1,721,005 research outputs found
Paclitaxel (taxol) inhibits protein isoprenylation and induces apoptosis in PC-3 human prostate cancer cells
Full text linkPaclitaxel was examined for its effects on cell survival, internucleosomal DNA fragmentation, and protein isoprenylation in the human prostate cancer cell line PC-3. Treatment of cells with paclitaxel at 5-60 nM for 24 hr resulted in a dose-dependent inhibition of cell viability (IC50, 31.2 nM), which was partially prevented by supplementing the cell culture medium with two nonsterol polyisoprenyl compounds, farnesyl-pyrophosphate (-PP) and geranylgeranyl-PP (3 mu M each). Furthermore, agarose gel electrophoresis of DNA extracted from cells treated with paclitaxel (15-60 nM) for 24 hr showed DNA laddering with production of fragments of 180-base pair multiples, indicating the occurrence of apoptotic cell death. Internucleosomal DNA fragmentation by paclitaxel was also detected by a photometric enzyme immunoassay using antihistone antibodies; if culture medium was supplemented with farnesyl-PP and geranylgeranyl-PP (3 mu M each), a reduction in mono- and oligoucleosome production was observed. The post-translational incorporation of metabolites of (RS)-[5-H-3]mevalonolactone (100 mu Ci/ml) into prenylated proteins of PC-3 cells was inhibited by paclitaxel at 30 and 60 nM. In addition, the immunoprecipitation of p21ras and p21rap-1 proteins from PC-3 cells exposed to paclitaxel (30 and 60 nM) and labeled with (RS)-[5-H-3]mevalonolactone showed a substantial inhibition of the incorporation of farnesyl and geranylgeranyl prenoid groups, respectively, into the aforementioned proteins. These results indicate that the inhibition of protein isoprenylation is a novel component of the complex biochemical effects of the drug and plays an important role in the mechanism of paclitaxel cytotoxicity in PC-3 cells
Specific labeling of isoprenylated proteins: application to study inhibitors of the post-translational farnesylation and geranylgeranylation
No full textSpecific labeling of either farnesylated or geranylgeranylated proteins in human PC-3 prostate cancer cell line was obtained by suppression of mevalonic acid biosynthesis with lovastatin, 50 mu M,followed by supplementation of cell culture medium with either [H-3]farnesyl- or [H-3]geranylgeranyl-pyrophosphate. The immunoprecipitation of either a farnesylated (p21 ras) or geranylgeranylated (p21 rap 1) protein demonstrated that labeling was specific since proteins were detected only if the appropriate isoprenoid was added to the culture medium. TLC analysis indicated that no conversion of one isoprenoid to the other occurred in these conditions. The selective labeling of either farnesylated or geranylgeranylated proteins may be a valuable tool for the development of inhibitors of isoprenoid transferases as a potential new class of antitumor agents
Suramin, a novel antitumor compound
No full textSuramin, a polyanionic compound originally synthesized for use as an antiparasitic agent, has recently entered clinical trials for the treatment of a variety of human cancers refractory to conventional modalities of therapy. This is based on suramin's ability to bind and to inactivate growth factor and enzyme systems critical to cellular homeostasis and proliferation. In addition, this compound possesses adrenocorticolytic properties in vivo and exerts significant cytostatic and cytocidal effects against a variety of human tumor cell lines in vitro. Pilot studies using suramin have thus far been conducted in adrenocortical carcinoma, prostate cancer refractory to conventional hormonal manipulation and nodular lymphomas
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Phenylacetate inhibits protein isoprenylation and growth of the androgen-independent LNCaP prostate cancer cells transfected with the T24 Ha-ras oncogene
No full textThe refractoriness of prostate cancer to androgen suppression is the landmark of clinically aggressive disease. In this study, the androgen-dependent LNCaP prostate cancer cells were transfected with the mutated c-Ha-ras gene from the T24 human bladder cancer. The derivative clone overexpressing T24-ras (LNCap(T24-ras)) proliferated in androgen-depleted medium and showed increased growth. Protein isoprenylation and p21ras famesylation in LNCaP(T24-ras) cells were tested in the presence of phenylacetate to document a possible relationship with the drug-induced inhibition of cell proliferation. Phenylacetate is a differentiation inducer that down-regulates in vitro the expression of the myc oncogene and activates the human peroxisome proliferator-activated nuclear receptor involved in cell growth regulation. The drug inhibited protein isoprenylation and p21ras famesylation in LNCaP(T24-ras) cells; IC50 values were 3.1 and 3.3 mM, respectively, compared with controls. The drug reduced the cellular levels of endogenous farnesyl-PP (mean IC50 = 3.5 mM) and inhibited activation of the p21ras downstream target, p42(MAPK)/ERK2. LNCaP(T24-ras) was more sensitive than the parental line to both growth inhibition (mean IC50 = 3.01 and 7.1 mM, respectively) and apoptosis by phenylacetate. Exogenous farnesyl- and geranylgeranyl-PP indeed reduced the effects of the drug on proliferation and apoptosis in LNCaP(T24-ras) cells. In conclusion, the inhibition of protein isoprenylation and p21ras famesylation by phenylacetate resulted in increased chemosensitivity of the androgen-independent LNCap(T24-ras) cells compared with LNCaP, and this effect might contribute to the pharmacological activity of the drug
Effect of suramin on human prostate cancer cells in vitro
No full textSuramin, a polyanionic compound with known antiparasitic activity, has been shown to be adrenocorticolytic in primates and to have clinical efficacy in the treatment of patients with metastatic prostate cancer refractory to conventional hormonal manipulation. To better characterize the activity of suramin on prostate cancer biology, we studied the effect of the drug on plasma adrenal androgens of patients and on the human prostate adenocarcinoma cell lines PC-3, DU 145 and LNCaP-FGC. Five cancer patients treated with suramin had an approximate 40% decline in circulating androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate levels. The drug inhibited the colony formation in two of the three cell lines at concentrations clinically achievable in humans without excessive drug-related toxicity. The presence of suramin 300 micrograms./ml. partially inhibited the growth stimulatory effect of testosterone and basic fibroblast growth factor, but not that of epidermal growth factor. The cellular concentration of suramin following exposure to a single dose increases linearly over time in each of the cell lines with LNCaP-FGC accumulating the highest levels of the drug; cellular levels of suramin, not androgen or growth factor sensitivity, correlated with the sensitivity to the drug. The concentrations of prostatic acid phosphatase and prostatic specific antigen released by LNCaP-FGC cells in cell culture medium declined in the presence of increasing levels of suramin in a manner which exceeded the decrease in cell number. We conclude that suramin, aside from decreasing circulating androgens through its adrenocorticolytic effect, is also capable exerting a direct inhibitory effect on cell proliferation of prostate cancer cells, and interfere at a cellular level with the growth stimulatory effects of exogenous testosterone and basic fibroblast growth factor
Use of suramin in treatment of prostatic carcinoma refractory to conventional hormonal manipulation
No full textSuramin and related compounds, in view of their growth factor and enzyme binding properties, represent in many respects a novel approach to the treatment of cancer. Although in this preliminary analysis of suramin use in the treatment of metastatic prostate cancer, the objective response rate does not appear impressive, much work still needs to be done to optimize suramin's administration to patients and to elucidate its various postulated mechanisms of action. The development of related compounds with more specific enzyme and growth factor antagonist properties is under way
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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