Cholangiocytes, bile duct lining cells, actively adjust the amount of cholesterol and bile acids in bile through expression of enzymes and channels involved in transportation and metabolism of the cholesterol and bile acids. Herein, we report molecular mechanisms regulating bile acid biosynthesis in cholangiocytes. Among the cytochrome p450 (Cyp) enzymes involved in bile acid biosynthesis, sterol 27-hydroxylase (Cyp27) that is the rate-limiting enzyme for the acidic pathway of bile acid biosynthesis expressed in cholangiocytes. Expression of other Cyp enzymes for the basic bile acid biosynthesis was hardly detected. The Cyp27 expression was negatively regulated by a hydrophobic bile acid through farnesoid X receptor (FXR), a nuclear receptor activated by bile acid ligands. Activated FXR exerted the negative effects by inducing an expression of fibroblast growth factor 15/19 (FGF15/19). Similar to its repressive function against cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase (Cyp7a1) expression in hepatocytes, secreted FGF15/19 triggered Cyp27 repression in cholangiocytes through interaction with its cognate receptor fibroblast growth factor receptor 4 (FGFR4). The involvements of FXR and FGFR4 for the bile acid-induced Cyp27 repression were confirmed in vivo using knockout mouse models. Different from the signaling in hepatocytes, wherein the FGF15/19-induced repression signaling is mediated by c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), FGF15/19-induced Cyp27 repression in cholangiocytes was mediated by p38 kinase. Thus, the results collectively suggest that cholangiocytes may be able to actively regulate bile acid biosynthesis in cholangiocytes and even hepatocyte by secreting FGF15/19. We suggest the presence of cholangiocyte-mediated intrahepatic feedback loop in addition to the enterohepatic feedback loop against bile acid biosynthesis in the liver.

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Ethanolamine kinase (EC 2.7.1.82) catalyses the reaction of ethanolamine and Mg^2+-ATP to produce phosphoethanolamine and Mg^2+ -ADP. For spinach (Spinacia oleracea) the activity of ethanolamine kinase is increased in leaf extracts of salinized plants. A comparison of ethanolamine kinase activity between extracts from control and salinized plants after native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis shows that ethanolamine kinase activity migrates to the same position on a gel. This observation suggests that salinization does not induce the activity of a novel ethanolamine kinase isozyme. Ethanolamine kinase has been purified 6,537 fold to apparent homogeneity from spinach leaves by ammonium sulphate fractionation and sequential fractionation by both open-bed and HPLC chromatography, using ion-exchange and hydrophobic interaction matrices. The enzyme has an estimated molecular weight of 80,000 D by gel filtration chromatography and a subunit size of 38,000 D by sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Ethanolamine kinase has a broad pH optimum between pH 7 and 9 and the optimal ratio of Mg^2+:ATP for the reaction is 1: 1 at 5 mM. The apparent K^m value for the substrate ethanolamine is 16 μM and the V^max is 438 nmol • min^-1 •mg^-l protein. Monomethylethanolamine and dimethylethanolamine serve as substrates for. ethanolamine kinase but not trimethylethanolamine (ie choline). Enzyme activity is slightly stimulated by NaCl and KCl and inhibited to varying degrees by phosphate, ammonium, phosphoethanolamine and phosphodimethylethanolamine. Not surprisingly enzyme activity is also inhibited by ADP and to varying degrees by the divalent cations Mn^2+, Ca^2+, Co^2+, Ba^2+ and Ni^2+. This work is the first purification and biochemical characterization of ethanolamine kinase in spinach and is the first step towards understanding the contribution ethanolamine kinase makes towards the synthesis of choline. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Protein kinase C (PKC) is translocated to a phospholipid bilayer by calcium. Once at the membrane protein kinase C undergoes a conformational change which results in the removal of the pseudosubstrate domain from the active site. The enzyme then phosphorylates Ser/Thr residues on positively charged substrates. Certain substrates, however, can undergo cofactor independent phosphorylation by producing a conformational change in the enzyme in the absence of phospholipid and calcium. Studying the conformational change in PKC by physical techniques is difficult to perform with a phospholipid bilayer present. To study the conformational change in PKC in the absence of a membrane, the interactions between an Arginine-rich peptide (ARP), which underwent cofactor independent phosphorylation, and PKC was investigated. The Kₘ and kcₐₜ of the enzyme for ARP, in the absence of cofactors, was around 10 μM and 0.38 s⁻¹, respectively. The Kₘ did not significantly change upon the addition of phosphoipid and calcium. However, the kcₐₜ increased 2-3 fold in the presence of phospholipid and calcium. In the absence of phospholipid and calcium, ARP induced the exposure of hydrophobic site(s) on the enzyme. Additionally, ARP was able to promote the translocation of PKC to the membrane in the absence of calcium. PKC translocated to the membrane by ARP displayed the same susceptibility as the calcium membrane bound enzyme to limited proteolytic cleavage. Therefore, both ARP and calcium induce a similar membrane bound conformation in PKC. Additionally, the binding of ARP to PKC seems to occur through at least one high affinity site apart for the active site. These results demonstrate new insight into cofactor independent phosphorylation by PKC as well as illustrate a novel mechanism by which a substrate can promote the translocation of PKC in the absence of calcium. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Adenosine kinase (AK) is a purine salvage enzyme which catalyses the phosphorylation of the 5'-hydroxyl of adenosine via ATP. AK is a key enzyme which controls the intra and extracellular concentration of adenosine (Ado). Agents which inhibit the activity of AK have been found to attenuate cellular damage, demonstrating therapeutic utility in a variety of disease processes. In order to design inhibitors of AK with increased efficacy, a better understanding of enzyme activity is required. Previously, a number of novel characteristics of mammalian AK had been discovered. It was shown that the activity of AK is influenced by the presence of pentavalent ions (PVD such as inorganic phosphate (Pi), arsenate and vanadate. A detailed study of the influence of Pi on the kinetic parameters of Chinese hamster (CH) and beef liver AK was performed. These studies suggested that the Km (Ado) decreases and the Ki (Ado) increases asymptotically in the presence of increasing concentrations of Pi. Under the same conditions, the Vmax for activity increases hyperbolically. The effect of phosphate is not limited to the mammalian form of AK. Pi, arsenate and vanadate were all found to have similar effects on AK from yeast, spinach and Leishmania donovani AK. PVI as well as the metabolite phosphoenol pyruvate were also found to stimulate the activity of the enzyme ribokinase (RK) from E. coli, which similar to AK, is a member of the PfkB family of carbohydrate kinases. Although AK and RK show little sequence similarity, the residues at the active site and the 3D structues of these two proteins are very similar. Based on sequence alignment of PfkB family members, we have identified a conserved sequence motif, NXXE, which based upon the available structural information appears to be involved in the binding of phosphate. To confirm and understand the role of this motif in Pi binding, the residues at the NXXE site were altered by site-directed mutagenesis and their effect on activity of the recombinant CH AK was examined. Though the residues at the NXXE site do not directly interact with substrate, nor the putative catalytic base, the resulting proteins were found to have greatly altered phosphate requirement, substrate inhibition characteristics and different magnesium requirements. In the AK structure, aspartic acid at position 316 is presumed to act as the catalytic base. This residue was changed to asparagine and glutamic acid by mutagenesis. The resulting proteins were found to be nearly completely devoid of activity, confirming its critical role in AK activity. The amino acid sequence at the extreme N-terminus of AK has been found to exhibit the greatest variability within and among species, though the rest of the protein remains greatly conserved. To delineate the residues that are involved in the structural stability and activity of AK, systematic deletions of the residues from both the N-and C-terminus were performed, and the structure-activity relationships were examined. It was determined that the first 16 residues of CH AK can be removed without affecting activity. Removal of the next 11 residues resulted in sequential decreases in enzyme stability and activity. These 11 residues are involved in the first B-structure of the protein and are required for the stability of the tertiary structure. All residues at the C terminus were required for activity, and involved in a hydrogen-bonding network necessary for the stability of the ATP binding site. These studies provide novel insight to the structure-activity relationship of mammalian AK as well as the PfkB family of enzymes. Our work has identified a site distal to the catalytic site, that is implicated in the PVI binding and catalytic effect. Further studies should be aimed at understanding how binding of PVI at this site influences the catalytic activity of AK. Development of inhibitors which bind to this site and modulate the activity of AK should prove very useful in this regard. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The Pim family of serine/threonine protein kinases (Pim 1, 2, and 3) contribute to cellular transformation by regulating glucose metabolism, protein synthesis, and mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. Drugs targeting the Pim protein kinases are being tested in phase I/II clinical trials for the treatment of hematopoietic malignancies. The goal of these studies was to identify Pim substrate(s) that could help define the pathway regulated by these enzymes and potentially serve as a biomarker of Pim activity. To identify novel substrates, bioinformatics analysis was carried out to identify proteins containing a consensus Pim phosphorylation site. This analysis identified the insulin receptor substrate 1 and 2 (IRS1/2) as potential Pim substrates. Experiments were carried out in tissue culture, animals, and human samples from phase I trials to validate this observation and define the biologic readout of this phosphorylation. Our study demonstrates in both malignant and normal cells using either genetic or pharmacological inhibition of the Pim kinases or overexpression of this family of enzymes that human IRS1S1101 and IRS2S1149 are Pim substrates. In xenograft tumor experiments and in a human phase I clinical trial, a pan-Pim inhibitor administered in vivo to animals or humans decreased IRS1S1101 phosphorylation in tumor tissues. This phosphorylation was shown to have effects on the half-life of the IRS family of proteins, suggesting a role in insulin or IGF signaling. These results demonstrate that IRS1S1101 is a novel substrate for the Pim kinases and provide a novel marker for evaluation of Pim inhibitor therapy.

New approaches are needed for the treatment of patients with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) who fail to achieve remission with chemotherapy. Analysis of the effects of pan-PIM protein kinase inhibitors on human T-ALL cell lines demonstrated that the sensitive cell lines expressed higher PIM1 protein kinase levels, whereas T-ALL cell lines with NOTCH mutations tended to have lower levels of PIM1 kinase and were insensitive to these inhibitors. NOTCH-mutant cells selected for resistance to gamma secretase inhibitors developed elevated PIM1 kinase levels and increased sensitivity to PIM inhibitors. Gene profiling using a publically available T-ALL dataset demonstrated overexpression of PIM1 in the majority of early T-cell precursor (ETP)-ALLs and a small subset of non-ETP ALL. While the PIM inhibitors blocked growth, they also stimulated ERK and STAT5 phosphorylation, demonstrating that activation of additional signaling pathways occurs with PIM inhibitor treatment. To block these pathways, Ponatinib, a broadly active tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) used to treat chronic myelogenous leukemia, was added to this PIM-inhibitor regimen. The combination of Ponatinib with a PIM inhibitor resulted in synergistic T-ALL growth inhibition and marked apoptotic cell death. Treatment of mice engrafted with human T-ALL with these two agents significantly decreased the tumor burden and improved the survival of treated mice. This dual therapy has the potential to be developed as a novel approach to treat T-ALL with high PIM expression.

Les neuroblastomes, même de haut risque répondent bien à la chimiothérapie initiale mais deviendront fréquemment résistants au traitement. Les inhibiteurs de topoisomérase I représentent un outil thérapeutique important dans la prise en charge des neuroblastomes réfractaires. Pour étudier la résistance aux inhibiteurs de topoisomérase I acquise dans un contexte thérapeutique, un modèle murin de neuroblastome résistant au CPT-11 a été développé. La chimiorésistance est connue comme un phénomène multifacoriel. Nous avons donc utilisé plusieurs approches pour mieux caractériser les mécanismes à l'origine de la résistance dans notre modèle. Une approche génomique a permis d'identifier la dérégulation de la voie de signalisation formée du récepteur ALK et de deux ligands PTN et MDK. Alors que ALK est décrit comme gène majeur de prédisposition au neuroblastome, principalement par le biais de mutations activatrices, nous avons démontré que l'activation du récepteur survenait par des mécanismes alternatifs aux mutations dans une large majorité de cas et participerait à l'initiation de la maladie. En revanche, nous n'avons pas pu prouver l'implication de ce récepteur dans la progression de la maladie ou dans sa réponse au traitement. Il semble que la régulation de ALK soit complexe et le rôle exact de ce récepteur dans la progression du neuroblastome reste à établir. En revanche, nous avons démontré l'importance du ligand MDK dans la régulation de l'expression et de l'activation de ALK ainsi que dans le contrôle de la survie des cellules neuroblastiques. Inhiber cette cytokine représente une stratégie thérapeutique intéressante, complémentaire des thérapies anti-ALK, actuellement en développement clinique dans le neuroblastome. D’autre part, la caractérisation phénotypique du modèle a permis de mettre en évidence une signalisation altérée des dommages à l'ADN associée à une instabilité génétique accrue dans les tumeurs résistantes. Celles-ci présentent également une modification de progression dans le cycle cellulaire et une proportion plus importante de cellules quiescentes. Au final, ce travail a permis d'identifier différents mécanismes de résistance qui représentent des marqueurs de réponse au traitement et des cibles thérapeutiques intéressantes dans le neuroblastome. / Neuroblastoma, including high-risk cases, show a good initial response to chemotherapy but will frequently become resistant to treatment. Topoisomerase I inhibitors represent an important therapeutic option for refractory neuroblastoma. To study the reisitance to topoisomerase I inhibitors acquired in a therapeutic setting, we developed in vivo a resistant model to irinotecan (CPT-11). Chemoresistance is known as a multifactorial phenomenon. We have therefore used several approaches to better characterize mechanisms leading to resistance in our model. A genomic approach enabled us to identify the deregulation of a signaling pathway, constituted with a receptor (ALK) and two lignads (PTN and MDK). While ALK is decsribed as a major neuroblastoma predisposition gene, mainly through activating mutations, we demonstrated that the activation of ALK occurs via mechanisms others than mutation in a large majority of cases. Moreover ALK activation is an important event in the initiation of the disease. However, we couldn’t prouve the implication of the receptor in the progression of the disease or in its response to treatment. It seems that the regulation of ALK is complex and its precise role in the progression of neuroblastoma remains to be precisely defined. Nevertheless, we have demonstrated the importance of MDK, one of ALK ligands in the regulation of the expression and activation of ALK as well as in the control of the neuroblastoma cells survival. The inhibition of the cytokine, MDK represents an interesting therapeutic strategy, complementary to anti-ALK therapies, currently in clinical development in neuroblastoma. On another hand, the phenotypic characterization of the model, showed an alteration of the signaling of DNA damage and an increased genomic instability in the resistant tumors. Those tumors also harbor a modification in the cell cycle progression, particularly an increased proportion of quiescent cells. Finally, this work enables us to identify several resistance mechanism that represent markers of response to chemotherapy and relevant therapeutic targets in neuroblastoma.

Les Benzo[e]pyridoindoles sont identifiés comme inhibiteurs des kinases Aurora. La molécule la plus active, C1, inhibe efficacement à la fois Aurora B et CHK2. Nous avons donc exploité cette potentialité dans des applications de traitements combinés en se basant sur la spécificité restreinte mais multiple de cet inhibiteur. Nous avons mis en place le traitement combiné (Etoposide et C1) sur des lignées cellulaires et des effets additifs pour H358 et synergiques pour U2OS et HL60 sont notés. Ce traitement empêche efficacement la croissance des sphéroides et l'expansion des xénogreffes cellulaires. Un des avantages majeur de cette combinaison est la diminution des doses d'agents de dommages à l'ADN. C1 ouvre une piste pharmacologique basée sur l'altération simultanée de la mitose et de la réparation. La famille des benzo[e]pyridoindoles possède une forme penta-hétérocyclique avec 3 chaines latérales dont les variations peuvent influencer l'activité inhibitrice. Nous avons donc mesuré l'activité antimitotique de différents benzo[e]pyridoindoles. Cette étude structure/fonction permet de définir la contribution des chaînes latérales dans l'activité inhibitrice et d'orienter les futures synthèses. Nous nous sommes également intéressés au composé C4 qui avait un profil atypique d'inhibition de phosphorylation de l'histone H3. Il inhibe cette phosphorylation uniquement en entrée de mitose. Nous avons ainsi pu montrer que la phosphorylation de l'histone H3 n'est pas nécessaire à l'assemblage des chromosomes. Enfin, nous avons caractérisé l'efficacité de la molécule C21, un composé à forte activité anti-proliférative, sur différents modèles cellulaires et animaux. Ce travail révèle les potentialités multiples des benzo[e]pyridoindoles comme nouvelles molécules anti-prolifératives / Benzo[e]pyridoindole is identified as the novel Aurora inhibiteurs. The most potent compound, C1, inhibits efficiently both Aurora B and CHK2. Thus, we exploited the potency of this molecule in combined treatment applications based on its sharp and multiple specificities. We set up the combined treatments (Etoposide plus C1) on different cell lines and obtained an additive effect on H358 and a synergic one for HL60 and U2OS cells. This combination prevents the spheroid development as well as the cellular xenograft expansion. One of the main advantages of this combination is to decrease the dose of DNA damage agents in therapy leading to the reduction of their toxicity. C1 inhibiting both CHK2 and Aurora B open the way to targeted pharmacology based on simultaneous alteration of mitotic onset and DNA damage defences. Benzo[e]pyridoindole family has a penta-heterocyclic form with 3 lateral chains. The variations of these lateral chains can affect the inhibitory activity of the compounds. We researched the antimitotic efficiency of several benzo[e]pyridoindoles. This structure/function study drives to define the contribution of lateral chains in inhibitory activity and will direct future synthesis. We focused on compound C4 that induced an unusual profile of Histone H3 phosphorylation since it prevents it only in early mitosis. We found that H3-phosphorylation is not essential for chromosome organisation. Finally, we characterized the molecule C21 that is a potent antiproliferative compound both in cellulo and in vivo. This work reveals the potency of benzo[e]pyridoindoles as antiproliferative compounds.