casein-kinase-ii and Melanoma

Dietary supplements such as vitamins and minerals are widely used in the hope of improving health but may have unidentified risks and side effects. In particular, a pathogenic link between dietary supplements and specific oncogenes remains unknown. Here we report that chondroitin-4-sulfate (CHSA), a natural glycosaminoglycan approved as a dietary supplement used for osteoarthritis, selectively promotes the tumor growth potential of BRAF V600E-expressing human melanoma cells in patient- and cell line-derived xenograft mice and confers resistance to BRAF inhibitors. Mechanistically, chondroitin sulfate glucuronyltransferase (CSGlcA-T) signals through its product CHSA to enhance casein kinase 2 (CK2)-PTEN binding and consequent phosphorylation and inhibition of PTEN, which requires CHSA chains and is essential to sustain AKT activation in BRAF V600E-expressing melanoma cells. However, this CHSA-dependent PTEN inhibition is dispensable in cancer cells expressing mutant NRAS or PI3KCA, which directly activate the PI3K-AKT pathway. These results suggest that dietary supplements may exhibit oncogene-dependent pro-tumor effects.

Topics: Animals; Antinematodal Agents; Carcinogens; Casein Kinase II; Cell Proliferation; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; Chondroitin Sulfates; Dietary Supplements; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; Female; GTP Phosphohydrolases; HEK293 Cells; HT29 Cells; Humans; Melanoma; Membrane Proteins; Mice; Mice, Inbred NOD; Mice, Nude; Mice, Transgenic; Mutation; NIH 3T3 Cells; Nuclear Proteins; Phosphorylation; Protein Kinase Inhibitors; Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf; PTEN Phosphohydrolase; Signal Transduction; Skin Neoplasms; Transcription Factors; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

The protein kinase casein kinase 2 (CK2) is a pleiotropic and constitutively active kinase that plays crucial roles in cellular proliferation and survival. Overexpression of CK2, particularly the α catalytic subunit (CK2α, CSNK2A1), has been implicated in a wide variety of cancers and is associated with poorer survival and resistance to both conventional and targeted anticancer therapies. Here, we found that CK2α protein is elevated in melanoma cell lines compared with normal human melanocytes. We then tested the involvement of CK2α in drug resistance to Food and Drug Administration-approved single agent targeted therapies for melanoma. In BRAF mutant melanoma cells, ectopic CK2α decreased sensitivity to vemurafenib (BRAF inhibitor), dabrafenib (BRAF inhibitor), and trametinib (MEK inhibitor) by a mechanism distinct from that of mutant NRAS. Conversely, knockdown of CK2α sensitized cells to inhibitor treatment. CK2α-mediated RAF-MEK kinase inhibitor resistance was tightly linked to its maintenance of ERK phosphorylation. We found that CK2α post-translationally regulates the ERK-specific phosphatase dual specificity phosphatase 6 (DUSP6) in a kinase dependent-manner, decreasing its abundance. However, we unexpectedly showed, by using a kinase-inactive mutant of CK2α, that RAF-MEK inhibitor resistance did not rely on CK2α kinase catalytic function, and both wild-type and kinase-inactive CK2α maintained ERK phosphorylation upon inhibition of BRAF or MEK. That both wild-type and kinase-inactive CK2α bound equally well to the RAF-MEK-ERK scaffold kinase suppressor of Ras 1 (KSR1) suggested that CK2α increases KSR facilitation of ERK phosphorylation. Accordingly, CK2α did not cause resistance to direct inhibition of ERK by the ERK1/2-selective inhibitor SCH772984. Our findings support a kinase-independent scaffolding function of CK2α that promotes resistance to RAF- and MEK-targeted therapies.

Topics: Antineoplastic Agents; Casein Kinase II; Cell Line, Tumor; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; Dual Specificity Phosphatase 6; Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases; Humans; MAP Kinase Signaling System; Melanoma; Mutation; Phosphorylation; Protein Kinase Inhibitors; Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf

In melanoma, mutant and thereby constantly active neuroblastoma rat sarcoma (NRAS) affects 15-20% of tumors, contributing to tumor initiation, growth, invasion, and metastasis. Recent therapeutic approaches aim to mimic RAS extinction by interfering with critical signaling pathways downstream of the mutant protein. This study investigates the phosphoproteome of primary human melanocytes bearing mutations in the two hot spots of NRAS, NRAS(G12) and NRAS(Q61). Stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture followed by mass spectrometry identified 14,155 spectra of 3,371 unique phosphopeptides mapping to 1,159 proteins (false discovery rate < 2%). Data revealed pronounced PI3K/AKT signaling in NRAS(G12V) mutant cells and pronounced mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling in NRAS(Q61L) variants. Computer-based prediction models for kinases involved, revealed that CK2α is significantly overrepresented in primary human melanocytes bearing NRAS(Q61L) mutations. Similar differences were found in human NRAS(Q61) mutant melanoma cell lines that were also more sensitive to pharmacologic CK2α inhibition compared with NRAS(G12) mutant cells. Furthermore, CK2α levels were pronounced in patient samples of NRAS(Q61) mutant melanoma at the mRNA and protein level. The preclinical findings of this study reveal that codon 12 and 61 mutant NRAS cells have distinct signaling characteristics that could allow for the development of more effective, mutation-specific treatment modalities.

Topics: Casein Kinase II; GTP Phosphohydrolases; Humans; Mass Spectrometry; Melanocytes; Melanoma; Membrane Proteins; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; Mutation; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase; Phosphopeptides; Proteomics; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; RNA, Messenger; Signal Transduction; Skin Neoplasms

Activating mutations in the MAPK pathway are prevalent drivers of several cancers. The chief consequence of these mutations is a hyperactive ERK1/2 MAPK able to promote cell proliferation, producing a critical hallmark of metastatic disease. The biochemistry of the ERK pathway is well characterized; however, how the pathway achieves different outcomes in the face of genetic aberrations of cancer and subsequent treatment with chemical inhibitors is not clear. To investigate this, we used mass spectrometry to complete a global phosphoproteomic analysis of a BRAFV600E thyroid cancer cell line (SW1736) after treatment with the mutation-selective inhibitor vemurafenib (PLX4032) and MEK1/2 inhibitor selumetinib (AZD6244). We identified thousands of phosphorylation events orchestrated in BRAFV600E cells and performed kinase landscape analysis to identify putative kinases regulated in response to MAPK blockade. The abundance of phosphopeptides containing consensus motifs for acidophilic kinases increased after short-term inhibition with these compounds. We showed that coinhibition of the pleiotropic acidophilic protein kinase CK2 (CK2) and BRAFV600E synergistically reduced proliferation in patient-derived melanomas and thyroid cancer cells harboring the BRAF lesion. We investigated this mechanism and show a role for CK2 in controlling AKT activation that was not reliant on changes to PTEN or PDK1 phosphorylation. These findings highlight a role for CK2 blockade in potentiating the antiproliferative effects of BRAF and MEK inhibition in BRAF cancers.

Topics: Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Benzimidazoles; Casein Kinase II; Cell Line, Tumor; Drug Synergism; Humans; Indoles; MAP Kinase Kinase Kinases; MAP Kinase Signaling System; Melanoma; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; Mutation; Phosphorylation; Protein Kinase Inhibitors; Proteomics; Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; Sulfonamides; Thyroid Neoplasms; Vemurafenib

Mammalian ultraviolet (UV) radiation response is a gene induction cascade activated by several transcription factors, including NF-kappaB. Although NF-kappaB is induced by UV radiation, the signal transduction mechanism remains relatively unclear. In the present study, we show that UV-induced NF-kappaB activation is mediated by the activation of Ataxia telangiecia mutated (ATM) and protein kinase C (PKC). We also show that caffeine specifically inhibits UV-mediated NF-kappaB activation, but not TNFalpha-mediated NF-kappaB activation. In addition, our study shows that ATM, but not ATM-Rad3-related (ATR) or DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) is involved in UV-induced NF-kappaB activation. Because SB203580 (a p38 MAPK inhibitor), or Calphostin C or rottlerin (PKC inhibitors) was able to inhibit UV-mediated NF-kappaB activation, we evaluated whether caffeine could inhibit p38 MAPK or PKC activity. Caffeine or rottlerin inhibited UV-induced phosphorylation of p38 MAPK, but not anisomycin-induced phosphorylation of p38 MAPK, suggesting that p38 MAPK is downstream of PKC. Additionally, caffeine could effectively inhibit UV-induced increases in PKC activity. Taken together, our study demonstrates that caffeine is a potent inhibitor of UV-induced NF-kappaB activation. Additionally, this inhibition occurs due to the inhibitory action of caffeine on ATM and PKC, resulting in the inhibition of p38 MAPK activation.

Topics: Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated Proteins; Caffeine; Casein Kinase II; Cell Cycle Proteins; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Nucleus; DNA-Binding Proteins; Enzyme Activation; Humans; I-kappa B Proteins; Melanoma; NF-kappa B; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; Protein Kinase C-delta; Protein Kinase Inhibitors; Protein Processing, Post-Translational; Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; Protein Transport; Transcription Factor RelA; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; Tumor Suppressor Proteins; Ultraviolet Rays

The benign dermal nevus can be transformed into malignant melanoma. The possibility that the transformation process is accompanied with enhanced casein kinase II (CK II) activity was investigated. The tissue samples were obtained by incisional biopsy, homogenized and ultracentrifuged. The supernatant was injected onto a Mono Q column. CK II was monitored with [gamma-32P]GTP and its specific substrate RRREEETEEE. The CK II stimulators, spermine and polylysine, the inhibitors heparin, quercetin, poly (Glu-Tyr) 4:1 and 2,3-bisphosphoglycerate were used for identification. CK II activity in metastatic melanoma samples was about 2.5-fold higher than in dermal nevus. These results support our hypothesis that CK II takes a central role in the non-transformed and transformed skin proliferation.

Topics: Amino Acid Sequence; Casein Kinase II; Humans; Melanoma; Molecular Sequence Data; Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; Skin Neoplasms