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Aims: Thrombospondin-1 (TSP1), via its necessary receptor CD47, inhibits nitric oxide (NO)-stimulated soluble guanylate cyclase activation in vascular smooth muscle cells, and TSP1-null mice have increased shear-dependent blood flow compared with wild-type mice. Yet, the endothelial basement membrane should in theory function as a barrier to diffusion of soluble TSP1 into the arterial smooth muscle cell layer. These findings suggested that endothelial-dependent differences in blood flow in TSP1-null mice may be the result of direct modulation of endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) activation by circulating TSP1. Here we tested the hypothesis that TSP1 inhibits eNOS activation and endothelial-dependent arterial relaxation., Methods and Results: Acetylcholine (ACh)-stimulated activation of eNOS and agonist-driven calcium transients in endothelial cells were inhibited by TSP1. TSP1 also inhibited eNOS phosphorylation at serine(1177). TSP1 treatment of the endothelium of wild-type and TSP1-null but not CD47-null arteries inhibited ACh-stimulated relaxation. TSP1-null vessels demonstrated greater endothelial-dependent vasorelaxation compared with the wild type. Conversely, TSP1-null arteries demonstrated less vasoconstriction to phenylephrine compared with the wild type, which was corrected upon inhibition of eNOS. In TSP1-null mice, intravenous TSP1 blocked ACh-stimulated decreases in blood pressure, and both intravenous TSP1 and a CD47 agonist antibody acutely elevated blood pressure in mice., Conclusion: TSP1, via CD47, inhibits eNOS activation and endothelial-dependent arterial relaxation and limits ACh-driven decreases in blood pressure. Conversely, intravenous TSP1 and a CD47 antibody increase blood pressure. These findings suggest that circulating TSP1, by limiting endogenous NO production, functions as a pressor agent supporting blood pressure.

Thiolutin is a dithiole synthesized by Streptomyces sp. that inhibits endothelial cell adhesion and tumor growth. We show here that thiolutin potently inhibits developmental angiogenesis in zebrafish and vascular outgrowth from tissue explants in 3D cultures. Thiolutin is a potent and selective inhibitor of endothelial cell adhesion accompanied by rapid induction of HSPB1 (Hsp27) phosphorylation. The inhibitory effects of thiolutin on endothelial cell adhesion are transient, potentially due to a compensatory increase in Hsp27 protein levels. Accordingly, heat shock induction of Hsp27 limits the anti-adhesive activity of thiolutin. Thiolutin treatment results in loss of actin stress fibers, increased cortical actin as cells retract, and decreased cellular F-actin. Mass spectrometric analysis of Hsp27 binding partners following immunoaffinity purification identified several regulatory components of the actin cytoskeleton that associate with Hsp27 in a thiolutin-sensitive manner including several components of the Arp2/3 complex. Among these, ArpC1a is a direct binding partner of Hsp27. Thiolutin treatment induces peripheral localization of phosphorylated Hsp27 and Arp2/3. Hsp27 also associates with the intermediate filament components vimentin and nestin. Thiolutin treatment specifically ablates Hsp27 interaction with nestin and collapses nestin filaments. These results provide new mechanistic insights into regulation of cell adhesion and cytoskeletal dynamics by Hsp27.

Background: The secreted enzyme autotaxin (ATX) stimulates tumor cell migration, tumorigenesis, angiogenesis, and metastasis. ATX hydrolyzes nucleotides, but its hydrolysis of lysophospholipids to produce lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) accounts for its biological activities. ATX has been identified only as a constitutively active enzyme, and regulation of its activity is largely unexplored. In spite of its presence in plasma along with abundant putative substrate LPC, the product LPA is found in plasma at unexpectedly low concentrations. It is plausible that the LPA-producing activity of ATX is regulated by its expression and by access to substrate(s). For this reason studying the interaction of enzyme with substrate is paramount to understanding the regulation of LPA production., Results: In this study we determine ATX hydrolytic activities toward several artificial and natural substrates. Two novel point mutations near the enzyme active site (H226Q and H434Q) confer attenuated activity toward all substrates tested. The Vmax for LPC compounds depends upon chain length and saturation; but this order does not differ among wild type and mutants. However the mutant forms show disproportionately low activity toward two artificial substrates, pNpTMP and FS-3. The mutant forms did not significantly stimulate migration responses at concentrations that produced a maximum response for WT-ATX, but this defect could be rescued by inclusion of exogenous LPC., Conclusion: H226Q-ATX and H434Q-ATX are the first point mutations of ATX/NPP2 demonstrated to differentially impair substrate hydrolysis, with hydrolysis of artificial substrates being disproportionately lower than that of LPC. This implies that H226 and H434 are important for substrate interaction. Assays that rely on hydrolyses of artificial substrates (FS-3 and pNpTMP), or that rely on hydrolysis of cell-derived substrate, might fail to detect certain mutated forms of ATX that are nonetheless capable of producing LPA in the presence of sufficient exogenous substrate. H420Q-ATX could not be differentiated from WT-ATX, indicating that histidine at position 420 is not required for any of the activities of ATX tested in this study.

Thiolutin is a sulfur-based microbial compound with known activity as an angiogenesis inhibitor. Relative to previously studied angiogenesis inhibitors, thiolutin is a remarkably potent inducer of heat shock protein 27 (Hsp27) phosphorylation. This phosphorylation requires p38 kinase but is independent of increased p38 phosphorylation. To elucidate how thiolutin regulates Hsp27 phosphorylation and ultimately angiogenesis, Hsp27 was immunoprecipitated using nonphosphorylated and phospho-Ser78 specific antibodies from lysates of thiolutin treated and untreated human umbilical vein endothelial cells and analyzed by LC-MS. Separate LC-MS analyses of Lys-C, Lys-C plus trypsin, and Lys-C plus Glu-C digests provided 100% sequence coverage, including the identification of a very large 13 kDa Lys-C fragment using a special sample handling procedure (4 M guanidine HCl) prior to the LC-MS analysis to improve the large peptide recovery. The analysis revealed a novel post-translational modification of Hsp27 involving truncation of the N-terminal Met and acetylation of the penultimate Thr. Analysis of a Glu-C fragment containing two phosphorylation sites, Ser78 and Ser82, and a tryptic fragment containing the other phosphorylation site, Ser15, enabled quantitative stoichiometry of Hsp27 phosphorylation by LC-MS. The strategy revealed details of Hsp27 phosphorylation, including significant di-phosphorylation at both Ser78 and Ser82, that would be difficult to obtain by traditional approaches because oligomerization of the hydrophobic N-terminal region of the molecule prevents efficient enzymatic cleavage. The combination of Western blotting, immunoprecipation, and LC-MS provides a quantitative analysis of thiolutin-stimulated Hsp27 phosphorylation and further defines the role of Hsp27 in the antiangiogenic activities of thiolutin and related dithiolethiones.

Tumor cell migration, invasion, and angiogenesis are important determinants of tumor aggressiveness, and these traits have been associated with the motility stimulating protein autotaxin (ATX). This protein is a member of the ectonucleotide pyrophosphatase and phosphodiesterase family of enzymes, but unlike other members of this group, ATX possesses lysophospholipase D activity. This enzymatic activity hydrolyzes lysophosphatidylcholine to generate the potent tumor growth factor and motogen lysophosphatidic acid (LPA). In the current study, we show a link between ATX expression, LPA, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling in ovarian cancer cell lines. Exogenous addition of VEGF-A to cultured cells induces ATX expression and secretion, resulting in increased extracellular LPA production. This elevated LPA, acting through LPA(4), modulates VEGF responsiveness by inducing VEGF receptor (VEGFR)-2 expression. Down-regulation of ATX secretion in SKOV3 cells using antisense morpholino oligomers significantly attenuates cell motility responses to VEGF, ATX, LPA, and lysophosphatidylcholine. These effects are accompanied by decreased LPA(4) and VEGFR2 expression as well as by increased release of soluble VEGFR1. Because LPA was previously shown to increase VEGF expression in ovarian cancer, our data suggest a positive feedback loop involving VEGF, ATX, and its product LPA that could affect tumor progression in ovarian cancer cells.

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) stimulates sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P)-sensitive motility in NIH3T3 clone7 cells. S1P inhibits motility only when added to the bottom well of the Boyden chamber, suggesting that pseudopodia can respond to their microenvironment. In order to study and localize this effect, we utilized a Transwell insert system to isolate pseudopodia. LPA stimulates protrusion of pseudopodia that are enriched in RhoA compared to cell bodies. Removal of LPA results in slow retraction with loss of vinculin-rich adhesion complexes and prolonged activation of RhoA. However, RhoA, ROCK and mDia are not required for this process. In contrast, rapid retraction, induced by adding S1P to the bottom well, is associated with a quick spike of activated RhoA and coalescence of adhesion complexes that colocalize with the ends of stress fibers. S1P-induced retraction requires RhoA and ROCK but is only delayed by inhibition of mDia. These data indicate that pseudopodia sense and integrate signals initiated by localized bioactive lipids, affecting both cellular polarity and their own function in motility.

In a recent report, we introduced Extended Range Proteomic Analysis (ERPA), an intermediate approach between top-down and bottom-up proteomics, for the comprehensive characterization at the trace level (fmol level) of large and complex proteins. In this study, we extended ERPA to determine quantitatively the temporal changes that occur in the tyrosine kinase receptor, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), upon stimulation. Specifically A 431 cells were stimulated with epidermal growth factor after which EGFR was immunoprecipitated at stimulation times of 0, 0.5, 2, and 10 min as well as 4 h. High sequence coverage was obtained (96%), and methods were developed for label-free quantitation of phosphorylation and glycosylation. A total of 13 phosphorylation sites were identified, and the estimated stoichiometry was determined over the stimulation time points, including Thr(P) and Ser(P) sites in addition to Tyr(P) sites. A total of 10 extracellular domain N-glycan sites were also identified, and major glycoforms at each site were quantitated. No change in the extent of glycosylation with stimulation was observed as expected. Finally potential binding partners to EGFR were identified based on changes in the amount of protein pulled down with EGFR as a function of time of stimulation. Many of the 19 proteins identified are known binding partners of EGFR. This work demonstrates that comprehensive characterization provides a powerful tool to aid in the study of important therapeutic targets. The detailed molecular information will prove useful in future studies in tissue.

Autotaxin (ATX, nucleotide pyrophosphate/phosphodiesterase-2) is an autocrine motility factor initially characterized from A2058 melanoma cell-conditioned medium. ATX is known to contribute to cancer cell survival, growth, and invasion. Recently ATX was shown to be responsible for the lysophospholipase D activity that generates lysophosphatidic acid (LPA). Production of LPA is sufficient to explain the effects of ATX on tumor cells. Cyclic phosphatidic acid (cPA) is a naturally occurring analog of LPA in which the sn-2 hydroxy group forms a 5-membered ring with the sn-3 phosphate. Cellular responses to cPA generally oppose those of LPA despite activation of apparently overlapping receptor populations, suggesting that cPA also activates cellular targets distinct from LPA receptors. cPA has previously been shown to inhibit tumor cell invasion in vitro and cancer cell metastasis in vivo. However, the mechanism governing this effect remains unresolved. Here we show that 3-carba analogs of cPA lack significant agonist activity at LPA receptors yet are potent inhibitors of ATX activity, LPA production, and A2058 melanoma cell invasion in vitro and B16F10 melanoma cell metastasis in vivo.

Background: Albumin binds low-molecular-weight molecules, including proteins and peptides, which then acquire its longer half-life, thereby protecting the bound species from kidney clearance. We developed an experimental method to isolate albumin in its native state and to then identify [mass spectrometry (MS) sequencing] the corresponding bound low-molecular-weight molecules. We used this method to analyze pooled sera from a human disease study set (high-risk persons without cancer, n = 40; stage I ovarian cancer, n = 30; stage III ovarian cancer, n = 40) to demonstrate the feasibility of this approach as a discovery method., Methods: Albumin was isolated by solid-phase affinity capture under native binding and washing conditions. Captured albumin-associated proteins and peptides were separated by gel electrophoresis and subjected to iterative MS sequencing by microcapillary reversed-phase tandem MS. Selected albumin-bound protein fragments were confirmed in human sera by Western blotting and immunocompetition., Results: In total, 1208 individual protein sequences were predicted from all 3 pools. The predicted sequences were largely fragments derived from proteins with diverse biological functions. More than one third of these fragments were identified by multiple peptide sequences, and more than one half of the identified species were in vivo cleavage products of parent proteins. An estimated 700 serum peptides or proteins were predicted that had not been reported in previous serum databases. Several proteolytic fragments of larger molecules that may be cancer-related were confirmed immunologically in blood by Western blotting and peptide immunocompetition. BRCA2, a 390-kDa low-abundance nuclear protein linked to cancer susceptibility, was represented in sera as a series of specific fragments bound to albumin., Conclusion: Carrier-protein harvesting provides a rich source of candidate peptides and proteins with potential diverse tissue and cellular origins that may reflect important disease-related information.

Recent advances in understanding the complex biology of the microenvironment that underlies tumor invasion and migration have revealed novel and promising therapeutic targets. Pharmacological blockade of intra- and extracellular signaling events that regulate migration and survival of multiple cell types may disrupt the host-tumor conspiracy that allows escape from normal developmental regulation.

Background: Autotaxin (ATX, NPP-2), originally purified as a potent tumor cell motility factor, is now known to be the long-sought plasma lysophospholipase D (LPLD). The integrity of the enzymatic active site, including three crucial histidine moieties, is required for motility stimulation, as well as LPLD and 5'nucleotide phosphodiesterase (PDE) activities. Except for relatively non-specific chelation agents, there are no known inhibitors of the ATX LPLD activity., Results: We show that millimolar concentrations of L-histidine inhibit ATX-stimulated but not LPA-stimulated motility in two tumor cell lines, as well as inhibiting enzymatic activities. Inhibition is reversed by 20-fold lower concentrations of zinc salt. L-histidine has no significant effect on the Km of LPLD, but reduces the Vmax by greater than 50%, acting as a non-competitive inhibitor. Several histidine analogs also inhibit the LPLD activity of ATX; however, none has greater potency than L-histidine and all decrease cell viability or adhesion., Conclusion: L-histidine inhibition of LPLD is not a simple stoichiometric chelation of metal ions but is more likely a complex interaction with a variety of moieties, including the metal cation, at or near the active site. The inhibitory effect of L-histidine requires all three major functional groups of histidine: the alpha amino group, the alpha carboxyl group, and the metal-binding imidazole side chain. Because of LPA's involvement in pathological processes, regulation of its formation by ATX may give insight into possible novel therapeutic approaches.

Cancer metastasis is a complex process involving many genes and pathways. This complexity hinders the identification of molecules functionally required for this process. We have developed and used a Drosophila screening system to identify genes that are functionally important for tumorigenicity and metastasis. Deletion of Drosophila lethal giant larvae (l(2)gl) leads to highly invasive and widely metastatic tumors on transplantation into adult flies. Random homozygous P element insertions were screened for the ability to modulate the l(2)gl phenotype. Analysis of metastasis patterns of the lines containing P element insertions and lacking wild-type l(2)gl expression identified three homozygous mutations that dramatically alter tumorigenesis and/or metastasis. Semaphorin 5c (Sema 5c) is required for tumorigenicity, apontic overexpression suppresses metastasis but not tumorigenicity, and pointed up-regulation accelerates lethality of l(2)gl tumors. Furthermore, class 5 semaphorins are shown to be expressed in cancer cells and localized to the membrane. Drosophila Sema-5c and the mammalian homologs are transmembrane proteins with extracellular thrombospondin type I (TspI) repeats. TspI repeats are known in some proteins to bind and activate transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta ligand. Phospho-Mad and the downstream target gene vestigial were elevated in l(2)gl tumors, thus linking Drosophila neoplasia to the Dpp (TGF-beta-like) signal pathway. The activation of the Dpp pathway in l(2)gl tumors occurred only in the presence of Sema-5c. This study demonstrates that the power of Drosophila genetics can be applied to screen, identify, and characterize molecules that are functionally required for invasion and metastasis.

Autotaxin (ATX) is an exoenzyme that potently induces tumor cell motility, and enhances experimental metastasis and angiogenesis. ATX was shown recently to be identical to serum lysophospholipase D activity, producing lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) from lyso-glycerophospholipids. LPA, itself a strong chemoattractant for tumor cells, may mediate the actions of ATX. We now extend the substrate specificity to sphingosylphosphorylcholine (SPC), which ATX hydrolyzes to sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P). Under migration assay conditions, this novel reaction for the production of S1P has a substrate (SPC) K(m) = 0.23 +/- 0.07 mM. In our responder cell lines (NIH3T3 clone7 and A2058), S1P exerts maximal biological effects at concentrations of 10-100 nM and is mimicked in its biological effects by ATX plus SPC. These effects include inhibition of ATX- and LPA-stimulated motility, and elevation of activated Rho. In NIH3T3 clone7 cells stimulated with platelet-derived growth factor and treated with 10-25 nM S1P, motility is not inhibited and activation of Rho is unaffected, indicating that S1P possesses specificity in its effects. The exoenzyme ATX can potentially regulate diverse processes such as motility and angiogenesis via the S1P family of receptors. Because ATX hydrolyzes nucleotides, lyso-glycerophospholipids, and phosphosphingolipids into bioactive products, it possesses the ability, depending on the availability of substrates, to act as positive or negative regulator of receptor-mediated activity in the cellular microenvironment.