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K D Danenberg

Publications and source records attributed to K D Danenberg.

46 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

Quantitation of thymidylate synthase, dihydrofolate reductase, and DT-diaphorase gene expression in human tumors using the polymerase chain reaction.

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based method was used to quantitate the expression levels of low abundance genes relevant to cancer drug activity. RNA from tumor samples as small as 20 mg was isolated and converted to cDNA using random hexamers. The 5' primers for the PCR contained a T7 polymerase promoter sequence, allowing the PCR-amplified DNA to be transcribed to RNA fragments. In each sample, the linear ranges of amplification of each cDNA of interest were established. Relative gene expressions were calculated by extrapolating the amounts of PCR products generated within the linear amplification regions of each gene to equal volumes of the cDNA solution. The method was accurate to less than a 2-fold difference in expression levels. Using beta 2-microglobulin and beta-actin gene expressions as internal reference standards and cDNA from HT-29 cells as an external linearity standard, we measured the relative expressions of thymidylate synthase, dihydrofolate reductase, and DT-diaphorase in a number of clinical tumor samples. The expressions of these genes varied from 50- to 100-fold among different tumors, although most of the values were grouped within about a 10-fold range. The amount of thymidylate synthase gene expression in tumor tissues was directly proportional to the content of thymidylate synthase protein. Those tumors with the lowest thymidylate synthase expression had the best response to both the 5-fluorouracil-leucovorin and 5-fluorouracil-cisplatin combinations.

Actins↗
PubMed1991

Inactivation of Tetrahymena rRNA self-splicing by cis-platin proceeds through dissociable complexes.

The anti-cancer drug cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (II) (cis-DDP) reacted with Tetrahymena self-splicing rRNA ribozyme, causing loss of self-splicing activity and formation of a number of platinated RNA species. The formation of one distinct platinated product, migrating at an apparent size of 2400 nt, was closely associated with ribozyme inactivation. This platinated RNA was resistant to T1 ribonuclease digestion, suggesting the presence of inter-strand Pt cross-links. The reaction rate of cis-DDP with the ribozyme followed first order kinetics and showed a saturation effect with increasing cis-DDP concentration, characteristic of an affinity-label type of interaction rather than bimolecular collision. The apparent KI for binding of cis-DDP to the ribozyme was 62 microM. Ribozyme treated with urea was not inactivated by cis-DDP, indicating that the native structure of the RNA is required for reaction with cis-DDP. Mg++, which binds to the ribozyme and causes conformational changes in the molecule, protected the ribozyme from inactivation by cis-DDP and also prevented the formation of platinated RNA. These results suggest that binding of cis-DDP to sites formed by certain secondary or tertiary structural elements of the RNA enhance the rate and the specificity of reaction of the reagent with the ribozyme.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Activity of thymidylate synthetase and its inhibition by 5-fluorouracil in highly enzyme-overproducing cells resistant to 10-propargyl-5,8-dideazafolate.

Mouse FM3A mammary adenocarcinoma cells exposed to the specific thymidylate synthetase (TS) inhibitor 10-propargyl-5,8-dideazafolate (PDF) responded by overproducing TS up to 200-fold. In the absence of inhibitor, the elevation of TS levels decayed with a half-life of about 4 weeks. Southern blot analysis of restricted DNA from the PDF-resistant cells using a TS-specific probe showed that the TS gene was amplified to the same extent as enzyme levels. The PDF-resistant cells showed moderate cross-resistance to growth inhibition by 5-fluoro-2'-deoxyuridine, which increased with TS overproduction, but cross-resistance to 5-fluorouracil (FUra) was less (2- to 3-fold) and did not change with increased TS levels. TS activity, measured as release of tritium from [5-3H]2'-deoxyuridine, was no higher in the intact PDF-resistant cells than in wild-type cells. Inhibition of TS activity by FUra in the wild-type cells was accompanied by a proportional decrease in the amount of free TS, presumably due to formation of the tight binding complex of TS with 5-fluoro-2'-deoxyuridylate and 5,10'-methylenetetrahydrofolate. However, in the PDF-resistant cells, most the TS was still in the free form even though TS activity was substantially (85-90%) inhibited. Addition of folinic acid did not change either the sensitivity of the cells to FUra or the rates of tritium release in the cells having overproduced TS. These results are consistent with compartmentalization of TS, possibly in a multienzyme complex.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

The interaction of liver alcohol dehydrogenase with phenyl adenine dinucleotide, a novel analog of pyridine nucleotide coenzymes.

We have synthesized phenyl adenine dinucleotide (P1-adenosine-5')-P2-(beta-D-ribofuranosylbenzene-5')-pyrophosphate (PhAD), a novel analog of pyridine nucleotide coenzymes. This compound contains a planar aromatic ring, as does NAD+, but lacks a positive charge. PhAD is an inhibitor of horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase, competitive with NADH. PhAD is very similar to NAD+ sterically since both compounds have a planar aromatic ring. However, PhAD resembles NADH in binding to the enzyme because the dissociation constants of both compounds show a parallel increase as the pH is raised, whereas those of NAD+ behave in the opposite manner. These observations indicate that the enzyme differentiates between NAD+ and NADH on the basis of the positive charge on the molecule and not the stereochemical orientation of the reduced nicotinamide ring.

Alcohol Oxidoreductases↗
PubMed1977

Inhibition of hexokinase by multisubstrate analogs.

The compounds P1-(adenosine-5')-P3-(glucose-6) triphosphate (Ap3 glucose) and P1-(adenosine-5')-P4-(glucose-6)tetraphosphate (Ap4 glucose) were synthesized as possible transition-state analogs for hexokinase (ATP: D-hexose 6- phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.1.1). Both compounds were inhibitors of this enzyme, competitive against ATP and apparently uncompetitive against glucose. The inhibition constants for Ap3 glucose and Ap4 glucose were 0.43 mM and 0.37 mM, respectively. These results indicate that the inhibitors do not appreciably bind to hexokinase until the glucose binding site is filled. The sugar portion of the inhibitors therefore does not contribute to binding, and the compounds are acting as ATP analogs, Ap3 glucose and Ap4 glucose are also slow substrates for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1975

Use of chromium-adenosine triphosphate and lyxose to elucidate the kinetic mechanism and coordination state of the nucleotide substrate for yeast hexokinase.

When initial velocities are measured with yeast hexokinase at pH 7, 17 degrees, the inert coordination complex chromium-ATP is competitive vs. MgATP and noncompetitive with glucose, with a dissociation constant of 4-6 muM in either the presence or absence of glucose. These patterns confirm a random kinetic mechanism for this enzyme. With CrATP present, however, the reaction slows down over the first several minutes to a much slower rate, suggesting tighter binding of CrATP with time. When CrATP, MgATP, and D-lyxose are preincubated with the enzyme for 10 min and the reaction started by addition of excess glucose, the dissociation constand of CrATP in now 0.13 muM and the reaction is linear with time. When glucose, CrATP, and enzyme are incubated together and then placed on a Sephadex column, 1 mol each of CrATP and glucose per active center is tightly bound to the enzyme, thus providing a simple and precise method of determining the concentration of active sites. This tight complex, after denaturation with acid, releases 25% free glucose and 75% of a chromium complex containing both ADP and sugar-6-P. CrADP-glucose-6-P is also slowly released from the enzyme during incubation, so that CrATP is actually a very slow substrate. Binding of CrATP with the formation of CrADP-sugar-6-P complexes is also induced by mannose, fructose, glucosamine, 2,5-anhydro-D-glucitol, 2,5-anhydro-D-mannose, and 2,5-anhydro-D-mannitol, while glucose-6-P, 6-deoxyglucose, and lyxose also induce tight binding of CrATP. With excess enzyme, only 25% of CrATP is bound, and the rest does not inhibit the hexokinase reaction. Since bidentate Cr(NH3)4ATP and monodentate CrADP also display inhibition which is tighter with time, but since bidentate CrADP is a poor inhibitor, the actural substrates in the hexokinase reaction appear to be beta, gamma-bidentate MgATP and beta-monodentate MgADP. Tighter inhibition by Cr-8-BrATP than by CrATP suggests that ATP ASSUMES THE SYN CONFORMATION ON THE ENZYME. The substrate inhibition by MgATP induced by the presence of lyxose is shown to be competitive vs. glucose and partial, and, together with other data available, to suggest a kinetic mechanism that is random, but where (1) the rate constant for release of glucose from E-glucose is equal to Vmax, and that for release of glucose from central complexes is less than Vmas; (2) the majority of the reaction flux when both substrates are present at Km levels goes through the path with glucose adding before MgATP, but where at physiological levels the flux through the two paths is more equal. Contd.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Telomerase reverse transcriptase expression is increased early in the Barrett's metaplasia, dysplasia, adenocarcinoma sequence.

Barrett's esophagus is a multistage polyclonal disease that is associated with the development of adenocarcinoma of the esophagus and esophagogastric junction. Telomerase activation is associated with cellular immortality and carcinogenesis, and increased expression of the telomerase reverse transcriptase catalytic subunit (hTERT) has been used for the early detection of malignant diseases. To identify biomarkers associated with each stage of the Barrett's process, relative mRNA expression levels of hTERT were measured using a quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction method (ABI 7700 Sequence Detector (TaqMan system) in Barrett's intestinal metaplasia (n = 14), Barrett's dysplasia (n = 10), Barrett's adenocarcinoma (n = 14), and matching normal squamous esophagus tissues (n = 32). hTERT expression was significantly increased at all stages of Barrett's esophagus, including the intestinal metaplasia stage, compared to normal tissues from patients without cancer (intestinal metaplasia vs. normal esophagus, P <0.0001; dysplasia, P = 0.001; adenocarcinoma, P = 0.007; all Mann-Whitney U test ). hTERT expression levels were significantly higher in adenocarcinoma tissues than in intestinal metaplasia tissues (P = 0.003), and were higher in dysplasia compared with intestinal metaplasia tissues (P = 0.056). hTERT levels were also significantly higher in histologically normal squamous esophagus tissues from cancer patients than in normal esophagus tissues from patients with no cancer (P = 0.013). Very high expression levels ([hTERT x 100: beta-actin] >20) were found only in patients with cancer. These findings suggest that telomerase activation is an important early event in the development of Barrett's esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinoma, that very high telomerase levels may be a clinically useful biomarker for the detection of occult adenocarcinoma, and that a widespread cancer "field" effect is present in the esophagus of patients with Barrett's cancer.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Upregulation of ornithine decarboxylase mRNA expression in Barrett's esophagus and Barrett's-associated adenocarcinoma.

The Barrett's multistage process is characterized histopathologically by progression from Barrett's intestinal metaplasia to Barrett's esophagus with dysplasia and ultimately adenocarcinoma. Understanding the cellular and molecular events in this multistage process may contribute to improved diagnosis and treatment. Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) is the first enzyme in the biosynthesis of polyamines. Elevated ODC activity has been found to be associated with progression during Barrett's esophagus, but the regulation of ODC gene expression in the development of Barrett's-associated adenocarcinoma has not been reported. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and timing of ODC mRNA expression in the Barrett's metaplasia-dysplasia-adenocarcinoma sequence. ODC mRNA expression levels, relative to the stably expressed internal reference gene beta-actin, were measured using a quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method (ABI 7700 Sequence Detector System) in 104 specimens from 19 patients with Barrett's esophagus without carcinoma and 22 patients with Barrett's-associated adenocarcinoma. The median ODC mRNA expression levels were significantly increased in Barrett's esophagus tissues compared to matched normal tissues in patients without adenocarcinoma of the esophagus (P = 0.002; Wilcoxon test). A significant progressive increase in ODC mRNA expression was detectable through the stages of the metaplasia-dysplasia-carcinoma sequence in patients with Barrett's-associated adenocarcinoma (r = 0.719; P < or = 0.001; Spearman's rho test). These findings show that upregulation of ODC mRNA expression is an early event in the development and progression of Barrett's-associated adenocarcinoma of the esophagus, and they suggest that high ODC mRNA expression levels may be a clinically useful biomarker for the detection of occult adenocarcinoma

Adenocarcinoma↗