Platinum (Pt)-based antitumor agents have significant antitumor activity in the treatments of many human malignancies. Especially in ovarian cancers and in testicular germ cell tumors, cisplatin (Cp)-based combination chemotherapy has been a pillar of drug therapy of these diseases. However, resistance to Pt- based agents is the major cause of treatment failure. While it has been recognized that multiple mechanisms are involved in Cp resistance, one important mechanism of resistance is defective drug transport. Recent studies have indicated that the human high-affinity copper (Cu) transporter 1 (hCtr1) is a functional transporter of cisplatin and its analogues, carboplatin and oxaliplatin. Preliminary results from our laboratory have demonstrated that many established cisplatin-resistant (CpR) cell lines exhibit reduced expression levels of hCtr1 compared with those in their matched parental cell lines. Results from gene expression profiles published in the literature also suggested that elevated expression levels of hCtr1 are significantly correlated with longer progression-free survival time in ovarian cancer patients treated with Cp/taxane than in patients with low levels of hCtr1 expression. These results suggest that the efficacy of Cp in cancer chemotherapy can be improved through enhancing hCtr1 expression. We have recently demonstrated that expression of hCtr1 is transcriptionally regulated by intracellular Cu bioavailability and that reduced levels of hCtr1 in Cp-resistant cells can be up-regulated by Cu-lowering agents, leading to a restoration of Cp sensitivity. These novel observations provide the rationale for the development of strategies for circumventing Cp resistance in human cancers using Cu-lowering agents.
Five specific aims are proposed:
Specific Aim 1 is to critically evaluate the association of hCtr1 expression and chemosensitivity of a large cohort of 1056 ovarian cancer patients to Pt drugs using proteomic approach.
Specific Aim 2 seeks to determine whether Cu-lowering agents can enhance chemosensitization to Pt- based antitumor agents using intrinsic CpR ovarian cancer cell lines exhibiting reduced hCtr1 expression. These Cu-lowering agents have been approved for the clinical treatment of Cu toxicosis in Wilson disease and in Menke disease and also are in various stages of clinical trials as anti-angiogenic agents against cancers.
Specific Aim 3 describes a pre-clinical efficacy and toxicity study of Cu-lowering agents to resensitize Cp resistance in in vivo animal tumor models.
Specific Aim 4 proposes to delineate the mechanisms of hCtr1 upregulation induced by these Cu-lowering agents.
Specific Aim 5 proposes to investigate the mechanisms of hCtr1 upregulation induced by Cp. This is mechanism-driven research that has important translational implications to improve the efficacy of Pt-based cancer chemotherapy using clinically approved Cu-lowering agents.

Public Health Relevance

We propose in this application to investigate the hypothesis that anti-copper drugs which have been used in the treatment of human Wilson's and Menke's diseases can be used to modulate the efficacy of cisplatin-based cancer chemotherapy. We also propose to elucidate the mechanisms by which anti- copper drugs can regulate the transport of cisplatin into cancer cells.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01CA149260-03
Application #
8255624
Study Section
Basic Mechanisms of Cancer Therapeutics Study Section (BMCT)
Program Officer
Wolpert, Mary K
Project Start
2010-09-23
Project End
2015-04-30
Budget Start
2012-05-01
Budget End
2013-04-30
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
2012
Total Cost
$318,015
Indirect Cost
$116,740
Name
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Department
Pathology
Type
Other Domestic Higher Education
DUNS #
800772139
City
Houston
State
TX
Country
United States
Zip Code
77030
Lai, Yu-Hsuan; Kuo, Chin; Kuo, Macus Tien et al. (2018) Modulating Chemosensitivity of Tumors to Platinum-Based Antitumor Drugs by Transcriptional Regulation of Copper Homeostasis. Int J Mol Sci 19:
Wangpaichitr, M; Kandemir, H; Li, Y Y et al. (2017) Relationship of Metabolic Alterations and PD-L1 Expression in Cisplatin Resistant Lung Cancer. Cell Dev Biol 6:
Chen, Helen H W; Kuo, Macus Tien (2017) Improving radiotherapy in cancer treatment: Promises and challenges. Oncotarget 8:62742-62758
Long, Yan; Tsai, Wen-Bin; Wang, Dajuan et al. (2017) Argininosuccinate synthetase 1 (ASS1) is a common metabolic marker of chemosensitivity for targeted arginine- and glutamine-starvation therapy. Cancer Lett 388:54-63
Tsai, Wen-Bin; Long, Yan; Chang, Jeffrey T et al. (2017) Chromatin remodeling system p300-HDAC2-Sin3A is involved in Arginine Starvation-Induced HIF-1? Degradation at the ASS1 promoter for ASS1 Derepression. Sci Rep 7:10814
Wangpaichitr, Medhi; Wu, Chunjing; Li, Ying Ying et al. (2017) Exploiting ROS and metabolic differences to kill cisplatin resistant lung cancer. Oncotarget 8:49275-49292
Tsai, W-B; Long, Y; Park, J-R et al. (2016) Gas6/Axl is the sensor of arginine-auxotrophic response in targeted chemotherapy with arginine-depleting agents. Oncogene 35:1632-42
Long, Yan; Tsai, Wen-Bin; Chang, Jeffrey T et al. (2016) Cisplatin-induced synthetic lethality to arginine-starvation therapy by transcriptional suppression of ASS1 is regulated by DEC1, HIF-1?, and c-Myc transcription network and is independent of ASS1 promoter DNA methylation. Oncotarget 7:82658-82670
Yan, Dong; Aiba, Isamu; Chen, Helen H W et al. (2016) Effects of Cu(II) and cisplatin on the stability of Specific protein 1 (Sp1)-DNA binding: Insights into the regulation of copper homeostasis and platinum drug transport. J Inorg Biochem 161:37-9
Tsai, Wen-Bin; Long, Yan; Kuo, Macus Tien (2015) Gas6/Axl in arginine-starvation therapy. Oncoscience 2:659-60

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