4-methylene-2-octyl-5-oxofuran-3-carboxylic-acid and Breast-Neoplasms

Topics: 4-Butyrolactone; Breast Neoplasms; Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast; Cell Line, Tumor; Databases, Genetic; Fatty Acid Synthase, Type I; Humans; Interleukin-6; Prolactin; Promoter Regions, Genetic; Protein Isoforms; Receptor Cross-Talk; Receptors, Progesterone; Receptors, Prolactin; RNA, Messenger; Up-Regulation

Fatty acid synthase (FASN) is a key lipogenic enzyme for de novo fatty acid biosynthesis and a druggable metabolic oncoprotein that is activated in most human cancers. We evaluated whether the HER2-driven lipogenic phenotype might represent a biomarker for sensitivity to pharmacological FASN blockade. A majority of clinically HER2-positive tumors were scored as FASN overexpressors in a series of almost 200 patients with invasive breast carcinoma. Re-classification of HER2-positive breast tumors based on FASN gene expression predicted a significantly inferior relapse-free and distant metastasis-free survival in HER2+/FASN+ patients. Notably, non-tumorigenic MCF10A breast epithelial cells engineered to overexpress HER2 upregulated FASN gene expression, and the FASN inhibitor C75 abolished HER2-induced anchorage-independent growth and survival. Furthermore, in the presence of high concentrations of C75, HER2-negative MCF-7 breast cancer cells overexpressing HER2 (MCF-7/HER2) had significantly higher levels of apoptosis than HER2-negative cells. Finally, C75 at non-cytotoxic concentrations significantly reduced the capacity of MCF-7/HER2 cells to form mammospheres, an in vitro indicator of cancer stem-like cells. Collectively, our findings strongly suggest that the HER2-FASN lipogenic axis delineates a group of breast cancer patients that might benefit from treatment with therapeutic regimens containing FASN inhibitors.

Topics: 4-Butyrolactone; Antineoplastic Agents; Apoptosis; Breast Neoplasms; Cell Cycle; Cell Line, Tumor; Enzyme Inhibitors; Fatty Acid Synthase, Type I; Female; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Humans; MCF-7 Cells; Oncogenes; Prognosis; Receptor, ErbB-2; Survival Analysis

The mechanisms that allow breast cancer (BCa) cells to metabolically sustain rapid growth are poorly understood. Here we report that BCa cells are dependent on a mechanism to supply precursors for intracellular lipid production derived from extracellular sources and that the endothelial lipase (LIPG) fulfils this function. LIPG expression allows the import of lipid precursors, thereby contributing to BCa proliferation. LIPG stands out as an essential component of the lipid metabolic adaptations that BCa cells, and not normal tissue, must undergo to support high proliferation rates. LIPG is ubiquitously and highly expressed under the control of FoxA1 or FoxA2 in all BCa subtypes. The downregulation of either LIPG or FoxA in transformed cells results in decreased proliferation and impaired synthesis of intracellular lipids.

Topics: 4-Butyrolactone; Animals; Biological Transport; Breast Neoplasms; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Movement; Cell Proliferation; Doxycycline; Enzyme Inhibitors; Female; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 3-alpha; Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 3-beta; Humans; Lactones; Lipase; Lipid Metabolism; MCF-7 Cells; Mice; Mice, Nude; Neoplasm Invasiveness; Orlistat; RNA, Small Interfering; Signal Transduction; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

The crosstalk between malignant and nonmalignant cells in the tumor microenvironment, as maneuvered by cytokines/chemokines, drives breast cancer progression. In our previous study, we discovered Osteoprotegerin (OPG) as one of the cytokines heavily secreted by breast cancer cells. We demonstrated that OPG is expressed and secreted at very high levels from the highly invasive breast cancer cell lines SUM149PT and SUM1315MO2 as compared to normal human mammary epithelial HMEC cells. OPG was involved in modulating aneuploidy, cell proliferation, and angiogenesis in breast cancer. Mass spectrometry analysis performed in this study revealed OPG interacts with fatty acid synthase (FASN), which is a key enzyme of the fatty acid biosynthetic pathway in breast cancer cells. Further, electron microscopy, immunofluorescence, and fluorescence quantitation assays highlighted the presence of a large number of lipid bodies (lipid droplets) in SUM149PT and SUM1315MO2 cells in comparison to HMEC. We recently showed upregulation of the COX-2 inflammatory pathway and its metabolite PGE2 secretion in SUM149PT and SUM1315MO2 breast cancer cells. Interestingly, human breast cancer tissue samples displayed high expression of OPG, PGE2 and fatty acid synthase (FASN). FASN is a multifunctional enzyme involved in lipid biosynthesis. Immunofluorescence staining revealed the co-existence of COX-2 and FASN in the lipid bodies of breast cancer cells. We reasoned that there might be crosstalk between OPG, FASN, and COX-2 that sustains the inflammatory pathways in breast cancer. Interestingly, knocking down OPG by CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing in breast cancer cells decreased FASN expression at the protein level. Here, we identified cis-acting elements involved in the transcriptional regulation of COX-2 and FASN by recombinant human OPG (rhOPG). Treatment with FASN inhibitor C75 and COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib individually decreased the number of lipid bodies/cell, downregulated phosphorylation of ERK, GSK3β, and induced apoptosis by caspase-3/7 and caspase-9 activation. But a more efficient and effective decrease in lipid bodies/cell and survival kinase signaling was observed upon combining the drug treatments for the aggressive cancer cells. Collectively, the novel biological crosstalk between OPG, FASN, and COX-2 advocates for combinatorial drug treatment to block these players of carcinogenesis as a promising therapeutic target to treat highly invasive breast cancer.

Topics: 4-Butyrolactone; Breast Neoplasms; Carcinogenesis; Caspase 9; Celecoxib; Cell Line, Tumor; Cyclooxygenase 2 Inhibitors; Fatty Acid Synthases; Female; Humans; Lipid Droplets; Lipid Metabolism; Molecular Targeted Therapy; Osteoprotegerin; Protein Binding; Receptor Cross-Talk; Signal Transduction; Tumor Microenvironment

The human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is a validated therapeutic target in breast cancer. Heterodimerization of HER2 with other HER family members results in enhanced tyrosine phosphorylation and activation of signal transduction pathways. HER2 overexpression increases the translation of fatty acid synthase (FASN), and FASN overexpression markedly increases HER2 signaling, which results in enhanced cell growth. However, the molecular mechanism and regulation of HER2 and FASN interaction are not well defined. Lapatinib is a small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor that blocks phosphorylation of the epidermal growth factor receptor and HER2 in breast cancer cells, resulting in apoptosis. We hypothesized that FASN is directly phosphorylated by HER2, resulting in enhanced signaling and tumor progression in breast cancer cells.. Using mass spectrometry, we identified FASN as one of the proteins that is dephosphorylated by lapatinib in SKBR3 breast cancer cells. Immunofluorescence, immunoprecipitation, Western blotting, a kinase assay, a FASN enzymatic activity assay, an invasion assay, a cell viability assay and zymography were used to determine the role of FASN phosphorylation in invasion of SKBR3 and BT474 cells. The FASN inhibitor C75 and small interfering RNA were used to downregulate FASN expression and/or activity.. Our data demonstrated that FASN is phosphorylated when it is in complex with HER2. FASN phosphorylation was induced by heregulin in HER2-overexpressing SKBR3 and BT474 breast cancer cells. Heregulin-induced FASN phosphorylation resulted in increased FASN enzymatic activity, which was inhibited by lapatinib. The FASN inhibitor C75 suppressed FASN activity by directly inhibiting HER2 and FASN phosphorylation. Blocking FASN phosphorylation and activity by lapatinib or C75 suppressed the activity of matrix metallopeptidase 9 and inhibited invasion of SKBR3 and BT474 cells.. FASN phosphorylation by HER2 plays an important role in breast cancer progression and may be a novel therapeutic target in HER2-overexpressing breast cancer cells.

Topics: 4-Butyrolactone; Antineoplastic Agents; Apoptosis; Blotting, Western; Breast Neoplasms; Cell Line, Tumor; Fatty Acid Synthases; Female; Fluorescent Antibody Technique; Gene Expression; Humans; Lapatinib; Mass Spectrometry; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9; Matrix Metalloproteinase Inhibitors; Neuregulin-1; Phosphorylation; Protein Kinase Inhibitors; Quinazolines; Receptor, ErbB-2; RNA, Small Interfering; Signal Transduction

Endogenous fatty acid metabolism is crucial to maintain the cancer cell malignant phenotype. Lipogenesis is regulated by the enzyme fatty acid synthase (FASN); and breakdown of fatty acids is regulated by carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1 (CPT-I). FASN is highly expressed in breast cancer and most common human carcinomas. Several compounds can inhibit FASN, although the degree of specificity of this inhibition has not been addressed. We have tested the effects of C75 and (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) on fatty acid metabolism pathways, cellular proliferation, induction of apoptosis and cell signalling in human breast cancer cells. Our results show that C75 and EGCG had comparable effects in blocking FASN activity. Treating cancer cells with EGCG or C75 induced apoptosis and caused a decrease in the active forms of oncoprotein HER2, AKT and ERK1/2 to a similar degree. We observed, in contrast, marked differential effects between C75 and EGCG on the fatty acid oxidation pathway. While EGCG had either no effect or a moderate reduction in CPT-I activity, C75 stimulated CPT-I activity (up to 129%), even in presence of inhibitory levels of malonyl-CoA, a potent inhibitor of the CPT-I enzyme. Taken together, these findings indicate that pharmacological inhibition of FASN occurs uncoupled from the stimulation of CPT-I with EGCG but not with C75, suggesting that EGCG might be free of the CPT-I related in vivo weight-loss that has been associated with C75. Our results establish EGCG as a potent and specific inhibitor of fatty acid synthesis (FASN), which may hold promise as a target-directed anti-cancer drug.

Topics: 4-Butyrolactone; Apoptosis; Breast Neoplasms; Carnitine O-Palmitoyltransferase; Catechin; Enzyme Inhibitors; Fatty Acid Synthases; Fatty Acids; Female; Humans; Signal Transduction

Elucidating the mechanisms underlying resistance to the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-targeted antibody trastuzumab (Tzb; Herceptin) is a major challenge that is beginning to be addressed. This dilemma is becoming increasingly important as recent studies strongly support a role for Tzb in the adjuvant setting for HER2-overexpressing early-stage breast cancers. We previously reported that pharmacological and RNA interference-induced inhibition of tumor-associated fatty acid synthase (FASN; Oncogenic antigen-519), a key metabolic enzyme catalyzing the synthesis of long-chain saturated fatty acids, drastically down-regulates HER2 expression in human breast cancer cells bearing HER2 gene amplification. Given that FASN blockade was found to suppress HER2 overexpression by attenuating the promoter activity of the HER2 gene, we here envisioned that this mechanism of action may represent a valuable strategy in breast cancers that have progressed while under Tzb. We created a preclinical model of Tzb resistance by continuously growing HER2-overexpressing SKBR3 breast cancer cells in the presence of clinically relevant concentrations of Tzb (20-185 microg/ml Tzb). This pool of Tzb-conditioned SKBR3 cells, which optimally grows now in the presence of 100 microg/ml trastuzumab (SKBR3/Tzb100 cells), exhibited HER2 levels notably higher (approximately 2-fold) than those found in SKBR3 parental cells. Real-time polymerase chain reaction studies showed that up-regulation of HER2 mRNA levels closely correlated with HER2 protein up-regulation in SKBR3/Tzb100 cells, thus suggesting that 'HER2 super-expression' upon acquisition of autoresistance to Tzb resulted, at least in part, from up-regulatory effects in the transcriptional rate of the HER2 gene. SKBR3/Tzb100 cells did not exhibit cross-resistance to C75, a small-compound specifically inhibiting FASN activity. On the contrary, SKBR3/Tzb100 cells showed a remarkably increased sensitivity (approximately 3-fold) to the cytotoxic effects occurring upon C75-induced inhibition of FASN enzymatic activity. Both HER2 mRNA and HER2 protein 'super-expression', which have not been reported in earlier Tzb-resistant breast cancer models, were entirely suppressed following pharmacological blockade of FASN activity. Moreover, while Tzb was still able to reduce HER2 protein expression by approximately 20% in SKBR/Tzb100 cells, C75 and Tzb co-exposure synergistically down-regulated HER2 protein levels by >85%. The natur

Topics: 4-Butyrolactone; Antibodies, Monoclonal; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; Antineoplastic Agents; Apoptosis; Breast Neoplasms; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; ErbB Receptors; Fatty Acid Synthase, Type I; Fatty Acid Synthases; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Humans; Receptor, ErbB-2; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA, Messenger; Transcription, Genetic; Trastuzumab; Tumor Cells, Cultured

Fatty acid synthase (FAS) activity is a potential therapeutic target to treat cancer and obesity. Here, we have identified a molecular link between FAS and HER2 (erbB-2) oncogene, a marker for poor prognosis that is overexpressed in 30% of breast and ovarian cancers. Pharmacological FAS inhibitors cerulenin and C75 were found to suppress p185(HER2) oncoprotein expression and tyrosine-kinase activity in breast and ovarian HER2 overexpressors. Similarly, p185(HER2) expression was dramatically down-regulated when FAS gene expression was silenced by using the highly sequence-specific mechanism of RNA interference (RNAi). Pharmacological and RNAi-mediated silencing of FAS specifically down-regulated HER2 mRNA and, concomitantly, caused a prominent up-regulation of PEA3, a transcriptional repressor of HER2. A cytoplasmic redistribution of p185(HER2) was associated with marked morphological changes of FAS RNAi-transfected cells, whereas chemical inhibitors of FAS promoted a striking nuclear accumulation of p185(HER2). The simultaneous targeting of FAS and HER2 by chemical FAS inhibitors and the humanized antibody directed against p185(HER2) trastuzumab, respectively, was synergistically cytotoxic toward HER2 overexpressors. Similarly, concurrent RNAi-mediated silencing of FAS and HER2 genes synergistically stimulated apoptotic cell death in HER2 overexpressors. p185(HER2) was synergistically down-regulated after simultaneous inhibition of FAS and HER2 by either pharmacological inhibitors or small interfering RNA. These findings provide evidence of an active role of FAS in cancer evolution by specifically regulating oncogenic proteins closely related to malignant transformation, strongly suggesting that HER2 oncogene may act as the key molecular sensor of energy imbalance after the perturbation of tumor-associated FAS hyperactivity in cancer cells.

Topics: 4-Butyrolactone; Antibodies, Monoclonal; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; Antifungal Agents; Antineoplastic Agents; Apoptosis; Biomarkers, Tumor; Breast Neoplasms; Cell Line; Cell Size; Cell Survival; Cerulenin; Fatty Acid Synthases; Female; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Genes, erbB-2; Humans; Ovarian Neoplasms; Receptor, ErbB-2; RNA, Small Interfering; Signal Transduction; Transcription Factors; Trastuzumab

C75, an inhibitor of fatty acid synthase (FAS), induces apoptosis in cultured human cancer cells. Its proposed mechanism of action linked high levels of malonyl-CoA after FAS inhibition to potential downstream effects including inhibition of carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1 (CPT-1) with resultant inhibition of fatty acid oxidation. Recent data has shown that C75 directly stimulates CPT-1 increasing fatty acid oxidation in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells despite inhibitory concentrations of malonyl-CoA. In light of these findings, we have studied fatty acid metabolism in MCF7 human breast cancer cells to elucidate the mechanism of action of C75. We now report that: (a) in the setting of increased fatty acid oxidation, C75 inhibits fatty acid synthesis; (b) C273, a reduced form of C75, is unable to inhibit fatty acid synthesis and is nontoxic to MCF7 cells; (c) C75 and 5-(tetradecyloxy)-2-furoic acid (TOFA), an inhibitor of acetyl-CoA carboxylase, both cause a significant reduction of fatty acid incorporation into phosphatidylcholine, the major membrane phospholipid, within 2 h; (d) pulse chase studies with [(14)C]acetate labeling of membrane lipids show that both C75 and TOFA accelerate the decay of (14)C-labeled lipid from membranes within 2 h; (e) C75 also promotes a 2-3-fold increase in oxidation of membrane lipids within 2 h; and (f) because interference with phospholipid synthesis during S phase is known to trigger apoptosis in cycling cells, we performed double-labeled terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated nick end labeling and BrdUrd analysis with both TOFA and C75. C75 triggered apoptosis during S phase, whereas TOFA did not. Moreover, application of TOFA 2 h before C75 blocked the C75 induced apoptosis, whereas etomoxir did not. Taken together these data indicate that FAS inhibition and its downstream inhibition of phospholipid production is a necessary part of the mechanism of action of C75. CPT-1 stimulation does not likely play a role in the cytotoxic response. The continued ability of TOFA to rescue cancer cells from C75 cytotoxicity implies a proapoptotic role for malonyl-CoA independent of CPT-1 that selectively targets cancer cells as they progress into S phase.

Topics: 4-Butyrolactone; Apoptosis; Breast Neoplasms; Carnitine O-Palmitoyltransferase; Cell Division; Cell Line, Tumor; Drug Interactions; Epoxy Compounds; Fatty Acid Synthases; Furans; Humans; Membrane Lipids; Phospholipids; S Phase