Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0027819 (neuroblastoma)
 27,800 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

We have recently found that cells derived from human neuroblastoma, a sympathetic nervous system (SNS) tumor, dedifferentiate and acquire a neural crest-like phenotype when exposed to hypoxia. In the present study, global analysis of gene expression and quantitative PCR of relevant genes showed that hypoxia provokes a general adaptive response in neuroblastoma cells and confirm loss of the neuronal phenotype and gain of stem-cell characteristics. Of the approximately 17,000 genes and ESTs analyzed, 199 were consistently upregulated and 36 were downregulated more than 2-fold by hypoxia. As anticipated, several genes involved in glucose and iron metabolism and neovascularization were upregulated, the latter group we here show to include the gene encoding chromogranin C and its cleavage product, secretoneurin, a vascular smooth muscle cell mitogen. We also observed upregulation of genes implicated in cell survival and growth, such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), neuropilin 1, adrenomedullin, and IGF-2. Several metallothioneins, which are linked to tumor drug resistance, were upregulated, whereas the expression of MDR1 decreased. In hypoxic neuroblastoma cells, proneuronal lineage specifying transcription factors, and their dimerization partner E2-2, were downregulated, whereas their inhibitors Id2 and HES-1 were induced, providing a molecular mechanism for the hypoxia-provoked dedifferentiation of neuroblastoma cells.
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PMID:Human neuroblastoma cells exposed to hypoxia: induction of genes associated with growth, survival, and aggressive behavior. 1509 45

Iron homeostasis is crucial to normal cell metabolism, and its deficiency or excess is associated with numerous disease states. The association of increased iron load with cancer may be due to several factors including free radical production, reduction of the body's protective mechanism to combat oxidative stress, inhibition of immune systems, inhibition of essential nutrient functions, facilitation of cancer growth, suppression of antitumor actions of macrophages, and lowering of the ratio of T4-T8 positive lymphocytes. Antiproliferative effects of desferoxamine (DFO) both in vitro and in vivo are mediated by an intracellular pool of iron that is necessary for DNA synthesis rather than prevention of iron uptake from transferrin. Several clinical studies have shown it to have antitumor activity in the treatment of neuroblastoma, leukemia, bladder carcinoma, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Human neural tumor cells are susceptible to the effects of DFO. Continued study of DFO is necessary to further elucidate its antineoplastic profile and its use as an adjunct to current chemotherapy regimens. Given the lack of satisfactory treatment of central nervous system neoplasms, DFO could serve as an important tool in the management of such cancers.
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PMID:Desferoxamine (DFO)--mediated iron chelation: rationale for a novel approach to therapy for brain cancer. 1516 94

The 5' untranslated region (5'UTR) of the transcript encoding the Alzheimer's amyloid precursor protein (APP) is a key regulatory sequence that determines the amount of intracellular APP holoprotein present in brain derived cells. Using neuroblastoma cells (SY5Y) we developed a transfection based screen of a library of FDA drugs to identify compounds that limited APP luciferase reporter expression translated from the APP 5'UTR. Paroxetine (Paxil trade mark ), dimercaptopropanol, phenserine, desferrioxamine, tetrathiolmobdylate, and azithromycin were six leads that were subsequently found to also suppress APP holoprotein levels or to alter APP cleavage (azithromycin). Since APP holoprotein levels are proportionate to Abeta peptide output in many systems we tested the efficacy of paroxetine and dimercaptopropanol to limit Abeta secretion as measured by ELISA assays. Paroxetine and dimercaptopropanol limited Abeta peptide secretion from lens epithelial cells (B3 cells). Interestingly, paroxetine changed the steady-state levels of transferrin receptor mRNAs. These data suggested that this serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) provided extra pharmacological action to chelate interacellular iron or change the intracellular iron distribution. An altered iron distribution would be predicted to indirectly limit APP holoprotein expression and Abeta peptide secretion.
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PMID:FDA-preapproved drugs targeted to the translational regulation and processing of the amyloid precursor protein. 1531 61

Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-1 (HIF-1) is the key transcription factor in control of the expression of hypoxia-inducible genes needed by cells to adapt to decreased oxygen availability. Herein, we investigated the HIF-1alpha-mediated gene expression of carbonic anhydrase 9 (CA9) in response to hypoxia and changes of intracellular calcium levels in the neuroblastoma cell line SH-SY5Y. Decreasing the intracellular calcium level by BAPTA (1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid) induced HIF-1alpha nuclear accumulation and enhanced HIF-1 DNA binding within 1 h of incubation. Like hypoxia, BAPTA stimulated HIF-1-dependent transcription by increasing the activity of the C-terminal transactivation domain of HIF-1alpha and greatly enhanced expression of the HIF-1 target gene CA9. Detailed analysis of HIF-1alpha accumulation revealed that BAPTA attenuated the interaction of HIF-1alpha with von-Hippel-Lindau protein thus decreasing proteasomal degradation of HIF-1alpha. Knock down of HIF-1alpha mRNA and protein by small interference RNA for HIF-1alpha revealed that both hypoxia and the BAPTA-induced gene expression of CA9 were strictly dependent on HIF-1alpha. In contrast, elevation of cytosolic calcium level by thapsigargin reduced the BAPTA-mediated effects. Measurements of intracellular calcium under hypoxia revealed a change in the cellular calcium distribution. BAPTA-dependent induction of HIF-1 activity was not caused by its in vitro capability to chelate iron. Instead, effective chelation of cellular calcium caused the accumulation of HIF-1alpha protein through inhibition of HIF-prolyl hydroxylases and activated HIF-1-dependent gene expression under normoxic conditions.
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PMID:Chelation of cellular calcium modulates hypoxia-inducible gene expression through activation of hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha. 1532 93

Glutathione (GSH) constitutes the single most important antioxidant in neurons, whereas iron causes oxidative stress that leads to cell damage and death. Although GSH and iron produce opposite effects on redox cell status, no mechanistic relationships between iron and GSH metabolism are known. In this work, we evaluated in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells the effects of iron accumulation on intracellular GSH metabolism. After 2 d exposure to increasing concentrations of iron, cells underwent concentration-dependent iron accumulation and a biphasic change in intracellular GSH levels. Increasing iron from 1 to 5 microM resulted in a marked increase in intracellular oxidative stress and increased GSH levels. Increased GSH levels were due to increased synthesis. Further increases in iron concentration led to significant reduction in both reduced (GSH) and total (GSH + (2 x GSSG)) glutathione. Cell exposure to high iron concentrations (20-80 microM) was associated with a marked decrease in the GSH/GSSG molar ratio and the GSH half-cell reduction potential. Moreover, increasing iron from 40 to 80 microM resulted in loss of cell viability. Iron loading did not change GSH reductase activity but induced significant increases in GSH peroxidase and GSH transferase activities. The changes in GSH homeostasis reported here recapitulate several of those observed in Parkinson's disease substantia nigra. These results support a model by which progressive iron accumulation leads to a progressive decrease in GSH content and cell reduction potential, which finally results in impaired cell integrity.
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PMID:Progressive iron accumulation induces a biphasic change in the glutathione content of neuroblastoma cells. 1533 11

The Alzheimer's amyloid precursor protein (APP) is the metalloprotein that is cleaved to generate the pathogenic Abeta peptide. We showed that iron closely regulated the expression of APP by 5'-untranslated region (5'-UTR) sequences in APP mRNA. Iron modulated APP holoprotein expression by a pathway similar to iron control of the translation of the ferritin-L and -H mRNAs by iron-responsive elements in their 5'-UTRs. APP gene transcription is also responsive to copper deficit where the Menkes protein depleted fibroblasts of copper to suppress transcription of APP through metal regulatory and copper regulatory sequences upstream of the APP 5' cap site. APP is a copper-zinc metalloprotein and chelation of Fe(3+) by desferrioxamine and Cu(2+) by clioquinol appeared to provide effective therapy for the treatment of AD in limited patient studies. We have introduced an RNA-based screen for small APP 5'-UTR binding molecules to identify leads that limit APP translation (but not APLP-1 and APLP-2) and amyloid Abeta peptide production. A library of 1200 drugs was screened to identify lead drugs that limited APP 5'-UTR-directed translation of a reporter gene. The efficacy of these leads was confirmed for specificity in a cell-based secondary assay to measure the steady-state levels of APP holoprotein relative to APLP-1/APLP-2 by Western blotting. Several chelators were identified among the APP 5'-UTR directed leads consistent with the presence of an IRE stem-loop in front of the start codon of the APP transcript. The APP 5'-UTR-directed drugs--desferrioxamine (Fe(3+) chelator), tetrathiomolybdate (Cu(2+) chelator), and dimercaptopropanol (Pb(2+) and Hg(2+) chelator)--each suppressed APP holoprotein expression (and lowered Abeta peptide secretion). The novel anticholinesterase phenserine also provided "proof of concept" for our strategy to target the APP 5'-UTR sequence to identify "anti-amyloid" drugs. We further defined the interaction between iron chelation and phenserine action to control APP 5'-UTR-directed translation in neuroblastoma (SY5Y) transfectants. Phenserine was most efficient to block translation under conditions of intracellular iron chelation with desferrioxamine suggesting that this anticholinesterase operated through an iron (metal)-dependent pathway at the APP 5'-UTR site.
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PMID:The integrated role of desferrioxamine and phenserine targeted to an iron-responsive element in the APP-mRNA 5'-untranslated region. 1568 99

Prion diseases are characterized by the conversion of the normal cellular prion protein PrP(C) into a pathogenic isoform, PrP(Sc). The mechanisms involved in neuronal cell death in prion diseases are largely unknown, but accumulating evidence has demonstrated oxidative impairment along with metal imbalances in scrapie-infected brains. In this study, we report changes in cellular iron metabolism in scrapie-infected mouse neuroblastoma N2a cells (ScN2a). We detected twofold lower total cellular iron and calcein-chelatable cytosolic labile iron pool (LIP) in ScN2a cells as compared to the N2a cells. We also measured in ScN2a cells significantly lower activities of iron regulatory proteins 1 and 2 (IRP1 and IRP2, respectively), regulators of cellular iron by sensing cytosolic free iron levels and controlling posttranscriptionally the expression of the major iron transport protein transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1) and the iron sequestration protein ferritin. IRP1 and IRP2 protein levels were decreased by 40% and 50%, respectively, in ScN2a cells. TfR1 protein levels were fourfold reduced and ferritin levels were threefold reduced in ScN2a cells. TfR1 and ferritin mRNA levels were significantly reduced in ScN2a cells. ScN2a cells responded normally to iron and iron chelator treatment with respect to the activities of IRP1 and IRP2, and biosynthesis of TfR1 and ferritin. However, the activities of IRP1 and IRP2, and protein levels of TfR1 and ferritin, were still significantly lower in iron-depleted ScN2a cells as compared to the N2a cells, suggesting lower need for iron in ScN2a cells. Our results demonstrate that scrapie infection leads to changes in cellular iron metabolism, affecting both total cellular and cytosolic free iron, and the activities and expression of major regulators of cellular iron homeostasis.
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PMID:Changed iron regulation in scrapie-infected neuroblastoma cells. 1571 Feb 43

Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by the selective loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra (SN). 6-Hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA), a dopaminergic neurotoxin, is detected in human brains and the urine of PD patients. Using SH-SY5Y, a human neuroblastoma cell line, we demonstrated that 6-OHDA toxicity was determined by the amount of p-quinone produced in 6-OHDA auto-oxidation rather than by reactive oxygen species (ROS). Glutathione (GSH), which conjugated with p-quinone, provided significant protection whereas catalase, which detoxified hydrogen peroxide and superoxide anions, failed to block cell death caused by 6-OHDA. Although iron accumulated in the SN of patients with PD can cause dopaminergic neuronal degeneration by enhancing oxidative stress, we found that extracellular ferrous iron promoted the formation of melanin and reduced the amount of p-quinone. The addition of ferrous iron to the culture medium inhibited caspase-3 activation and apoptotic nuclear morphologic changes and blocked 6-OHDA-induced cytotoxicity in SH-SY5Y cells and primary cultured mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons. These data suggested that generation of p-quinone played a pivotal role in 6-OHDA-induced toxicity and extracellular iron in contrast to intracellular iron was protective rather than harmful because it accelerated the conversion of p-quinone into melanin.
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PMID:p-Quinone mediates 6-hydroxydopamine-induced dopaminergic neuronal death and ferrous iron accelerates the conversion of p-quinone into melanin extracellularly. 1571 15

A sensitive bright field/fluorescent histochemical staining method has been developed that reveals endogenous aluminum in subcellular structures. The method, achievable within 30 min, is based on phloxine B and phosphotungstic acid, with ethanol differentiation. Hematoxylin is used for nuclear and fast green FCF for cytoplasmic counterstaining. To test the method's specificity, we incubated living neuroblastoma cells overnight in culture media containing aluminum, calcium, iron, copper or zinc, or no added metal ions. After fixing the cells and applying the staining method, only cultures exposed to aluminum stained magenta. Applying the method to paraffin embedded tissue sections pretreated with one of two chelating agents that remove aluminum demonstrated less magenta staining in the chelated sections than in adjacent unchelated sections. Immersing sections overnight in solutions containing exogenous aluminum had no observable effect on staining for endogenous aluminum; therefore, it is unlikely that any exogenous aluminum present in histological reagents would alter the method's staining results.
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PMID:A bright field/fluorescent stain for aluminum: its specificity, validation, and staining characteristics. 1576 83

The mechanisms behind the pathology of prion diseases are still unknown, but accumulating evidence suggests oxidative impairment along with metal imbalances in scrapie-infected brains. In this study, we have investigated iron-induced oxidative stress in scrapie-infected mouse neuroblastoma N2a (ScN2a) cells. Uninfected N2a and ScN2a cells were treated with ferric ammonium citrate (FAC) for 1-16 h, and the levels of labile iron pool (LIP), the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), cell viability and ferritin protein levels were measured. The increase in LIP in N2a cells was transient with a quick recovery to normal levels within 4h accompanied by a moderate increase of formation of ROS after 3h followed by the decrease to the basal level. In ScN2a cells, the increase in LIP was lower, but the process of recovery was prolonged and accompanied by high ROS formation and decreased cell viability. Ferritin protein levels were significantly lower in ScN2a cells than in wild-type cells in all iron treatments. These results suggest that ScN2a cells are more sensitive to iron treatment as compared to wild-type cells with respect to ROS formation and cell viability, and that ferritin deficiency in infected cells may contribute to iron-induced oxidative stress in scrapie-infected cells.
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PMID:Increased iron-induced oxidative stress and toxicity in scrapie-infected neuroblastoma cells. 1592 93


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