adrenomedullin and cobaltous-chloride

Adrenomedullin (ADM), a multifunctional regulatory peptide, is potentially induced by hypoxia in physiological and pathological tissues, including many types of malignant tumors. Recent research has demonstrated that ADM expression is highly associated with the prognosis and disease severity of human osteosarcoma. However, the effect of ADM on the apoptosis of osteosarcoma cells and its possible mechanism remain to be elucidated. In the present study, we observed that mRNA and protein levels of ADM were increased in human osteosarcoma SOSP-F5M2 cells under a hypoxic microenvironment induced by cobalt chloride (CoCl2) in a time-dependent manner. Treatment with ADM significantly blunted hypoxic-induced apoptosis, evaluated by Hoechst 33342 staining and Annexin V-FITC/PI labeling. The expression of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) was increased by administration of ADM; meanwhile, this effect was reversed by exogenously adding U0126, a selective inhibitor of MEK or ADM22-52 (ADM-specific receptor antagonist). These results demonstrated that ADM acted as a survival factor to inhibit hypoxic-induced apoptosis via interacting with its receptors CRLR-RAMP (2,3) in osteosarcoma cells. The anti-apoptotic function of ADM was found to be mediated by upregulation of the expression of Bcl-2 partially through activation of the MEK/ERK1/2 signaling pathway. Therefore, targeting of the ADM/ADM acceptors/ERK1/2/Bcl-2 pathway may provide a potential strategy through which to induce the apoptosis of osteosarcoma cells.

Topics: Adrenomedullin; Apoptosis; Bone Neoplasms; Cell Hypoxia; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Proliferation; Cobalt; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Humans; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit; MAP Kinase Signaling System; Osteosarcoma; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2

Endometrial cancer, in developed countries, is the most common malignancy of the female genital tract. Surgery and radiotherapy are successful in many patients but systemic and recurrent diseases have no consistently effective treatments, and for high grade advanced disease the prognosis is poor. The study investigated characteristics of adrenomedullin in endometrial cancer to assist in identifying targets for developing treatments.. Endometrial samples of women with and without cancer, and the Ishikawa cell line were used to investigate adrenomedullin mRNA regulation, peptide expression, adrenomedullin secretion and effects of adrenomedullin on VEGF secretion.. Expression of adrenomedullin mRNA was upregulated compared to that in healthy post-menopausal endometria. Adrenomedullin secretion was increased by cobalt chloride in this study. Secretion was reduced by the naturally-occurring compounds, (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and 3,4',5-trihydroxystilbene (resveratrol), which we have previously demonstrated to also suppress VEGF secretion in endometrial tumour tissue. We noted, for the first time, that adrenomedullin enhanced VEGF secretion from tumour cells.. Increased adrenomedullin expression may result in amplifying both tumorigenic and angiogenic activities. A substantial impact on growth of tumours may result in vivo as a consequence of the synergism between adrenomedullin and VEGF. Adrenomedullin, which has altered cellular characteristics in tumour compared to healthy tissue, offers an understudied target with potential to modify endometrial cancer behaviour, complementing other treatments.

Topics: Adenocarcinoma; Adrenomedullin; Biomarkers, Tumor; Case-Control Studies; Catechin; Cell Line, Tumor; Cobalt; Endometrial Neoplasms; Female; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Humans; Neoplasm Grading; Resveratrol; RNA, Messenger; Stilbenes; Up-Regulation; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A

Estradiol (E(2)) rapidly and strongly induces vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) transcription in uterine endometrial epithelial cells in vivo. We have shown that this is mediated by both the estrogen receptor-alpha and hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1alpha. By contrast, E(2) induces little or no VEGF expression in cultured breast or endometrial cancer cells, which lack HIF-1alpha due to the abnormally high concentration of oxygen ( approximately 20%) to which they are exposed. To test the hypothesis that restoring HIF-1alpha in cultured cells would restore the ability of E(2) to induce VEGF expression, we treated human endometrial cancer cells (ECC-1) with cobalt chloride (CoCl(2);100 microm), which prevents oxygen-induced HIF-1alpha degradation. HIF-1alpha was absent in untreated ECC-1 cells but detectable by 4 h after treatment with CoCl(2) alone, as was a significant increase in VEGF mRNA. E(2) plus CoCl(2) induced detectable HIF-1alpha expression at 2 h and an even higher level than that induced by CoCl(2) alone at 4 h; this HIF-1alpha was localized in the nuclei. This was accompanied by increasing VEGF expression, with the increase at 4 h severalfold higher than that induced by CoCl(2) alone and was concurrent with recruitment of both HIF-1alpha and estrogen receptor-alpha to the VEGF promoter. These results confirm that HIF-1alpha plays an essential role in E(2)-induced expression of VEGF. Through the induction of increased microvascular permeability and the consequent exudation of plasma growth factors, VEGF in turn may play an essential role in cancer cell proliferation in vivo.

Topics: Adrenomedullin; Blotting, Western; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Nucleus; Cobalt; Cytoplasm; Endometrial Neoplasms; Estradiol; Estrogen Receptor alpha; Female; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Humans; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit; Oxygen; Protein Transport; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A

Adrenomedullin is a potent vasodilator peptide originally isolated from a pheochromocytoma. Recently, a novel adrenomedullin receptor has been identified as a complex consisting of calcitonin receptor-like receptor (CRLR) and receptor activity modifying protein (RAMP) 2. To explore possible pathophysiological roles of adrenomedullin and its receptor component RAMP2 in hypoxic tissues, we studied effects of hypoxia on expression of adrenomedullin and RAMP2 in two human neuroblastoma cell lines, IMR-32 and NB69, by radioimmunoassay and Northern blot analysis. Expression levels of adrenomedullin were increased by hypoxia in both cell lines. Treatment with cobalt chloride or desferrioxamine mesylate also increased expression levels of adrenomedullin mRNA. On the other hand, expression levels of RAMP2 mRNA were decreased in IMR-32 cells and were not changed in NB69 cells by hypoxia. Treatment with cobalt chloride or desferrioxamine mesylate decreased expression levels of RAMP2 mRNA in both IMR-32 and NB69 cells. These findings indicate that adrenomedullin expression is induced during hypoxia in IMR-32 and NB69 neuroblastoma cells, but RAMP2 expression is rather suppressed under the same conditions. The decreased expression of RAMP2 and the ADM expression induction under hypoxia may constitute one mechanism of cellular adaptation to hypoxic stress.

Topics: Adrenomedullin; Antimutagenic Agents; Cell Hypoxia; Cobalt; Deferoxamine; Gene Expression; Humans; Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; Iron Chelating Agents; Membrane Proteins; Neuroblastoma; Peptides; Receptor Activity-Modifying Protein 2; Receptor Activity-Modifying Proteins; Receptors, Adrenomedullin; Receptors, Peptide; Tumor Cells, Cultured

Adrenomedullin is a potent vasodilator peptide originally isolated from pheochromocytoma. Adrenomedullin is produced by various types of cells including neurons and astrocytes. To explore possible pathophysiological roles of adrenomedullin in hypoxic brain, we studied the effects of hypoxia on the expression of adrenomedullin in T98G human glioblastoma cells by radioimmunoassay and northern blot analysis. Expression levels of adrenomedullin mRNA and immunoreactive adrenomedullin levels in the culture medium were increased by hypoxia about six- and about threefold, respectively. Treatment with cobalt chloride increased expression levels of adrenomedullin mRNA about threefold and immunoreactive adrenomedullin levels in the culture medium about threefold in T98G cells. Using actinomycin D, we showed that hypoxia did not cause the stabilization of the adrenomedullin mRNA, suggesting that the increased adrenomedullin mRNA levels in response to hypoxia are caused mainly by increased transcription. Treatment with cycloheximide caused increases in adrenomedullin mRNA levels in both normoxic and hypoxic states, raising the possibility that some protein(s) may act as a suppressor of adrenomedullin gene expression in T98G cells. These findings indicate that adrenomedullin is highly induced during hypoxia in T98G glioblastoma cells and suggest that increased expression of adrenomedullin during hypoxia may be important in the defense against hypoxia or ischemia in the brain.

Topics: Actins; Adrenomedullin; Blotting, Northern; Brain Neoplasms; Cell Hypoxia; Cobalt; Cycloheximide; Dactinomycin; DNA-Binding Proteins; Gene Expression Regulation; Glioblastoma; Humans; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit; Nuclear Proteins; Nucleic Acid Synthesis Inhibitors; Peptides; Protein Synthesis Inhibitors; Radioimmunoassay; RNA Stability; RNA, Messenger; Transcription Factors; Tumor Cells, Cultured

Adrenomedullin (ADM) is a vasodilator peptide, first isolated from human pheochromocytoma. To explore the pathophysiological role of ADM in ischemic conditions, we investigated the effects of hypoxia on ADM production and ADM mRNA expression in a cultured human colorectal carcinoma cell line, DLD-1. Northern blot analysis and radioimmunoassay showed that hypoxia stimulated the accumulation of ADM mRNA in the DLD-1 cells and immunoreactive ADM (ir-ADM) in the cultured media. Exposure to hypoxia for 12 hours increased ADM mRNA levels about 6-fold and ir-ADM levels about 4-fold. Moreover, treatment of DLD-1 cells with cobalt chloride, which mimics hypoxic states, significantly increased ADM mRNA levels about 18-fold and ir-ADM levels about 4-fold. These results suggest that ADM plays an important role in the pathophysiology of ischemic states.

Topics: Adrenomedullin; Cobalt; Colorectal Neoplasms; Culture Media; Gene Expression Regulation; Humans; Hypoxia; Ischemia; Peptides; RNA, Messenger; Tumor Cells, Cultured; Vasodilator Agents