Papers by Tatsuhiko Furukawa
Oncology Letters
5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is widely used in the treatment of various types of solid cancer. Our study... more 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is widely used in the treatment of various types of solid cancer. Our study showed that ribosomal protein L11 (RPL11) was a crucial factor affecting sensitivity of gastric cancer to 5-FU, implying that RPL11 expression is a potential biomarker for predicting 5-FU sensitivity. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis indicated that high RPL11 expression in gastric cancer patients treated with 5-FU was significantly associated with good prognosis. It was therefore investigated whether RPL11 affected the sensitivity of gastric cancer against 5-FU using four human gastric cancer cell lines, MKN45 (wild-type TP53 gene), NUGC4 (wild-type), MKN7 (mutated), and KE39 cells (mutated). In vitro assays demonstrated that RPL11 knockdown in gastric cancer cell lines carrying the TP53 wild-type gene attenuated 5-FU-induced cell growth suppression and activation of the P53 pathway, but not in cells carrying mutated TP53, suggesting that 5-FU suppresses tumor progression via RPL11-mediated activation of the P53 pathway in gastric cancer. The present study provides a potential therapeutic strategy for improving 5-FU resistance in gastric cancer by elevating RPL11 expression.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common primary malignant brain tumor in adults, is charac... more Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common primary malignant brain tumor in adults, is characterized by rapid proliferation, aggressive migration, and invasion into normal brain tissue. Formin proteins have been implicated in these processes. However, the role of formin-like 1 (FMNL1) in cancer remains unclear. We studied FMNL1 expression in glioblastoma samples using immunohistochemistry. We sought to analyze the correlation between FMNL1 expression, clinicopathologic variables, and patient survival. Migration and invasion assays were used to verify the effect of FMNL1 on glioblastoma cell lines. Microarray data were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas and analyzed using gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). FMNL1 was an independent predictor of poor prognosis in a cohort of 217 glioblastoma multiforme cases (p < 0.001). FMNL1 expression was significantly higher in the mesenchymal subtype. FMNL1 upregulation and downregulation were associated with mesenchymal and proneura...
British Journal of Cancer
BACKGROUND: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common brain malignancy in adults, is general... more BACKGROUND: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common brain malignancy in adults, is generally aggressive and incurable, even with multiple treatment modalities and agents. Filamins (FLNs) are a group of actin-binding proteins that regulate the actin cytoskeleton in cells. However, the role of FLNs in malignancies-particularly in GBM-is unclear. METHODS: The relation between FLNC expression and overall survival in GBM was evaluated by the Kaplan−Meier analysis using GBM patients from the Kagoshima University Hospital (n = 90) and data from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) (n = 153). To assess FLNC function in GBM, cell migration and invasion were examined with Transwell and Matrigel invasion assays using FLNCoverexpressing U251MG and LN299 GBM cells, and ShRNA-mediated FLNC knocked-down KNS81 and U87MG cells. The gelatin zymography assay was used to estimate matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) 2 activity. RESULTS: In silico analysis of GBM patient data from TCGA and immunohistochemical analyses of clinical GBM specimens revealed that increased FLNC expression was associated with poor patient prognosis. FLNC overexpression in GBM cell lines was positively correlated with enhanced invasiveness, but not migration, and was accompanied by upregulation of MMP2. CONCLUSIONS: FLNC is a potential therapeutic target and biomarker for GBM progression.
Scientific reports, Jan 30, 2018
Thymidine phosphorylase (TP) is a rate-limiting enzyme in the thymidine catabolic pathway. TP is ... more Thymidine phosphorylase (TP) is a rate-limiting enzyme in the thymidine catabolic pathway. TP is identical to platelet-derived endothelial cell growth factor and contributes to tumour angiogenesis. TP induces the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and enhances the expression of oxidative stress-responsive genes, such as interleukin (IL)-8. However, the mechanism underlying ROS induction by TP remains unclear. In the present study, we demonstrated that TP promotes NADPH oxidase-derived ROS signalling in cancer cells. NADPH oxidase inhibition using apocynin or small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) abrogated the induction of IL-8 and ROS in TP-expressing cancer cells. Meanwhile, thymidine catabolism induced by TP increased the levels of NADPH and intermediates of the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP). Both siRNA knockdown of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), a rate-limiting enzyme in PPP, and a G6PD inhibitor, dihydroepiandrosterone, reduced TP-induced ROS production. siRNA do...
Comparative biochemistry and physiology. Toxicology & pharmacology : CBP, 2017
Microcystin-LR is a hepatotoxin produced by several cyanobacteria. Its toxicity is mainly due to ... more Microcystin-LR is a hepatotoxin produced by several cyanobacteria. Its toxicity is mainly due to a inhibition of protein phosphatase, PP1 and PP2A. Previously, we used a cell line stably expressing uptake transporter for microcystin-LR, OATP1B3 (HEK293-OATP1B3 cells). In this study, to determine whether overexpression of carboxylesterase (CES), which degrades ester-group and amide-group, attenuates the cytotoxicity of microcystin-LR, we generated the HEK293-OATP1B3/CES2 double-transfected cells. HEK293-OATP1B3/CES2 cells showed high hydrolysis activity of p-nitrophenyl acetate (PNPA), which is an authentic substrate for esterase. CES activity in HEK293-OATP1B3/CES2 cells was approximately 3-fold higher than that in the HEK293-OATP1B3 cells. HEK293-OATP1B3/CES2 cells (IC50: 25.4±7.7nM) showed approximately 2.1-fold resistance to microcystin-LR than HEK293-OATP1B3 cells (IC50: 12.0±1.5nM). Moreover, the CES inhibition assay and microcystin-agarose pull down assay showed the possibilit...
Cell reports, May 16, 2017
Thymidine phosphorylase (TP), a rate-limiting enzyme in thymidine catabolism, plays a pivotal rol... more Thymidine phosphorylase (TP), a rate-limiting enzyme in thymidine catabolism, plays a pivotal role in tumor progression; however, the mechanisms underlying this role are not fully understood. Here, we found that TP-mediated thymidine catabolism could supply the carbon source in the glycolytic pathway and thus contribute to cell survival under conditions of nutrient deprivation. In TP-expressing cells, thymidine was converted to metabolites, including glucose 6-phosphate, lactate, 5-phospho-α-D-ribose 1-diphosphate, and serine, via the glycolytic pathway both in vitro and in vivo. These thymidine-derived metabolites were required for the survival of cells under low-glucose conditions. Furthermore, activation of thymidine catabolism was observed in human gastric cancer. These findings demonstrate that thymidine can serve as a glycolytic pathway substrate in human cancer cells.
Molecular genetics and metabolism, Apr 14, 2017
Mice carrying simultaneous homozygous mutations in the genes encoding citrin, the mitochondrial a... more Mice carrying simultaneous homozygous mutations in the genes encoding citrin, the mitochondrial aspartate-glutamate carrier 2 (AGC2) protein, and mitochondrial glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (mGPD), are a phenotypically representative model of human citrin (a.k.a., AGC2) deficiency. In this study, we investigated the voluntary oral intake and preference for sucrose, glycerol or ethanol solutions by wild-type, citrin (Ctrn)-knockout (KO), mGPD-KO, and Ctrn/mGPD double-KO mice; all substances that are known or suspected precipitating factors in the pathogenesis of human citrin deficiency. The double-KO mice showed clear suppressed intake of sucrose, consuming less with progressively higher concentrations compared to the other mice. Similar observations were made when glycerol or ethanol were given. The preference of Ctrn-KO and mGPD-KO mice varied with the different treatments; essentially no differences were observed for sucrose, while an intermediate intake or similar to that of...
Oncotarget, Jan 22, 2016
To establish treatments to improve the prognosis of cancer patients, it is necessary to find new ... more To establish treatments to improve the prognosis of cancer patients, it is necessary to find new targets to control metastasis. We found that expression of FilaminC (FLNC), a member of the actin binding and cross-linking filamin protein family is correlated with lymphatic invasion and lymphatic metastasis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) by increasing cell motility through activation of Rho GTPase.Immunohistochemistry analysis showed that FLNC expression in ESCC is associated with lymphatic invasion, metastasis, and prognosis. FLNC knockdown in esophageal cancer cell lines decreased cell migration in wound healing and transwell migration assays, and invasion in transwell migration assays. Furthermore, FLNC knockdown reduced the amount of activated Rac-1 (GTP-Rac1) and activated Cdc42 (GTP-Cdc42). Our results suggest that FLNC expression is a useful biomarker of ESCC metastatic tendency and that inhibiting FLNC function may be useful to control the metastasis of ESCC.
Oncology Reports, 2016
High-dose chemotherapy and surgical treatment have improved the prognosis of osteosarcoma. Howeve... more High-dose chemotherapy and surgical treatment have improved the prognosis of osteosarcoma. However, more than 20% of patients with osteosarcoma still have a poor prognosis. We investigated the expression and function of casein kinase 2 (CK2) in osteosarcoma growth. We then examined the effects of CX-4945, a CK2 inhibitor, on osteosarcoma growth in vitro and in vivo to apply our findings to the clinical setting. We examined the expression of CK2α and CK2β by western blot analysis, and performed WST-1 assays using CK2α and CK2β siRNA or CX-4945. Flow cytometry and western blot analyses were performed to evaluate apoptotic cell death. Xenograft models were used to examine the effect of CX-4945 in vivo. Western blot analysis revealed upregulation of CK2α and CK2β in human osteosarcoma cell lines compared with human osteoblast cells or mesenchymal stem cells. WST assay showed that knockdown of CK2α or CK2β by siRNA inhibited the proliferation of human osteosarcoma cells. Treatment with 3 µM of CX-4945 inhibited osteosarcoma cell proliferation; however, the same concentration of CX-4945 did not affect the proliferation of human mesenchymal stem cells. Additionally, treatment with CX-4945 inhibited the proliferation of human osteosarcoma cells in a dose-dependent manner. Western blot and flow cytometry analyses showed that treatment with CX-4945 promoted apoptotic death of osteosarcoma cells. The xenograft model showed that treatment with CX-4945 significantly prevented osteosarcoma growth in vivo compared with control vehicle treatment. Our findings indicate that CK2 may be an attractive therapeutic target for treating osteosarcoma.
Oncotarget, Jan 19, 2016
We previously reported that ATP7B is involved in cisplatin resistance and ATP7A confers multidrug... more We previously reported that ATP7B is involved in cisplatin resistance and ATP7A confers multidrug resistance (MDR) in cancer cells.In this study, we show that ATP7B expressing cells also are resistant to doxorubicin, SN-38, etoposide, and paclitaxel as well as cisplatin.In ATP7B expressing cells, doxorubicin relocated from the nuclei to the late-endosome at 4 hours after doxorubicin exposure. EGFP-ATP7B mainly colocalized with doxorubicin.ATP7B has six metal binding sites (MBSs) in the N-terminal cytoplasmic region. To investigate the role of the MBSs of ATP7B in doxorubicin resistance, we used three mutant ATP7B (Cu0, Cu6 and M6C/S) expressing cells. Cu0 has no MBSs, Cu6 has only the sixth MBS and M6C/S carries CXXC to SXXS mutation in the sixth MBS. Cu6 expressing cells were less resistance to the anticancer agents than wild type ATP7B expressing cells, and had doxorubicin sequestration in the late-endosome. Cu0- and M6C/S-expressing cells were sensitive to doxorubicin. In these c...
Biological Pharmaceutical Bulletin, 2006
... (St. ... Ryuji IKEDA,*,a Kenichi YOSHIDA,b Mina USHIYAMA,a Tatsuya YAMAGUCHI,a Ken-ichi IWASH... more ... (St. ... Ryuji IKEDA,*,a Kenichi YOSHIDA,b Mina USHIYAMA,a Tatsuya YAMAGUCHI,a Ken-ichi IWASHITA,a Toshitaka FUTAGAWA,a Yoshihiko SHIBAYAMA,a Shigeru OISO,a Yasuo TAKEDA,a Hiroko KARIYAZONO,a Tatsuhiko FURUKAWA,c Kazuo NAKAMURA,a Shin-ichi ...
Toxicological Sciences, 2007
Cancer Research, Jul 1, 1992
A newly synthesized dihydropyridine analogue, 2-|benzyl(phenyl)amino]ethyl l,4-dihydro-2,6-dimeth... more A newly synthesized dihydropyridine analogue, 2-|benzyl(phenyl)amino]ethyl l,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-5-(5,5-dimethyl-2-oxo-l,3,2-dioxaphosphorinan-2-yl)-l-(2-morpholinoethyl)-4-(3-nitrophenyl)-3-pyridinecarboxylate (PAK-200), at 5 pM inhibited the efflux of |'H|vincristine from KB-C2 cells and increased the accumulation of |}H)vincristine in KB-C2 cells to a level similar to that in KB-3-1 cells. PAK-200 inhibited the photoaffinity labeling of P-glycoprotein in KB-C2 mem branes by |3H]azidopine. At 5 JIM,PAK-200 enhanced the cytotoxic effect of Adriamycin on drug-sensitive KB-3-1 cells, multidrug-resistant KB-8-5 cells, and two human colorectal carcinoma tumor lines, COK-28LN and COK-36LN, by factors of 2, 5, 2, and 3 times, respectively. The calcium antagonistic activity of PAK-200 was about 1000 and 5 times lower than that of another dihydropyridine analogue, nicardipine, and of verapamil, respectively. PAK-200 in combination with Adriamycin completely suppressed the growth of KB-3-1 and COK-36LN and partially suppressed the growth of KB-8-5 but had no significant effect on COK-28LN cells xenografted in nude mice. The level of MDRl expression of COK-36LN was about 3 times higher than that of COK-28LN, but lower than that of KB-8-5 cells. These results suggest that the interaction of PAK-200 with P-glyco protein may be partly correlated with the enhancement of the antitumor effect of Adriamycin on xenografted KB-8-5 and COK-36LN cells in nude mice.
Febs Letters, Feb 20, 2006
Thymidine phosphorylase (TP) is involved both in pyrimidine nucleoside metabolism and in angiogen... more Thymidine phosphorylase (TP) is involved both in pyrimidine nucleoside metabolism and in angiogenesis. TP also conferred the resistance to hypoxia-induced apoptosis of the cancer cells. In U937 cells, DNA damage-inducing agents significantly enhanced the expression of TP. Cell lines stably transfected with TP cDNA were more resistant to the DNA damage-inducing agents than the mock-transfected cells and showed augmented activity of Akt. The cytoprotective function of TP against DNA damage was independent of its enzymatic activity. The resistance to apoptosis was partially abrogated by treatment with the phosphatidyl inositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitors, suggesting that the cytoprotective function of TP is mediated, at least in part, by regulation of the PI3K/Akt pathway. These findings indicate that TP expression in increased by various stress including DNA damage and that TP molecules confer resistance to DNA damage-induced apoptosis in cancer cells.
Cancer Research, Mar 1, 2000
The accumulation of cisplatin is decreased in many cisplatin-resistant cell lines, and an active ... more The accumulation of cisplatin is decreased in many cisplatin-resistant cell lines, and an active efflux pump for cisplatin exists in some of them, but it has not yet been identified. In this study, we transfected the copper-transporting P-type ATPase cDNA (ATP7B) into human epidermoid carcinoma KB-3-1 cells. The transfectant, KB/WD cell line, which overexpressed the P-type ATPase, ATP7B, was resistant to both cisplatin (8.9-fold) and copper (2.0-fold). The accumulation of cisplatin in KB/WD cells was lower than in mock-transfected KB/CV cells, and the efflux of cisplatin from KB/WD cells was enhanced compared with KB/CV cells. KB/WD cells were sensitive to other heavy metals, such as antimony, arsenate, arsenite, cadmium, and cobalt. ATP7B was overexpressed in cisplatin-resistant prostate carcinoma PC-5 cells but not in the parental PC-3 cells and the revertant PC-5R cells. ATP7B may be involved in cisplatin resistance in some tumors.
Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, May 30, 2008
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Papers by Tatsuhiko Furukawa