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Background/Aim: Few studies have examined the correlation between pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) overexpression and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). TNBC is considered incurable with the currently available treatments, highlighting the need for alternative therapeutic targets. Materials and Methods: PKM2 expression was examined immunohistochemically in human breast tumor samples. Furthermore, we studied the effect of three PKM2 inhibitors (gliotoxin, shikonin, and compound 3K) in the MDA-MB-231 TNBC cell line. Results: PKM2 overexpression correlates with TNBC. Interestingly, most TNBC tissues showed increased levels of PKM2 compared to those of receptor-positive breast cancer tissues. This suggests that PKM2 overexpression is an important factor in the development of TNBC. MDA-MB-231 TNBC cells are resistant to anticancer drugs, such as vincristine (VIC) compared to other cancer cells. We found that the recently developed PKM2 inhibitor gliotoxin sensitized MDA-MB-231 cells at a relatively low dose to the same extent as the known PKM2 inhibitor shikonin, suggesting that PKM2 inhibitors could be an effective treatment for TNBC. Detailed sensitization mechanisms were also analyzed. Both gliotoxin and shikonin highly increased late apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 cells, as revealed by annexin V staining. However, MDA-MB-231 cells with high cellular density inhibited the sensitizing effect of PKM2 inhibitors; therefore, we investigated ways to overcome this inhibitory effect. We found that gliotoxin+shikonin co-treatment highly increased toxicity in MDA-MB-231 cells with high density, whereas either VIC+gliotoxin or VIC+shikonin were not effective. Thus, combination therapy with various PKM2 inhibitors may be more effective than combination therapy with anticancer drugs. Gliotoxin+shikonin co-treatment did not increase S or G2 arrest in cells, suggesting that the co-treatment showed a high increase in apoptosis without S or G2 arrest. We confirmed that another recently developed PKM2 inhibitor compound 3K had similar mechanisms of sensitizing MDAMB-231 cells, suggesting that PKM2 inhibitors have similar sensitization mechanisms in TNBC. Conclusion: PKM2 is a regulator of the oncogenic function of TNBC, and combination therapy with various PKM2 inhibitors may be effective for high-density TNBC. Targeting PKM2 in TNBC lays the foundation for the development of PKM2 inhibitors as promising anti-TNBC agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aim: Pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) functions as an important rate-limiting enzyme in aerobic glycolysis and is involved in tumor initiation and progression. However, there are few studies on the correlation between PKM2 expression and its role in glioma. Materials and Methods: PKM2 expression was immunohistochemically examined in human brain tumor samples. Furthermore, we studied the effects of two PKM2 inhibitors (shikonin and compound 3K) on the U87MG glioma cell line. Results: PKM2 was overexpressed in most glioma tissues when compared to controls. Interestingly, glioma-adjacent tissues from showed slight PKM2 overexpression. This suggests that PKM2 overexpression maybe an important trigger factor for glioma tumorigenesis. We found that the PKM2 inhibitor shikonin was effective against U87MG cells at a relatively low dose and was largely dependent on low cellular density compared to the effects of the anticancer drug vincristine. Shikonin highly increased late-apoptosis of U87MG cells. We also demonstrated that autophagy was involved in the increase in late-apoptosis levels caused by shikonin. Although vincristine treatment led to a high level of G2-phase arrest in U87MG cells, shikonin did not increase G2 arrest. Cotreatment with two PKM2 inhibitors, shikonin and compound 3K, increased the inhibitory effects. Conclusion: Combination therapy with PKM2 inhibitors together might be more effective than combination therapy with anticancer drugs. Our findings encourage the application of PKM2-targeting in gliomas, and lay the foundation for the development of PKM2 inhibitors as promising antitumor agents for glioma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Certain diseases and age groups are associated with a higher incidence of cancer. Cancer prevention can be achieved using repositioned drugs that have anticancer ability, thereby reducing the incidence of cancer in susceptible individuals. This implies that the selection of repositioned drugs can have dual benefits: controlling preexisting diseases and facilitating cancer prevention. This report outlines the rationale underlying drug repositioning for medications with an anticancer effect and discusses its advantages. We discuss repositioned drugs with anticancer effects that may contribute to cancer prevention in susceptible individuals and the general population with temporary, treatable conditions. The discussion of drug repositioning in this review should facilitate the initiation of clinical trials and lead to therapeutic application of such drugs to reduce the incidence of cancer in susceptible individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MK-2206 is an inhibitor of Akt activation. It has been investigated as an anticancer drug in clinical trials assessing the potential of pAkt targeting therapy. The purpose of this study was to identify conditions that increase the sensitivity of cancer cells to MK- 2206. We found that the treatment of cancer cells with a high concentration of salinomycin (Sal) reduced total Akt protein levels but increased activated Akt levels. When cancer cells were cotreated with MK-2206 and Sal, both pAkt and total Akt levels were reduced. Using microscopic observation, an assessment of cleaved PARP, FACS analysis of pre-G1 region, and Hoechst staining, we found that Sal increased apoptosis of MK-2206-treated cancer cells. These results suggest that cotreatment with MK-2206 and Sal sensitizes cancer cells via reduction of both pAkt and total Akt. Furthermore, cotreatment of cancer cells with Sal and MK- 2206 reduced pp70S6K, pmTOR, and pPDK1 levels. In addition, Sal-induced activation of GSK3β, TSC2, and 4EBP1 was abolished by MK-2206 cotreatment. These results suggest that cotreatment using MK-2206 and Sal could be used as a therapeutic method to sensitize cancer cells through targeting of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. Our findings may contribute to the development of MK-2206-based sensitization therapies for cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study identified a novel salinomycin (Sal)-sensitization mechanism in cancer cells. We analyzed the signal proteins Akt, Jnk, p38, Jak, and Erk1/2 in cancer cell lines that had arrested growth following low amounts of Sal treatment. We also tested the signal molecules PI3K, PDK1, GSK3β, p70S6K, mTOR, and PTEN to analyze the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. The results showed that Sal sensitization positively correlates with large reductions in p70S6K activation. Interestingly, Akt was the only signal protein to be significantly activated by Sal treatment. The Akt activation appeared to require the PI3K pathway as its activation was abolished by the PI3K inhibitors LY294002 and wortmannin. The Akt activation by Sal was conserved in the other cell lines analyzed, which originated from other organs. Both Akt activation and C-PARP production were proportionally increased with increased doses of Sal. In addition, the increased levels of pAkt were not reduced over the time course of the experiment. Co-treatment with Akt inhibitors sensitized the Sal-treated cancer cells. The results thereby suggest that Akt activation is increased in cells that survive Sal treatment and resist the cytotoxic effect of Sal. Taken together; these results indicate that Akt activation may promote the resistance of cancer cells to Sal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study identified a novel salinomycin (Sal) sensitization mechanism in cancer. We tested whether Sal reduced proliferation in a high-density population by counting attached cell numbers after Sal treatment. Sal reduced proliferation in high-density cell populations. Longer exposure to Sal further reduced proliferation. Sal concentrations of 0.1 and 5 µM had similar sensitization effects, suggesting that Sal toxicity was minimal with longer exposure to a high-density cell population. The results suggest that Sal can be applied at a relatively low concentration for a longer time to overcome drug-resistant solid tumors. The 0.5 μM Sal treatment resulted in fewer attached cells than that of the 5 μM Sal treatment with a longer exposure. The lower Sal concentration mainly increased the number of easily detachable cells on the surface. In particular, 0.5 μM Sal increased cellular detachment of newly produced daughter cells. The easily-detachable cells were undergoing apoptosis. It seems that the 0.5 µM Sal treatment also increased cellular toxicity. These novel findings may contribute to the development of Sal-based therapy for patients with drug-resistant cancer or a high-density solid tumor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transcriptional activation by Gcn4p is dependent on the coactivators SWI/SNF, SAGA, and Srb Mediator, which are recruited by Gcn4p and stimulate assembly of the preinitiation complex (PIC) at the ARG1 promoter in vivo. We show that recruitment of all three coactivators is nearly simultaneous with binding of Gcn4p at ARG1 and is followed quickly by PIC formation and elongation by RNA polymerase II (Pol II) through the open reading frame. Despite the simultaneous recruitment of coactivators, rapid recruitment of SWI/SNF depends on the histone acetyltransferase (HAT) subunit of SAGA (Gcn5p), a non-HAT function of SAGA, and on Mediator. SAGA recruitment in turn is strongly stimulated by Mediator and the RSC complex. Recruitment of Mediator, by contrast, occurs independently of the other coactivators at ARG1. We confirm the roles of Mediator and SAGA in TATA binding protein (TBP) recruitment and demonstrate that all four coactivators under study enhance Poi II recruitment or promoter clearance following TBP binding. We also present evidence that SWI/SNF and SAGA stimulate transcription elongation downstream from the promoter. These functions can be limited to discrete time intervals, providing evidence for multiple stages in the induction process. Our findings reveal a program of coactivator recruitment and PIC assembly that distinguishes Gcn4p from other yeast activators studied thus far. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transcription of the arginine biosynthetic gene ARG1 is repressed by the ArgR/Mcm1p complex in arginine-replete cells and activated by Gcn4p, a transcription factor induced by starvation for any amino acid. We show that all four subunits of the arginine repressor are recruited toARG1 by Gcn4p in cells replete with arginine but starved for isoleucine/valine. None of these proteins is recruited to the Gcn4p target genes ARG4 and SNZ1, which are not regulated by ArgR/Mcm1p. Mcmlp and Arg80p were found in a soluble complex lacking Arg81p and ArgS2p, and both Mcmlp and Arg80p were efficiently recruited toARG1 in wild-type cells in the presence or absence of exogenous arginine, and also in arg81A cells. By contrast, the recruitment of Arg81p and Arg82p was stimulated by exogenous arginine. These findings suggest that Gcn4p constitutively recruits an Mcm1p/Arg80p heterodimer and that efficient assembly of a functional repressor also containing Arg81p and Arg82p occurs only in arginine excess. By recruiting an arginineregulated repressor, Gcn4p can precisely modulate its activation function at ARG1 according to the availability of arginine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wild-type transcriptional activation by Gcn4p is dependent on multiple coactivators, including SAGA, SWI/SNF, Srb mediator, CCR4-NOT, and RSC, which are all recruited by Gcn4p to its target promoters in vivo. It was not known whether these coactivators are required for assembly of the preinitiation complex (PIC) or for subsequent steps in the initiation or elongation phase of transcription. We find that mutations in subunits of these coactivators reduce the recruitment of TATA binding protein (TBP) and RNA polymerase II (Pol II) by Gcn4p at ARG1, ARG4, and SNZ1, implicating all five coactivators in PIC assembly at Gcn4p target genes. Recruitment of Pol II at SNZ1 and ARG1 was eliminated by mutations in TBP or by deletion of the TATA box, indicating that TBP binding is a prerequisite for Poi II recruitment by Gcn4p. However, several mutations in SAGA subunits and deletion of SRB10 had a greater impact on promoter occupancy of Pol II versus TBP, suggesting that SAGA and Srb mediator can promote Pol II binding independently of their stimulatory effects on TBP recruitment. Our results reveal an unexpected complexity in the cofactor requirements for the enhancement of PIC assembly by a single activator protein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nucleosome remodeling complex SWI/SNF is a coactivator for yeast transcriptional activator Gcn4p. We provide strong evidence that Gcn4p recruits the entire SWI/SNF complex to its target genes ARG1 and SNZ1 but that SWI/SNF is dispensable for Gcn4p binding to these promoters. It was shown previously that Snf2p/Swi2p, Snf5p, and Swi1p interact directly with Gcn4p in vitro. However, we found that Snf2p is not required for recruitment of SWI/SNF by Gcn4p nor can Snf2p be recruited independently of other SWI/SNF subunits in vivo. Snf5p was not recruited as an isolated subunit but was required with Snf6p and Swi3p for optimal recruitment of other SWI/SNF subunits. The results suggest that Snf2p, Snf5p, and Swi1p are recruited only as subunits of intact SWI/SNF, a model consistent with the idea that Gcn4p makes multiple contacts with SWI/SNF in vivo. Interestingly, Swp73p is necessary for efficient SWI/SNF recruitment at SNZ1 but not at ARG1, indicating distinct subunit requirements for SWI/SNF recruitment at different genes. Optimal recruitment of SWI/SNF by Gcn4p also requires specific subunits of SRB mediator (Gal11p, Med2p, and Rox3p) and SAGA (Ada1p and Ada5p) but is independent of the histone acetyltransferase in SAGA, Gcn5p. We suggest that SWI/SNF recruitment is enhanced by cooperative interactions with subunits of SRB mediator and SAGA recruited by Gcn4p to the same promoter but is insensitive to histone H3 acetylation by Gcn5p. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extends the concept of dilution of precision to the attitude navigation solution. Definition of the Euler angle dilution of precision (EADOP); Numerical simulations used to test EADOP; Comparison between EADOP and attitude dilution of precision in relation to evaluating the effectiveness of Global Positioning System satellite constellation.