YKL-40 Downregulation Is a Key Factor to Overcome Temozolomide Resistance in a Glioblastoma Cell Line
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ONCOLOGY REPORTS 32: 159-166, 2014 YKL-40 downregulation is a key factor to overcome temozolomide resistance in a glioblastoma cell line YASUTO AKIYAMA1,3*, TADASHI ASHIZAWA1*, MASARU KOMIYAMA1, HARUO MIYATA1, CHIE OSHITA1, MAHO OMIYA1, AKIRA IIZUKA1, AKIKO KUME1, TAKASHI SUGINO2, NAKAMASA HAYASHI3, KOICHI MITSUYA3, YOKO NAKASU3 and KEN YAMAGUCHI1 1Immunotherapy Division, Shizuoka Cancer Center Research Institute; Divisions of 2Pathology and 3Neurosurgery, Shizuoka Cancer Center Hospital, Nagaizumi-cho, Sunto-gun, Shizuoka 411-8777, Japan Received March 6, 2014; Accepted April 22, 2014 DOI: 10.3892/or.2014.3195 Abstract. The frequent recurrence of glioblastoma multi- resistant cells in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, YKL-40 gene forme (GBM) after standard treatment with temozolomide inhibition exhibited significant suppression of the invasive (TMZ) is a crucial issue to be solved in the clinical field. activity and particularly partially restored the sensitivity to O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) is TMZ. Therefore, YKL-40 may be a novel key molecule in considered one of the major mechanisms involved in TMZ addition to MGMT, that is responsible for TMZ resistance in resistance. However, some important mechanisms for TMZ glioblastoma cell lines and could be a new target to overcome resistance other than MGMT have recently been identified. In TMZ resistance in recurrent glioblastomas in the future. the present study, we established a TMZ-resistant (TMZ-R) U87 glioblastoma cell line in vitro and in vivo and investi- Introduction gated novel targeting molecules other than MGMT in those cells. The TMZ-R U87 glioblastoma cell line was established Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most malignant and in vitro and in vivo. TMZ-R U87 cells showed a more invasive aggressive tumor, and GBM patients have an extremely poor activity and a shorter survival time in vivo. Gene expression prognosis and a mean survival time of less than 2 years, even analysis using DNA microarray and quantitative PCR (qPCR) following treatment with recent concomitant chemoradia- demonstrated that YKL-40, MAGEC1 and MGMT mRNA tion (1,2). expression was upregulated 100-, 83- and 6-fold, respectively Temozolomide (TMZ) is an alkylating agent that induces in the TMZ-R U87 cell line. Western blot analysis and qPCR DNA methylation of guanine at the O6 position and triggers demonstrated that STAT3 phosphorylation, STAT3 target mismatch repair, which leads to arrest of the cell cycle and apop- genes and stem cell and mesenchymal marker genes were tosis (3). O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) upregulated to a greater extent in the TMZ-resistant cell line. is well known for removing methyl groups from the O6 position Notably, short hairpin (sh)RNA-based inhibition against the of guanine and contributing to TMZ resistance induction (4). YKL-40 gene resulted in moderate growth inhibition in the Several clinical studies have demonstrated that high MGMT expression through the methylation of the MGMT promoter is one of the genuine mechanisms responsible for TMZ resistance. Thus, novel therapeutics that aim to suppress TMZ resistance by deleting MGMT have been pursued, and O6-benzylguanine Correspondence to: Dr Yasuto Akiyama, Immunotherapy Division, has been considered to be a promising therapeutic candidate. Shizuoka Cancer Center Research Institute, 1007 Shimonagakubo, However, clinical trials did not show the restoration of TMZ Nagaizumi-cho, Sunto-gun, Shizuoka 411-8777, Japan E-mail: [email protected] resistance (5,6). Considering that no tools presently exist to treat TMZ-resistant (TMZ-R) recurrent glioblastoma, novel *Contributed equally therapeutic approaches that regulate MGMT expression and restore the sensitivity to TMZ are highly required. Abbreviations: GBM, glioblastoma multiforme; TMZ, temozolomide; Moreover, it has been suggested based on multi-omic STAT, signal transducer and activator of transcription; SH, Src analysis that mechanisms other than MGMT may trigger TMZ homology; DMSO, dimethyl sulfoxide; JAK, Janus kinase; T/C, resistance. Several novel biomarkers that are linked to MGMT tumor/control; siRNA, small interfering RNA; shRNA, small hairpin expression and methylation status, such as the HOX signature RNA and EGFR expression (7), somatic mutations of the mismatch repair gene MSH6 (8), prolyl 4-hydroxylase, β polypeptide Key words: TMZ resistance, STAT3, YKL-40, shRNA, recurrent (P4HB) (9), mutated EGFR (EGFRvIII) (10) and CD74 (11), glioblastoma have been reported. Regarding novel approaches to overcome MGMT-related resistance to TMZ, bortezomib as a protea- some inhibitor (12), telomerase inhibition (13), a combination of 160 AKIYAMA et al: YKL-40 DOWNREGULATION IS A KEY FACTOR FOR OVERCOMING TMZ RESISTANCE interleukin (IL)-24 with TMZ (14) and inactivation of MGMT DNA microarray analysis. Total RNA from the U87 parental by gene therapy (15) have been demonstrated to show moderate and TMZ-R cell lines was extracted using the NucleoSpin effects on MGMT downregulation and tumor cell death. RNA II kit (Takara Bio Inc., Shiga, Japan) according to the According to a recent molecular classification study manufacturer's instructions. One microgram of total RNA, of various glioblastomas, it is known that a mesenchymal which was qualified using an Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer (Agilent signature expressing STAT3 and the C/EBPβ genes is closely Technologies, Santa Clara, CA, USA), was amplified to 100 µg linked to poor prognosis and TMZ resistance with tumor of cRNA and hybridized to a high-density oligonucleotide array recurrence (16-19). These genes could be new possible targets (GeneChip Human Genome U133 Plus 2.0 array; Affymetrix, for overcoming TMZ resistance in GB. In contrast, MGMT is Santa Clara, CA, USA). The intensity for each feature of the not classified into any specific subtype marker, including the array was calculated using the GeneSpringGX ver11 (Agilent) mesenchymal signature (17). In the present study, we identified software. To calculate the change in the average intensity, the YKL-40 and MAGEC1 genes as TMZ resistance-associ- normalization for all probe sets was performed. Genes whose ated biomarkers in the TMZ-R U87 cell line, which showed expression was significantly altered by >5-fold at the 5th and an obvious resistance in vivo. Furthermore, we focused on the 20th passages of the TMZ-R U87 cell line compared to the YKL-40 and STAT3 mechanisms and proposed a restoration U87 parental cell line were analyzed. model of TMZ resistance. Inhibition of STAT3 or YKL‑40 gene expression using shRNA Materials and methods transfection of the TMZ‑resistant U87 cells. shRNA gene transfection into the TMZ-R U87 cell line was performed Cell lines. The human glioblastoma cell lines LN18, T98G using a lipofection FreeStyle MAX reagent (Life Technologies, and U87 were purchased from the American Type Culture Carlsbad, CA, USA). Four micrograms of plasmid at 1 mg/ml Collection (ATCC, Manassas, VA, USA). All cell lines were containing STAT3 or YKL-40 shRNA (SureSilencing shRNA cultured in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) vector; Qiagen) and the same dose of FreeStyle MAX reagent (Sigma, St. Louis, MO, USA) supplemented with 10% fetal were suspended in 100 µl of Opti-MEM I reduced-serum bovine serum (FBS; Invitrogen), penicillin and streptomycin. medium (Life Technologies), which was then mixed and incu- bated for 15 min at room temperature (RT). The solution was Antibodies and reagents. Antibodies against STAT3, added to 2x106 TMZ-R U87 cells and incubated at 37˚C for phospho-specific STAT3 (Tyr705), MGMT and β-actin were 1 h. After washing, the cells were incubated in DMEM + 10% purchased from Cell Signaling Technology, Inc. (Danvers, FBS, harvested on day 3 of culture and utilized for in vitro and MA, USA) and Becton-Dickinson (BD) Biosciences (Franklin in vivo experiments. Lakes, NJ, USA) for western blotting (WB). A mouse anti- human YKL-40 monoclonal antibody (MoAb) was purchased Cell invasion assay. Invasion assays using parental U87 and from Abcam (Cambridge, MA, USA) for immunohistochemical TMZ-R U87 cells were performed using Matrigel-coated (IHC) studies. Short hairpin (sh)RNAs specific for the human (0.33 mg/ml) Transwell inserts with a 8-µm pore size (BD STAT3 or YKL-40 genes were purchased from Qiagen GmbH Biosciences, Franklin Lakes, NJ, USA). Cells at 1x105/ml (Hilden, Germany). TMZ was purchased from Sigma-Aldrich (500 µl) were added to Transwells in triplicate, and 750 µl of (St. Louis, MO, USA) and was suspended in sterile 0.5% w/v DMEM containing 10% FBS was added to the lower wells. methyl cellulose 400cp solution (Wako, Tokyo, Japan). After 12-18 h of incubation, the cells that invaded through the membrane were fixed and stained with Diff-Quik II solution Establishment of the TMZ‑resistant U87 cell line. The U87 (Dade Behring AG, Germany). Migrated cells were counted parental cell line, which is sensitive to TMZ, was first main- using microscopy. tained in low doses of TMZ (5 µM) and then successively exposed to incremental doses of TMZ (up to 150 µM). After Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analysis. the killing of a majority of the cells, the surviving cells were Real-time PCR analysis of 10 genes that were rated as signifi- maintained until a normal rate of growth was obtained. The cantly changed at the expression level (>10-fold, P<0.05) in IC50 value of TMZ was evaluated using the WST-1 assay. the TMZ-R U87 cells compared to the parental cells was performed using the 7500 Real Time PCR System (Applied Cell proliferation assay. Cell proliferation was examined Biosystems, Foster, CA, USA) as described previously (20). using the WST-1 assay (Dojindo Laboratories, Kumamoto, Additionally, other stem cell and neuronal markers, GB Japan) as described previously (20). Briefly, 1-2x104 human mesenchymal type markers and STAT3 target genes were glioma cells were seeded into each well of a 96-well micro- analyzed. Briefly, all PCR primers (CD24, YKL-40, GDF15, culture plate (Corning, NY, USA).