g(m1)-ganglioside and Osteosarcoma

Overexpression of the mdr1 gene encoding P-glycoprotein (Pgp) exerts a major role in reducing the effectiveness of cytotoxic therapy in osteosarcoma. The interaction between actin and Pgp has been shown to be instrumental in the establishment of multidrug resistance (MDR) in human tumor cells. The cytoskeleton linker ezrin exerts a pivotal role in maintaining the functional connection between actin and Pgp. We investigated the role of ezrin in a human multidrug-resistant osteosarcoma cell line overexpressing Pgp and compared it to its counterpart that overexpresses an ezrin deletion mutant. The results showed that Pgp binds at amino acid residues 149-242 of the N-terminal domain of ezrin. The interaction between ezrin and Pgp occurs in the plasma membrane of MDR cells, where they also co-localize with the ganglioside G(M1) located in lipid rafts. The overexpression of the ezrin deletion mutant entirely restored drug susceptibility of osteosarcoma cells, consistent with Pgp dislocation to cytoplasmic compartments and abrogation of G(M1) /Pgp co-localization at the plasma membrane. Our study provides evidence that ezrin exerts a key role in MDR of human osteosarcoma cells through a Pgp-ezrin-actin connection that is instrumental for the permanence of Pgp into plasma membrane lipid rafts. We also show for the first time that Pgp-binding site is localized to amino acid residues 149-242 of the ezrin Band 4.1, Ezrin/Radixin/Moesin (FERM) domain, thus proposing a specific target for future molecular therapy aimed at counteracting MDR in osteosarcoma patients.

Topics: ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Member 1; Bone Neoplasms; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Membrane; Cytoskeletal Proteins; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; G(M1) Ganglioside; Humans; Membrane Microdomains; Osteosarcoma

Ganglioside GD1a has been reported to suppress metastasis [S. Hyuga, S. Yamagata, Y. Takatsu, M. Hyuga, H. Nakanishi, K. Furukawa, T. Yamagata, Suppression of FBJ-LL cell adhesion to vitronectin by ganglioside GD1a and loss of metastatic capacity, International J. Cancer. 83 (1999) 685-691.] and MMP-9 production in mouse osteosarcoma FBJ cells [D. Hu, Z. Man, P. Wang, X. Tan, X. Wang, S. Takaku, S. Hyuga, T. Sato, X. Yao, S. Yamagata, T. Yamagata, Ganglioside GD1a negatively regulates MMP9 expression in mouse FBJ cell lines at the transcriptional level, Connect. Tissue Res. 48 (2007) 198-205.]. In the present study, TNFalpha increased cell motility and MMP-9 and TNFalpha expression at the transcriptional level. TNFalpha expression was found to be inversely proportional to GD1a content in the FBJ-cell variants. The addition of exogenous GD1a to FBJ-LL cells suppressed TNFalpha expression, and treatment of FBJ-S1 cells with D-PDMP (glucosylceramide synthesis inhibitor) led to an increase in TNFalpha, indicating that TNFalpha is negatively regulated by GD1a in FBJ cells. SiRNA of Pkn1, a Rho-GTPase effecter protein kinase, suppressed TNFalpha levels as well as Pkn1 expression, suggesting that Pkn1 is involved in TNFalpha signaling. Treatment of Pkn1-silenced FBJ-LL cells with GD1a failed to suppress TNFalpha expression, demonstrating that GD1a signals that lead to TNFalpha suppression are transduced through Pkn1.

Topics: Animals; Bone Neoplasms; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Movement; Down-Regulation; G(M1) Ganglioside; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9; Mice; Morpholines; Osteosarcoma; Protein Kinase C; RNA, Small Interfering; Transcription, Genetic; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

To examine the usefulness of interleukin-18 (IL-18) in the treatment of osteosarcomas, the effect of IL-18 on the growth of Dunn osteosarcoma cells was investigated. Daily intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of mouse recombinant IL-18 (2 microg/mouse) suppressed the growth of Dunn osteosarcoma cells transplanted subcutaneously (s.c.) into syngeneic C3H mice. This IL-18-induced suppression was not affected by simultaneous treatment with anti-asialo GM1 serum, which inactivates natural killer (NK) cells. However, IL-18 failed to suppress the growth of Dunn osteosarcoma cells transplanted into BALB/c-nude mice devoid of T lymphocytes or C3H-gld/gld mice deficient in functional Fas ligand (FasL). IL-18 also failed to suppress the growth of Dunn osteosarcoma cells in vitro, although expression of IL-18 receptor mRNA and MyD88 mRNA as well as Fas mRNA was detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). On the other hand, antimouse Fas antibody showed cytotoxicity against Dunn osteosarcoma cells in a dose-dependent manner in vitro. In addition, treatment of C3H mice with IL-18 enhanced the cytotoxic activity of CD8(+) T lymphocytes against Dunn osteosarcoma cells. These results indicate that IL-18 inhibits the growth of Dunn osteosarcoma cells in vivo by enhancing the cytotoxic activity of CD8(+) T lymphocytes through the FasL-Fas system.

Topics: Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; Animals; Antibodies; Antigens, Differentiation; Antineoplastic Agents; Bone Neoplasms; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes; Cell Division; Cell Line, Tumor; Cytotoxicity Tests, Immunologic; Fas Ligand Protein; fas Receptor; G(M1) Ganglioside; Gene Expression; Interleukin-18; Interleukin-18 Receptor alpha Subunit; Male; Membrane Glycoproteins; Mice; Mice, Inbred C3H; Myeloid Differentiation Factor 88; Neoplasm Transplantation; Osteosarcoma; Receptors, Immunologic; Receptors, Interleukin; Receptors, Interleukin-18; RNA, Messenger; T-Lymphocytes