ganglioside--gd2 and Carcinoma--Small-Cell

Based on the remodeling of glycosphingolipids on the human tumor cell lines with manipulation of glycosyltransferase genes, roles of sugar moieties in tumor-associated carbohydrate antigens have been analyzed. Two main topics, that is, the roles of ganglioside GD3 in human malignant melanomas and those of GD2 in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) were reported. GD3 enhances tyrosine phosphorylation of two adaptor molecules, p130Cas and paxillin, resulting in the increased cell growth and invasion in melanoma cells. GD2 also enhances the proliferation and invasion of SCLC cells. GD2 also mediates apoptosis with anti-GD2 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) via dephosphorylation of the focal adhesion kinase. These approaches have promoted further understanding of mechanisms by which gangliosides modulate malignant properties of human cancer, and the results obtained here propose novel targets for cancer therapy.

Topics: Anoikis; Antibodies, Monoclonal; Carcinoma, Small Cell; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Proliferation; Crk-Associated Substrate Protein; Focal Adhesion Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; Gangliosides; Glycosphingolipids; Humans; Lung Neoplasms; Melanoma; Neoplasm Invasiveness; Paxillin; Phosphorylation; Tyrosine

The present study evaluated the ability of the anti-GD2 ganglioside monoclonal antibody 3F8 to target tumor sites in patients with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). Of 12 patients entered into the trial, ten received intravenous 3F8 labeled with 2 or 10 mCi iodine-131. The first five patients had recurrent or progressive disease after chemotherapy. Subsequent patients were studied before starting chemotherapy. Radionuclide scans were performed on days 1, 2, and 3 post-infusion and once between day 5 and day 7. Four patients underwent single-photon emission tomography (SPET) imaging. Radionuclide scans demonstrated localization to all known sites of disease, other than small brain metastases in one patient. SPET/CT scan fusion images confirmed precise localization. No significant toxicity was observed. Mean serum half-life was 64.2 h. Analysis of specimens from one patient who died of unrelated causes 6 days post-infusion confirmed the scan results. The present study demonstrates that 3F8 targets SCLC sites in patients. Further studies of anti-GD2 antibodies with higher doses of antibody and radionuclide are warranted to evaluate their role in SCLC.

Topics: Carcinoma, Small Cell; Female; Gangliosides; Humans; Iodine Radioisotopes; Lung Neoplasms; Male; Middle Aged; Pilot Projects; Radioimmunodetection; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon

Anti-GD2 ganglioside antibodies could be a promising, novel therapeutic approach to the eradication of human small cell lung cancers, as anti-GD2 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) induced apoptosis of small cell lung cancer cells in culture. In this study, we analyzed the mechanisms for the apoptosis of these cells by anti-GD2 mAbs and elucidated the mechanisms by which apoptosis signals were transduced via reduction in the phosphorylation levels of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and the activation of a MAPK family member, p38, upon the antibody binding. Knock down of FAK resulted in apoptosis and p38 activation. The inhibition of p38 activity blocked antibody-induced apoptosis, indicating that p38 is involved in this process. Immunoprecipitation-immunoblotting analysis of immune precipitates with anti-FAK or anti-integrin antibodies using an anti-GD2 mAb revealed that GD2 could be precipitated with integrin and/or FAK. These results suggested that GD2, integrin, and FAK form a huge molecular complex across the plasma membrane. Taken together with the fact that GD2+ cells showed marked detachment from the plate during apoptosis, GD2+ small cell lung cancer cells seemed to undergo anoikis through the conformational changes of integrin molecules and subsequent FAK dephosphorylation.

Topics: Anoikis; Antibodies, Monoclonal; Apoptosis; Carcinoma, Small Cell; Cell Line, Tumor; Focal Adhesion Kinase 1; Focal Adhesion Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; Gangliosides; Humans; Integrins; Lung Neoplasms; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; Phosphorylation; Protein-Tyrosine Kinases

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) cell lines specifically express ganglioside GD2, and anti-GD2 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) caused suppression of cell growth and induced apoptosis of SCLC cells with single use. Here, enhancement of the cytotoxic effects of various anti-cancer drugs with an anti-GD2 mAb was demonstrated. The cytotoxicity of all six drugs examined was markedly enhanced, i.e. 2.4 - 7.8-fold increase of cell sensitivity in terms of IC(50). In particular, the combination of cisplatin (CDDP) with an anti-GD2 mAb resulted in prominent enhancement of cytotoxicity even in low - moderate GD2-expressing lines. The anti-GD2 mAb induced weak activation of c-Jun terminal kinase (JNK) in SCLC cells, and all anti-cancer drugs also induced its activation to various degrees. When CDDP and an anti-GD2 mAb were used together, significantly stronger JNK activation was observed corresponding to the cytotoxic effects, suggesting that synergistic phosphorylation of JNK with two reagents induced prominent apoptosis. The essential role of JNK in the induction of SCLC apoptosis with CDDP and anti-GD2 mAb was confirmed by experiments with a JNK inhibitor, curcumin. These results suggest that anti-GD2 mAbs would be very efficient in combination with anti-cancer drugs, both to achieve SCLC-specific cytotoxicity and to enhance its magnitude.

Topics: Antibodies, Monoclonal; Antineoplastic Agents; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Apoptosis; Carcinoma, Small Cell; Cisplatin; Coloring Agents; DNA Fragmentation; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drug Synergism; Enzyme Activation; Flow Cytometry; Gangliosides; Humans; In Situ Nick-End Labeling; Inhibitory Concentration 50; JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; Lung Neoplasms; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; Tetrazolium Salts; Thiazoles; Time Factors; Tumor Cells, Cultured

Expression levels of gangliosides and glycosyltransferase genes responsible for their syntheses in human lung cancer cell lines and a normal bronchial epithelial cell line were analyzed. Both non-small cell lung cancers and small cell lung cancers (SCLCs) mainly expressed G(M2) and G(M1), whereas only SCLCs expressed b-series gangliosides, such as G(D2), G(D1b), and G(T1b). Accordingly, many SCLC cell lines showed up-regulation of the G(D3) synthase gene. Consequently, we introduced G(D3) synthase cDNA into a SCLC line with low expression of b-series gangliosides and analyzed the effects of newly expressed gangliosides on tumor phenotypes. The transfectant cells expressing high levels of G(D2) and G(D3) exhibited markedly increased growth rates and strongly enhanced invasion activities. Addition of anti-G(D2) monoclonal antibodies into the culture medium of these cells resulted in the marked growth suppression of G(D2)-expressing cell lines with reduced activation levels of mitogen-activated protein kinases but not of nonexpressants, suggesting that G(D2) plays important roles in cell proliferation. Moreover, G(D2)-expressing cells treated with anti-G(D2) antibodies showed features of apoptotic cell death at 30 min after addition of antibodies, i.e., shrinkage of cytoplasm, binding of Annexin V, and staining with propidium iodide, followed by DNA fragmentation. This G(D2)-mediated apoptosis was associated with caspase-3 activation and partly inhibited by a caspase inhibitor, z-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethyl ketone. The finding that anti-G(D2) antibodies suppressed the cell growth and induced apoptosis of SCLC cells strongly suggested the usefulness of G(D2) as a target for the therapy of disastrous cancer, although the precise mechanisms for apoptosis remain to be clarified.

Topics: Antibodies, Monoclonal; Apoptosis; Carbohydrate Sequence; Carcinoma, Small Cell; Cell Division; DNA, Complementary; Flow Cytometry; G(M1) Ganglioside; G(M2) Ganglioside; Gangliosides; Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Humans; Lung Neoplasms; Molecular Sequence Data; N-Acetylgalactosaminyltransferases; Phenotype; Sialyltransferases; Transfection; Up-Regulation

The relationship between the cellular internalization of an anti-ganglioside GD2 monoclonal antibody (14.G2a) and the toxic effect of its ricin A-chain immunotoxin (14.G2a-RA) was examined on GD2-bearing M21 human melanoma and T293 small cell lung carcinoma cell lines. The capacity for ligand uptake was determined by examining the parameters that contribute to this constant, including the number of cell-surface binding sites and the internalization rate constant (ke). The maximum uptake of 14.G2a is 11-fold greater for M21 than for T293 cells, due to a 2.7-fold difference in binding sites and a 4-fold difference in the rate of antibody internalization. The capacity for ligand uptake correlates with the cytotoxic activity of the 14.G2a-RA immunotoxin against these two cell lines. Furthermore, we were able to demonstrate that the consequence of internalization of 14.G2a-RA is the intracellular release of undegraded ricin A-chain from the antibody. These studies indicate that the rate of internalization is a quantitative parameter that plays a key role in predicting the cytotoxic potency of this immunotoxin.

Topics: Antibodies, Monoclonal; Biological Transport; Carcinoma, Small Cell; Cell Survival; DNA Replication; Gangliosides; Humans; Immunotoxins; Kinetics; Lung Neoplasms; Melanoma; Ricin; Tumor Cells, Cultured