Browsing by Subject "enzyme activity"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4

Open Access
Imetelstat (a telomerase antagonist) exerts off target effects on the cytoskeleton
(2013) Mender I.; Senturk, S.; Ozgunes, N.; Can Akcali, K.; Kletsas, D.; Gryaznov, S.; Can, A.; Shay J.W.; Dikmen, Z.G.
Telomerase is a cellular ribonucleoprotein reverse transcriptase that plays a crucial role in telomere maintenance. This enzyme is expressed in approximately 90% of human tumors, but not in the majority of normal somatic cells. Imetelstat sodium (GRN163L), is a 13-mer oligonucleotide N3'→P5' thio-phosphoramidate lipid conjugate, which represents the latest generation of telomerase inhibitors targeting the template region of the human functional telomerase RNA (hTR) subunit. In preclinical trials, this compound has been found to inhibit telomerase activity in multiple cancer cell lines, as well as in vivo xenograft mouse models. Currently, GRN163L is being investigated in several clinical trials, including a phase II human non small cell lung cancer clinical trial, in a maintenance setting following standard doublet chemotherapy. In addition to the inhibition of telomerase activity in cancer cell lines, GRN163L causes morphological cell rounding changes, independent of hTR expression or telomere length. This leads to the loss of cell adhesion properties; however, the mechanism underlying this effect is not yet fully understood. In the present study, we observed that GRN163L treatment leads to the loss of adhesion in A549 lung cancer cells, due to decreased E-cadherin expression, leading to the disruption of the cytoskeleton through the alteration of actin, tubulin and intermediate filament organization. Consequently, the less adherent cancer cells initially cease to proliferate and are arrested in the G1 phase of the cell cycle, accompanied by decreased matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) expression. These effects of GRN163L are independent of its telomerase catalytic activity and may increase the therapeutic efficacy of GRN163L by decreasing the adhesion, proliferation and metastatic potential of cancer cells in vivo.
Open Access
MST1 is a multifunctional caspase-independent inhibitor of androgenic signaling
(2011) Cinar, B.; Collak F.K.; Lopez, D.; Akgul, S.; Mukhopadhyay, N.K.; Kilicarslan, M.; Gioeli, D.G.; Freeman, M.R.
The MST1 serine - threonine kinase, a component of the RASSF1-LATS tumor suppressor network, is involved in cell proliferation and apoptosis and has been implicated in cancer. However, the physiologic role of MST1 in prostate cancer (PCa) is not well understood. Here, we investigated the possibility of a biochemical and functional link between androgen receptor (AR) and MST1 signaling. We showed that MST1 forms a protein complex with AR and antagonizes AR transcriptional activity as shown by coimmunoprecipitation (co-IP), promoter reporter analysis, and molecular genetic methods. In vitro kinase and site-specific mutagenesis approaches indicate that MST1 is a potent AR kinase; however, the kinase activity of MST1 and its proapoptotic functions were shown not to be involved in inhibition of AR. MST1 was also found in AR - chromatin complexes, and enforced expression of MST1 reduced the binding of AR to a well-characterized, androgen-responsive region within the prostate-specific antigen promoter. MST1 suppressed PCa cell growth in vitro and tumor growth in mice. Because MST1 is also involved in regulating the AKT1 pathway, this kinase may be an important new link between androgenic and growth factor signaling and a novel therapeutic target in PCa. ©2011 AACR.
Open Access
The spontaneous hemin release form Lumbricus terrestris hemoglobin
(1997) Smith, M.L.; Paul J.; Ohlsson P.I.; Paul, K.G.
The slow, spontaneous release of hemin from earthworm, Lumbricus terrestris, hemoglobin has been studied under mild conditions in the presence of excess apomyoglobin. This important protein is surprisingly unstable. The reaction is best described as hemin released from the globin into water, followed by quick engulfment by apomyoglobin. The energetics of this reaction are compared with those of other types of hemoglobins. Anomalously low activation energy and enthalpy are counterbalanced by a negative entropy. These values reflect significant low frequency protein motion and dynamics of earthworm hemoglobin and may also indicate an open structure distal to the heme. This is also supported by the infrared spectrum of the carbonyl hemoprotein, which indicates several types of distal interactions with the bound CO. The reported low heme to polypeptide ratio for this protein may be due to facile heme and hemin release by the circulating protein.
Open Access
Ynamide Click chemistry in development of triazole VEGFR2 TK modulators
(Elsevier Masson SAS, 2015) Vojtičková, M.; Dobiaš J.; Hanquet G.; Addová G.; Cetin-Atalay, R.; Yildirim, D.C.; Boháč, A.
Structure novelty, chemical stability and synthetic feasibility attracted us to design 1,2,3-triazole compounds as potential inhibitors of VEGFR2 tyrosine kinase. Novel triazoles T1-T7 were proposed by oxazole (AAZ from PDB: 1Y6A)/1,2,3-triazole isosteric replacement, molecular modelling and docking. In order to enable synthesis of T1-T7 we developed a methodology for preparation of ynamide 22. Compound 22 was used for all Click chemistry reactions leading to triazoles T1-T3 and T6-T7. Among the obtained products, T1, T3 and T7 specifically bind VEGFR2 TK and modulate its activity by concentration dependent manner. Moreover predicted binding poses of T1-T7 in VEGFR2 TK were similar to the one known for the oxazole inhibitor AAZ (PDB: 1Y6A). Unfortunately the VEGFR2 inhibition by triazoles e.g. T3 and T7 is lower than that determined for their oxazole bioisosters T3-ox and AAZ, resp. Different electronic properties of 1,2,3-triazole/oxazole heterocyclic rings were proposed to be the main reason for the diminished affinity of T1-T3, T6 and T7 to an oxazole AAZ inhibitor binding site in VEGFR2 TK (PDB: 1Y6A or 1Y6B). Moreover T1-T3 and T6 were screened on cytotoxic activity against two human hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines. Selective cytotoxic activity of T2 against aggressive Mahlavu cells has been discovered indicating possible affinity of T2 to Mahlavu constitutionally active PI3K/Akt pathway. © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS.