Biomedical subjects

Wenge Wang

Publications and source records attributed to Wenge Wang.

18 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2025

The association between milk fat intake and atopic dermatitis: A study based on NHANES from 1999 to 2006 and Mendelian randomization.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a prevalent chronic inflammatory skin disease imposing significant global burden. While dietary factors are implicated in AD, the relationship between milk fat intake and AD risk remains unclear, particularly regarding optimal fat levels. This study aimed to investigate the association between milk fat intake and AD risk in adults. Relevant data (included a total of 9760 participants) from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 1999 and 2006 were selected, and the relationship between milk fat intake and AD was assessed using weighted multifactorial logistic regression. Subsequently, a 2-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study was conducted using the summary statistics of genome-wide association studies, and the causal relationship between the 2 was verified through inverse variance weighting, Bayesian weighted MR, and other supplementary MR methods. Weighted multifactorial logistic regression analysis adjusted for other covariates showed that, compared with the intake of full-fat milk, the intake of 1% fat milk (M3: odds ratio [OR]: 1.476, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.157-1.874, P = .005), nonfat milk (M3: OR: 1.578, 95% CI: 1.288-1.930, P < .001), as well as for milk abstainers (M3: OR: 1.303, 95% CI: 1.061-1.600, P = .025) increased the risk of AD. MR analysis further validated a significant inverse association between milk fat intake and AD risk, with both primary methods demonstrating statistical significance (P < .05) and no significant pleiotropy or heterogeneity detected in sensitivity analyses. Compared with the population consuming full-fat milk, the risk of AD may be higher in American adults consuming 1% fat milk, nonfat milk, and milk abstainers.

Humans↗

PubMed2006

CARPs are ubiquitin ligases that promote MDM2-independent p53 and phospho-p53ser20 degradation.

Caspase 8/10-associated RING proteins (CARPs) are a recently described family of protein ubiquitin ligases that interact with and negatively regulate death receptor-mediated apoptosis. Because CARPs are overexpressed in cancer and their silencing reduces cell viability and sensitizes tumor cells to chemotherapeutic agents, we investigated their relationship to p53 tumor suppressor signaling. p53 is a major determinant of chemosensitivity, and its levels are increased following DNA damage through N-terminal phosphorylation and inhibition of degradation. Although p53 is well known to be negatively regulated by several ubiquitin ligases including MDM2, none are known to target phosphorylated p53 for degradation. CARPs physically interact with and ubiquitinate p53, targeting it for degradation in the absence of MDM2. Serine 20-phosphorylated p53 is also ubiquitinated by CARPs. CARP silencing stimulates p53 expression and promotes downstream effects, including transcriptional activation and tumor suppression.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Insulin-like growth factor factor binding protein-2 is a novel mediator of p53 inhibition of insulin-like growth factor signaling.

The p53 tumor suppressor induces cellular growth arrest and apoptosis in response to DNA damage by transcriptionally activating or repressing target genes and also through protein-protein interactions and direct mitochondrial activities. In 1995, insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP)-3 was identified as one of the genes transcriptionally activated by p53. IGFBP-3 is one of six closely related IGFBP's, with additional IGFBP-related proteins belonging to the IGFBP superfamily. Here we show that IGFBP-2 is also a p53 target. Like IGFBP-3, IGFBP-2 secretion is reduced when p53+/+ lung cancer cells are transfected with human papillomavirus E6, which targets p53 for degradation. IGFBP-2 mRNA is induced by irradiation in vivo in a p53-dependent manner. p53 protein binds IGFBP-2 intronic sequences in an electrophoretic mobility shift assay, and activates transcription in a luciferase assay. Loss of IGFBP-2 inhibits the ability of p53 to inhibit the activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1 by IGF-I. Thus, p53 effects on the IGF axis are more complex than previously appreciated, and overall transform the axis from IGF-mediated mitogenesis to growth inhibition and apoptosis. This has significant implications for how growth hormone and IGF-I can induce growth without also inducing cancer.

Base Sequence↗

PubMed2006

Critical role for Daxx in regulating Mdm2.

The tumour suppressor p53 induces apoptosis or cell-cycle arrest in response to genotoxic and other stresses. In unstressed cells, the anti-proliferative effects of p53 are restrained by mouse double minute 2 (Mdm2), a ubiquitin ligase (E3) that promotes p53 ubiquitination and degradation. Mdm2 also mediates its own degradation through auto-ubiquitination. It is unclear how the cis- and trans-E3 activities of Mdm2, which have opposing effects on cell fate, are differentially regulated. Here, we show that death domain-associated protein (Daxx) is required for Mdm2 stability. Downregulation of Daxx decreases Mdm2 levels, whereas overexpression of Daxx strongly stabilizes Mdm2. Daxx simultaneously binds to Mdm2 and the deubiquitinase Hausp, and it mediates the stabilizing effect of Hausp on Mdm2. In addition, Daxx enhances the intrinsic E3 activity of Mdm2 towards p53. On DNA damage, Daxx dissociates from Mdm2, which correlates with Mdm2 self-degradation. These findings reveal that Daxx modulates the function of Mdm2 at multiple levels and suggest that the disruption of the Mdm2-Daxx interaction may be important for p53 activation in response to DNA damage.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Small-molecule modulators of p53 family signaling and antitumor effects in p53-deficient human colon tumor xenografts.

p53 deficiency is common in almost all human tumors and contributes to an aggressive chemo- or radiotherapy-resistant phenotype, therefore providing a target for drug development. Molecular targeting to restore wild-type p53 activity has been attempted in drug development and has led to the identification of CP-31398, PRIMA1, and the Nutlins. However, strategies targeting p53-activated transcriptional responses or p53 family member expression in p53-deficient tumors have yet to be explored. Here we demonstrate the use of noninvasive bioluminescence imaging in a high-throughput cell-based screen of small molecules that activate p53 responses and cell death in human tumor cells carrying a mutant p53. We isolated a number of small molecules that activate p53 reporter activity, increase expression of p53 target genes such as p21(WAF1) or death receptor 5 (KILLER/DR5) of TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL), and induce apoptosis in p53-deficient cells. Some of the compounds activate a p53 response by increasing p73 expression, and knockdown of transactivating isoforms of p73 by small interfering RNA reduces their induction of p53-responsive transcriptional activity. Some compounds do not induce significant p73 expression but induce a high p53-responsive transcriptional activity in the absence of p53. In vivo experiments demonstrate potent antitumor effects of selected compounds, using either HCT116/p53(-/-) or DLD1 human colon tumor xenografts. The results establish the feasibility of a cell-based drug screening strategy targeting the p53 transcription factor family of importance in human cancer and provide lead compounds for further development in cancer therapy.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Bioluminescent imaging of TRAIL-induced apoptosis through detection of caspase activation following cleavage of DEVD-aminoluciferin.

Apoptosis, the most common and well-defined form of programmed cell death (PCD), is often impaired in cancer and neurodegenerative diseases and can limit conventional therapy. Bioluminescent molecular imaging was employed to study apoptosis in human colon cancer cells that have been treated with various doses of the therapeutic agent TRAIL (tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis inducing ligand). While monitoring therapeutic response through a proluminescent, caspase-activated DEVD-aminoluciferin reagent (Caspase-Glo 3/7) which produced strong, stable signals, alternate preparations of the reagent were explored for non-invasive imaging methods. Dissolving the lyophilized DEVD-aminoluciferin compound in Dulbecco's PBS instead of lysis buffer (along with heat inactivation of an accompanying exogenous luciferase protein by heating at 85 degrees C for 20 minutes) yielded a minimally invasive apoptosis detector, with maximum luminescence intensities 2.5-fold stronger than those produced by D-luciferin at a final concentration of 100 microg/mL. Bioluminescent imaging of cancer therapeutic response through minimally invasive detection of caspase activation may serve as an important tool in monitoring apoptosis in vivo and in vitro.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

PubMed2005

Acridine derivatives activate p53 and induce tumor cell death through Bax.

CP-31398 activates wild-type p53 by a novel mechanism that does not involve phosphorylation of the amino-terminus of p53 and disassociation of MDM2. To identify more potent CP-31398-like p53 activators, we synthesized 4 acridine derivatives with a similar structure to CP-31398. These four compounds induced strong p53 transcription in cells with wild-type p53. We also found that several randomly chosen acridine derivatives, including 9-aminoacridine, amsacrine, quinacrine and acridine orange, induced p53 transcriptional activity. All these acridine derivatives stabilized p53 protein by blocking its ubiquitination, without phosphorylation of ser15 or ser20 on p53. Furthermore, acridine derivatives induced p53-dependent cell death. Knockout of Bax, a p53 target and a key cell death inducer in both intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways, blocked acridine derivatives from inducing cell death. In addition, in vivo delivery of quinacrine and amsacrine induced p53 transcriptional activity in tumor xenografts. Our results reveal that DNA-intercalating acridine derivatives can induce p53 stabilization by a manner similar to CP-31398. These findings provide insights into p53 regulation in response to DNA intercalating drugs and may assist new anti-cancer drug design.

Acridines↗

PubMed2004

In vivo imaging of MLC2v-luciferase, a cardiac-specific reporter gene expression in mice.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: A reporter or marker gene that is detectable by in vivo imaging permits longitudinal monitoring of certain fundamental biological processes (eg, differentiation) within the context of physiologically authentic environments. Tissue-specific expression of a reporter gene can be achieved when it is under the transcriptional control of a tissue-specific promoter. The objective of this study was to construct a plasmid vector containing firefly luciferase (Fluc) marker gene downstream of the promoter sequence of rat ventricular myosin light chain 2 (MLC2v); to detect the in vivo expression of this cardiac-specific reporter (MLC2v-Fluc) in the mouse heart by bioluminescent imaging; and to correlate the bioluminescent signal with postmortem luminometer assay. MATERIALS AND METHODS: MLC2v-Fluc plasmid was generated by molecular cloning of 3 kb promoter sequence into a pGL3-Basic vector containing the Fluc reporter. Twenty microg of MLC2v-Fluc plasmid DNA in phosphate-buffered saline was directly injected into mouse myocardium through a midline sternotomy. RESULTS: At 1 week after injection, MLC2v-Fluc expression was detected by in vivo bioluminescent imaging in 60% of injected animals; the average in vivo signal intensity was (1.5 +/- 0.6) x 10(4) radiance (p/sec/cm2/sr); in vivo signal was well above the detection threshold over 3 weeks after injection. In vivo bioluminescent signal is correlated (r2 = 0.8) with the luminometer assay results from homogenized heart samples. CONCLUSION: The capability of noninvasive imaging of the MLC2v-Fluc in the heart will encourage applications that aim at monitoring and tracking the marker gene expression over time in cells undergoing cardiac differentiation.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Bnip3L is induced by p53 under hypoxia, and its knockdown promotes tumor growth.

p53-dependent apoptosis is a major determinant of its tumor suppressor activity and can be triggered by hypoxia. No p53 target is known to be induced by p53 or to mediate p53-dependent apoptosis during hypoxia. We report that p53 can directly upregulate expression of Bnip3L, a cell death inducer. During hypoxia, Bnip3L is highly induced in wild-type p53-expressing cells, in part due to increased recruitment of p53 and CBP to Bnip3L. Apoptosis is reduced in hypoxia-exposed cells with functional p53 following Bnip3L knockdown. In vivo, Bnip3L knockdown promotes tumorigenicity of wild-type versus mutant p53-expressing tumors. Thus, Bnip3L, capable of attenuating tumorigenicity, mediates p53-dependent apoptosis under hypoxia, which provides a novel understanding of p53 in tumor suppression.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Targeting FOXO kills two birds with one stone.

PTEN deficiency activates Akt signaling and results in a variety of human malignancies. Encouragingly, recent studies demonstrate that small molecules can regulate FOXO1a, an Akt target, to suppress tumor growth, and FOXO1a is therefore a promising anticancer drug target.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

PubMed2004

Targeting p53 by PTD-mediated transduction.

p53 is a major target for tumor therapy. Attempts have been made to restore or enhance p53 activity in tumor cells, including overexpression of exogenous p53 and small molecules that can rescue mutant p53. Notably, p53 peptides corresponding to the p53 carboxyl terminus can trigger a p53 response in both wild-type or mutant p53-containing cells. The recent protein transduction domain (PTD)-mediated cell entry might solve the obstacle of efficient delivery of peptides or large molecular biological cargos into cells. PTD-mediated transfer through the cell membrane occurs through a kind of endocytosis, macropinocytosis. Destabilization of macropinocytosomes by the influenza virus hemagglutinin protein (HA2) helps the escape of the PTD-cargo from macropinocytosomes and therefore significantly enhances the functional impact of transduced cargo.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

PubMed2003

Stabilization of p53 by CP-31398 inhibits ubiquitination without altering phosphorylation at serine 15 or 20 or MDM2 binding.

CP-31398, a styrylquinazoline, emerged from a high throughput screen for therapeutic agents that restore a wild-type-associated epitope (monoclonal antibody 1620) on the DNA-binding domain of the p53 protein. We found that CP-31398 can not only restore p53 function in mutant p53-expressing cells but also significantly increase the protein level and promote the activity of wild-type p53 in multiple human cell lines, including ATM-null cells. Cells treated with CP-31398 undergo either cell cycle arrest or apoptosis. Further investigation showed that CP-31398 blocks the ubiquitination and degradation of p53 but not in human papillomavirus E6-expressing cells. Of note, CP-31398 does not block the physical association between p53 and MDM2 in vivo. Moreover, unlike the DNA-damaging agent adriamycin, which induces strong phosphorylation of p53 on serines 15 and 20, CP-31398 exposure leads to no measurable phosphorylation on these sites. We found that CP-31398 could also stabilize exogenous p53 in p53 mutant, wild-type, and p53-null human cells, even in MDM2-null p53(-/-) mouse embryonic fibroblasts. Our results suggest a model wherein CP-31398-mediated stabilization of p53 may result from reduced ubiquitination, leading to high levels of transcriptionally active p53. Further understanding of this mechanism may lead to novel strategies for p53 stabilization and tumor suppression in cancers, even those with absent ARF or high MDM2 expression.

Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMed2002

CCK processing by pituitary GH3 cells, human teratocarcinoma cells NT2 and hNT differentiated human neuronal cells evidence for a differentiation-induced change in enzyme expression and pro CCK processing.

Human teratocarcinoma Ntera2/c 1.D1 (NT2) cells express very low levels of the prohormone convertase enzyme PC1, moderate levels of PC2 and significant levels of PC5. When infected with an adenovirus which expresses rat CCK mRNA, several glycine-extended forms were secreted that co-eluted with CCK 33, 22 and 12. Amidated CCK is not produced because these cells appear to lack the amidating enzyme. Pituitary GH3 cells express high levels of PC2 and PC5. CCK adenovirus-infected GH3 cells secrete amidated versions of the same peptides as NT2 cells. Differentiation of NT2 cells into hNT cells with retinoic acid and mitotic inhibitors increased expression of PC5 and decreased expression of PCI and PC2. CCK adenovirus-infected differentiated hNT cells also secrete glycine extended CCK products and the major molecular form produced co-eluted with CCK 8 Gly. These experiments demonstrate that the state of differentiation of this neuronal cell line influences its expression of PC 1,2, and 5 and its cleavage of pro CCK and suggests that these cells may make an interesting model to study how differentiation alters prohormone processing. These results also support the hypothesis that PC5 in differentiated neuronal cells is capable of processing pro CCK to glycine-extended CCK 8.

Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases↗

PubMed2002

Production, purification, and characterization of recombinant prohormone convertase 5 from baculovirus-infected insect cells.

The discovery of the prohormone convertase (PC) family of enzymes has provided several good candidates (PC1, PC2, and PC5) for the enzymes responsible for the endoproteolytic cleavage of procholecystokinin (pro-CCK). Determination of the role of individual pro-hormone convertases in the processing of pro-CCK is complicated because several of these enzymes are found in endocrine tumor cells expressing CCK mRNA and in identified neurons in the brain. Production of active recombinant PC5 permits the determination of its ability to cleave substrates related to pro-CCK. Active PC5, secreted from baculovirus-infected Sf9 cells, was partially purified by ion-exchange chromatography. Western blot analysis confirmed the presence of the active form of the enzyme in infected cell media and its absence from uninfected cell media. The enzyme is most active at acidic pH 6.5 and is maximally activated by 5 mM calcium. PC5 was able to cleave both monobasic and dibasic substrates without a requirement for a basic residue at P-4 and it displayed a K(m) in the micromolar range. The enzyme was inhibited by EDTA, 1,10-phenanthroline, and p-CMS, as well as by two specific PC inhibitors. This is the first reported preparation of active recombinant PC5. Like the other members of its family, it has the correct catalytic characteristics in vitro to play a role in the processing of neuropeptide precursor proteins into their final bioactive forms.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

An iron delivery pathway mediated by a lipocalin.

Despite the critical need for iron in many cellular reactions, deletion of the transferrin pathway does not block organogenesis, suggesting the presence of alternative methods to deliver iron. We show that a member of the lipocalin superfamily (24p3/Ngal) delivers iron to the cytoplasm where it activates or represses iron-responsive genes. Iron unloading depends on the cycling of 24p3/Ngal through acidic endosomes, but its pH sensitivity and its subcellular targeting differed from transferrin. Indeed, during the conversion of mesenchyme into epithelia (where we discovered the protein), 24p3/Ngal and transferrin were endocytosed by different cells that characterize different stages of development, and they triggered unique responses. These studies identify an iron delivery pathway active in development and cell physiology.

Acute-Phase Proteins↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The mutant p53-conformation modifying drug, CP-31398, can induce apoptosis of human cancer cells and can stabilize wild-type p53 protein.

CP-31398, a styrylquinazoline, emerged from a screen for therapeutic agents that restore a wild-type DNA-binding conformation of mutant p53 to suppress tumors in-vivo (Science 286, 2507, 1999). We investigated the growth inhibitory mechanism of CP-31398 using nine human cancer cell lines containing wild-type, mutant or no p53 expression. Six of nine cell lines underwent apoptosis after exposure to CP-31398, while two cell lines, DLD1 colon cancer and H460 lung cancer, underwent exclusively cell cycle arrest. Cell cycle arrest preceded the apoptosis in some cases. CP-31398 did not inhibit growth of the p53 non-expressing ovarian cancer cell line SKOV3. Interestingly, we found that wild-type p53 protein is stabilized upon CP-31398 exposure. p53 target genes such as p21WAF1/Cip1, and KILLER/DR5 were upregulated by CP-31398, but their expression did not correlate with arrest or apoptosis induction. Combination of CP-31398 and TRAIL or chemotherapeutic agents enhanced cancer cell killing effect possibly through upregulation of p53-regulated genes such as KILLER/DR5. Bax-/-, wild-type p53-expressing cells displayed reduced susceptibility to killing by CP-31398. An Affymetrix GeneChip Array screen revealed that CP-31398 alters expression of non-p53 target genes in addition to p53-responsive genes. Although our preliminary data suggest that CP-31398 does not alter wild-type p53:MDM2 interaction, further efforts are required to elucidate the mechanism of wild-type p53 stabilization by CP-31398. The results increase our understanding of CP-31398 action, and suggest strategies for improving its specificity, possibly through use of microarrays to screen related compounds with higher mutant p53-specificity.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Bioluminescent molecular imaging of endogenous and exogenous p53-mediated transcription in vitro and in vivo using an HCT116 human colon carcinoma xenograft model.

Real-time p53 activity in tumor cells was detected non-invasively both in vitro and in vivo by bioluminescent imaging. HCT116 colon cancer cells were stably transduced with PG13-luc, a p53 reporter with a Firefly luciferase gene under the control of 13 p53 response elements, together with a Renilla luciferase gene under an MMLV long terminal repeat promoter. Basic conditions for both in vivo and in vitro imaging were explored. Signals from as few as three thousand cells in a 96-well plate were detected following addition of D-luciferin, a substrate of Firefly luciferase at a concentration of 100 microg/ml. Bioluminescence from fifteen thousand cells with PG13-luc inoculated subcutaneously was detected following intravenous injection of D-luciferin at a dose of 100 mg/kg. Intraperitoneal injection serves as an alternative and effective route for D-luciferin delivery, although the maximal luminescent intensity was 4-10 times lower than that from intravenous injection. Bioluminescence from Renilla luciferase constitutively expressed in tumor cells was also imaged both in vitro and in vivo and served as an internal control to monitor the physiological state of the cells or tumor volume. Infection of the cells with adenovirus carrying p53 increased the bioluminescent intensity both in vitro and in vivo. Non-invasive imaging of p53 transcriptional activity provides a practical way to monitor the p53 response in cell culture and in animal models.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Restoring p53-dependent tumor suppression.

p53 represents an ideal target for anti-cancer drug design, because p53 is mutated in more than half of human tumors. Most of the remaining tumors, although carrying wild-type p53, have defects in the p53-mediated apoptotic pathway. Activation of p53 activity by either chemotherapy or radiotherapy induces p53-dependent apoptosis in tumor cells with wild-type p53. Supplying exogenous wild-type p53 in cancer cells by gene delivery is effective in suppressing tumor growth of both mutant and wild-type p53-containing tumors. Blockage of p53 degradation pathways either by overexpression of ARF or interruption of MDM2:p53 interaction is effective in inducing p53 triggered tumor cell death. Since unlike most other tumor suppressor genes, mutant p53 is over expressed in tumor cells, a promising approach involves restoring tumor-suppressing function to mutant p53. The activity of the mutant p53 in tumor cells is restorable based on the fact that PAb241 antibody against the carboxy-terminus of p53 and peptides corresponding to the p53 carboxy-terminus can restore specific DNA-binding ability to some mutant p53 proteins. High throughout screening of chemical libraries has led to the identification of a group of small synthetic molecules such as CP-31398, which can restore p53 function to mutant p53 by stabilizing the active conformation of the protein that is destabilized in many mutants. Subsequent identification of PRIMA-1 provides further evidence to the possibility of developing anti-cancer drugs that may rescue mutant p53. Further understanding of the mechanisms by which CP-31398 and PRIMA-1 restore p53 activity may not only lead to discovery of more potent analogs but may also suggest new strategies for p53-targeting in tumor therapy.

Antineoplastic Agents↗