Indole-3-carbinol (I3C), an indolecarbinol compound obtained from Brassica vegetables, such as broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts, exhibits potent anti-proliferative properties in a wide range of human cancers with negligible levels of toxicity or side effects. We have documented that I3C, and its more potent and stable derivative 1-benzyl-I3C, triggers complementary sets of transcriptional, cell signaling, and enzymatic cascades that control cancer cell growth, apoptosis, cell migration and in vivo tumor growth of human cancer cells. Our studies originally established the serine protease elastase as the first known I3C target protein in human reproductive cancer cells, which has provided a crucial experimental foundation to define the mechanisms of indolecarbinol anti-proliferative signaling in other cancer cell types. In human melanoma cells, we have observed that I3C induces a G1 cell cycle arrest and inhibits cell survival signaling by stabilizing the PTEN tumor suppressor protein levels, which through its dual lipid/protein phosphatase activity then disrupts the Akt signaling network including the inactivation of NFkB transcriptional activity and attenuated expression of NFkB target genes such as cyclin D1. I3C triggers this response by inhibiting the NEDD4-1 mediated ubiquitination of PTEN, and in silico 3-D simulations using the crystallographic structure NEDD4-1 predicts that I3C specificity interacts with the HECT domain of NEDD4-1, which is the domain responsible for the E3 ubiquitin ligase activity. This proposal will test the hypothesis that that the NEDD4-1 E3 ubiquitin ligase, which selectively ubiquitinates and signals the 26S proteasome degradation of PTEN suppressor protein, is directly inhibited by I3C and represents a new indolecarbinol target protein that mediates I3C anti-proliferative responsiveness of human melanoma cells.
One aim of this proposal will utilize in vitro ubiquitination, I3C binding and protein (or domain) interaction assays to determine the mechanism by which I3C inhibits the NEDD4-1 E3 ubiquitin ligase activity. A mutagenic strategy will alter the in silico defined I3C interaction site to define the precise amino acid requirements for I3C binding and generate novel I3C-resistant forms of NEDD4-1.
The second aim will functionally characterize I3C activated anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic cascades due to PTEN protein stabilization in human melanomas cells with distinct phenotypes. Also, more potent and selective derivatives of I3C will be identified based on their interactions with NEDD4-1 and by their ability to stabilize PTEN protein and disrupt Akt/NFkB signaling.
The third aim will characterize the anti-cancer effects in melanoma cells of combinations of indolecarbinol compounds and aspirin in both cellular and in vivo contexts. Our proposed studies will establish the preclinical foundation that is needed to eventually develop novel and low cost I3C-based therapeutic strategies for human skin cancers.

Public Health Relevance

Our studies have established that indole-3-carbinol (I3C), a compound from vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts, is a promising anti-cancer compound for human melanoma cells because we have observed that I3C stabilizes the level of a critical tumor suppressor protein (PTEN) that disrupts an important melanoma cell survival pathway, which causes melanoma cells to stop growing and die (apoptosis). We plan to use a combination of structural, molecular, cellular, and physiological tumor studies to determine how I3C and its more potent derivatives bind to a specific target protein to stabilize PTEN, and function in combination with aspirin to inhibit the growth of melanoma cells. The eventual therapeutic value our proposed studies is developing a preclinical foundation that will lead to the design new types of I3C-based cancer therapies using specific drug combinations to control the growth of melanomas with reduced side effects. 1

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01CA164095-04
Application #
8827282
Study Section
Basic Mechanisms of Cancer Therapeutics Study Section (BMCT)
Program Officer
Fu, Yali
Project Start
2012-04-16
Project End
2017-03-31
Budget Start
2015-04-01
Budget End
2017-03-31
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2015
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of California Berkeley
Department
Biochemistry
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
124726725
City
Berkeley
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
94704
Steely, Andrea M; Willoughby Sr, Jamin A; Sundar, Shyam N et al. (2017) Artemisinin disrupts androgen responsiveness of human prostate cancer cells by stimulating the 26S proteasome-mediated degradation of the androgen receptor protein. Anticancer Drugs 28:1018-1031
Kundu, Aishwarya; Quirit, Jeanne G; Khouri, Michelle G et al. (2017) Inhibition of oncogenic BRAF activity by indole-3-carbinol disrupts microphthalmia-associated transcription factor expression and arrests melanoma cell proliferation. Mol Carcinog 56:49-61
Kundu, Aishwarya; Khouri, Michelle G; Aryana, Sheila et al. (2017) 1-Benzyl-indole-3-carbinol is a highly potent new small molecule inhibitor of Wnt/?-catenin signaling in melanoma cells that coordinately inhibits cell proliferation and disrupts expression of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor isoform-M. Carcinogenesis 38:1207-1217
Quirit, Jeanne G; Lavrenov, Sergey N; Poindexter, Kevin et al. (2017) Indole-3-carbinol (I3C) analogues are potent small molecule inhibitors of NEDD4-1 ubiquitin ligase activity that disrupt proliferation of human melanoma cells. Biochem Pharmacol 127:13-27
Hargraves, Kris G; He, Lin; Firestone, Gary L (2016) Phytochemical regulation of the tumor suppressive microRNA, miR-34a, by p53-dependent and independent responses in human breast cancer cells. Mol Carcinog 55:486-98
Poindexter, Kevin M; Matthew, Susanne; Aronchik, Ida et al. (2016) Cooperative antiproliferative signaling by aspirin and indole-3-carbinol targets microphthalmia-associated transcription factor gene expression and promoter activity in human melanoma cells. Cell Biol Toxicol 32:103-19
Block, Keith I; Gyllenhaal, Charlotte; Lowe, Leroy et al. (2015) Designing a broad-spectrum integrative approach for cancer prevention and treatment. Semin Cancer Biol 35 Suppl:S276-S304
Yaswen, Paul; MacKenzie, Karen L; Keith, W Nicol et al. (2015) Therapeutic targeting of replicative immortality. Semin Cancer Biol 35 Suppl:S104-S128
Tin, Antony S; Park, Anna H; Sundar, Shyam N et al. (2014) Essential role of the cancer stem/progenitor cell marker nucleostemin for indole-3-carbinol anti-proliferative responsiveness in human breast cancer cells. BMC Biol 12:72
Aronchik, Ida; Kundu, Aishwarya; Quirit, Jeanne G et al. (2014) The antiproliferative response of indole-3-carbinol in human melanoma cells is triggered by an interaction with NEDD4-1 and disruption of wild-type PTEN degradation. Mol Cancer Res 12:1621-1634

Showing the most recent 10 out of 11 publications