (KW-2149), an analogue of mitomycin C (MMC), is activated by thiol molecules, such as glutathione (GSH). To clarify the relationship between cellular GSH levels and the cytotoxicity of KW-2149, a murine fibroblast cell line (NIH/3T3) was transfected with human gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase (gamma-GCS) cDNA, which codes a rate-limiting enzyme of GSH synthesis. Transfected cells (3T3/GCS) displayed increased gamma-GCS mRNA levels, gamma-GCS activity and GSH content, compared with NIH/3T3 cells. 3T3/GCS cells exhibited a 4.4-fold resistance to MMC, but not to KW-2149 (x 0.69), using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, suggesting that the increased cellular GSH levels did not affect the growth-inhibitory effect of KW-2149. KW-2149 exerted a greater growth-inhibitory effect than MMC on cisplatin- and doxorubicin-resistant cells with cross-resistance to MMC. KW-2149 exhibited a greater growth inhibitory effect than MMC not only on cells with GSH-mediated MMC resistance but also on cells with acquired resistance. We thus conclude that KW-2149 might be a clinically useful drug.

Although the combination of cisplatin and etoposide has been used as standard therapy for small-cell lung cancer, it is difficult to demonstrate combination effects between cisplatin and etoposide in vitro. We therefore adopted a 3-dimensional (3-D) model to analyze the combination effects of anticancer drugs, and compared the results of analysis by the new 3-D model with those obtained from traditional 2-D models for the cisplatin-etoposide combination. In this study, using a human small-cell lung-cancer cell line (SBC-3), 3-D model analysis clearly identified a relationship depending on the concentrations of both drugs, and demonstrated that peak synergy occurred at the higher concentrations of cisplatin and etoposide. Antagonistic interactions were noted with a nadir at low concentrations of etoposide and cisplatin. In contrast, 2-D models such as combination index and isobologam analysis fail to characterize the complex interactions between cisplatin and etoposide, since their joint effects are concentration-dependent. Combination index (CI) plots show that synergy is evident only for molar ratios of cisplatin: etoposide of 2:1 to 1:5. On isobologram analysis, synergy could be detected when great inhibitory effects on cell growth were present (high endpoint), but not with small inhibitory effects (lower endpoints). Thus, either synergy or antagonism may occur, but depend on the selection of variables, such as the molar ratios or the endpoints chosen for the experiments. This could explain the inconsistency in the in vitro combination effects reported to date. The 3-D model, which compensates for the above deficiencies of 2-D models, can facilitate rigorous analysis of drug interactions over the entire clinical dose range, using microcomputers and sophisticated graphics programs. This direct and pragmatic method offers investigators a practical new tool with which to analyze drug combinations for cancer chemotherapy.

Ganglioside GM2 is one of the major cell-surface gangliosides expressed in human tumors. We earlier established a mouse/human IgG1 chimeric anti-GM2 antibody, KM966, which displayed anti-tumor activity in human tumor cells both in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we have screened for changes in ganglioside expressions in several drug-resistant human cancer cell lines to examine the modulation of drug resistance by immunotherapy with anti-ganglioside antibodies. Increased GM2 expression, detected by flow cytometry and thin-layer chromatography, was observed in the SBC-3/ADM and AdrR MCF7 adriamycin-resistant cell lines, in contrast with their parental lines. In other related gangliosides, ganglioside GD2 levels in AdrR MCF7 were higher than those in MCF7 cells. We confirmed increased N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase mRNA in adriamycin-resistant cell lines, as compared with the parental cells, by Northern-blot analysis. Moreover, to investigate the possibility of exploiting the anti-tumor activity of KM966 in order to overcome resistance to adriamycin, we investigated the antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxity of human peripheral mononuclear blood cells and the complement-dependent cytotoxity of human serum with KM966 against SBC-3, SBC-3/ADM, MCF7 and AdrR MCF7. Significantly higher killing via KM966 was observed in SBC-3/ADM and AdrR MCF7 cells as compared with the parental cells. This suggests that passive immunotherapy using KM966 against human adriamycin-resistant cancer may be useful for overcoming resistance to adriamycin.

We examined the effects of the introduction of H-ras oncogene into murine cell line NIH3T3 on growth inhibition by topoisomerase-I (topo-I) inhibitors. The H-ras-transformed cells (pT22-3) showed approximately 12-fold increased sensitivity to a novel topo-I inhibitor, NB-506 [6-N-formylamino-12,13-dihydro-1,11-dihydroxy-13-(beta-D-glucopyranosyl) -5H-indolo(2,3-a)pyrrolo(3,4-c) carbazole-5,7(6H)-dione], compared with the parental NIH3T3 cells. pT22-3 also showed increased sensitivity to other topo-I inhibitors such as camptothecin (approx. 3.0-fold) and CPT-11 (irinotecan, approx. 3.0-fold). Transformation of NIH3T3 by another oncogene (erbB2) did not affect their sensitivity to these topo-I inhibitors. pT22-3 had approximately 32-fold higher topo-I activity than NIH3T3, but the same topo-I content. In a cell-free system, topo-I activity was increased 2-fold by addition of the H-ras protein precipitated from pT22-3 cells. Topo I in the nuclear extract of pT22-3 was eluted easily by low concentrations of NaCl compared with that of NIH3T3, suggesting a qualitative change in pT22-3 topo 1. Increased phosphorylation of topo I was observed in pT22-3. Furthermore, NB-506 decreased the amount of the GTP-bound form of the H-ras product in pT22-3 cells. These results suggest that the high growth-inhibitory effect of a topo-I inhibitor, NB-506, on H-ras-transformed NIH3T3 cells is due to the H-ras-mediated signal-transduction pathway.

The daphnane-type diterpene gnidimacrin, isolated from the root of the Chinese plant, Stellera chamaejasme L., was found to strongly inhibit cell growth of human leukemias, stomach cancers and non-small cell lung cancers in vitro at concentrations of 10(-9) to 10(-10) M. On the other hand, even at 10(-6) to 10(-5) M, the small cell lung cancer cell line H69 and the hepatoma cell line HLE were refractory to gnidimacrin. The agent showed significant antitumor activity against murine leukemias and solid tumors in an in vivo system. In K562, a sensitive human leukemia cell line, gnidimacrin induced blebbing of the cell surface, which was completely inhibited by staurosporine at concentrations above 10(-8) M, and arrested the cell cycle transiently to G2 and finally the G1 phase at growth-inhibitory concentrations. It inhibited phorbol-12,13-dibutyrate(PDBu) binding to K562 cells and directly stimulated protein kinase C (PKC) activity in the cells in a dose-dependent manner (3-100 nM). Although activation of PKC isolated from refractory H69 cells was observed only with 100 nM gnidimacrin, the degree of activation was lower than that produced by 3 nM in K562 cells. Our results suggest that gnidimacrin acts as a PKC activator for tumor cells and that this mechanism may be responsible for its antitumor activity.

Paclitaxel, an anti-mitotic anti-cancer agent, is active against solid tumors. The inhibition of depolymerization and promotion of microtubular assembly are essential for the anti-tumor activity of paclitaxel. Microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) co-polymerize with tubulin and play some roles in microtubular dynamics. We examined the effect of paclitaxel on the interaction between tubulin and MAPs. Human lung-cancer cells, PC-14, were synchronized to G1/S border by the thymidine-double-block technique. After release from exposure to thymidine, the cells were treated briefly with 2 nM paclitaxel and the levels of alpha and beta tubulins and MAPs were examined after various times. Immunoblot analysis of paclitaxel-treated cells showed no changes in the overall expression of alpha and beta tubulins, microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2) or MAPs in comparison with controls. The samples were immunoprecipitated with anti-alpha- and anti-beta-tubulin antibodies and reblotted with an anti-MAP2 antibody, which showed that the amount of co-immuno-precipitated MAP2 in the synchronized cells, were increased by the brief paclitaxel treatment. These results suggest that paclitaxel treatment enhances the interaction between alpha and beta tubulins and MAP2. Since the phosphorylation state of MAP2 regulates the affinity of MAP2 for tubulins, and mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase is considered to be one of the kinases responsible for MAP2 phosphorylation, the effect of paclitaxel treatment on the MAP-kinase activity of synchronized PC-14 cells was examined. Two bands with molecular masses of 42 and 44 kDa were detected by an "intra-gel" MAP-kinase assay using myelin basic protein as the substrate. Paclitaxel treatment inhibited the MAP-kinase activity of PC-14 cells and inhibition was maximal at the G2/M phase of the cell cycle. Similar, concentration-dependent inhibition by paclitaxel of cellular MAP kinase of human synchronized small-cell lung carcinoma, H69, was observed. No inhibition of the MAP kinase of the paclitaxel-resistant sub-line H69/Txl by paclitaxel was observed, suggesting that some change of the MAP-kinase cascade had occurred in these cells. No direct inhibition of MAP-kinase activity by paclitaxel was observed in the cell-free assay (in vitro), suggesting that paclitaxel did not inhibit MAP kinase directly. Since it has been speculated that p34cdc2 kinase is also a kinase that phosphorylates MAP2, the effect of paclitaxel treatment on the p34cdc2-kinase activity of synchronized PC-14 and PC-9 cells was examined. Paclitaxel inhibited p34cdc2-kinase activation at the G2/M phase. These results suggest that paclitaxel inhibited MAP kinase and p34cdc2 kinase in vivo indirectly. These actions of paclitaxel may be responsible for the increased affinity between MAP2 and tubulins that it induces.

Okadaic acid (OA), a specific protein phosphatase inhibitor, has various biological functions. To elucidate the mechanism of OA resistance, we have established a small-cell lung-cancer subline (H69/OA100) resistant to the growth-inhibitory effect of OA; this was done by using the parental cell line (H69) and increasing the concentration of OA. H69/OA100 was about 8 times more resistant to OA than H69. Intracellular retention of the fluorescent OA derivative in H69/OA100 was the same as that in H69. The catalytic activity of protein phosphatase from H69/OA100 was significantly reduced compared with that from H69. The protein phosphatase from H69/OA100 was 3.6 times more resistant to OA than that from H69. We examined the effect of OA on the activity of the immunoprecipitated protein phosphatase type I (PPI) and type 2A (PP2A) from the 2 cell lines. The PPI and PP2A from H69/OA100 showed more resistance to OA than those from H69. We next examined the effect of OA on the cell cycle of H69 and H69/OA100. In H69, G2/M block was observed at an OA concentration of 30 ng/ml whereas in H69/OA100, no G2/M block was observed at concentrations up to 100 ng/ml OA. We finally evaluated the amount of p34cdc2 kinase expression and the phosphorylation status of p34cdc2. There was no difference in p34cdc2 expression between H69 and H69/OA100 at several concentrations of OA. However, dephosphorylation of p34cdc2 was observed at 30 ng/ml OA in H69, but not in H69/OA100 up to 100 ng/ml OA. These data suggest that the resistance to OA and the resistance of the cell-cycle block to OA in H69/OA100 might be due to alteration of protein phosphatase activity.

We have already established a human leukemia sub-line resistant to the growth-inhibitory effect of TPA (12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate) (K562/TPA) derived from K562. K562/TPA was found to be a non-P-glycoprotein-mediated multidrug-resistant cell line, in which intracellular drug accumulation was not reduced. In K562/TPA, adriamycin (ADM) was distributed mainly in the cytoplasm and was scarcely observed in the nucleus. We determined the relative levels of multidrug-resistance-associated protein (MRP), which was recently identified as the novel transporter. The relative levels of MRP in K562/TPA were the same as in K562. Although the catalytic activity of K562/TPA topoisomerase II was about half that of the parental cells, resistance to other drugs could not be explained by topoisomerase-II activity. To elucidate the mechanism of drug resistance in K562/TPA, we tried to find chemicals that would reverse the drug resistance. Tyrosine-kinase inhibitors enhanced the cytotoxicity of anti-neoplastic drugs against K562/TPA. Therefore we examined the modification of nuclear ADM accumulation in K562/TPA by one of these tyrosine-kinase inhibitors, genistein. Although the amount of ADM was decreased in the nuclei of K562/TPA cells, it was significantly increased after incubation in the presence of genistein. The formation of DNA single-strand breaks by ADM, etoposide, and ACNU was significantly lower in K562/TPA than in K562, but was significantly increased in the presence of genistein. These results suggest that genistein could overcome drug resistance by enhancing the accumulation of drug into the nuclear fraction of K562/TPA.

We have reported that the cellular uptake of cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) (CDDP) was inhibited by an Na+,K(+)-adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) inhibitor, ouabain, in a human non-small-cell lung-cancer cell line, PC-14, but not in its CDDP-resistant cell line, PC-14/CDDP. [3H]Ouabain binding of PC-14/CDDP was about 50% lower than that of PC-14. Accordingly, we speculated that a decrease in Na+,K(+)-ATPase activity in PC-14/CDDP might contribute to the decrease in cellular CDDP accumulation. To clarify the relationship between the activity or expression of Na+,K(+)-ATPase and cellular CDDP accumulation, we established an ouabain-resistant non-small-cell lung-cancer cell line (PC-14/OB300), which showed 1.9-fold resistance to the cytotoxicity of ouabain. Interestingly, this cell line was 4.2-fold more sensitive to CDDP than PC-14. The accumulation of CDDP in PC-14/OB300 was increased to 2.7-fold that in PC-14. This elevation of CDDP accumulation was not considered to be caused by increased passive diffusion, because the accumulation of CDDP in PC-14/OB300 was also inhibited by ouabain compared to PC-14. As one of the indices of Na+,K(+)-ATPase activity, we determined cellular 86Rb+ influx rates. The 86Rb+ influx rate was 1.5-fold higher in PC-14/OB300 and fell to 0.7-fold in PC-14/CDDP compared with PC-14. The mRNA expression of Na+,K(+)-ATPase was increased in PC-14/OB300 and decreased in PC-14/CDDP. There was no difference in cellular [3H]ouabain binding between PC-14/OB300 and PC-14. It is possible that Na+,K(+)-ATPase of PC-14/OB300 has a different affinity for ouabain from that of PC-14. Our results suggest that the enzyme activity or the level of expression of Na+,K(+)-ATPase may contribute to the cellular uptake of CDDP and determine the sensitivity to CDDP.

In order to develop a more effective method of immunotherapy we have transfected mouse interleukin-2 (IL2) or mouse interleukin-4 (IL4) cDNA into a spontaneous non-immunogenic murine lung cancer. Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC). IL2 cDNA transfection more strongly decreases tumorigenicity of LLC than IL4 cDNA transfection. Recombinant-human-IL2 treatment of mice that were transplanted with untransfected LLC could not prolong their survival. In contrast, vaccination with IL2-cDNA-transfected LLC (LLC-IL2) and LLC-IL2 mixed with IL4-cDNA-transfected LLC (LLC-IL4) could significantly suppress tumor growth of LLC in a tumor-specific manner. The vaccination with LLC-IL2 mixed with the same number of LLC-IL4 cells was more suppressive to the growth of LLC than that with LLC-IL2 cells alone, while LLC-IL4 vaccination alone was ineffective. Nude, severe-combined-immune-deficient (SCID) and beige mice were unable to reject LLC-IL2 cells. However, immunodeficient mice responded to LLC-IL2, but not to LLC, since their survival times after transplantation with LLC-IL2 cells were significantly longer than the survival time of normal or immunodeficient mice transplanted with untransfected LLC cells. We conclude that vaccination with IL2-producing tumors and, with more pronounced effect, in combination with IL4-producing tumors, is able to induce an immune response to this normally non-immunogenic tumor. Tumor rejection appears to be achieved by the combined activity of CTL and NK cells. This strategy has potential for new immunotherapeutic interventions in cancer patients.

A novel non-phorbol-ester-like tumor promoter, okadaic acid (OA) has been shown to be an inhibitor of protein phosphatase I and IIA and, thus, to cause an "apparent activation" of protein kinase C (PKC). We previously showed that cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) (CDDP)-resistant cells, PC-9/CDDP, were cross-resistant to OA and that the cross-resistance was not due to the increased efflux of OA. We hypothesized that the phosphorylation status of some cellular proteins might be important in CDDP-resistance. No significant difference in PKC activity or total protein phosphatase activity measured in vitro was seen between PC-9 and PC-9/CDDP cells, nor in their sensitivity to inhibition by OA, nor in the amount of phosphorylation of whole cells or TCA-insoluble material. By SDS-PAGE after incubation of intact cells with 32P, we detected a marked increase, compared to PC-9 cells, in phosphorylation of the nuclear proteins of MW 32 and 20 kDa in CDDP-resistant PC-9/CDDP cells with no apparent difference in protein content. When phosphorylation of nuclear proteins observed in PC-9/CDDP cells was analyzed by 2-dimensional SDS-PAGE, the 32-kDa protein had a PI of about 4.5. The 32-kDa and 20-kDa bands were increased in a dose-dependent manner by CDDP treatment. On the other hand, no increase in phosphorylation of these proteins was observed in parental PC-9 cells. These results demonstrate a marked difference in the phosphorylation status of specific nuclear proteins between parental and CDDP-resistant cell lines, which may be related to CDDP-resistance.

We have previously reported that K562/ADM, a typical P-glycoprotein-mediated multi-drug-resistant cell line, is cross-resistant to the growth-inhibitory effect of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA) and non-TPA type tumor promoters. To elucidate the mechanism of cross-resistance to tumor promoters in K562/ADM, we have established a K562 subline resistant to TPA-induced growth inhibition by exposing K562 cells to N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine for 24 hr followed by continuous exposure to TPA. A K562 subline resistant to the TPA-induced growth inhibition, termed K562/TPA, was selected by a limiting dilution technique. K562/TPA was more than 500-fold resistant to TPA compared with parental K562 cells. K562/TPA showed cross-resistance to etoposide, teniposide, adriamycin (ADM), vincristine, vindesine and 3-[(4-amino-2-methyl-5-pyrimidinyl)] methyl-1-(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea, but showed collateral sensitivity to cisplatin. Although K562/ADM was not cross-resistant to 3'-deamino-3'-morpholino-13-deoxo-10-hydroxycarminomycin (MX2), an anthracycline derivative, K562/TPA was cross-resistant to MX2. By Northern blot analysis, K562/TPA did not express MDR-1. Accumulation of ADM by K562/TPA was no lower than that of K562 although that of K562/ADM was 5-fold lower than K562. We examined the subcellular distribution of ADM by fluorescence microscopy. The fluorescence of ADM was located in the nucleus of K562 and mainly in the cytoplasm of K562/TPA and K562/ADM. The distribution of ADM in K562/TPA, however, was different from that in K562/ADM. These results suggested that K562/TPA had a non-P-glycoprotein-mediated multi-drug-resistance phenotype and that the mechanism of drug-resistance in this cell line might be explained by an alteration in the intracellular drug distribution.

Human lung cancer sublines resistant to cisplatin (CDDP) have been developed by continuously exposing cells to gradually increasing doses of CDDP and use of the limiting dilution technique. The cell lines used were PC-7, PC-9 and PC-14 (pulmonary adenocarcinoma) and H69 and N231 (small-cell lung cancer). The resistant phenotype of the resistant sublines was stable for more than 2 months in the absence of drug. PC-7/1.2 (i.e., PC-7 cells growing stably in medium containing 1.2 micrograms/ml of CDDP), PC-9/0.5, PC-14/1.5, H69/0.4, and N231/0.2 have been developed, which are 22.9, 7.1, 3.1, 25.6, and 8.4 times more resistant to CDDP than the respective parent cell line in terms of IC50 in the soft agar colony assay with continuous drug exposure. Cloning efficiency decreased significantly in N231/0.2. The doubling times increased significantly in most of the resistant sublines. Cellular DNA contents increased in all resistant sublines, but statistical significance was observed only in H69/0.4 (p less than 0.05). Cells of the resistant sublines of PC-7, PC-9, PC-14 and H69 were larger than cells of the parent lines, but the differences were not significant. The growth morphologies of all resistant sublines in the drug-free medium were similar to those of parent cell lines. All resistant sublines tested were significantly cross-resistant to carboplatin. The patterns of cross-resistance, cross-sensitivity and collateral sensitivity to adriamycin, mitomycin-C, 5-fluorouracil, vindesine, etoposide, aclacinomycin and vincristine were different in each resistant subline. Verapamil (3.3 micrograms/ml) showed little modifying effect on CDDP resistance in 5 CDDP-resistant sublines tested except N231/0.2 (Modification Index: 0.49). Cyclosporin A (5.0 micrograms/ml) modified CDDP resistance in CDDP-resistant small-cell lung cancer sublines (H69/0.4 and N231/0.2) (Modification Index: 0.45 and 0.07, respectively), while in CDDP-resistant NSCLC sublines (PC-7/1.0 and PC-9/0.5), cyclosporin A reduced the sensitivity to CDDP.

NK activity of human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) for cells of the human myeloid line K562, and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) of PBL for cells of human lung adenocarcinoma line PC-9 were determined by the human tumor clonogenic assay (HTCA). Incubation of K562 cells or anti-PC-9 serum treated PC-9 cells with PBL before plating inhibited the formation of colonies of these tumor cells. The percent inhibition of tumor cell colony formation was dependent on the effector/target ratio, the incubation time before plating and, in the case of PC-9 cells, on the dilution of anti-PC-9 serum. PBL activated with human T-cell growth factor (TCGF), lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells, significantly augmented the inhibition of colony formation of K562 cells, compared to the control lymphocytes. The increase in colony inhibition was dependent on the concentration of TCGF and the time of incubation of PBL with TCGF. The HTCA determining the colony inhibition of K562 cells incubated with LAK or PBL correlated with the 51Cr-release assay (p less than 0.001). The HTCA determining the colony inhibition of anti-PC-9 serum-treated PC-9 cells incubated with PBL also correlated with the 51Cr-release assay (p less than 0.001). We found that the NK activity and ADCC of lymphocytes on K562 and PC9 tumor lines could be detected with HTCA.