Details of a Researcher - SASAKI Yasushi

Papers - SASAKI Yasushi

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LINE-1 hypomethylation is associated with increased CpG island methylation in Helicobacter pylori-related enlarged-fold gastritis.

Yamamoto E, Toyota M, Suzuki H, Kondo Y, Sanomura T, Murayama Y, Ohe-Toyota M, Maruyama R, Nojima M, Ashida M, Fujii K, Sasaki Y, Hayashi N, Mori M, Shinomura Y

Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology 17 ( 10 ) 2555 - 64 2008.10 [Refereed] [International journal]

BACKGROUND: The molecular mechanism by which Helicobacter pylori infection leads to gastric cancer is not fully understood. Similarly, patients with enlarged-fold (EF+) gastritis, one cause of which is H. pylori infection, have an increased risk for gastric cancer, although again molecular mechanism is unclear. In the present study, we analyzed the methylation status of long interspersed nucleotide elements (LINE-1) and three cancer-related genes in a panel of gastric mucosae, with or without EF+ gastritis. METHODS: We used bisulfite pyrosequencing to assess the levels of LINE-1, CDH1, CDH13, and PGP9.5 methylation in 78 gastric mucosa specimens from 48 patients. RESULTS: Levels of LINE-1 methylation were significantly reduced in mucosae from patients with EF+ gastritis. This hypomethylation of LINE-1 was associated with increased methylation of the 5' CpG islands of the genes, which suggests that, in EF+ gastritis, the methylation of the promoter regions of certain genes is accompanied by global demethylation of repetitive sequences. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that genomewide hypomethylation and regional hypermethylation occur in EF+ gastritis and may contribute to the tumorigenesis of diffuse-type gastric cancers.

DOI PubMed

Epigenetic inactivation of SFRP genes in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Sogabe Y, Suzuki H, Toyota M, Ogi K, Imai T, Nojima M, Sasaki Y, Hiratsuka H, Tokino T

International journal of oncology 32 ( 6 ) 1253 - 61 2008.06 [Refereed] [International journal]

Although mutations of APC, CTNNB1 (beta-catenin) and AXIN1 are rare in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), activation of the Wnt signaling pathway is thought to play an important role in oral carcinogenesis. In the present study, we examined the relationship between Wnt signaling and epigenetic alteration of the secreted frizzled-related protein (SFRP) genes in OSCC. We frequently detected loss of membrane localization of beta-catenin and its cytoplasmic or nuclear accumulation in OSCC cell lines, although these cell lines showed no APC or CTNNB1 (beta-catenin) mutations and no methylation of CDH1 (E-cadherin). By contrast, we frequently detected methylation of SFRP1 (7/17, 41%) SFRP2 (16/17, 94%) and SFRP5 (14/17, 82%) in a panel of OSCC cell lines, as well as in specimens of primary tumors collected from 44 OSCC patients (SFRP1, 10/42, 24%; SFRP2, 16/44, 36%; SFRP5, 7/43, 16%). We also observed that OSCC cell lines express various Wnt ligands, and that ectopic expression of SFRPs inhibited cancer cell proliferation. Our results confirm the frequent methylation and silencing of SFRP genes in OSCC, and suggest that their loss of function contributes to activation of Wnt signaling that leads to cell proliferation during oral carcinogenesis.

DOI PubMed

In vitro transformation of adult rat hepatic progenitor cells into pancreatic endocrine hormone-producing cells.

Kawasaki H, Mizuguchi T, Kikkawa Y, Oshima H, Sasaki Y, Tokino T, Kokai Y, Miyazaki J, Katsuramaki T, Mitaka T, Hirata K

Journal of hepato-biliary-pancreatic surgery 15 ( 3 ) 310 - 7 2008.06 [Refereed] [Domestic journal]

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Pancreatic and duodenal homeobox factor 1 (Pdx-1) plays an important role in initiating differentiation toward pancreatic endocrine cells. The transdifferentiation or transformation of hepatocytes into pancreatic endocrine cells could be feasible, due to their similar cellular origins. Our goal in this study was to see if small hepatocytes (SHs) could give rise to pancreatic endocrine cells via exogenous Pdx-1 gene expression. METHODS: SHs were cultured for 10 days before adenovirus (Adt)-mediated Pdx-1 gene transfection. We performed western blot analysis for pancreatic transcription factors in the nuclei and reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for the gene expression of pancreatic endocrine hormones. Confocal laser microscanning analysis was used to observe the transformation of SHs. RESULTS: Pancreatic transcription factors such as Pdx-1, Ngn3, NeuroD, Nkx2.2, and Pax6 were induced after Adt-Pdx-1 gene transfection. The mRNA expression of pancreatic endocrine hormones (insulin, glucagon, and somatostatin) was induced after the gene transfection. Pdx-1 was expressed in the nucleus, where the cells were positive for one or more of the hormones and cytokeratin (CK) 8. Some cells were positive for multiple hormones. The insulin level increased while the glucagon level decreased after the glucose loading test, depending on the glucose concentration. CONCLUSIONS: SHs are transformed into functional pancreatic endocrine cells after Pdx-1 gene transfection.

DOI PubMed

Epigenetic silencing of microRNA-34b/c and B-cell translocation gene 4 is associated with CpG island methylation in colorectal cancer.

Toyota M, Suzuki H, Sasaki Y, Maruyama R, Imai K, Shinomura Y, Tokino T

Cancer research 68 ( 11 ) 4123 - 32 2008.06 [Refereed] [International journal]

Altered expression of microRNA (miRNA) is strongly implicated in cancer, and recent studies have shown that, in cancer, expression of some miRNAs cells is silenced in association with CpG island hypermethylation. To identify epigenetically silenced miRNAs in colorectal cancer (CRC), we screened for miRNAs induced in CRC cells by 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (DAC) treatment or DNA methyltransferase knockout. We found that miRNA-34b (miR-34b) and miR-34c, two components of the p53 network, are epigenetically silenced in CRC; that this down-regulation of miR-34b/c is associated with hypermethylation of the neighboring CpG island; and that DAC treatment rapidly restores miR-34b/c expression. Methylation of the miR-34b/c CpG island was frequently observed in CRC cell lines (nine of nine, 100%) and in primary CRC tumors (101 of 111, 90%), but not in normal colonic mucosa. Transfection of precursor miR-34b or miR-34c into CRC cells induced dramatic changes in the gene expression profile, and there was significant overlap between the genes down-regulated by miR-34b/c and those down-regulated by DAC. We also found that the miR-34b/c CpG island is a bidirectional promoter which drives expression of both miR-34b/c and B-cell translocation gene 4 (BTG4); that methylation of the CpG island is also associated with transcriptional silencing of BTG4; and that ectopic expression of BTG4 suppresses colony formation by CRC cells. Our results suggest that miR-34b/c and BTG4 are novel tumor suppressors in CRC and that the miR-34b/c CpG island, which bidirectionally regulates miR-34b/c and BTG4, is a frequent target of epigenetic silencing in CRC.

DOI PubMed

Histone deacetylase inhibitor FK228 enhances adenovirus-mediated p53 family gene therapy in cancer models.

Sasaki Y, Negishi H, Idogawa M, Suzuki H, Mita H, Toyota M, Shinomura Y, Imai K, Tokino T

Molecular cancer therapeutics 7 ( 4 ) 779 - 87 2008.04 [Refereed] [International journal]

Authorship： Lead author

Therapeutic replacement of the wild-type p53 gene has been pursued as a potential gene therapy strategy in a variety of cancer types; however, some cancer models are resistant to p53 in vivo and in vitro. Therefore, to improve p53 gene therapy, it is important to overcome the resistance to p53-mediated apoptosis. Histone deacetylase inhibitors are a novel class of chemotherapeutic agents that are able to reverse the malignant phenotype of transformed cells. A natural histone deacetylase inhibitor, FK228, is reported to enhance adenovirus infection due in part to the up-regulation of coxsackievirus adenovirus receptor expression. In this study, preclinical experiments were done to establish a mechanistic rationale for the combination of adenovirus-mediated p53 family gene transfer and FK228 pretreatment in future clinical trials. Pretreatment with FK228 enhanced apoptosis in human cancer cells through enhanced transduction of Ad-p53. FK228 also induced hyperacetylation of the p53 protein and specifically enhanced p53-mediated Noxa expression. Additionally, the combination of FK228 and Ad-p53 induced Bax translocation to the mitochondria. The double knockdown of Bax and Noxa expression by small interfering RNA antagonized the synergistic effect of Ad-p53 and FK228 on apoptosis induction. In human cancer xenograft models, FK228 significantly increased the therapeutic effectiveness of p53 as well as p63 gene therapy. These results provide a strong rationale for combining p53 gene therapy and FK228 pretreatment in cancer therapy.

DOI PubMed

Identification of flotillin-2, a major protein on lipid rafts, as a novel target of p53 family members.

Sasaki Y, Oshima Y, Koyama R, Maruyama R, Akashi H, Mita H, Toyota M, Shinomura Y, Imai K, Tokino T

Molecular cancer research : MCR 6 ( 3 ) 395 - 406 2008.02 [Refereed] [International journal]

Authorship： Lead author

p73 and p63 are members of the p53 gene family and have been shown to play an important role in development and homeostasis mainly by regulating the transcription of a variety of genes. A subset of these genes encodes secreted proteins and receptors that may be involved in the communication between adjacent cells. We report here that flotillin-2, a major hydrophobic protein on biomembrane microdomain lipid rafts, is a direct transcriptional target of the p53 family member genes. It has been suggested that such rafts could play an important role in many cellular processes including signal transduction, membrane trafficking, cytoskeletal organization, and pathogen entry. We found that the expression of flotillin-2 was specifically up-regulated by either TAp73beta or TAp63gamma, but not significantly by p53. In addition, flotillin-2 transcription is activated in response to cisplatin in a manner dependent on endogenous p73. By using small interference RNA designed to target p73, we showed that silencing endogenous p73 abolishes the induction of flotillin-2 transcription following cisplatin treatment. Furthermore, we identified a p73/p63-binding site located upstream of the flotillin-2 gene that is responsive to the p53 family members. This response element is highly conserved between humans and rodents. We also found that ectopic expression of TAp73 as well as TAp63 enhances signal transduction by assessing the interleukin-6-mediated phosphorylation of signal transducers and activators of transcription 3. Thus, in addition to direct transactivation, p53 family member genes enhance a set of cellular processes via lipid rafts.

DOI PubMed

Epigenetic inactivation of RASSF2 in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Imai T, Toyota M, Suzuki H, Akino K, Ogi K, Sogabe Y, Kashima L, Maruyama R, Nojima M, Mita H, Sasaki Y, Itoh F, Imai K, Shinomura Y, Hiratsuka H, Tokino T

Cancer Science 99 ( 5 ) 958 - 66 2008.02 [Refereed] [International journal]

Genetic and epigenetic alterations in tumor-suppressor genes play important roles in human neoplasia. Ras signaling is often activated in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), although Ras mutations are rarely detected in Japanese OSCC patients, and the mechanisms underlying the gene's activation remain unclear. Here, we examined the expression of Ras association family (RASSF) genes in a panel of OSCC cell lines and found that RASSF2 is often downregulated by DNA methylation in OSCC cells. In addition, aberrant methylation of RASSF2 was detected in 12 of 46 (26%) primary OSCC, and 18 (39%) of those OSCC showed methylation of at least one RASSF gene. Ectopic expression of RASSF2 in OSCC cells suppressed cell growth and induced apoptosis. A RASSF2 deletion mutant lacking the Ras-association domain, which was therefore unable to interact with Ras, exhibited less pro-apoptotic activity than the full-length protein, indicating that the pro-apoptotic activity of RASSF2 is related to its association with Ras. Genomic screening of genes regulated by RASSF2 showed that genes involved in immune responses, angiogenesis, and metastasis are suppressed by RASSF2. Our results suggest that epigenetic inactivation of RASSF2 plays an important role in OSCC tumorigenesis, and that RASSF2 may be a useful molecular target for the diagnosis and treatment of OSCC.

DOI PubMed

Cytoplasmic RASSF2A is a proapoptotic mediator whose expression is epigenetically silenced in gastric cancer.

Maruyama R, Akino K, Toyota M, Suzuki H, Imai T, Ohe-Toyota M, Yamamoto E, Nojima M, Fujikane T, Sasaki Y, Yamashita T, Watanabe Y, Hiratsuka H, Tokino T

Carcinogenesis 29 ( 7 ) 1312 - 8 2008.02 [Refereed] [International journal]

Gastric cancer cells often show altered Ras signaling, though the underlying molecular mechanism is not fully understood. We examined the expression profile of eight ras-association domain family (RASSF) genes plus MST1/2 and found that RASSF2A is the most frequently downregulated in gastric cancer. RASSF2A was completely silenced in 6 of 10 gastric cancer cell lines as a result of promoter methylation, and expression was restored by treating the cells with 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine. Introduction of RASSF2A into non-expressing cell lines suppressed colony formation and induced apoptosis. These effects were associated with the cytoplasmic localization of RASSF2A and morphological changes to the cells. Complementary DNA microarray analysis revealed that RASSF2A suppresses the expression of inflammatory cytokines, which may in turn suppress angiogenesis and invasion. In primary gastric cancers, aberrant methylation of RASSF2A was detected in 23 of 78 (29.5%) cases, and methylation correlated significantly with an absence of the lymphatic invasion, absence of venous invasion, absence of lymph node metastasis, less advanced stages, Epstein-Barr virus, absence of p53 mutations and the presence of the CpG island methylator phenotype-high. These results suggest that epigenetic inactivation of RASSF2A is required for tumorigenesis in a subset of gastric cancers.

DOI PubMed

Gene amplification and overexpression of PRDM14 in breast cancers.

Noriko Nishikawa, Minoru Toyota, Hiromu Suzuki, Toshio Honma, Tomoko Fujikane, Tousei Ohmura, Toshihiko Nishidate, Mutsumi Ohe-Toyota, Reo Maruyama, Tomoko Sonoda, Yasushi Sasaki, Takeshi Urano, Kohzoh Imai, Koichi Hirata, Takashi Tokino

Cancer research 67 ( 20 ) 9649 - 57 2007.10 [Refereed] [International journal]

Several genes that encode PR (PRDI-BF1 and RIZ) domain proteins (PRDM) have been linked to human cancers. To explore the role of the PR domain family genes in breast carcinogenesis, we examined the expression profiles of 16 members of the PRDM gene family in a panel of breast cancer cell lines and primary breast cancer specimens using semiquantitative real-time PCR. We found that PRDM14 mRNA is overexpressed in about two thirds of breast cancers; moreover, immunohistochemical analysis showed that expression of PRDM14 protein is also up-regulated. Analysis of the gene copy number revealed that PRDM14 is a target of gene amplification on chromosome 8q13, which is a region where gene amplification has frequently been detected in various human tumors. Introduction of PRDM14 into cancer cells enhanced cell growth and reduced their sensitivity to chemotherapeutic drugs. Conversely, knockdown of PRDM14 by siRNA induced apoptosis in breast cancer cells and increased their sensitivity to chemotherapeutic drugs, suggesting that up-regulated expression of PRDM14 may play an important role in the proliferation of breast cancer cells. That little or no expression of PRDM14 is seen in noncancerous tissues suggests that PRDM14 could be an ideal therapeutic target for the treatment of breast cancer.

DOI DOI2 PubMed

Frequent epigenetic inactivation of DICKKOPF family genes in human gastrointestinal tumors.

Hironobu Sato, Hiromu Suzuki, Minoru Toyota, Masanori Nojima, Reo Maruyama, Shigeru Sasaki, Hideyasu Takagi, Yohei Sogabe, Yasushi Sasaki, Masashi Idogawa, Tomoko Sonoda, Mitsuru Mori, Kohzoh Imai, Takashi Tokino, Yasuhisa Shinomura

Carcinogenesis 28 ( 12 ) 2459 - 66 2007.08 [Refereed] [International journal]

Activation of Wnt signaling has been implicated in tumorigenesis, and epigenetic silencing of Wnt antagonist genes has been detected in various cancers. In the present study, we examined the expression and methylation of DICKKOPF (DKK) family genes in gastrointestinal cancer cell lines. We found that all known DKK genes were frequently silenced in colorectal cancer (CRC) cells (DKK1, 3/9, 33%; DKK2, 8/9, 89%; DKK3, 5/9, 56% and DKK4, 5/9, 56%), but not in normal colon mucosa. DKK1, -2 and -3 have 5' CpG islands, and show an inverse relation between expression and methylation. DKK methylation also was frequently observed in gastric cancer (GC) cell lines (DKK1, 6/16, 38%; DKK2, 15/16, 94% and DKK3, 10/16, 63%), but was seen less frequently in hepatocellular carcinoma and pancreatic cancer cell lines. DKKs also were frequently methylated in primary CRCs (DKK1, 7/58, 12%; DKK2, 45/58, 78% and DKK3, 12/58, 21%) and GCs (DKK1, 15/31, 48%; DKK2, 26/31, 84% and DKK3, 12/31, 39%). Against a background of CTNNB1 or APC mutations, Dickkopfs (Dkks) were less effective inhibitors of Wnt signaling than secreted frizzled-related proteins, though over-expression of Dkks suppressed colony formation of CRC cells with such mutations. Our results demonstrate that DKKs are frequent targets of epigenetic silencing in gastrointestinal tumors, and that loss of DKKs may facilitate tumorigenesis through beta-catenin/T-cell factor-independent mechanisms.

DOI PubMed

PRDM5 identified as a target of epigenetic silencing in colorectal and gastric cancer.

Yoshiyuki Watanabe, Minoru Toyota, Yutaka Kondo, Hiromu Suzuki, Takashi Imai, Mutsumi Ohe-Toyota, Reo Maruyama, Masanori Nojima, Yasushi Sasaki, Yoshitaka Sekido, Hiroyoshi Hiratsuka, Yasuhisa Shinomura, Kohzoh Imai, Fumio Itoh, Takashi Tokino

Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research 13 ( 16 ) 4786 - 94 2007.08 [Refereed] [International journal]

PURPOSE: PR (PRDI-BF1 and RIZ) domain proteins (PRDM) are a subfamily of the kruppel-like zinc finger gene products that play key roles during cell differentiation and malignant transformation. The aim of the present study was to begin to examine the involvement of epigenetic alteration of PRDM expression in gastric and colorectal cancer. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We used real-time PCR to assess expression of PRDM1-17. In addition, we used bisulfite PCR to assess DNA methylation and chromatin immunoprecipitation to assess histone modification in colorectal and gastric cancer cell lines lacking PRDM5 expression. RESULTS: Among the 17 PRDM family genes tested, we found that PRDM5 is the most frequently silenced in colorectal and gastric cancer cell lines. Silencing of PRDM5 was mediated by either DNA methylation or trimethylation of Lys(27) of histone H3. Introduction of PRDM5 into cancer cells suppressed cell growth, suggesting that it acts as a tumor suppressor in gastrointestinal cancers. Methylation of PRDM5 was detected in 6.6% (4 of 61) of primary colorectal and 50.0% (39 of 78) of primary gastric cancers but not in noncancerous tissue samples collected from areas adjacent to the tumors. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that epigenetic alteration of PRDM5 (e.g., methylation of its 5'-CpG island or trimethylation of Lys(27) of histone H3) likely plays a key role in the progression of gastrointestinal cancers and may be a useful molecular marker.

DOI DOI2 PubMed

Antitumor effect of adenovirus-mediated p53 family gene transfer on osteosarcoma cell lines

Yuichiro Oshima, Yasushi Sasaki, Hideaki Negishi, Masashi Idogawa, Minoru Toyota, Toshiharu Yamashita, Takuro Wada, Satoshi Nagoya, Satoshi Kawaguchi, Toshihiko Yamashita, Takashi Tokino

Cancer Biology and Therapy 6 ( 7 ) 1058 - 1066 2007.07 [Refereed] [International journal]

Osteosarcoma (OS) is one of the most common malignancies of the bone. Although prognosis of OS has improved significantly during the past several years due to more intensive chemotherapy and radiotherapy regimens, new therapeutic approaches are needed for recurrent and inoperable cases. p73 and p63, like their homologue, the tumor suppressor p53, are able to induce apoptosis in several cell types. Here, we evaluated the antitumor effects of p73 and p63 on eleven different human OS cell lines. In vitro, adenovirus-mediated transduction of p63γ induced apoptosis in OS cells that are resistant to p53-mediated apoptosis, while less effect was observed following transduction of p73α or p63α. Interestingly, the apoptotic effects of p63γ were greater than those of wild-type p53 in OS cells carrying MDM2-amplification. We then determined the in vivo therapeutic effect of intratumoral injection of adenovirus-vector expressing p53 family members on xenografts derived from Saos-2 cells implanted in nude mice, and showed that infection with p63γ significantly suppressed tumor growth compared with p53. In addition, exogenous p73β and p63γ significantly increased the chemosensitivity of OS cells to doxorubicin and cisplatin, chemotherapeutic agents commonly used in the treatment of OS. Our results suggest that adenovirus-mediated transduction of p53 family members may have utility in gene therapy for OS, particularly in combination with chemotherapeutic agents. ©2007 Landes Bioscience.

DOI PubMed

Frequent epigenetic inactivation of SFRP genes and constitutive activation of Wnt signaling in gastric cancer.

Nojima M, Suzuki H, Toyota M, Watanabe Y, Maruyama R, Sasaki S, Sasaki Y, Mita H, Nishikawa N, Yamaguchi K, Hirata K, Itoh F, Tokino T, Mori M, Imai K, Shinomura Y.

Oncogene 2007.02 [Refereed]

Activation of Wnt signaling has been implicated in gastric tumorigenesis, although mutations in APC (adenomatous polyposis coli), CTNNB1 (beta-catenin) and AXIN are seen much less frequently in gastric cancer (GC) than in colorectal cancer. In the present study, we investigated the relationship between activation of Wnt signaling and changes in the expression of secreted frizzled-related protein (SFRP) family genes in GC. We frequently observed nuclear beta-catenin accumulation (13/15; 87%) and detected the active form of beta-catenin in most (12/16; 75%) GC cell lines. CpG methylation-dependent silencing of SFRP1, SFRP2 and SFRP5 was frequently seen among GC cell lines (SFRP1, 16/16, 100%; SFRP2, 16/16, 100%; SFRP5, 13/16, 81%) and primary GC specimens (SFRP1, 42/46, 91%; SFRP2, 44/46, 96%; SFRP5, 30/46, 65%), and treatment with the DNA methyltransferase inhibitor 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine rapidly restored SFRP expression. Ectopic expression of SFRPs downregulated T-cell factor/lymphocyte enhancer factor transcriptional activity, suppressed cell growth and induced apoptosis in GC cells. Analysis of global expression revealed that overexpression of SFRP2 repressed Wnt target genes and induced changes in the expression of numerous genes related to proliferation, growth and apoptosis in GC cells. It thus appears that aberrant SFRP methylation is one of the major mechanisms by which Wnt signaling is activated in GC.

DOI PubMed

Identification of DFNA5 as a target of epigenetic inactivation in gastric cancer.

Kimishige Akino, Minoru Toyota, Hiromu Suzuki, Takashi Imai, Reo Maruyama, Masanobu Kusano, Noriko Nishikawa, Yoshiyuki Watanabe, Yasushi Sasaki, Tamaki Abe, Eiichiro Yamamoto, Isao Tarasawa, Tomoko Sonoda, Mitsuru Mori, Kohzoh Imai, Yasuhisa Shinomura, Takashi Tokino

Cancer Science 98 ( 1 ) 88 - 95 2007.01 [Refereed] [International journal]

Epigenetic gene inactivation plays a key role in the development of various types of cancer. Using methylated CpG island amplification coupled with representational difference analysis to identify genes inactivated by DNA methylation in gastric cancer, we identified seven DNA fragments corresponding to the 5' CpG islands of the affected genes. One of the clones recovered was identical to the 5' flanking region of DFNA5, a gene previously shown to be associated with deafness and induced by DNA damage. Further analysis revealed that DFNA5 is expressed in normal tissues but is down-regulated in gastric cancer cell lines due to methylation of the region around its transcription start site. Treating gastric cancer cells that lacked DFNA5 expression with a methyltransferase inhibitor, 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine, restored the gene's expression. Methylation of DFNA5 was detected in 50% of primary gastric tumors, and was correlated with positivity for Epstein-Barr virus and the absence of metastasis. Moreover, introduction of exogenous DFNA5 into silenced cells suppressed colony formation. Taken together, these data suggest that the silencing of DFNA5 occurs frequently in gastric cancer and may play a key role in development and progression of the disease.

DOI PubMed

Proteins interacting with CHFR, mitotic-checkpoint ubiquitin ligase

Mita H, Toyota M, Sasaki Y, Suzuki H, Idogawa M, Kashima L, Tokino T

Tumor Research ( Sapporo Medical University ) 41 23 - 41 2006.12 [Refereed]

Cell cycle progression is monitored by checkpoint mechanisms to ensure the integrity of the genome. CHFR which contains a RING domain and has ubiquitin ligase activity, a novel mitotic checkpoint gene, delays chromosome condensation in cells treated with microtubule poisons. CHFR is inactivated by promoter methylation and point mutations in various human tumors, and cancer cells lacking CHFR are sensitive to microtubule inhibitors. However, few reports are available on the molecular mechanism that accounts for the link between the sensitivity of cancer cells to microtubule inhibitors and the physiological function of CHFR. In the present study, we isolated cellular proteins capable of interacting with CHFR using yeast two-hybrid method to clarify the function of CHFR. As a result of the screening, we isolated canonical and noncanonical E2 ubiquitin conjugating enzymes as CHFR interacting proteins, which are involved in proteolytic and non-proteolytic ubiquitination respectively. This raises the possibility that CHFR is switching canonical and noncanonical ubiquitination depending on the situation of cells. On the other hand, we isolated gadd34 which interacted with the FHA domain of CHFR by two-hybrid screen. Coexpression in mammalian cells showed that gadd34 interacted with the FHA domain of CHFR, but gadd34 is not the substrate for CHFR, rather it promoted autoubiquitination of CHFR. Furthermore, CHFR moved, in part, from nucleus to cytoplasm in the presence of microtubule inhibitor docetaxel, which enabled colocalization of CHFR and gadd34 in cytoplasm. This colocalization was followed by cell death. These findings suggest that gadd34 and CHFR cooperate to mediate cell death in response to mitotic stress.

DOI CiNii

Sequence motif discovery with computational genome-wide analysis

Akashi H, Aoki F, Toyota M, Maruyama R, Sasaki Y, Mita H, Tokura H, Imai K, Tatsumi H, Tokino T

Tumor Research ( Sapporo Medical University ) 41 59 - 69 2006.12 [Refereed]

As a result of the human genome project and advancements in DNA sequencing technology, we can utilize a huge amount of nucleotide sequence data and can search DNA sequence motifs in whole human genome. However, searching motifs with the naked eye is an enormous task and searching throughout the whole genome is absolutely impossible. Therefore, we have developed a computational genome-wide analyzing system for detecting DNA sequence motifs with biological significance. We used a multi-parallel network computing system as a powerful computing engine. Furthermore, we improved the system to work as a background engine for web-based applications. The multi-parallel computing engine consists of a head processor, which issues control commands to data processing nodes for various kinds of jobs, such as retrieving arbitrary sequences, generating mapping images, and loading data sections from genome databases. We constructed the system to function as a flexible Client/Server structure connected over the network, and this system could be adapted to cope with increases in sequence data and to deal with algorithms for new investigation needs by slightly changing the control procedures and increasing the number of the processor node. We developed two additional tools to annotate the genome sequences. The first was the cDNA Reverse Splicing Tool, which divided cDNA sequences into exons and mapped them on the genomic sequence, and the second was DNA-Protein Translation Tool which showed open reading frames (ORFs) of whole genome. In order to examine the availability and efficiency of our system, we searched and identified p53RE (p53 response element) as a representative sequence motif on genomic sequences of chromosome 21 and 22. As a result, we detected 50,000 p53REs on fifty mega base genomic DNA sequences within 27 seconds.

DOI CiNii

Activation of the ribosomal protein L13 gene in human gastrointestinal cancer

Toshihisa Kobayashi, Yasushi Sasaki, Yuichiro Oshima, Hiroyuki Yamamoto, Hiroaki Mita, Hiromu Suzuki, Minoru Toyota, Takashi Tokino, Fumio Itoh, Kohzoh Imai, Yasuhisa Shinomura

International Journal of Molecular Medicine 18 ( 1 ) 161 - 170 2006.07 [Refereed] [International journal]

Authorship： Corresponding author

Although ribosomal proteins are major components of ribosomes, recent data have shown them to have extra-ribosomal functions apart from ribosome and protein biosynthesis. In our earlier study, we showed that ribosomal protein L13 mRNA was up-regulated in response to DNA damage in hamster cells. We report here that L13 expression is up-regulated in human gastrointestinal cancers. We also examined the biological role of L13 on human cancer cells. Knocking down L13 expression using small interfering RNA (siRNA) resulted in drastic attenuation of cancer cell growth with significant G1 and G2/M arrest of the cell cycle. Moreover, L13 siRNA significantly enhanced the cellular sensitivity to certain DNA damaging agents and, concordantly, L13-overexpressing cells demonstrated greater chemoresistance compared to parent cells, suggesting an inverse correlation between L13 expression and chemosensitivity. By using semi-quantitative RT-PCR, we analyzed expression of L13 in freshly resected cancer tissue of the stomach, colorectum and liver. Up-regulation of L13 mRNA expression was observed in 10 (28%) of 36 gastric, 19 (41%) of 46 colorectal and 5 (20%) of 25 liver cancer tissue samples compared to adjacent normal tissue samples. We also found that increased expression of the L13 gene correlated with clinical staging in gastric cancers. The results of this study suggest that L13 plays an essential role in the progression of some gastrointestinal malignancies.

PubMed

DNA断片の塩基配列情報に基づいたゲノムコピー数解析法の開発

見田裕章, 豊田実, 丸山玲緒, 青木文夫, 明石浩史, 鹿島理沙, 佐々木泰史, 鈴木拓, 井戸川雅史, 藤井恭子, 篠村恭久, 今井浩三, 時野隆至

日本臨床分子医学会学術総会プログラム・抄録集 ( 日本臨床分子医学会 ) 43回 63 - 63 2006.07

Comparative genome analysis identifies the vitamin D receptor gene as a direct target of p53-mediated transcriptional activation.

Reo Maruyama, Fumio Aoki, Minoru Toyota, Yasushi Sasaki, Hirofumi Akashi, Hiroaki Mita, Hiromu Suzuki, Kimishige Akino, Mutsumi Ohe-Toyota, Yumiko Maruyama, Haruyuki Tatsumi, Kohzoh Imai, Yasuhisa Shinomura, Takashi Tokino

Cancer research 66 ( 9 ) 4574 - 83 2006.05 [Refereed] [International journal]

p53 is the most frequently mutated tumor suppressor gene in human neoplasia and encodes a transcriptional coactivator. Identification of p53 target genes is therefore key to understanding the role of p53 in tumorigenesis. To identify novel p53 target genes, we first used a comparative genomics approach to identify p53 binding sequences conserved in the human and mouse genome. We hypothesized that potential p53 binding sequences that are conserved are more likely to be functional. Using stringent filtering procedures, 32 genes were newly identified as putative p53 targets, and their responsiveness to p53 in human cancer cells was confirmed by reverse transcription-PCR and real-time PCR. Among them, we focused on the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene because vitamin D3 has recently been used for chemoprevention of human tumors. VDR is induced by p53 as well as several other p53 family members, and analysis of chromatin immunoprecipitation showed that p53 protein binds to conserved intronic sequences of the VDR gene in vivo. Introduction of VDR into cells resulted in induction of several genes known to be p53 targets and suppression of colorectal cancer cell growth. In addition, p53 induced VDR target genes in a vitamin D3-dependent manner. Our in silico approach is a powerful method for identification of functional p53 binding sites and p53 target genes that are conserved among humans and other organisms and for further understanding the function of p53 in tumorigenesis.

DOI DOI2 PubMed

The role of T-fimbrin in the response to DNA damage: Silencing of T-fimbrin by small interfering RNA sensitizes human liver cancer cells to DNA-damaging agents

Hiroshi Ikeda, Yasushi Sasaki, Toshihisa Kobayashi, Hiromu Suzuki, Hiroaki Mita, Minoru Toyota, Fumio Itoh, Yasuhisa Shinomura, Takashi Tokino, Kohzoh Imai

International Journal of Oncology 27 ( 4 ) 933 - 940 2005.10 [Refereed] [International journal]

Fimbrins (also known as plastins) are actin-binding proteins of the cortical cytoskeleton present in all cells and conserved from yeast to mammals. We previously reported that the up-regulation of T-fimbrin, a fimbrin isoform, in association with G2 arrest following DNA damage and that a lack of T-fimbrin expression shortens the radiation-induced G2 arrest in Chinese hamster ovarian cells. In this study, we further investigated the role of T-fimbrin in DNA-damage response using a panel of human liver cancer cell lines and small interfering RNA technology. T-fimbrin was differentially expressed in human liver cancer cell lines. Colony formation assays revealed that cell lines lacking T-fimbrin expression were highly sensitive to DNA damage compared to cell lines that express T-fimbrin. Using siRNA designed to target T-fimbrin, we demonstrated that silencing endogenous Tfimbrin causes a marked increase in the cellular sensitivity to VP-16 and UV irradiation. Moreover, T-fimbrin deletion abrogated UV-mediated cell cycle checkpoint, and consequently led to increased apoptotic cell death in resistant cells. These findings suggest that the status of T-fimbrin expression may be a useful molecular marker for predicting the responsiveness of cancer cells to treatment with chemotherapeutic drugs.

PubMed

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