Search

Sequences of the primers for Reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Quantitative real-time PCR analysis

Loss of the tumor suppressor NDRG2 has been implicated in the development of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), acting by modulating PI3K/AKT-mediated dephosphorylation of PTEN at S380/S382/T383 (STT). Here, we show that the majority of OSCC tumors with lymph node metastasis, a major prognostic factor, exhibit high levels of phosphorylated AKT-S473 and PTEN-STT and low levels of NDRG2 expression. In Ndrg2-deficient mice, which develop a wide range of tumors, we developed a model of OSCC by treatment with the tobacco surrogate 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide (4-NQO). In this model, both the number and size of OSCC tumors were increased significantly by Ndrg2 deficiency, which also increased invasion of cervical lymph nodes. 4-NQO treatment of human OSCC cell lines exhibiting low NDRG2 expression induced epithelial–mesenchymal transition via activation of NF-κB signaling. Conversely, ectopic expression of NDRG2 reversed the EMT phenotype and inhibited NF-κB signaling via suppression of PTEN-STT and AKT-S473 phosphorylation. Our results show how NDRG2 expression serves as a critical determinant of the invasive and metastatic capacity of OSCC. Cancer Res; 77(9); 2363–74. ©2017 AACR.

Supplemental Figure 1. Keratin staining of cervical lymph nodes from Ndrg2-deficient mice treated with 4-NQO. Supplementary figure related to Figure 2; Supplemental Figure 2. Effect of 4-NQO treatment on an OSCC cell line was observed through the activation of the AKT signalling pathway and cell migration ability. Supplementary figure related to Figure 4; Supplemental Figure 3. Immunofluorescence staining of E-cadherin, Vimentin, and NDRG2 in OSCC cell lines for determining EMT progression by treatment with 4-NQO. Supplementary figure related to Figure 5; Supplemental Figure 4. Activation of NF-kappaB signalling in SAS/OSCC cell line treated with 4-NQO. Supplementary figure related to Figure 6; Supplemental Figure 5. Hypothetical model for the molecular mechanism of EMT progression in OSCC cells. Supplementary figure related to Figure 6 and Discussion.

Supplemental figure legends

supplementary tables: Supplemental Table 1. Expression rates of immunohistochemical staining of NDRG2 versus p-Akt or p-PTEN in tumors from OSCC patients. Supplementary table related to Figure 1; Supplemental Table 2. Incidence of tumour formation in the tongue of Ndrg2-deficient mice treated with 4-NQO for 16 weeks. Supplementary table related to Figure 2; Supplemental Table 3. Frequency of SCC (squamous cell carcinoma) tumour formation in the tongue of Ndrg2-deficient mice treated with 4-NQO for 16 weeks. Supplementary table related to Figure 2; Supplemental Table 4. Incidence of tumour formation in wild type and Ndrg2-deficient mice after treatment with 4-NQO for 30 weeks. Supplementary table related to Figure 3; Supplemental Table 5. Incidence of tumour development in wild-type and Ndrg2-deficient mice treated with 4-NQO for 30 weeks. Supplementary table related to Figure 3; Supplemental Table 6. Comparison of the frequency of cervical lymph node metastasis between wild-type control and Ndrg2-deficient mice. Supplementary table related to Figure 3.

Loss of the tumor suppressor NDRG2 has been implicated in the development of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), acting by modulating PI3K/AKT-mediated dephosphorylation of PTEN at S380/S382/T383 (STT). Here, we show that the majority of OSCC tumors with lymph node metastasis, a major prognostic factor, exhibit high levels of phosphorylated AKT-S473 and PTEN-STT and low levels of NDRG2 expression. In Ndrg2-deficient mice, which develop a wide range of tumors, we developed a model of OSCC by treatment with the tobacco surrogate 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide (4-NQO). In this model, both the number and size of OSCC tumors were increased significantly by Ndrg2 deficiency, which also increased invasion of cervical lymph nodes. 4-NQO treatment of human OSCC cell lines exhibiting low NDRG2 expression induced epithelial–mesenchymal transition via activation of NF-κB signaling. Conversely, ectopic expression of NDRG2 reversed the EMT phenotype and inhibited NF-κB signaling via suppression of PTEN-STT and AKT-S473 phosphorylation. Our results show how NDRG2 expression serves as a critical determinant of the invasive and metastatic capacity of OSCC. Cancer Res; 77(9); 2363–74. ©2017 AACR.

Transferrin receptor1 (TfR1) is a type II transmembrane glycoprotein that involves intracellular uptake of iron. TfR1 is ubiquitously expressed at low levels in normal cells except erythroblasts and placental trophoblasts, which express high levels of TfR1 due to the need of up taking a large amount of iron. Accumulating studies have shown elevated levels of TfR1 in both solid tumor cells, as well as hematologic malignant cells when compared to their normal counterparts. Since TfR1 is implicated in growth and survival in various cancer cells, targeting TfR1 could be attractive strategy for cancer therapeutics. To this end, we have developed a fully human antibody against TfR1, PPMX-T003, which displayed potent anti-tumor activity in vitro and in vivo. PPMX-T003 induced apoptosis or cell cycle arrest with EC50s of 3~200ng/ml in various tumor cell lines. Mechanistically, PPMX-T003 triggers apoptosis or cell growth arrest by inhibiting binding of TfR1 to its ligand transferrin and blocking iron uptake. In addition, PPMX-T003 elicits antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) activity in cancer cells. Importantly, PPMX-T003 showed potent efficacy against several blood cancer xenograft models. PPMX-T003 completely eradicated established subcutaneous tumors in two acute myeloid leukemia (AML) models generated by Kasumi-1 and HL-60, at a dose of 10 mg/kg when administrated (I.V.) once a week for 4 weeks. Moreover, PPMX-T003 completely eradicated established tumors in a lymphoma xenograft model (SU-DHL-2) at a dose of 3 mg/kg. Furthermore, PPMX-T003 greatly prolonged mice survival in a disseminated leukemia model (CCRF-CEM: acute lymphoblastic leukemia cell line). The control mice engrafted with CCRF-CEM cells (n=10) developed leukemia and died within 42 days, whereas 8 of the 10 mice treated with PPMX-T003 survived 179 days until the experiment was terminated. A preliminary toxicology study in Cynomolgus monkeys with multiple doses was also carried out. Although moderate anemia was observed at the dose of 30 mg/kg, no other abnormalities were observed, indicating a tolerable safety profile. Taken together, these results indicate that PPMX-T003 could be a potent therapeutic antibody for the treatment of hematologic malignancies. Citation Format: Lilin Zhang, Fumiko Nomura, Yoichi Aikawa, Yoshikazu Kurosawa, Kazuhiro Morishita, Yukio Sudo. PPMX-T003, a fully human anti-TfR1 antibody with potent efficacy against hematologic malignancies [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 5586. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-5586

Transferrin receptor (TfR) is a type II transmembrane glycoprotein regulating intracellular uptake of iron, and is therefore involved in cell survival and proliferation. TfR has been reported to be more abundantly expressed in dividing cells, e.g. malignant cells, than in quiescent cells, as in most normal cells. Therefore, it is regarded as a potential target for usage in cancer therapy. In the present study, we generated a panel of human anti-TfR antibodies and evaluated its anti-tumor effect both in vitro and in vivo. We found that several antibodies inhibited cell proliferation in various tumor cells, and elicited antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) activity. Among these antibodies, PPMXT001 and PPMXT002 exerted a significant anti-tumor activity in several xenograft models. PPMXT001 completely suppressed tumor growth in a pancreatic cancer model (MIAPaCa2). PPMXT002 also inhibited tumor growth by 60∼80% in several solid cancer xenograft models including bladder cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, and pancreatic cancer. These findings showed that PPMXT001 and PPMXT002 could be potent candidates for developing antibody therapeutics to treat cancer. Citation Format: Lilin Zhang, Yoshinori Ukai, Fumiko Nomura, Youichi Aikawa, Yoko Kayukawa, Katsuyuki Mitomo, Katsushi Kouda, Romi Kodaka, Gene Kurosawa, Yoshikazu Kurosawa, Kazuhiro Morishita, Yukio Sudo. Antibodies against TfR inhibit growth of tumor cells both in vitro and in vivo. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4323. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-4323