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Rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts (RA-SFs) show an aggressive phenotype and support joint inflammation and tissue destruction. New druggable targets in RA-SFs would therefore be of high therapeutic interest. The present study shows that the intermediate-conductance, calcium-activated potassium channel KCa3.1 (KCNN4) is expressed at the mRNA and protein level in RA-SFs, is functionally active, and has a regulatory impact on cell proliferation and secretion of pro-inflammatory and pro-destructive mediators. Whole-cell patch-clamp recordings identified KCa3.1 as the dominant potassium channel in the physiologically relevant membrane voltage range below 0 mV. Stimulation with transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) significantly increased transcription, translation, and channel function of KCa3.1. Inhibition of KCa3.1 by the selective, pore-blocking inhibitor TRAM-34, (and, in part, by siRNA) significantly reduced cell proliferation, as well as expression and secretion of pro-inflammatory factors (IL-6, IL-8, and MCP1) and the tissue-destructive protease MMP3. These effects were observed in non-stimulated and/or TGF-β1-stimulated RA-SFs. Since small molecule-based interference with KCa3.1 is principally well tolerated in clinical settings, further evaluation of channel blockers in models of rheumatoid arthritis may be a promising approach to identify new pharmacological targets and develop new therapeutic strategies for this debilitating disease., (© 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

The death ligand TRAIL represents a promising therapeutic strategy for metastatic melanoma, however prevalent and inducible resistance limit its applicability. A new approach is presented here for sensitization to TRAIL. It is based on inhibition of the membrane potassium channel KCa3.1 (IK1), which serves fundamental cellular functions related to membrane potential. The selective inhibitor TRAM-34 did not induce apoptosis by itself but synergistically enhanced TRAIL sensitivity and overrode TRAIL resistance in a large panel of melanoma cell lines. Expression of IK1 was also found in mitochondria, and its inhibition resulted in mitochondrial membrane hyperpolarization and an early activation of Bax. The combination of TRAM-34 and TRAIL resulted in massive release of mitochondrial factors, cytochrome c, AIF and SMAC/DIABLO. Bax knockdown and Bcl-2 overexpression abolished apoptosis. Overexpression of XIAP diminished apoptosis by two-fold, and SMAC knockdown almost completely abolished apoptosis. These data uncover the existence of a rheostat in melanoma cells, consisting of inhibitor of apoptosis proteins and SMAC, which regulates TRAIL sensitivity. Thus, a new strategy is described based on mitochondrial membrane channels, which correspond to Bax activation. As both TRAIL and IK1 inhibitors had shown only minor side effects in clinical trials, a clinical application of this combination is conceivable.

Malignant melanoma, characterized by invasive local growth and early formation of metastases, is the most aggressive type of skin cancer. Melanoma inhibitory activity (MIA), secreted by malignant melanoma cells, interacts with the cell adhesion receptors, integrins α(4)β(1) and α(5)β(1), facilitating cell detachment and promoting formation of metastases. In the present study, we demonstrate that MIA secretion is confined to the rear end of migrating cells, while in non-migrating cells MIA accumulates in the actin cortex. MIA protein takes a conventional secretory pathway including coat protein complex I (COPI)- and coat protein complex II (COPII)-dependent protein transport to the cell periphery, where its final release depends on intracellular Ca(2+) ions. Interestingly, the Ca(2+)-activated K(+)-channel, subfamily N, member 4 (KCa3.1), known to be active at the rear end of migrating cells, was found to support MIA secretion. Secretion was diminished by the specific KCa3.1 channel inhibitor TRAM-34 and by expression of dominant-negative mutants of the channel. In summary, we have elucidated the migration-associated transport of MIA protein to the cell rear and also disclosed a new mechanism by which KCa3.1 potassium channels promote cell migration.

The synthesis of a novel heterobifunctional cross-linking reagent, 3-(4-azido-2-nitrobenzoylseleno)propionic acid is described. The selenol ester function serves as a selective and reversible thiol reagent. Cross-linking is carried out photochemically via nitrene generation. The reagent is well suited for the identification of the environment of a defined cysteine residue according to the principle of semi-reversible cross-linking (Trommer, W.E., Friebel, K., Kiltz, H.-H. & Kolkenbrock. H. (1977) Adv. Exp. Med. Biol. 86A, 187-195). Cleavage of the thiol ester bond (the first anchor point) can be achieved by a variety of labels carrying an amino function thus giving rise to labelled amino acids or proteins in a distance of about 0.7 nm from the known cysteine residue. Optimal conditions were determined by reaction of 3-(4-azido-2-nitrobenzoylseleno)propionic acid and of its unsubstituted analog with glutathione and N alpha-benzoylglycyllysine. Nucleosidetriphosphate-adenylate kinase from pig muscle was chosen as an example to demonstrate the usefulness of the reagent. 14C-labelled aminobutyric acid was applied to cleave the thiol ester bond between the reagent and cysteine-25 leading to labelling of the N-terminal arginine peptide.

Two new bifunctional reagents suited for the step-wise cross-linking of cysteine and lysine residues in proteins are described. Application to lactate dehydrogenase yields a cross-link between cysteine-165 and lysine-179, which suggests an alternative mechanism by which the "essential" cysteine reacts. For the mapping of the environment of a known and well defined amino acid the use of semireversible bifunctional reagents is suggested.

We report the first example of a complete inhibition of preovulatory gonadotropin secretion resulting from administration of a luteinizing hormone releasing hormone antagonist during a spontaneous menstrual cycle. The antagonist, [(