Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0017636 (glioblastoma)
 18,345 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Effective treatment is lacking for malignant glioblastoma/astrocytoma. We have identified interleukin-4 receptors (IL-4R) on human malignant astrocytoma. We demonstrate that 16 of 21 surgical samples of high-grade astrocytoma and glioblastoma but not normal brain tissues expressed IL-4R as assessed by reverse transcriptase PCR. We further demonstrate that human malignant astrocytoma cell lines express high-affinity IL-4R. Using a chimeric protein composed of circularly permuted IL-4 and a truncated form of Pseudomonas exotoxin A, we observed that this toxin IL4(38-37)-PE38KDEL) is highly cytotoxic to IL-4R-bearing glioblastoma cells. Compared with a previously reported IL4-PE chimeric protein (IL-PE4E), IL4(38-37)-PE38KDEL bound with higher affinity and was 3-30-fold more cytotoxic to glioblastoma cell lines. Upon intrathecal administration in monkeys, high cerebrospinal fluid IL4(38-37)-PE38KDEL levels were achieved using 2- and 6-microg/kg doses without any central nervous system or other abnormalities. IL4(38-37)-PE38KDEL levels were not detectable in the serum of any monkey studied. When IL4(38-37)-PE38KDEL was injected into the right frontal cortex of rats, localized necrosis was observed at 1000-ng/ml doses but not at < or = 100-ng/ml doses. We conclude that by localized administration, nontoxic levels of IL4(38-37)-PE38KDEL can be achieved, which may have significant cytotoxic activity against malignant astrocytoma.
 ...
PMID:Preclinical development of a recombinant toxin containing circularly permuted interleukin 4 and truncated Pseudomonas exotoxin for therapy of malignant astrocytoma. 1145 21

Human glioblastoma but not normal brain cells express numerous receptors for the cytokine interleukin (IL)-4. To target these receptors, we have investigated the safety and activity of directly infusing IL-4(38-37)-PE38KDEL, a chimeric protein composed of circularly permuted IL-4 and a truncated form of Pseudomonas exotoxin (PE), into recurrent malignant high-grade gliomas. IL-4(38-37)-PE38KDEL (IL-4-toxin) was infused over a 4-8-day period into gliomas of nine patients by one to three stereotactically placed catheters. No apparent systemic toxicity occurred in any patient. The infusion of IL-4-toxin in six of nine patients showed glioma necrosis as evidenced by diminished gadolinium enhancement on magnetic resonance imaging. Seven of nine patients underwent craniotomy because of increased intracranial pressure at 16-101 days after the beginning of infusion. In six of these seven patients, partial-to-extensive tumor necrosis with edema was confirmed pathologically. No histological evidence of neurotoxicity to normal brain was identified in any patient. Two patients were not operated on; by magnetic resonance imaging, one showed mottled gadolinium enhancement, and the other showed extensive necrosis of tumor leading to complete remission; this patient remains disease-free > 18 months after the procedure. We conclude that direct glioma injection of IL-4(38-37)-PE38KDEL is safe without systemic toxicity. Local toxicity seemed attributable mainly to tumor necrosis or occasionally to the volume of infusion. Histological evidence of toxicity to normal brain was not observed and in many patients, could be pathologically excluded. Additional patients are being treated to determine the maximal tolerated concentration and volume of IL-4(38-37)-PE38KDEL.
 ...
PMID:Intratumoral administration of recombinant circularly permuted interleukin-4-Pseudomonas exotoxin in patients with high-grade glioma. 1087 64

Gene therapy using vector-mediated transfer of prodrug activating genes is a promising treatment approach for malignant tumors. As demonstrated recently, the novel prodrug activating gene coding for rabbit cytochrome P450 4B1 (CYP4B1) is able to induce tumor cell death at low micromolar concentrations in glioblastoma cells after treatment with the prodrug 4-ipomeanol (4-IM) in vitro and in vivo. The rabbit CYP4B1 converts this prodrug and other furane analogs and aromatic amines, such as 2-aminoanthracene, to highly toxic alkylating metabolites, whereas the human isoenzyme exhibits only minimal enzymatic activity. In the present study, the cDNA encoding rabbit CYP4B1 was used for pharmacogene therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Cell clones derived from the human HCC cell lines Hep3B, HuH-7, and HepG2 and stably expressing the chimeric protein CYP4B1-EGFP (the CYP4B1 coding sequence fused to the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) gene) were selected. HCC clones expressing EGFP served as controls. 4-IM rapidly induced tumor cell death in CYP4B1-EGFP-expressing clones at low concentrations (a 50% lethal dose of between 0.5 and 2 microg/mL). No signs of toxicity were found in control cells expressing EGFP even at high prodrug concentrations (20 microg/mL). Cell death occurred by apoptosis and was independent of functional p53. A pronounced direct bystander effect was observed in Hep3B cells, whereas bystander HepG2 and HuH-7 cells were highly resistant to toxic 4-IM metabolites. These results demonstrate that the CYP4B1/4-1M system efficiently and rapidly induces cell death in HCC cells, and that a cell line-specific mechanism may exist that limits the extent of the bystander effect of this novel prodrug activating system.
 ...
PMID:Rabbit cytochrome P450 4B1: A novel prodrug activating gene for pharmacogene therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma. 1091 3

We have demonstrated that primary interleukin 13 (IL-13) binding protein IL-13 receptor (IL-13R) alpha chain plays an important role in IL-13 binding and internalization in the IL-13R system. Although IL-13R alpha chain is expressed on many cancer cell lines, some cancer types do not express or express low levels of this receptor chain. Consequently, these cells show no or low sensitivity to the cytotoxic effect of a recombinant chimeric protein composed of IL-13 and a mutated form of a Pseudomonas exotoxin, IL13-PE38QQR. Here we demonstrate that pancreatic cancer, renal cell carcinoma, head and neck cancer, and glioblastoma cell lines that were genetically altered to express high levels of IL-13R alpha chain increase their binding affinity for IL-13, and increase their sensitivity to IL13-PE38QQR by at least 6-fold to 1000-fold compared with mock-transfected control cells. This observation was made by protein synthesis inhibition assay and confirmed by clonogenic assay. Our studies provide a proof of principle for a novel strategy for cancer therapy that combines gene transfer and targeted cytotoxin therapy.
 ...
PMID:Sensitization of cancer cells to interleukin 13-pseudomonas exotoxin-induced cell death by gene transfer of interleukin 13 receptor alpha chain. 1098 56

Surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy have minimally altered survival of glioblastoma patients. We explored a specific approach for glioblastoma therapy in which cellular interleukin-13 (IL-13) receptors were targeted by an IL-13 cytotoxin. A wide array of human glioblastoma cell lines expressing the receptor for IL-13 were effectively killed by an IL-13 cytotoxin, a chimeric protein composed of human IL-13 and a mutated form of Pseudomonas exotoxin (termed IL13-PE38QQR or IL-13 toxin). Daily (qd) intratumoral injections of IL-13 toxin (50 and 100 microg/kg/day) for 5 consecutive days into subcutaneous human U251 glioblastoma tumors (approx. 30 mm(2)) in nude mice resulted in complete regression of tumors in 4/5 and 5/5 mice, respectively. Tumor regression persisted for at least 221 days postimplantation. Three alternate day injections (qod) of IL-13 toxin (250 microg/kg/day) into other subcutaneous U87 glioblastoma tumors also produced durable complete responses (CR) in all 5 mice. Twice daily (bid) intraperitoneal injections of IL-13 toxin at 25 or 50 microg/kg/dose for 5 days (total doses = 10) regressed U251 tumors by 45% and 58% with 1/5 and 2/5 CRs, respectively, on day 54. Intraperitoneal administration of IL-13 toxin with an identical schedule at a dose of 50 microg/kg injected into mice bearing U87 xenografts reduced tumor burden by one-half on day 36. Similar doses (25 or 50 microg/kg) with a daily schedule (qd x 5) by the intravenous route also suppressed growth of U251 subcutaneous tumors by 75% and 81% with 1/6 CR in either group by day 34. All mice tolerated therapy well without any visible signs of toxicity. On the basis of these studies, we have initiated a Phase I clinical trial using IL13-PE38QQR in patients with recurrent glioblastoma. Published 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
 ...
PMID:Interleukin-13 receptor as a unique target for anti-glioblastoma therapy. 1129 Oct 41

A proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL) of the tumour necrosis factor (TNF) family is produced in small amounts in many tissues and more abundantly in tumours. APRIL has been reported to promote cell growth in vivo and in vitro. It was recently shown that the production of APRIL in some glioblastoma cell lines does not lead to an increase in cell growth. In this study, we investigated the production of APRIL and its ability to increase the proliferation of eight human glioblastoma cell lines. We found that APRIL was produced in the eight human glioblastoma cell lines tested but not in the normal embryonic astrocyte counterparts of glioblastomas. Flow cytometry demonstrated the presence of a specific APRIL-binding receptor on the cell surface in all the glioblastoma cell lines tested. This receptor was also present on normal embryonic and adult astrocytes and embryonic neural progenitor cells. Moreover, the addition of recombinant human APRIL resulted in an increase in proliferation rate of normal adult astrocytes and in four of eight cell lines tested. Addition of the soluble recombinant TNF-receptor-homologue B-cell maturation (BCMA) chimeric protein, which binds APRIL, confirmed the involvement of APRIL in the growth of malignant glioblastoma cell lines.
 ...
PMID:Abnormal production of the TNF-homologue APRIL increases the proliferation of human malignant glioblastoma cell lines via a specific receptor. 1469 52