Silencing ferrochelatase in breast cancer cells MDA-MB-231
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Aim was to identify novel targets of protoporphyrin-IX (PpIX) after silencing Ferrochelatase (FECH) enzyme. PpIX is a light sensitive metabolite of heme synthesis. Generation of PpIX is increased if FECH activity is suppressed. Here, silencing of FECH leads to down-regulation of PpIX, measured by a decrease of PpIX-specific fluorescence. PpIX is a photosensitizer used for photodynamic treatment of various carcinomas. Increasing PpIX leads to apoptosis of tumor cells.
Project description:Gene expression signatures induced by transient ROS production were characterized in both mouse back skin and tail epidermis samples. A transient in situ ROS production in the tissue was activated by an adapted photodynamic treatment, using methyl aminolevulinate as a metabolic precursor of endogenous Protoporphyrin IX.
Project description:Gene expression signatures induced by transient ROS production were characterized in both mouse back skin and tail epidermis samples. A transient in situ ROS production in the tissue was activated by an adapted photodynamic treatment, using methyl aminolevulinate as a metabolic precursor of endogenous Protoporphyrin IX. Gene expression in skin samples was measured 48 h after the photodynamic treatment. Experimental groups included: [1] Back skin control group (n=3 animals); [2] Back skin treated group (n=3 animals); [3] Tail skin control group (n=3 animals); and [4] Tail skin treated group (n=3 animals).
Project description:Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and aggressive malignant primary brain tumor, and surgical resection is a key part of the standard-of-care. In fluorescence-guided surgery (FGS), fluorophores are used to differentiate tumor tissue from surrounding normal brain. The heme synthesis pathway converts 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA), a fluorogenic substrate, to the fluorophore protoporphyrin IX (PpIX). The resulting fluorescence is thought to be specific to transformed glioma cells, but this specificity has not been examined at single cell level. Here, we performed paired single cell imaging and RNA sequencing of individual cells (SCOPE-seq2) on human GBM surgical specimens with visible PpIX fluorescence from patients who received 5-ALA prior to surgery. SCOPE-seq2 allows us to simultaneously measure PpIX fluorescence by imaging and unambiguously identify transformed glioma cells from single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq). We observed that 5-ALA treatment results in labeling that is not specific to transformed tumor cells. In cell culture experiments, we further demonstrated untransformed cells can be labeled by 5-ALA directly or by PpIX secreted from surrounding transformed cells. In acute slice cultures from mouse glioma models, we showed that 5-ALA preferably labels GBM tumor tissue over non-neoplastic brain tissue at bulk level, and that this contrast is not due to blood-brain-barrier disruption. Taken together, our findings support the use of 5-ALA as an indicator of GBM tissue, but not as a specific marker of transformed glioma cells.
Project description:Hela cells were used to evaluate the protoporphytin IX (PpIX) effects on X-ray irradiation. Treatment conditions were (1) control group (untreated cells); (2) cells treated with 1 μg /ml PpIX for 6 hours; (3) cells irradiated with 3Gy X-rays; (4) cells treated with 1 μg /ml PpIX for 6 hours prior to irradiation with 3Gy X-rays.
Project description:Hela cells were used to evaluate the protoporphytin IX (PpIX) effects on X-ray irradiation. Treatment conditions were (1) control group (untreated cells); (2) cells treated with 1 μg /ml PpIX for 6 hours; (3) cells irradiated with 3Gy X-rays; (4) cells treated with 1 μg /ml PpIX for 6 hours prior to irradiation with 3Gy X-rays. Hela cells gene expressions in 4 groups were measured at 24 hours after exposure to 0 and 3 Gy X-rays plus treatment with PpIX prior to irradiation.
Project description:The efficacy of photodynamic therapy for treating premalignant and malignant tumors is often limited by the emerging resistant tumor cells. We have developed experimental model systems to study the mechanisms associated with resistance to photodynamic therapy induced by structurally similar photosensitizers (two novel porphyrin-based photosensitizers and temoporfin) in mouse mammary carcinoma cell line 4T1. Photodynamic therapy resistant clones were obtained in vitro by exposure to constant photosensitizer concentration and irradiation with increasing light doses.
Project description:Protein kinases are key components in signal transduction pathways and are established drug targets in oncology. Consequently, small molecule kinase inhibitors are on the rise but often show a rather broad target spectrum, potentially leading to toxic side effects. As a result, a broad assessment of the target space is desirable for proper interpretation of observed biological effects. The enzyme Ferrochelatase (FECH), which catalyzes the conversion of protoporphyrin IX into heme, was recently found to be an off-target of the BRAF inhibitor Vemurafenib potentially explaining the often severe phototoxicity associated with this drug in melanoma patients. However, the extent to which kinase inhibitors bind to FECH in general is currently unclear. Here, we used a chemical proteomics approach based on the kinobead technology to profile 226 clinical kinase inhibitors for their potential to bind FECH. Surprisingly, low or sub-micromolar FECH binding was detected for 29 (13%) of all compounds tested and isothermal dose response measurements confirmed drug binding to FECH in cells. We also show that Vemurafenib, Linsitinib, Neratinib and MK-2461 reduce heme levels in K562 cells, verifying that drug binding leads to loss of FECH activity. Further experiments identified the protoporphyrin pocket in FECH as one major binding site for small molecule inhibitors. Since genetic loss of FECH function leads to photosensitivity in humans, we suggest that FECH inhibition by kinase inhibitors is the molecular mechanism triggering photosensitivity in patients and should therefore be part of the pre-clinical tox package for kinase inhibitors.
Project description:The tetrapyrroles Mg-protoporphyrin IX (MgProto) and heme, in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii only synthesized within the chloroplast, have been implicated in retrograde control of nuclear gene expression in this unicellular green alga. However, feeding of the two tetrapyrroles to Chlamydomonas cultures growing in the dark has previously been shown to transiently induce 5 nuclear genes, among them three genes coding for the chloroplast heat shock proteins HSP70A, B and E. Here, we measured the impact of MgProto and hemin feeding in the dark on changes in gene expression at the genomic level. About 10% of the 10000 genes represented on the microarray showed a transient up or down regulation with a fold change of 4 or more (p ≤0.05). The two most prominent groups of regulated genes were those where both MgProto and heme caused either an up or down regulation. Minor regulatory groups consisted of genes which were either down- or up-regulated by one of the tetrapyrroles but not by the other. In contrast, feeding of protoporphyrin IX had no regulatory effect on a number of selected genes. Interestingly, 499 of the 982 responding genes were also regulated by heat shock; 85% of those showed the same response (up or down) as seen after MgProto/heme feeding, indicating a previously not anticipated role of MgProto and heme in stress response. Indeed, most prominent among the functional groups of annotated genes up or down regulated by the tetrapyrroles were those whose gene products are involved in protein folding and/or protein degradation. Striking is the virtual absence of regulated genes that encode constituents of the photosynthetic apparatus. This and the transient nature of changes in gene expression observed upon feeding of the tetrapyrroles suggest a signaling role of these plastid compounds in the adaptation of the alga to alterations in the environment.
Project description:The liver, a pivotal organ in human metabolism, serves as a primary site for heme biosynthesis, critical for detoxification and drug metabolism. Maintaining precise control over heme production is paramount in healthy livers to meet high metabolic demands while averting potential toxicity from intermediate metabolites, notably protoporphyrin IX. Intriguingly, our recent research uncovers a disrupted heme biosynthesis process termed 'Porphyrin Overdrive' in cancers, fostering the accumulation of heme intermediates, potentially bolstering tumor survival. Here, we investigate heme and porphyrin metabolism in both healthy and oncogenic human livers, utilizing primary human liver transcriptomics and single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq). Our investigations unveil robust gene expression patterns in heme biosynthesis in healthy livers, supporting electron transport chain (ETC) and cytochrome P450 function, devoid of intermediate accumulation. Conversely, liver cancers exhibit impaired heme biosynthesis and massive downregulation of cytochrome P450 expression. Notably, despite diminished drug metabolism, heme supply to the ETC remains largely unaltered or even elevated with cancer progression, suggesting a metabolic priority shift. Liver cancers selectively accumulate intermediates, absent in normal tissues, implicating their role in disease advancement as inferred by expression. Furthermore, our findings establish a link between diminished drug metabolism, augmented ETC function, porphyrin accumulation, and inferior overall survival in aggressive cancers, indicating potential targets for clinical therapy development.
Project description:Porphyrias are caused by genetic defects in the heme biosynthetic pathway and are associated with accumulation of high levels of porphyrins that become cytotoxic. Porphyrins, due to their amphipathic nature, spontaneously associate into different nanostructures but very little is known about the effect of porphyrin speciation on the cytotoxic effects of porphyrins. Previously we demonstrated the unique ability of fluorescent biological porphyrins, including protoporphyrin IX (PP-IX), to cause organelle selective protein aggregation, which we posit to be a major mechanism by which porphyrins exerts their cytotoxic effect. Herein, we tested the hypothesis that PP-IX-mediated protein aggregation is modulated by different PP-IX nanostructures via a mechanism that depends on their oxidizing potential and protein binding ability. We demonstrate that PP-IX nanostructure formation is reversible in nature, and that nanostructure size modulates consequent protein oxidation and aggregation potential. We also show that albumin, the most abundant serum protein, preferentially binds PP-IX dimers and enhances their oxidizing ability. Additionally, extracellular albumin protects from intracellular porphyrinogenic stress and protein aggregation by acting as a PP-IX sponge. This work highlights the importance of PP-IX speciation in the context of the porphyrias, and offers insights into potential novel therapeutic approaches.