<p>Malignant gliomas are highly lethal cancers characterized by florid angiogenesis. Glioma stem cells (GSCs), enriched through CD133 (Prominin1) selection, are highly tumorigenic and therapy resistance. However, the mechanism through which GSCs promote tumor growth was largely unknown. As we noticed that tumors derived from GSCs contain widespread tumor angiogenesis, necrosis, and hemorrhage, we examined thepotential of GSCs to support tumor angiogenesis. We measured the expression of a panel of angiogenic factors secreted by GSCs. In comparison with matched non-GSC populations, GSCs consistently secreted markedly elevated levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which were further induced by hypoxia. In an in vitro model of angiogenesis, GSC-conditioned medium significantly increased endothelial cell migration and tube formation compared with non-GSC glioma cell-conditioned medium. The proangiogenic effects of GSCs on endothelial cells were specifically abolished by the anti-VEGF neutralizing antibody bevacizumab, which is in clinical use for cancer therapy. Furthermore, bevacizumab displayed potent antiangiogenic efficacy in vivo and suppressed growth of xenografts derived from GSCs but limited efficacy against xenografts derived from a matched non-GSC population. As hypoxia is a key regulator of angiogenesis, I further examined hypoxic responses in GSCs to determine the molecular mechanisms underlying their angiogenic drive. I demonstrated that multiple hypoxia response genes, including the hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs)-1a and -2a(EPAS-1) were differentially expressed in GSCs in comparison to non-stem glioma cells and normal neural progenitors. GSCs preferentially induced HIF2a; and HIF2a-regulated genes under hypoxia in comparison to non-stem glioma cells. In contrast, neural progenitor/stem cells did not induce HIF2a in response to hypoxia suggesting that the HIF2a hypoxic response is not a general stem cell response. Targeting HIF1a or HIF2a in GSCs using short hairpin RNA (shRNA) inhibited neurosphere formation efficiency, indicating a requirement for HIFs in cancer stem cell self-renewal. HIF1a and HIF2a were also necessary for VEGF expression in GSCs, but HIF2a was not required in matched non-stem glioma cells. In vivo experiments determined that knockdown of HIFs significantly attenuated the tumorigenic capacity of GSCs and increased survival of immunocompromised mice. Together, our work provides the first evidence that that GSCs can be a crucial source of key angiogenic factors in cancers due to their differential hypoxia responses. It also suggests that anti-angiogenic therapies can be designed to target GSC-specific molecular mechanisms of neoangiogenesis, including the expression and/or activity of HIF2a.</p> / Dissertation

<p>Imbalance between oxygen consumption and supply often makes tumors hypoxic (Bristow and Hill 2008). Tumor hypoxia is significantly correlated with aggressive tumor growth, ineffective response to radiation and chemotherapy, and as a result, poor patient prognosis. Hyperthermia (HT) is a strong adjuvant treatment to overcome these challenges of tumor hypoxia because it causes tumor reoxygenation at temperatures lower than 43ºC (Song, Park, and Griffin 2001). However, the detailed molecular mechanisms of how HT enhances tumor oxygenation have not been elucidated. Here we determine that 1 hour HT activates hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) and its downstream targets, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA), and pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1 (PDK1) in tumors. Consistent with HIF-1 activation and upregulation of its downstream genes, HT also enhances tumor perfusion/vascularization and decreases oxygen consumption rates. As a result, tumor hypoxia is reduced after HT suggesting that these physiological changes contribute to HT-induced tumor reoxygenation. Since HIF-1 is a potent regulator of tumor vascularization and metabolism, our findings suggest that HIF-1 plays a role in HT-induced tumor reoxygenation by transactivating its downstream targets. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that NADPH oxidase-mediated reactive oxygen species (ROS) production upregulates HIF-1 after HT. Further, we determine that this pathway is initiated by increased transcription of NADPH oxidase-1 (NOX1) through the ERK pathway.</p><p>A major research effort at Duke focuses on combinations of HT and doxorubicin in the treatment of locally advanced breast and other cancers. Thus, we investigated whether there are HIF-1 responses to doxorubicin treatment. We reveal that doxorubicin also activates HIF-1. Unlike HT, doxorubicin-induced HIF-1 promotes persistent tumor angiogenesis. We also reveal that the signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1)/inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) pathway causes HIF-1&#945; accumulation in an oxygen-independent manner. We show that activated STAT1 upregulates iNOS expression and promotes nitric oxide (NO) production in tumor cells resulting in HIF-1&#945; stabilization. We further determine that both iNOS inhibitor, 1400W and STAT1 inhibitor, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) significantly decrease intracellular NO production and suppress doxorubicin-induced normoxic HIF-1&#945; accumulation.</p><p>HIF-1 is often considered a promising therapeutic target because of its role in tumor progression (Semenza 2003) and therapy resistance (Moeller et al. 2004). However, our findings suggest that HIF-1 plays a pleiotropic role in response to HT and chemotherapy. Therefore, to preferentially take advantage of HT-induced HIF-1 activation and also to suppress its deleterious effects induced by chemotherapy or as we have previously reported, by radiation (Moeller et al. 2004), HIF-1 inhibition needs to be carefully regulated in a time-sensitive manner to achieve optimal therapeutic effects.</p> / Dissertation

Small molecule dependent molecular switches that control gene expression are important tool in understanding biological cellular processes and for regulating gene therapy. Nuclear receptors are ligand activated transcription factors that have been engineered to selectively respond to synthetic ligands and used as regulators of gene expression. In this work the retinoid X receptor (RXR), has been used to develop an inducible molecular switch with a near drug like compound LG335. Three RXR variants (Q275C; I310M; F313I), (I268A; I310A; F313A; L436F), (I268V; A272V; I310M; F313S; L436M) were created via site-directed mutagenesis and a structure based approach, such that they preferentially bind to the synthetic ligand LG335 and not its natural ligand, 9-cis retinoic acid. These variants show reverse ligand specificity as designed and have an EC50 for LG335 of 80 nM, 30 nM, 180 nM, respectively. The ligand binding domains of the RXR variants were fused to a yeast transcription factor Gal4 DNA binding domain. This modified chimeric fusion protein showed reverse response element specificity as designed and recognized the Gal4 response element instead of the RXR response element. The modified RXR protein did not heterodimerize with wild type RXR or with other nuclear receptor such as retinoic acid receptor. These RXR-based molecular switches were tested in retroviral vectors using firefly luciferase and green fluorescence protein and they maintain their inducible behavior with LG335. These experiments demonstrate the orthogonality of RXR variants and their possible use in regulating gene therapy.

Many inflammatory diseases are growing increasing common in the aging society of Taiwan. Inflammation cascades can cause diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, chronic asthma, multiple sclerosis, and so on. The clinically used anti-inflammatory drugs have many side effects and are expensive. Therefore, it is imperative that we find alternatives to these drugs. Marine natural compounds offer great hope in the development of drugs for treating inflammatory diseases. In the present study, we found that Chao-10, which is a marine-derived compound isolated from Formosan soft coral, significantly inhibited the expression of the pro-inflammatory protein, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), in the lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophage cell line. We suggest that Chao-10 may serve as a potential new anti-inflammatory agent. However, the mechanism by which the anti-inflammatory effects of Chao-10 are mediated is yet unclear. Therefore, we performed two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) to investigate the regulatory mechanism for the anti-inflammatory effect of Chao-10. We isolated some proteins that may be involved in the anti-inflammatory mechanism of Chao-10. In addition, we used immunoprecipitation to find that nucleophosmin (NPM) could interact with nuclear factor kappa B (NF-£eB). Therefore, we hypothesize that nucleophosminmay be involved in the regulation of NF-£eB to enhance the down-regulation of iNOS proteins. In summary, the anti-inflammatory effects of Chao-10 are probably mediated through the some other signaling pathway. Importantly, Chao-10 not only offers some new biomarkers of inflammation but also provides an encouraging outlook on therapeutic approaches.

In recent years, studies have increasingly recognized that many natural products with biological activity have been isolated from marine organisms, while the chemical structures are very different from those of land-based organisms. Therefore, the ocean is a natural drug source. Regarding drug screening, anti-inflammatory activity has become a key point, and many studies confirm that inflammation plays an important role in many human diseases. Many different compounds are now in the clinical evaluation stage. However, the inflammation-related diseases being closely linked, there is an urgent need to study the anti-inflammatory effects as well as screen the therapeutic drugs for research and development. In this study, we isolated and purified compounds from Formosan gorgonian (Briareum excavatum) and Formosan soft coral (Lobophytum sarcophytoides) and investigated biological activities. We confirmed that the natural compound Brei from B. excavatum and the compounds Sac-1 and Sac-2 from L. sarcophytoides produced significant inhibition of the proinflammatory proteins inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced murine macrophages (RAW 264.7) cell model. We examined in vivo whether the B. excavatum Brei has anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive effects by using the carrageenan-induced inflammation model. Using the paw-edema assay, we performed several important investigations such as the plantar analgesia test, mechanical hyperalgesia test (allodynia), and weight-bearing analysis of animal behavior to evaluate the degree of pain and inflammation. Our results demonstrate that the natural product Brei can reduce paw-pad swelling, thermal hyperalgesia, threshold latency, and improve the affected limb in the carrageenan-induced inflammatory model. In the histopathology analysis, we showed that Brei significantly inhibited the aggregation and infiltration of inflammation-related blood cells and improved the inflammatory status of the tissues. Therefore, the marine natural compound Brei has anti-inflammatory activity and it can be used as a therapeutic compound for acute inflammation in the near future.

The peripheral immune system plays a role in delayed neural injury after stroke. This response originates from the spleen as splenectomy prior to middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in rats significantly reduces infarct volume in the brain. This research is based on the hypothesis that inhibiting the splenic response will reduce neurodegeneration after stroke. Studies in animals have implicated lymphocytes as the immune cell type that is detrimental following MCAO. Interferon gamma (IFNγ) has been identified as a pro-inflammatory cytokine that is also detrimental following stroke. IFNγ is important because it activates microglia and macrophages in a pro-inflammatory nature that increases neural injury following stroke. Therefore IFNγ was examined in the brain and the spleen following MCAO. IFNγ protein was elevated at 24 h in the spleen and at 72 h in the brain post MCAO. Microglia/macrophages become maximally activated at 72 h in the brain after MCAO. Splenectomy decreases the levels of IFNγ in the brain following MCAO. Systemic administration of IFNγ reversed the protective effects of splenectomy. The cellular response to MCAO was examined next because of the difference in time between the spike in IFNγ in the spleen and the delayed increase in the brain. The cellular response from the spleen was studied by labeling splenocytes five days prior to MCAO with a fluorescein dye. Tissues were examined 48 and 96 h post MCAO or sham MCAO for fluorescence. These cells were released from the spleen into circulation at 48 h post MCAO and migrated to the brain where the cells produced IFNγ at 96 h post MCAO. IFNγ appears to play a role in the splenic response to stroke. One protein that is up regulated by cells that have been activated by IFNγ, interferon-inducible protein 10 (IP-10) is part of the inflammatory cycle driven by IFNγ. IP-10 recruits more IFNγ producing T helper (Th) cells to the site of injury. IP-10 has the unique ability to attract Th1 cells, the pro-inflammatory Th cells, and inhibit Th2 cells, the anti-inflammatory Th cells. This leads to more IFNγ production as IFNγ is the signature cytokine of a Th1 response. IP-10 is significantly increased in the brain at 72 h post MCAO, similar to IFNγ expression. In the spleen IP-10 increased at 24 h and remained elevated out to 96 h following MCAO. IFNγ signaling was inhibited by utilizing an IFNγ neutralizing antibody administered beginning 24 h post MCAO. The IFNγ antibody treated group had decreased infarct volumes, IP-10 levels in the brain, and appeared to have decreased T cells in the ipsilateral hemisphere at 96 h post MCAO. Following ischemic stroke splenocytes are released into circulation and migrate to the brain. They release IFNγ to activate microglia/macrophages in a proinflammatory phenotype causing an increase in IP-10 levels. IP-10 then potentiates the Th1 driven inflammation which inhibits the Th2 response. The elevated levels of IFNγ increase neural injury following MCAO. Blocking IFNγ selectively blocks the inflammatory facet of the immune response to reduce stroke induced neurodegeneration. This leaves the other immune responses intact and able to contribute to tissue repair, regeneration, and able to respond to infections. Selectively inhibiting IFNγ signaling is a promising stroke therapeutic.

Infection by multiple parasites is a part of everyday life for many organisms. The host immune system may be a central mediator of the many ways parasites might influence one another (and their hosts). Immunity provides a means for the colonized to reduce the success of current and future colonizers and has evolved across the tree of life several times independently. Along the way, the immune systems of plants as well as many groups of animals has evolved perhaps an accidental vulnerability wherein defense against one parasite can increase susceptibility to others. This so-called immune 'cross-talk' is a conundrum worth investigating not only to understand the impact of parasites on focal organisms, but also to better predict how immunity itself influences the evolution and epidemiology of parasites whose spread we might like to curtail. For plants, co-infection often comes from insect herbivores and various bacteria that colonize the leaf interior. Both colonizers can reduce plant fitness directly or indirectly by potentiating future enemies via cross-talk in plant immunity. This phenomenon has largely been studied in laboratory model plants, leaving a substantial gap in our knowledge from native species that interact in the wild. This dissertation helps close this gap by investigating the ecology of co-infection of a native plant by its major insect herbivore and diverse leaf-colonizing bacteria. I revealed that leaf co-infection in the field by leaf-mining herbivores and leaf-colonizing ("phyllosphere") bacteria is substantially more common than single infection by either group and that bacterial infection can cause increased feeding by herbivores in the laboratory. Immune cross-talk can also shape the field-scale patterns of herbivory across a native plant population. Studying the main herbivore of this native plant in detail revealed that, in contrast to many specialist herbivores, our focal species avoids plant defenses likely because it does not possess a specialized means of avoiding their toxicity. Nonetheless, this species may depend on the very same defenses it avoids by being initially attracted to plants that produce them. This foraging strategy is unique among known specialists. Lastly, I moved beyond immune cross-talk to explore how co-occurring phyllosphere bacteria might directly impact one another through competition. In the lab, I found that different growth strategies underlie competitive ability for two major clades of bacteria within the genus Pseudomonas, and that toxin production and resistance may be important mediators of competition within the phyllosphere. However, competitively superior bacteria that produce toxins may indirectly facilitate the survival of inferior competitors through their being toxin resistant, which likely enhances co-existence of diverse bacteria in the phyllosphere. Together, this dissertation has revealed a variety of means by which co-infecting bacteria and insects might influence one another through plant defense cross-talk, as well as how the complex interplay of colonization and competition might affect the structure of leaf microbial communities in nature.

Activation of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and oxidative stress have been shown to be associated with compromised cardiovascular function in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced type 1 diabetes. The aim of the project is to investigate cardiovascular abnormalities in a rat model of type 2 diabetes (Zucker diabetes fatty or ZDF rats) and two models of metabolic syndrome (fructose-fed rats and Zucker obese rats), and to provide direct evidence linking iNOS and oxidative stress to abnormal cardiovascular function in these disorders. Blood pressure, cardiac contractility, cardiac index, regional flow, vascular resistance and venous tone were measured in diseased as well as normal rats. Biochemical analyses such as activities of iNOS, immunostaining of iNOS and western-blot analysis of iNOS in the heart tissue were carried out. The results showed that cardiac contractile response to dobutamine was compromised in the ZDF rats, and this was associated with increased myocardial protein expression as well as activity of iNOS. The formation of peroxynitrite was increased in the heart tissue of the ZDF rats. Selective inhibition of iNOS by 1400W (N-3-aminomethyl-benzyl-acetamidine) did not alter responses to dobutamine in the control rats, but augmented the contractile effects of dobutamine in the diabetic rats. The regional blood flow was altered in the ZDF rats, and iNOS played a negligible role in regulating regional flow in the ZDF rats. Although venous response to noradrenaline was also altered in the Zucker obese rats, NOS may not be involved in venous tone regulation. Anti-oxidative treatment with N-acetylcysteine inhibited the development of insulin resistance, blood pressure elevation and the increase of 8-isoprostane formation in the fructose-fed rats. We conclude that heart function is compromised and regional blood flow is altered in the ZDF rats. Activation of iNOS plays an important role in suppressing heart dysfunction but does not affect regional blood flow. In Zucker obese rats with metabolic syndrome, iNOS may not be involved in changes of venous function. Oxidative stress is associated with both abnormality of heart dysfunction in type 2 diabetes (by formation of peroxynitrite due to iNOS activation) and development of hypertension and insulin resistance in metabolic syndrome.

Two common strategies used to identify specific genes that influence aging in Drosophila melanogaster are overexpression screens and candidate gene approaches. Both of these strategies rely on gene expression systems. A very popular gene expression system in Drosophila is the bipartite UAS/GAL4 system, where binding of GAL4 to a UAS sequence can direct the expression of a UAS-linked transgene in a pattern determined by GAL4. Although the UAS/GAL4 system allows for spatial regulation of transgene expression, it does not allow researchers to control when transgene expression will occur. This is an important consideration since aging research is primarily interested in identifying genes that influence aging during adulthood, therefore requiring that transgene expression be effectively blocked during pre-adult stages. Both the Gene-Switch and the Tet-Off/GAL80 systems are attempts to establish temporal control over GAL4 activity. The Gene-Switch system is based on a modified form of GAL4 whose transcriptional activity can be controlled through the antiprogestin molecule RU486. The Tet-Off/GAL80 system, where expression of GAL80 (a negative regulator of GAL4) is under the control of a tetracycline sensitive expression system, allows regulation of GAL4 activity through the antibiotic tetracycline. Characterization of these systems reveals that although neither system can completely repress leaky transgene expression, the Tet-Off/GAL80 system is much better at preventing unwanted transgene expression at most stages of the fly life cycle. Furthermore, comparison of muscle specific GAL4 and Gene-Switch strains revealed that upon treatment with their respective inducers, the Tet-Off/GAL80 system allows for GAL4 activity in the muscles, while the Gene-Switch system results in GAL4 activity in other tissues in addition to the muscles. In other characterized Gene-Switch strains, GAL4 activity is achieved only in a subset of the cells of the targeted tissue, suggesting that the Gene-Switch system may be ill-suited for aging studies. These findings, along with the fact that the Tet-Off/GAL80 but not the Gene-Switch system is compatible with the hundreds of characterized GAL4 lines presently available which allows transgene expression to be targeted to most tissues, indicate that the Tet-Off/GAL80 system is the best-suited for aging studies in Drosophila at present. / Thesis (Ph.D, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2008-12-22 17:13:42.089

Antipredator defenses are ubiquitous in aquatic ecosystems. In the widely studied Chaoborus-Daphnia predator-prey system, Daphnia elicit a variety of phenotypically plastic responses to Chaoborus including: morphological, life history, and behavioral responses. While these inducible defenses benefit the prey, metal contaminants have been shown to interfere with chemosensory functions, thereby inhibiting antipredator defenses and decreasing survivorship. However, in lakes with a history of metal contamination, such as Kelly Lake in Sudbury, Ontario, there is evidence to suggest that Daphnia may have adapted to high, ambient copper concentrations. Using seven distinct Daphnia clones that were hatched from resting eggs from Kelly Lake, we examined morphological and life history traits when clones were exposed to either a nominal concentration of copper, kairomone, or a combination of both. As expected, clones displayed a variety of inducible responses in both kairomone-control and kairomone-copper treatments, which was attributed to genetic variability. Expected trade-offs in life history traits were not always observed, suggesting that inducible traits may be coupled. Furthermore, in contradiction to life history theory, one clone exhibited both increased somatic growth and increased reproductive output, indicating that clones likely adopted adaptive strategies to stressors rather than elicitng trade-offs in traditional traits. Our results indicate that environmentally relevant copper concentrations do not inhibit the induction of antipredator defenses in Daphnia from Kelly Lake, and we conclude that Kelly Lake Daphnia have developed an adaptive tolerance to copper. Adaptation to copper contamination may have implications for resilience in natural Kelly Lake populations. / Thesis (Master, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2012-04-03 19:33:59.137