cyanoginosin-lr and Lung-Neoplasms

Our previous studies have described the toxic effects of microcystin-LR (MC-LR) in various normal cell lines and human hepatoma SMMC-7721 cells, but the specific effects of MC-LR in other types of cancer cells with respect to protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) have not been fully elaborated. A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells have been identified to express organic anion-transporting polypeptides (OATP) involved in cellular uptake of MC-LR, and thus probably make an appropriate in vitro model to assess MC-LR's cytotoxicity. Hence, in our present study, A549 cells were treated with various concentrations of MC-LR for 24 h. The presence of MC-LR in A549 cells was confirmed, and PP2A activity, PP2A substrates, cytoskeleton, apoptosis, and proliferation were subsequently explored. The results showed that 5-10 μM MC-LR inhibited PP2A activity significantly but 0.5-1 μM MC-LR did not change PP2A activity dramatically. The inhibition could result from the hyperphosphorylation of PP2A/C at Tyr307, an elevation in the total PP2A/C expression and the dissociation of α4/PP2A/C complexes. Moreover, MC-LR led to rearrangements of filamentous actin and microtubules, which might be correlated with the hyperphosphorylation of Ezrin, VASP and HSP27 due to PP2A inhibition and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation. However, exposure to MC-LR for 24 h failed to trigger either apoptosis or proliferation, which might be related to PP2A-inhibition-induced hyperphosphorylation of Bcl-2 and Bad and the activation status of Akt. In conclusion, our data indicated that MC-LR induced extensive molecular and cellular alterations in A549 cells through a PP2A-centered pathway, which differed in some respects from our previous study in SMMC-7721 cells. To our knowledge, this is the first report comprehensively demonstrating the effects of MC-LR in A549 cells, and our findings provide insights into the mechanism of MC-LR toxicity in cancer cells. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 32: 1065-1078, 2017.

Topics: Actins; Apoptosis; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Proliferation; Cytoskeleton; HSP27 Heat-Shock Proteins; Humans; Liver Neoplasms; Lung Neoplasms; Marine Toxins; Microcystins; Microtubules; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; Phosphorylation; Protein Phosphatase 2

Microcystin-LR (MC-LR) is a toxin produced by various cyanobacterial strains. Its cytotoxicity is due to inhibition of the protein phosphatases PP1 and PP2A, resulting in hyperphosphorylation of a number of functional and cytoskeletal proteins. To penetrate through the plasma membrane, MC-LR needs specific transporters such the organic anion-transporting polypeptides (OATP) that are highly expressed on the hepatocytes. Hence, our goal was to investigate the role of the membrane transport proteins for the cytotoxic effect of MC-LR on adhesive cell lines different from hepatocytes. We have used three cell lines--A549 (human lung carcinoma), SK-Hep-1 (human liver adenocarcinoma), FL (human amniotic normal cells), and two inhibitors of the OATP (cyclosporine A and captopril). To examine the cytotoxic effect of MC-LR we applied MTT and Neutral Red assays. In addition, a fluorescent staining of the mitochondria by JC-1 was performed. A dose-dependent cytotoxic effect was observed for the three cell lines, as this effect was most pronounced in A549. No cytotoxicity was detected when the captopril was added 2 h before treatment of the cells with MC-LR. Addition of captopril to the cells 2 h after treatment with MC-LR leads to enhancement of the cytotoxic effect. Reduced mitochondrial membrane potential after treatment with MC-LR was detected in the three cell lines, compared to untreated control cells. Results from the NR-cytotoxicity assay indicated that MC-LR does not affect the lysosomes. Captopril is an effective inhibitor of both OATP influx membrane transport proteins and the P-gp efflux pumps involved in the transport of MC-LR. It protects the cells from toxic effects of the cyanotoxin MC-LR.

Topics: Adenocarcinoma; Amnion; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Captopril; Cell Adhesion; Cell Line; Drug Interactions; Humans; Liver Neoplasms; Lung Neoplasms; Marine Toxins; Membrane Transport Proteins; Microcystins

Recently, we have indicated that microcystin-LR, a cyanobacterial toxin produced in eutrophic lakes or reservoirs, can increase invasive ability of melanoma MDA-MB-435 cells; however, the stimulatory effect needs identification by in vivo experiment and the related molecular mechanism is poorly understood. In this study, in vitro and in vivo experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of microcystin-LR on invasion and metastasis of human melanoma cells, and the underlying molecular mechanism was also explored. MDA-MB-435 xenograft model assay showed that oral administration of nude mice with microcystin-LR at 0.001-0.1 mg/kg/d posed no significant effect on tumor weight. Histological examination demonstrated that microcystin-LR could promote lung metastasis, which is confirmed by Matrigel chamber assay suggesting that microcystin-LR treatment at 25 nM can increase the invasiveness of MDA-MB-435 cells. In vitro and in vivo experiments consistently showed that microcystin-LR exposure increased mRNA and protein levels of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-2/-9) by activating phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K)/AKT. Additionally, microcystin-LR treatment at low doses (≤25 nM) decreased lipid phosphatase PTEN expression, and the microcystin-induced invasiveness enhancement and MMP-2/-9 overexpression were reversed by the PI3-K/AKT chemical inhibitor LY294002 and AKT siRNA, indicating that microcystin-LR promotes invasion and metastasis of MDA-MB-435 cells via the PI3-K/AKT pathway.

Topics: Animals; Cell Line, Tumor; Enzyme Activation; Female; Humans; Lung Neoplasms; Marine Toxins; Melanoma; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mice, Nude; Microcystins; Neoplasm Metastasis; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt

Microcystins are a family of cyclic peptides that are potent inhibitors of the protein phosphatase families PP1 and PP2A. Only three human proteins are thought to be able to mediate the hepatic uptake of microcystins (the organic anion-transporting polypeptides OATP1B1, OATP1B3, and OATP1A2), and the predominant hepatic expression of these transporters accounts for the liver-specific toxicity of microcystins. A significant obstacle in the study of microcystins as anticancer drugs is the requirement of specific transport proteins for cellular uptake. We report that OATP1B3 mRNA is up-regulated in non-small cell lung cancer tumors in comparison with normal control tissues. This finding led to the exploration of microcystins as potential anticancer agents. We have developed a HeLa cell model with functional OATP1B1 and OATP1B3 activity. Transiently transfected HeLa cells are over 1,000-fold more sensitive to microcystin LR than the vector-transfected control cells, showing that transporter expression imparts marked selectivity for microcystin cytotoxicity. In addition, microcystin analogues showed variable cytotoxicities in the OATP1B1- and OATP1B3-transfected cells, including two analogues with IC(50) values <1 nmol/L. Cytotoxicity of microcystin analogues seems to correlate to the inhibition of PP2A in these cells and induces rapid cell death as seen by chromatin condensation and cell fragmentation. These studies show that microcystin-induced phosphatase inhibition results in potent cytotoxicity when microcystin compounds can gain intracellular access and are a potent novel class of therapeutic agents for tumors expressing these uptake proteins.

Topics: Cell Proliferation; Enzyme Inhibitors; Growth Inhibitors; HeLa Cells; Humans; Liver; Liver-Specific Organic Anion Transporter 1; Lung; Lung Neoplasms; Marine Toxins; Microcystins; Organic Anion Transporters; Organic Anion Transporters, Sodium-Independent; Peptides, Cyclic; Phosphoprotein Phosphatases; Solute Carrier Organic Anion Transporter Family Member 1B3; Tumor Stem Cell Assay