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Supplemental table 1. shRNA targeting sequences;Supplemental table 2. Primers for Q-PCR; Legends for 6 Supplemental Figures

PI3K/mTOR inhibition induced MSK1 mRNA expression

PI3K-targeting therapy represents one of the most sought-after therapies for glioblastoma (GBM). Several small-molecule inhibitors have been evaluated in clinical trials, however, the emergence of resistance limits treatment potential. Here, we generated a patient-derived glioma sphere–forming cell (GSC) xenograft model resistant to the PI3K-specific inhibitor BKM-120. Integrated RNA sequencing and high-throughput drug screening revealed that the Aurora A kinase (Aurora A)/Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1)/cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1) signaling pathway was the main driver of PI3K inhibitor resistance in the resistant xenografts. Aurora kinase was upregulated and pCDK1 was downregulated in resistant tumors from both xenografts and tumor tissues from patients treated with the PI3K inhibitor. Mechanistically, the tyrosine kinase receptor Tie2 physically interacted with FGFR1, promoting STAT3 phosphorylation and binding to the AURKA promoter, which increased Aurora A expression in resistant GSCs. Concurrent inhibition of Aurora A and PI3K signaling overcame PI3K inhibitor–induced resistance. This study offers a proof of concept to target PI3K and the collateral-activated pathway to improve GBM therapy.Significance:These findings provide novel insights into the mechanisms of PI3K inhibitor resistance in glioblastoma.

Supplementary Materials and Methods

Compounds map of high-throughput drug screening

Purpose:Exploration of novel strategies to extend the benefit of PARP inhibitors beyond BRCA-mutant cancers is of great interest in personalized medicine. Here, we identified EGFR amplification as a potential biomarker to predict sensitivity to PARP inhibition, providing selection for the glioblastoma (GBM) patient population who will benefit from PARP inhibition therapy.Experimental Design:Selective sensitivity to the PARP inhibitor talazoparib was screened and validated in two sets [test set (n = 14) and validation set (n = 13)] of well-characterized patient-derived glioma sphere-forming cells (GSC). FISH was used to detect EGFR copy number. DNA damage response following talazoparib treatment was evaluated by γH2AX and 53BP1 staining and neutral comet assay. PARP–DNA trapping was analyzed by subcellular fractionation. The selective monotherapy of talazoparib was confirmed using in vivo glioma models.Results:EGFR-amplified GSCs showed remarkable sensitivity to talazoparib treatment. EGFR amplification was associated with increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) and subsequent increased basal expression of DNA-repair pathways to counterelevated oxidative stress, and thus rendered vulnerability to PARP inhibition. Following talazoparib treatment, EGFR-amplified GSCs showed enhanced DNA damage and increased PARP–DNA trapping, which augmented the cytotoxicity. EGFR amplification–associated selective sensitivity was further supported by the in vivo experimental results showing that talazoparib significantly suppressed tumor growth in EGFR-amplified subcutaneous models but not in nonamplified models.Conclusions:EGFR-amplified cells are highly sensitive to talazoparib. Our data provide insight into the potential of using EGFR amplification as a selection biomarker for the development of personalized therapy.

This file contains supplementary Figure S1 to S6, and Table S3 and S4.

Supplemental Figures and legends for Figure S1-S8

Herbivory severely affects plant growth, posing a threat to crop production. Calcium ion (Ca

Background Temozolomide (TMZ) resistance in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is mediated by the DNA repair protein O6-methylguanine DNA methyltransferase (MGMT). MGMT promoter methylation (occurs in about 40% of patients) is associated with loss of MGMT expression (MGMT−) that compromises DNA repair, leading to a favorable response to TMZ therapy. The 60% of patients with unmethylated MGMT (MGMT+) GBM experience resistance to TMZ; in these patients, understanding the mechanism of MGMT-mediated repair and modulating MGMT activity may lead to enhanced TMZ activity. Here, we report a novel mode of regulation of MGMT protein activity by poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). Methods MGMT-PARP interaction was detected by co-immunoprecipitation. PARylation of MGMT and PARP was detected by co-immunoprecipitation with anti-PAR antibody. O6-methylguanine (O6-MetG) adducts were quantified by immunofluorescence assay. In vivo studies were conducted in mice to determine the effectiveness of PARP inhibition in sensitizing GBM to TMZ. Results We demonstrated that PARP physically binds with MGMT and PARylates MGMT in response to TMZ treatment. In addition, PARylation of MGMT by PARP is required for MGMT binding to chromatin to enhance the removal of O6-MetG adducts from DNA after TMZ treatment. PARP inhibitors reduced PARP-MGMT binding and MGMT PARylation, silencing MGMT activity to repair O6-MetG. PARP inhibition restored TMZ sensitivity in vivo in MGMT-expressing GBM. Conclusion This study demonstrated that PARylation of MGMT by PARP is critical for repairing TMZ-induced O6-MetG, and inhibition of PARylation by PARP inhibitor reduces MGMT function rendering sensitization to TMZ, providing a rationale for combining PARP inhibitors to sensitize TMZ in MGMT-unmethylated GBM.

Purpose:Exploration of novel strategies to extend the benefit of PARP inhibitors beyond BRCA-mutant cancers is of great interest in personalized medicine. Here, we identified EGFR amplification as a potential biomarker to predict sensitivity to PARP inhibition, providing selection for the glioblastoma (GBM) patient population who will benefit from PARP inhibition therapy.Experimental Design:Selective sensitivity to the PARP inhibitor talazoparib was screened and validated in two sets [test set (n = 14) and validation set (n = 13)] of well-characterized patient-derived glioma sphere-forming cells (GSC). FISH was used to detect EGFR copy number. DNA damage response following talazoparib treatment was evaluated by γH2AX and 53BP1 staining and neutral comet assay. PARP–DNA trapping was analyzed by subcellular fractionation. The selective monotherapy of talazoparib was confirmed using in vivo glioma models.Results:EGFR-amplified GSCs showed remarkable sensitivity to talazoparib treatment. EGFR amplification was associated with increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) and subsequent increased basal expression of DNA-repair pathways to counterelevated oxidative stress, and thus rendered vulnerability to PARP inhibition. Following talazoparib treatment, EGFR-amplified GSCs showed enhanced DNA damage and increased PARP–DNA trapping, which augmented the cytotoxicity. EGFR amplification–associated selective sensitivity was further supported by the in vivo experimental results showing that talazoparib significantly suppressed tumor growth in EGFR-amplified subcutaneous models but not in nonamplified models.Conclusions:EGFR-amplified cells are highly sensitive to talazoparib. Our data provide insight into the potential of using EGFR amplification as a selection biomarker for the development of personalized therapy.

PI3K-targeting therapy represents one of the most sought-after therapies for glioblastoma (GBM). Several small-molecule inhibitors have been evaluated in clinical trials, however, the emergence of resistance limits treatment potential. Here, we generated a patient-derived glioma sphere–forming cell (GSC) xenograft model resistant to the PI3K-specific inhibitor BKM-120. Integrated RNA sequencing and high-throughput drug screening revealed that the Aurora A kinase (Aurora A)/Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1)/cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1) signaling pathway was the main driver of PI3K inhibitor resistance in the resistant xenografts. Aurora kinase was upregulated and pCDK1 was downregulated in resistant tumors from both xenografts and tumor tissues from patients treated with the PI3K inhibitor. Mechanistically, the tyrosine kinase receptor Tie2 physically interacted with FGFR1, promoting STAT3 phosphorylation and binding to the AURKA promoter, which increased Aurora A expression in resistant GSCs. Concurrent inhibition of Aurora A and PI3K signaling overcame PI3K inhibitor–induced resistance. This study offers a proof of concept to target PI3K and the collateral-activated pathway to improve GBM therapy.Significance:These findings provide novel insights into the mechanisms of PI3K inhibitor resistance in glioblastoma.

Fruits are excellent sources of essential vitamins and health-boosting minerals. Recently, regulation of fruit ripening by both internal and external cues for the improvement of fruit quality and shelf life has received considerable attention. Rosmarinic acid (RA) is a kind of natural plant-derived polyphenol, widely used in the drug therapy and food industry due to its distinct physiological functions. However, the role of RA in plant growth and development, especially at the postharvest period of fruits, remains largely unknown. Here, we demonstrated that postharvest RA treatment delayed the ripening in tomato fruits. Exogenous application of RA decreased ripening-associated ethylene production and inhibited the fruit color change from green to red based on the decline in lycopene accumulation. We also found that the degradation of sucrose and malic acid during ripening was significantly suppressed in RA-treated tomato fruits. The results of metabolite profiling showed that RA application promoted the accumulation of multiple amino acids in tomato fruits, such as aspartic acid, serine, tyrosine, and proline. Meanwhile, RA application also strengthened the antioxidant system by increasing both the activity of antioxidant enzymes and the contents of reduced forms of antioxidants. These findings not only unveiled a novel function of RA in fruit ripening, but also indicated an attractive strategy to manage and improve shelf life, flavor, and sensory evolution of tomato fruits.

The most common cancer therapies including chemo- and radiation therapy are designed to induce cell death by DNA damage. However, DNA damage response (DDR) repair pathways initiated by tumor cells can resist the effect of anticancer drugs thus providing the rationale for combining DNA repair pathway inhibitors with radiation and DNA damaging anticancer drugs. The reliance of different cancer to different DDR mechanism can guide for targeted use of specific DDR inhibitor to maximize tumor cell killing. Here, we show the differential activities of two classes of DDR pathway inhibitors, Ataxia Telangiectasia- and Rad3-related kinase (ATRi) and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases inhibitors (PARPi) across 20 glioma stem cell (GSC) lines. Using a panel of 3 ATRi, we identified a subgroup of GSCs, showing significant synergism with TMZ combination but resistant to ATRi single agent monotherapy. Interestingly, majority of the synergistic cell lines are associated with MGMT promoter methylation, suggesting that only tumor cells with no MGMT repair will benefit from ATR inhibition. Moreover, we also observe that PARPi + TMZ showed synergism only in MGMT unmethylated GSC cells suggesting that this synergism is a result of the dual function of PARPi in blocking BER repair and blocking MGMT PARylation thus abolishing MGMT mediated repair. Altogether, we believe MGMT methylation status in primary GBM could function as a strong biomarker for patient selection for ATRi or PARPi combination with TMZ in the clinic. We are currently exploring the activity of the triple combination of TMZ + PARPi + ATRi for the small subgroup of GSCs that do not show response to either TMZ + ATRi or PARPi + TMZ combinations.

To achieve high-performance sensorless speed control for the interior permanent magnet synchronous motor (IPMSM) drive system, a terminal sliding mode observer based robust backstepping control is proposed in this paper. Firstly, an integral-type terminal sliding mode observer is designed to replace the real mechanical sensor to obtain the rotor position and speed information. Stability of the observer is guaranteed. Then, a robust backstepping controller with integral and sliding mode actions is designed to achieve speed regulation despite uncertainties and disturbances. The convergence for the backstepping control system is ensured. Finally, the sufficient conditions for input-to-state stability (ISS) property of the observer-controller closed-loop system are also analyzed. Simulation and comparison results have demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed sensorless control scheme.

Electric drive system with directly coupled traction motor and two-speed transmission is a good choice for electric vehicles because of the potential in energy efficiency improvement and motor size reduction. Here, a control hierarchy of the electric powertrain has been applied, which comprises an optimal shift schedule at entire driving cycles as well as torque and speed control of the traction motor at the certain shift process. Firstly, the energy-saving shift schedule is investigated by dynamic programming methods. Then, bench tests of the integrated motor-transmission system are conducted. The oscillation of driveline and unsatisfied speed regulation of the traction motor are observed in the experiment results, which will deteriorate the shift performance. Therefore, an anti-jerking robust controller is designed to attenuate the vibration of the powertrain and a robust speed controller is proposed to enhance the speed synchronisation capability of the traction motor. Simulation results indicate that the obtained shift schedule is effective to improve the energy efficiency and the robust shift process control can enhance the drive ability.

Active telomerase is essential for stem cells and most cancers to maintain telomeres. The enzymatic activity of telomerase is related but not equivalent to the expression of TERT, the catalytic subunit of the complex. Here we show that telomerase enzymatic activity can be robustly estimated from the expression of a 13-gene signature. We demonstrate the validity of the expression-based approach, named EXTEND, using cell lines, cancer samples, and non-neoplastic samples. When applied to over 9,000 tumors and single cells, we find a strong correlation between telomerase activity and cancer stemness. This correlation is largely driven by a small proliferating cancer cell population that exhibits both high telomerase activity and cancer stemness. This study establishes a novel computational framework for quantifying telomerase enzymatic activity and provides new insights into the relationships among telomerase, cancer proliferation, and stemness.

Active telomerase is essential for stem cells and most cancers to maintain telomeres. The enzymatic activity of telomerase is related but not equivalent to the expression of TERT, the catalytic subunit of the complex. Here we show that telomerase enzymatic activity can be robustly estimated from the expression of a 13-gene signature. We demonstrate the validity of the expression-based approach, named EXTEND, using cell lines, cancer samples, and non-neoplastic samples. When applied to over 9,000 tumors and single cells, we find a strong correlation between telomerase activity and cancer stemness. This correlation is largely driven by a small population of proliferating cancer cells that exhibits both high telomerase activity and cancer stemness. This study establishes a computational framework for quantifying telomerase enzymatic activity and provides new insights into the relationships among telomerase, cancer proliferation, and stemness., Telomerase activity correlates with distinct cell states, but can be challenging to quantify. Here the authors quantify telomerase activity across a range of biological samples using the expression of 13 genes, and show it correlates with cancer cell proliferation and stemness.

Comprehensive analysis of the TCGA Glioblastoma database has identified 3 prognostically relevant subgroups (Proneural, Classical and Mesenchymal). Interestingly, it has also revealed a near mutual exclusivity of EGFR amplification and TP53 mutations. There are only a few tumors with both amplified EGFR and mutant TP53. We decided to investigate the functional relationship between EGFR and TP53 relative to tumorigenesis and tumor proliferation. We selected from our molecularly characterized GSC bank a series of EGFR amplified+TP53wt/TP53mut lines for this study. Here we report that EGFR amplification overrides the effect of p53wt but co-regulates tumorigenesis with TP53R175H mutation. We show that CRISPR EGFR knockout in TP53wt cells leads to complete loss of cell growth suggesting that EGFR is essential for cell survival, providing growth signal and suppression of p53wt function. We further show that EGFR induces physical binding between p53wt and DNA-PKcs, which suppresses p53wt by inhibiting p53 phosphorylation at S15. The knockdown of DNA-PKcs restores p53wt anti-tumor function. In contrast, GSC262 harboring TP53R175H mutation is the only GSC that survives after EGFR knockout, suggesting that this specific mutation has a gain of function (GOF) to sustain growth without EGFR. This is confirmed by dual knockout of EGFR and TP53R175H showing no surviving cells. Further investigation shows both EGFR and p53R175H induce tumor glycolysis, the major energy metabolism and heightened growth signal for this group. We further show that EGFR mediated suppression of p53R175H is through DNA-PKcs binding to p53R175H and reduced S15 phosphorylation. Taken together, this study reveals 1) EGFR amplification is essential for tumor growth in TP53wt GSCs; 2) novel crosstalk between EGFR and p53 through DNA-PKcs. 3) EGFR suppresses p53wt function by providing the energy required for tumor growth through inducing glycolysis, and 4) TP53R175H is a GOF mutation that sustains life without EGFR by inducing glycolysis.

Ischemic stroke (IS) is the main cause of mortality and disability in China; thus, this study aimed to examine the association between six variants and their haplotypes within the transferrin (TF) gene and the risk of IS in the Southern Chinese Han population. Genotyping was performed using the Sequenom MassARRAY platform for 249 IS patients and 249 age- and sex-matched controls. The association between polymorphisms and IS risk was tested by Chi squared test and haplotype and stratification analysis. Odds ratios (ORs) and confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated by unconditional logistic regression analysis. The results of genetic model analyses indicated that the two SNPs (rs1880669 and rs2692695) were associated with decreased IS risk under the co-dominant, dominant, and additive models. Additionally, rs4525863 was also associated with decreased IS risk both under the dominant and additive models in males. Moreover, the CG haplotype of TF (rs1880669 and rs2692695) was significantly associated with a decreased risk of IS in the total population and males. Our findings suggested that polymorphisms (rs4525863, rs1880669, and rs2692695) of the TF gene might be a protective factor for IS in Southern Chinese Han population. Further large prospective studies are required to confirm these findings.

Public interest in pure electric vehicles equipped with two-speed automatic mechanical transmission is increasing because of not only widened high-efficiency operation zone but also reduced speed r...

Glioblastoma (GBM) is an aggressive brain tumor and has an extremely poor prognosis despite the use of multiple treatment modalities. DNA damage response (DDR) signaling plays an important role in inducing radiation and temozolomide (TMZ) resistance and hence has emerged as a molecular target for therapeutic development. The Ataxia Telangiectasia and Rad3-related protein (ATR) kinase is a key regulator of the DDR machinery, activated by DNA damage. Here, we show that three clinical-grade ATR inhibitors (Bay1895344, AZD6738 and Berzosertib) had similar selective sensitivity pattern across 16 glioma-like stem cell (GSC) lines tested. ATR inhibitors inhibited the growth of GSCs at low nanomolar range concentrations. Interestingly, all three ATR inhibitors showed a significant synergism with TMZ in a selective group of GSCs (Combination index and Bliss model). Importantly, we demonstrate that MGMT promoter methylation status was associated with cellular response to combination treatment with preferential inhibition of cell growth in MGMT promotor methylated (MGMT deficient) cell lines. Further, we compared the RNA-seq data from GSCs in the synergism and non-synergism group and used multiple complementary approaches to identify the response marker that confer sensitivity to combination therapy. Our preliminary data analysis identified several genes that confer sensitivity to combination treatment and studies are underway to validate the data. We also investigated the efficacy of BBB penetrant ATR inhibitor BAY 1895344 in orthotropic xenografts and administration of BAY 1895344 and TMZ combination significantly reduced tumor size and extended survival in an intracranial animal model. Combining ATR inhibitor with TMZ was well tolerated and did not confer additional toxicity as the body weights of TMZ and combination groups were comparable. The findings from this study provides a rationale to use ATR inhibitors in combination with TMZ in MGMT methylated tumors to improve therapeutic efficacy of standard of care for GBM patients.

Genomic, transcriptional, and proteomic analyses of brain tumors reveal that subtypes differ in their pathway activity, progression, and response to therapy. We performed an expression profiling of Glioma Initiating Cells (GICs) and comparative analysis between different groups of GICs indicates major variations in gene expression. Hierarchical clustering analysis revealed groups of GICs reflecting their heterogeneity, and among some of the genes as major regulators of mesenchymal phenotype, we identified ABOBEC3G as one of the most discriminating genes in mesenchymal group. ABOBEC3G revealed a strong correlation with overall survival in TCGA GBM patient cohorts. APOBEC3G regulates cell invasion and silencing of this gene in GICs inhibits cell invasion and also glioma sphere initiation. APOBEC3G controls invasion through TGFβ/Smad2 pathway by regulating Smad2 target genes Thrombospondin 1, matrix metallopeptidase 2 and TIMP metallopeptidase inhibitor 1. We also show that targeting APOBEC3G can sensitize cancer cells to radiation induced cell death by attenuating activation of the DNA repair pathway. This response is mainly shown by decreased pChk2 expression in knockdown APOBEC3G cells. Taken together, we show that APOBEC3G gene is a mesenchymal enriched gene that controls invasion and knockdown of APOBEC3G sensitizes cells to radiation induced cell death, suggesting that APOBEC3G can be considered for use in stratifying patients with GBM for prognostic considerations.

Temozolomide (TMZ) is the standard chemotherapy for malignant gliomas (MG), and resistance to this drug is mediated by the DNA repair protein O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT). Epigenetic silencing of the MGMT gene by promoter methylation in about 40% patients is associated with loss of MGMT expression that compromises DNA repair leading to favorable response to TMZ therapy. Understanding the mechanism of MGMT mediated repair and modulating MGMT activity will enhance TMZ activity in MGMT unmethylated MG. Here we report a novel mode of regulation of MGMT protein activity by Poly-ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP). We found that PAPR physically interacts with MGMT and PARylates MGMT in response to TMZ treatment. We further showed PARylation of MGMT by PAPR is required for MGMT binding to DNA and to remove O6-methylguanine adducts in damaged DNA induced by TMZ. All 4 PARP inhibitors (trapping and non-trapping) tested (Talazoparib, Pamiparib, Veliparib, Olaparib) can inhibit PARP-MGMT binding, PARylation of MGMT, binding to DNA and subsequent removal of O6 - lesions in damaged DNA. We showed combination of PARP inhibitor with TMZ potentiated TMZ cytotoxicity in both MGMT methylated and unmethylated Glioma stem cell lines, but more profoundly in unmethylated group in vitro and in vivo. PARP inhibition acted as a double-edged sword in MGMT unmethylated MG: blocking BER/SSBR pathway to repair TMZ induced N7-MetG and O3-MetA, and more importantly, suppressing PARP-mediated PARylation of MGMT and thus silencing MGMT activity to repair O6-MetG, resulting in augmented cytotoxicity. This is the first study to show that PARylation of MGMT by PARP is required for repairing TMZ-induced O6-methylguanine adducts, and inhibition of MGMT PARylation abolishes MGMT function and renders sensitization to TMZ treatment. This finding provides a rationale for combining TMZ/CCNU and PARP inhibitors in MGMT unmethylated MG patients to enhance the benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and lethal primary intracranial tumor. Aggressive surgical resection plus radiotherapy and temozolomide have prolonged patients’ median survival to only 14.6 months. Therefore, there is a critical need to develop novel therapeutic strategies for GBM. In this study, we evaluated the effect of NOTCH signaling intervention by gamma-secretase inhibitors (GSIs) on glioma sphere-forming cells (GSCs). GSI sensitivity exhibited remarkable selectivity among wild-type TP53 (wt-p53) GSCs. GSIs significantly impaired the sphere formation of GSCs harboring wt-p53. We also identified a concurrence between GSI sensitivity, NOTCH1 expression, and wt-p53 activity in GSCs. Through a series of gene editing and drug treatment experiments, we found that wt-p53 did not modulate NOTCH1 pathway, whereas NOTCH1 signaling positively regulated wt-p53 expression and activity in GSCs. Finally, GSIs (targeting NOTCH signaling) synergized with doxorubicin (activating wt-p53) to inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis in wt-p53 GSCs. Taken together, we identified wt-p53 as a potential marker for GSI sensitivity in GSCs. Combining GSI with doxorubicin synergistically inhibited the proliferation and survival of GSCs harboring wt-p53.

PURPOSE Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling is highly active in glioblastomas. We assessed pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and efficacy of the pan-PI3K inhibitor buparlisib in patients with recurrent glioblastoma with PI3K pathway activation. METHODS This study was a multicenter, open-label, multi-arm, phase II trial in patients with PI3K pathway–activated glioblastoma at first or second recurrence. In cohort 1, patients scheduled for re-operation after progression received buparlisib for 7 to 13 days before surgery to evaluate brain penetration and modulation of the PI3K pathway in resected tumor tissue. In cohort 2, patients not eligible for re-operation received buparlisib until progression or unacceptable toxicity. Once daily oral buparlisib 100 mg was administered on a continuous 28-day schedule. Primary end points were PI3K pathway inhibition in tumor tissue and buparlisib pharmacokinetics in cohort 1 and 6-month progression-free survival (PFS6) in cohort 2. RESULTS Sixty-five patients were treated (cohort 1, n = 15; cohort 2, n = 50). In cohort 1, reduction of phosphorylated AKTS473 immunohistochemistry score was achieved in six (42.8%) of 14 patients, but effects on phosphoribosomal protein S6S235/236 and proliferation were not significant. Tumor-to-plasma drug level was 1.0. In cohort 2, four (8%) of 50 patients reached 6-month PFS6, and the median PFS was 1.7 months (95% CI, 1.4 to 1.8 months). The most common grade 3 or greater adverse events related to treatment were lipase elevation (n = 7 [10.8%]), fatigue (n = 4 [6.2%]), hyperglycemia (n = 3 [4.6%]), and elevated ALT (n = 3 [4.6%]). CONCLUSION Buparlisib had minimal single-agent efficacy in patients with PI3K-activated recurrent glioblastoma. Although buparlisib achieved significant brain penetration, the lack of clinical efficacy was explained by incomplete blockade of the PI3K pathway in tumor tissue. Integrative results suggest that additional study of PI3K inhibitors that achieve more-complete pathway inhibition may still be warranted.

Poly-ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) is an enzyme critical for regulating a variety of DNA damage repair mechanisms. In this study, we report that PARP inhibitor, talazoparib, showed strong single-agent cytotoxicity and remarkable selective activity in glioma stem-like cells (GSCs). This single agent activity was strongly correlated with EGFR amplification as shown by genomic analysis. GSCs withEGFR amplification (which occurs in about 45% of GBMs) exhibited higher oxidative base damage, DNA breaks, and genomic instability than non-amplified GSCs. To sustain the elevated basal oxidative stress, EGFR amplified GSCs harbored increased basal expression of DNA repair proteins. As a result, DNA damage and PARP-DNA complexes increased in the amplified GSCs following talazoparib treatment, which may explain the sensitivity of these GSCs to talazoparib. Further, we show that EGFR kinase activity is important for talazoparib sensitivity, as kinase-inactive EGFR mutant and EGFR knockout cell lines were resistant to talazoparib. Intriguingly, another PAPR inhibitor Olaparib, with similar PARP enzymatic inhibition potential but less PARP-trapping ability compared with talazoparib, did not show selective sensitivity in EGFR amplified GSCs. Our data provide insight into the anti-cancer activity of talazoparib through PARP inhibition and by trapping PARP-DNA complexes. In conclusion we propose the potential of EGFR amplification as a biomarker for selection of the development of personalized therapy.

The lack of knowledge about the relationship between tumor genotypes and therapeutic responses remains one of the most important gaps in enabling the development of effective targeted cancer therapies. Increasing evidence supports the notion that DNA damage response (DDR) signaling plays an important role in inducing radiation and temozolomide (TMZ) resistance in glioblastoma (GBM) and hence, it has emerged as a molecular target for therapeutic development. The cellular response to TMZ therapy is critically mediated by MGMT and DDR signaling networks that are regulated by Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated (ATM) and Ataxia Telangiectasia and Rad3-related protein (ATR). ATR is a primary sensor of DNA damage initiating subsequent repair leading to cell survival. Here, we show that three clinical grade ATR inhibitors (Bay1895344, AZD6738 and VE-822) had similar selective sensitivity pattern across eight glioma-like stem cells (GSC) lines tested with three (GSC28, GSC11, GSC274) being the most sensitive, and three (GSC300, GSC272, and GSC20) being the most resistant cell lines. Interestingly, all three ATR inhibitors showed a significant synergism with TMZ (Combination index and Bliss model) in GSC300, GSC272, and GSC20, and antagonism in GSC28, GSC11, and GSC274. Further analysis showed that the synergistic group was resistant to single agent ATR inhibitor, whereas antagonistic group was inherently sensitive to ATR inhibitor. The synergistic response was not associated with any major genetic alterations such as MGMT status, EGFR amplification, PTEN deletion/mutation, or p53 deletion/mutation. However, GSEA analysis of baseline RNA-seq data of the 6 cell lines showed an enhanced expression of six DNA damage/repair/response pathways in the antagonistic group. It suggests that a low level of DNA damage/repair/response pathways could be a marker of synergy for TMZ with ATR inhibitors in GBM. Further studies are underway to validate this observation in more GSC lines in vitro and in vivo.

This paper proposes a higher-order sliding mode observer based robust backstepping control to realize high-performance sensorless speed regulation for the interior permanent magnet synchronous motor (IPMSM). A new robust adaptive super-twisting higher-order sliding mode based observer is proposed to estimate the rotor position. The proposed observer has advantages of sliding chattering reduction and robustness against uncertainties. And, a new robust integral adaptive backstepping control with sliding mode actions is designed to achieve precise speed regulation. The uncertainties with unknown bounds can be stabilized by the sliding mode actions. And both transient and steady performance can be achieved by using the sliding mode and integral actions simultaneously. Then, a sensorless scheme is put forward to by combining the presented observer and the proposed controller. The stability of the observer and controller are verified. Simulation and experiment results validate the proposed approach.

Glioblastoma (GBM) remains one of the most lethal and difficult-to-treat cancers. The poor prognosis of GBM patients is due in part to its resistance to available treatments, which calls for development of novel therapeutic agents/regimen. In this study, we tested a series of patient-derived primary glioma stem cells (GSCs) to 3 GSIs (RO4929097, BMS-708163, and LY3039478) by sphere formation assay. GSI sensitivity was defined by statistically significant inhibition of sphere forming ability. 46% of the GSC lines showed significant impairment by both GSIs (p

Background Oncogenic activation of phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K) signaling plays a pivotal role in the development of glioblastoma (GBM). However, pharmacological inhibition of PI3K has so far not been therapeutically successful due to adaptive resistance through a rapid rewiring of cancer cell signaling. Here we identified that WEE1 is activated after transient exposure to PI3K inhibition and confers resistance to PI3K inhibition in GBM. Methods Patient-derived glioma-initiating cells and established GBM cells were treated with PI3K inhibitor or WEE1 inhibitor alone or in combination, and cell proliferation was evaluated by CellTiter-Blue assay. Cell apoptosis was analyzed by TUNEL, annexin V staining, and blotting of cleaved caspase-3 and cleaved poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase. Both subcutaneous xenograft and orthotropic xenograft studies were conducted to evaluate the effects of the combination on tumorigenesis; the tumor growth was monitored by bioluminescence imaging, and tumor tissue was analyzed by immunohistochemistry to validate signaling changes. Results PI3K inhibition activates WEE1 kinase, which in turn phosphorylates cell division control protein 2 homolog (Cdc2) at Tyr15 and inhibits Cdc2 activity, leading to G2/M arrest in a p53-independent manner. WEE1 inhibition abrogated the G2/M arrest and propelled cells to prematurely enter into mitosis and consequent cell death through mitotic catastrophe and apoptosis. Additionally, combination treatment significantly suppressed tumor growth in a subcutaneous model but not in an intracranial model due to limited blood-brain barrier penetration. Conclusions Our findings highlight WEE1 as an adaptive resistant gene activated after PI3K inhibition, and inhibition of WEE1 potentiated the effectiveness of PI3K targeted inhibition, suggesting that a combinational inhibition of WEE1 and PI3K might allow successful targeted therapy in GBM.

37 unconditional QTLs, 51 conditional QTLs and considerable epistatic QTLs were detected for waterlogging tolerance, and six favourable combinations were selected accelerating the possible application of MAS in chrysanthemum breeding. Chrysanthemum is seriously impacted by soil waterlogging. To determine the genetic characteristics of waterlogging tolerance (WAT) in chrysanthemum, a population of 162 F1 lines was used to construct a genetic map to identify the dynamic and epistatic quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for four WAT traits: wilting index (WI), dead leaf ratio (DLR), chlorosis score (Score) and membership function value of waterlogging (MFVW). The h B 2 for the WAT traits ranged from 0.49 to 0.64, and transgressive segregation was observed in both directions. A total of 37 unconditional consensus QTLs with 5.81–18.21% phenotypic variation explanation (PVE) and 51 conditional consensus QTLs with 5.90–24.56% PVE were detected. Interestingly, three unconditional consensus QTLs were consistently identified across different stages, whereas no conditional consensus QTLs were consistently expressed. In addition, considerable epistatic QTLs, all with PVE values ranging from 0.01 to 8.87%, were detected by a joint analysis of WAT phenotypes. These results illustrated that the QTLs (genes) controlling WAT were environmentally dependent and selectively expressed at different times and indicated that both additive and epistatic effects underlie the inheritance of WAT in chrysanthemum. The findings of the current study provide insights into the complex genetic architecture of WAT, and the identification of favourable alleles represents an important step towards the application of molecular marker-assisted selection (MAS) and QTL pyramiding in chrysanthemum WAT breeding programmes.

2047 Background: Poly-ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) is an enzyme critical for regulating a variety of DNA damage repair mechanisms such as BER/SSBR, and PARP inhibitors have been shown to have single agent activity in breast and ovarian cancer patients with BRCA ½ mutations. However, PARP inhibitor such as veliparib has limited single agent activity in GBM and identifying markers predicting sensitivity is critical to select individuals or certain groups of patients for PARP inhibitor therapy. Methods: Potency and selectivity of PARP inhibitors were analyzed in a panel of glioma stem cells (GSCs) with varying genetic background. In vivo anti-tumor activity was evaluated in xenograft models. Results: In this study, we report that PARP inhibitor, talazoparib, showed strong single-agent cytotoxicity and remarkable selective activity in glioma stem cells (GSCs). This single agent activity was strongly correlated with EGFR amplification. GSCs with EGFR amplification (which occurs in about 45% of GBMs) showed higher oxidative base damage, DNA breaks, and genomic instability than non-amplified GSCs. To sustain the elevated basal oxidative stress, EGFR-amplified GSCs had increased basal expression of DNA repair proteins. As a result of blocked DNA damage repair by talazoparib treatment, DNA damage accumulated and lead to increased PARP-DNA complexes, which was then trapped by talazoparib and resulted in high toxicity. The PARP-DNA trapping function of PARPi is essential as olaparib and veliparib, two PARP inhibitors with weak DNA-PARP trapping potential did not show sensitivity in GSCs. In contrast, Pamiparib, another PARP inhibitor with similar PARP-DNA trapping ability to that of talazoparib, showed selective sensitivity in EGFR-amplified GSC. Conclusions: Our data showed that EGFR amplified GSCs with higher basal DNA damage exhibited therapeutic vulnerability to PARP inhibitors with high PARP-DNA trapping ability, and that EGFR amplification is a potential selection or predictive biomarker for PARP inhibitor therapy in GBM.

Deregulated uptake of glucose and amino acids is one of the hallmarks of cancer metabolism. Clinical trials and numerous drugs have been designed to target cancer cell metabolism, however, the effect on cell growth inhibition and how tumor cell metabolism couples with cell growth remain unclear. In this study, we report the glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs) growth dependence on nutrients (glucose, amino acid, and fatty acid) and oxygen. We show that the basal metabolic activities are unable to reflect the extent of proliferation inhibition by metabolic inhibitors. 2-DG (20mM) downregulated extracellular acidification rate (ECAR) more effectively in GSCs with higher glycolytic activity (Pearson r=0.71, p=0.08), the basal glycolytic activity, however, was not significantly correlated with glycolysis inhibitor (2-Deoxy-D-glucose, 2-DG) sensitivity (Pearson r=0.35, p=0.44), indicating basal glycolytic activity cannot predict GSC response to glycolysis inhibitor. Similarly, basal oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) activity also failed to predict GSC responses to OXPHOS inhibition. Although GSCs showed the consistent susceptibility against oligomycin (complex V inhibitor) and hypoxia (Pearson r=0.61, p=0.15), there is no significant correlation between basal oxygen consumption rate (OCR) and oligomycin/hypoxia-induced proliferation inhibition. Thus, both basal glycolytic and basal OXPHOS activities were unable to explain their roles in GSC growth. Studies are underway to investigate the effect of fatty acid and amino acid on tumor growth. As drugs targeting cancer metabolic processes always show dose-limiting toxicity, our study will focus on identifying new “druggable” targets according to GSC nutrient dependences and developing specific therapeutic strategy for GBM populations with certain nutrient dependence.

MDMX is an important regulator of p53 during embryonic development and malignant transformation. Previous studies showed that casein kinase 1α (CK1α) stably associates with MDMX, stimulates MDMX-p53 binding, and cooperates with MDMX to inactivate p53. However, the mechanism by which CK1α stimulates MDMX-p53 interaction remains unknown. Here, we present evidence that p53 binding by the MDMX N-terminal domain is inhibited by the central acidic region through an intramolecular interaction that competes for the p53 binding pocket. CK1α binding to the MDMX central domain and phosphorylation of S289 disrupts the intramolecular interaction, allowing the N terminus to bind p53 with increased affinity. After DNA damage, the MDMX-CK1α complex is disrupted by Chk2-mediated phosphorylation of MDMX at S367, leading to reduced MDMX-p53 binding. Therefore, CK1α is an important functional partner of MDMX. DNA damage activates p53 in part by disrupting CK1α-MDMX interaction and reducing MDMX-p53 binding affinity.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is an ideal candidate disease for signal transduction targeted therapy because the majority of these tumors harbor genetic alterations that result in aberrant activation of growth factor signaling pathways. Loss of heterozygosity of chromosome 10, mutations in the tumor suppressor gene PTEN, and PI3K mutations are molecular hallmarks of GBM and indicate poor prognostic outcomes in many cancers. Consequently, inhibiting the PI3K pathway may provide therapeutic benefit in these cancers. PI3K inhibitors generally block proliferation rather than induce apoptosis. To restore the sensitivity of GBM to apoptosis induction, targeted agents have been combined with conventional therapy. However, the molecular heterogeneity and infiltrative nature of GBM make it resistant to traditional single agent therapy. Our objectives were to test a dual PI3K/mTOR inhibitor that may cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and provide the rationale for using this inhibitor in combination regimens to chemotherapy-induced synergism in GBM. Here we report the preclinical potential of a novel, orally bioavailable PI3K/mTOR dual inhibitor, DS7423 (hereafter DS), in in-vitro and in-vivo studies. DS was tested in mice, and DS plasma and brain concentrations were determined. DS crossed the BBB and led to potent suppression of PI3K pathway biomarkers in the brain. The physiologically relevant concentration of DS was tested in 9 glioma cell lines and 22 glioma-initiating cell (GIC) lines. DS inhibited the growth of glioma tumor cell lines and GICs at mean 50% inhibitory concentration values of less than 250 nmol/L. We found that PI3K mutations and PTEN alterations were associated with cellular response to DS treatment; with preferential inhibition of cell growth in PI3KCA-mutant and PTEN altered cell lines. DS showed efficacy and survival benefit in the U87 and GSC11 orthotopic models of GBM. Furthermore, administration of DS enhanced the antitumor efficacy of temozolomide against GBM in U87 glioma models, which shows that PI3K/mTOR inhibitors may enhance alkylating agent-mediated cytotoxicity, providing a novel regimen for the treatment of GBM. Our present findings establish that DS can specifically be used in patients who have PI3K pathway activation and/or loss of PTEN function. Further studies are warranted to determine the potential of DS for glioma treatment.

The MDMX oncoprotein is an important regulator of tumor suppressor p53 activity during embryonic development. Despite sequence homology to the ubiquitin E3 ligase MDM2, MDMX depletion activates p53 without significant increase in p53 level, implicating a degradation-independent mechanism. We present evidence that MDMX inhibits the sequence-specific DNA binding activity of p53. This function requires the cooperation between MDMX and CK1α, and phosphorylation of S289 on MDMX. Depletion of MDMX or CK1α increases p53 DNA binding without stabilization of p53. A proteolytic fragment release assay revealed that in the MDMX-p53 complex, the MDMX acidic domain and RING domain interact stably with the p53 DNA binding domain. These interactions are referred to as secondary interactions because they only occur after the canonical-specific binding between the MDMX and p53 N termini, but exhibit significant binding stability in the mature complex. CK1α cooperates with MDMX to inhibit p53 DNA binding by further stabilizing the MDMX acidic domain and p53 core domain interaction. These results suggest that secondary intermolecular interaction is important in p53 regulation by MDMX, which may represent a common phenomenon in complexes containing multidomain proteins.

Oncogenic activation of the PI3K signaling pathway plays a pivotal role in the development of glioblastoma and is a major molecular target for therapeutic development. Multiple recent reports have described mechanisms of resistance to PI3K inhibitors. The goal of the present study was to identify ways to improve the efficacy of PI3K inhibitor-based therapy by overcoming adaptive resistance. Gene expression profiling before and after PI3K inhibitor treatment was analyzed by Affymetrix microarrays to identify molecular targets contributing resistance to PI3K inhibitor. We identified WEE-1 was markedly induced after BKM treatment. Wee1 is a critical component of the G2-M cell-cycle checkpoint control and mediates cell-cycle arrest by regulating the phosphorylation of CDC2. Inhibition of Wee1 by a selective small molecule inhibitor MK1775 can abrogate G2-M checkpoint, resulting in premature mitotic entry and cell death. We show that treatment with WEE1 inhibitor MK1775 inhibited BKM-induced Cdc2 Tyr15 phosphorylation, and forced GICs to enter into the mitotic phase of the cell cycle. Using a panel of GICs, we show that MK1775 synergizes with BKM to inhibit GBM cell proliferation. Also, MK1775 and BKM as a single agent alone partially blocks proliferation, however, combination of MK1775 and BKM induces apoptosis as evaluated by Annexin V positive cells, cleaved PARP and caspase 3, and TUNEL staining. MK1775 synergized with PI3K inhibitor to extend survival in an intracranial animal model. These results indicate that WEE1 inhibition potentiated the effectiveness of PI3K targeted inhibition in GBM.

Despite the availability of hundreds of drugs, there is little data on the efficacy of these agents in the extremely heterogeneous populations of tumor cells observed in glioblastoma. In this study, a high-throughput compound-screening (HTS) assay was used to identify drug sensitivities in a panel of 15 glioblastoma stem cell (GSC) lines, which are representative of the classic cancer genome atlas (TCGA) molecular subtypes, to 21 compounds in Published Protein Kinase Inhibitor Set (PKSI, GSK). This HTS screen identified sensitivity of GSCs to inhibitors of polo like kinase-1 (PLK-1), a key regulator of mitosis. Given that PLK-1 is often overexpressed in a broad spectrum of cancers, and with highest expression levels being correlated with poor prognosis in several cancer types, we further verified the HTS result with the second-generation PLK1 inhibitor volasertib as a single agent or in combination with ionizing radiation. Efficacy of volasertib was analyzed by Cell-Titer Glo 5 days after treatment. Molecular and cellular changes were approached by immunoblotting and flow cytometry. In vitro studies showed that volasertib inhibited cell viability with an IC50 ranging from 8.2nM to 4.36 µM. Volasertib induced G2/M arrest accompanied by high levels of PLK-1, Aurora B and phospho-histone 3 and prominent cleaved poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Colony formation assay demonstrated that volasertib plus ionizing radiation had synergistic effects on colony formation inhibition, suggesting that GSCs arrested in M phase by volasertib are more sensitive to ironizing radiation. Intracranial xenograft models showed that the combination of volasertib (10mg/Kg) and 10Gy radiation significantly inhibited GSC tumor growth and prolonged median survival when compared with radiation alone. Taken together, our results reinforce the potential therapeutic efficacy of volasertib in combination with radiation therapy for the treatment of glioblastoma.