Latest Publications

@article{tylichova_activation_2017,

title = {Activation of autophagy and PPARγ protect colon cancer cells against apoptosis induced by interactive effects of butyrate and DHA in a cell type-dependent manner: The role of cell differentiation.},

author = {Zuzana Tylichová and Nicol Straková and Jan Vondráček and Alena Hyršlová Vaculová and Alois Kozubík and Jiřina Hofmanová},

doi = {10.1016/j.jnutbio.2016.09.006},

issn = {1873-4847 0955-2863},

year  = {2017},

date = {2017-01-01},

journal = {The Journal of nutritional biochemistry},

volume = {39},

pages = {145–155},

abstract = {The short-chain and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids exhibit anticancer properties, and they may mutually interact within the colon. However, the molecular mechanisms of their action in colon cancer cells are still not fully understood. Our study focused on the mechanisms responsible for the diverse effects of sodium butyrate (NaBt), in particular when interacting with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), in distinct colon cancer cell types, in which NaBt either induces cell differentiation or activates programmed cell death involving mitochondrial pathway. NaBt activated autophagy both in HT-29 cells, which are sensitive to induction of differentiation, and in nondifferentiating HCT-116 cells. However, autophagy supported cell survival only in HT-29 cells. Combination of NaBt with DHA-promoted cell death, especially in HCT-116 cells and after longer time intervals. The inhibition of autophagy both attenuated differentiation and enhanced apoptosis in HT-29 cells treated with NaBt and DHA, but it had no effect in HCT-116 cells. NaBt, especially in combination with DHA, activated PPARγ in both cell types. PPARγ silencing decreased differentiation and increased apoptosis only in HT-29 cells, therefore we verified the role of caspases in apoptosis, differentiation and also PPARγ activity using a pan-caspase inhibitor. In summary, our data suggest that diverse responses of colon cancer cells to fatty acids may rely on their sensitivity to differentiation, which may in turn depend on distinct engagement of autophagy, caspases and PPARγ. These results contribute to understanding of mechanisms underlying differential effects of NaBt, when interacting with other dietary fatty acids, in colon cancer cells.},

note = {Place: United States},

keywords = {Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology, Apoptosis/*drug effects, Autophagy, Autophagy/*drug effects, Butyrate, Butyrates/*pharmacology, Butyric Acid/pharmacology, Caspase 3/genetics/metabolism, Cell Differentiation/drug effects, Colon cancer, Colonic Neoplasms/*pathology, Differentiation, Docosahexaenoic acid, Docosahexaenoic Acids/*pharmacology, HCT116 Cells, HT29 Cells, Humans, Mitochondria/drug effects/metabolism, PPAR gamma/genetics/*metabolism, PPARγ},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{steinmetz_oncogene_2014,

title = {The oncogene EVI1 enhances transcriptional and biological responses of human myeloid cells to all-trans retinoic acid.},

author = {Birgit Steinmetz and Hubert Hackl and Eva Slabáková and Ilse Schwarzinger and Monika Smějová and Andreas Spittler and Itziar Arbesu and Medhat Shehata and Karel Souček and Rotraud Wieser},

doi = {10.4161/15384101.2014.946869},

issn = {1551-4005 1538-4101},

year  = {2014},

date = {2014-01-01},

journal = {Cell cycle (Georgetown, Tex.)},

volume = {13},

number = {18},

pages = {2931–2943},

abstract = {The product of the ecotropic virus integration site 1 (EVI1) gene, whose overexpression is associated with a poor prognosis in myeloid leukemias and some epithelial tumors, regulates gene transcription both through direct DNA binding and through modulation of the activity of other sequence specific transcription factors. Previous results from our laboratory have shown that EVI1 influenced transcription regulation in response to the myeloid differentiation inducing agent, all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), in a dual manner: it enhanced ATRA induced transcription of the RARβ gene, but repressed the ATRA induction of the EVI1 gene itself. In the present study, we asked whether EVI1 would modulate the ATRA regulation of a larger number of genes, as well as biological responses to this agent, in human myeloid cells. U937 and HL-60 cells ectopically expressing EVI1 through retroviral transduction were subjected to microarray based gene expression analysis, and to assays measuring cellular proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. These experiments showed that EVI1 modulated the ATRA response of several dozens of genes, and in fact reinforced it in the vast majority of cases. A particularly strong synergy between EVI1 and ATRA was observed for GDF15, which codes for a member of the TGF-β superfamily of cytokines. In line with the gene expression results, EVI1 enhanced cell cycle arrest, differentiation, and apoptosis in response to ATRA, and knockdown of GDF15 counteracted some of these effects. The potential clinical implications of these findings are discussed.},

note = {Place: United States},

keywords = {*Oncogenes, acute myeloid leukemia, acute promyelocytic leukemia, all-trans retinoic acid, AML, APL, Apoptosis, Apoptosis/drug effects, Ar, ATRA, ATRA regulation, Cell Cycle, Cell Cycle Checkpoints/drug effects, Cell Differentiation/drug effects, dimethyl sulfoxide, DMSO, DNA-Binding Proteins/genetics/*metabolism, Down-Regulation/drug effects, Em, Epithelial Cells/drug effects/metabolism, Er, EVI1, EVI1 modulation, EVI1 regulation, false discovery rate, FBS, FC, FDR, fetal bovine serum, fold change, GDF15, Gene Expression Profiling, Gene Knockdown Techniques, Genetic/*drug effects, GFP, green fluorescent protein, Growth Differentiation Factor 15/genetics/metabolism, HL-60 Cells, Humans, mcoEvi1, MDS, MDS1 and EVI1 Complex Locus Protein, murine codon optimized Evi1, myelodysplastic syndrome, Myeloid Cells/drug effects/*metabolism, myeloid differentiation, penicillin streptomycin glutamine, Proto-Oncogenes/genetics, PSG, RAR, RARE, Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction, Reproducibility of Results, retinoic acid receptor, retinoic acid response element, SE, standard error, Transcription, Transcription Factors/genetics/*metabolism, Tretinoin/*pharmacology},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{prochazkova_monocytic_2009,

title = {Monocytic differentiation of leukemic HL-60 cells induced by co-treatment with TNF-alpha and MK886 requires activation of pro-apoptotic machinery.},

author = {Jirina Procházková and Lenka Stixová and Karel Soucek and Jirina Hofmanová and Alois Kozubík},

doi = {10.1111/j.1600-0609.2009.01240.x},

issn = {1600-0609 0902-4441},

year  = {2009},

date = {2009-07-01},

journal = {European journal of haematology},

volume = {83},

number = {1},

pages = {35–47},

abstract = {The block of hematopoietic differentiation program in acute myeloid leukemia cells can be overcome by differentiating agent like retinoic acid, but it has several side effects. A study of other differentiation signaling pathways is therefore useful to predict potential targets of anti-leukemic therapy. We demonstrated previously that the co-treatment of HL-60 cells with Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) (1 ng/mL) and inhibitor of 5-lipoxygenase MK886 (5 microm) potentiated both monocytic differentiation and apoptosis. In this study, we detected enhanced activation of three main types of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) (p38, c-Jun amino-terminal kinase [JNK], extracellular signal-regulated kinase [ERK]), so we assessed their role in differentiation using appropriate pharmacologic inhibitors. The inhibition of pro-apoptotic MAPKs (p38 and JNK) suppressed the effect of MK886 + TNF-alpha co-treatment. On the other hand, down-regulation of pro-survival ERK pathway led to increased differentiation. Those effects were accompanied by increased activation of caspases in cells treated by MK886 + TNF-alpha. Pan-caspase inhibitor ZVAD-fmk significantly decreased both number of apoptotic and differentiated cells. The same effect was observed after inhibition of caspase 9, but not caspase 3 and 8. To conclude, we evidenced that the activation of apoptotic processes and pathways supporting apoptosis (p38 and JNK MAPKs) is required for the monocytic differentiation of HL-60 cells.},

note = {Place: England},

keywords = {Acute/*drug therapy/metabolism/*pathology, Amino Acid Chloromethyl Ketones/pharmacology, Apoptosis/*drug effects/physiology, Caspase Inhibitors, Caspases/metabolism, Cell Differentiation/drug effects, Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitors/pharmacology, Enzyme Activation/drug effects, HL-60 Cells, Humans, Indoles/*pharmacology, Leukemia, Lipoxygenase Inhibitors/pharmacology, MAP Kinase Signaling System/drug effects, Monocytes/*drug effects/pathology, NF-kappa B/antagonists & inhibitors, Promyelocytic, Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/*pharmacology},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{soucek_transforming_2006,

title = {Transforming growth factor-beta1 inhibits all-trans retinoic acid-induced apoptosis.},

author = {Karel Soucek and Jirí Pacherník and Lukás Kubala and Jan Vondrácek and Jirina Hofmanová and Alois Kozubík},

doi = {10.1016/j.leukres.2005.09.007},

issn = {0145-2126},

year  = {2006},

date = {2006-05-01},

journal = {Leukemia research},

volume = {30},

number = {5},

pages = {607–623},

abstract = {The interaction between retinoids and transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) leading to regulation of proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis is not still fully understood. In this study, we demonstrated that a combination treatment with all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and TGF-beta1 led to the enhancement of ATRA-induced suppression of cell proliferation, which is accompanied by inhibition of ATRA-induced apoptosis in human leukemia HL-60 cells. This effect was preceded by the arrest of cells in G0/G1 cell cycle phase linked with pRb protein dephosphorylation, continuous accumulation of p21 and transiently increased level of p27, inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinases. Inhibition of ATRA-induced apoptosis by TGF-beta1 was associated with an increased level of Mcl-1 protein, an anti-apoptotic member of Bcl-2 family, but not with inhibition of mitochondrial membrane depolarization. Levels of other Bcl-2 family proteins (Bcl-2, Bcl-X(L), Bad, Bak, Bax) were unaffected by simultaneous ATRA and TGF-beta1 treatment, when compared to ATRA alone. Upregulation of c-FLIP(L) protein, an inhibitor of apoptosis induced by tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL), correspond with inhibition of ATRA-induced (autocrine TRAIL-mediated) caspase-8 activation and apoptosis. These results suggest that apoptosis inhibition associated with proliferation block could depend on modulation of the TRAIL apoptotic pathway and regulation of the Mcl-1 protein level. In summary, we demonstrate that the balance of processes leading to regulation of proliferation and differentiation of myeloid cells can modulate cell sensitivity to apoptosis-inducing stimuli.},

note = {Place: England},

keywords = {Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins/metabolism/pharmacology, Apoptosis/*drug effects/physiology, bcl-2-Associated X Protein/drug effects/metabolism, CASP8 and FADD-Like Apoptosis Regulating Protein, Caspase 3, Caspase 8, Caspases/drug effects/metabolism, CD11b Antigen/biosynthesis/drug effects, Cell Cycle/drug effects, Cell Differentiation/drug effects, Cell Proliferation/drug effects, Cell Survival/drug effects, Cultured, Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21/biosynthesis/drug effects, Drug Synergism, Enzyme Activation/drug effects, G1 Phase/drug effects, Granulocytes/drug effects/physiology, HL-60 Cells, Humans, Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins/drug effects/metabolism, Membrane Glycoproteins/metabolism/pharmacology, Mitochondrial Membranes/drug effects/physiology, Myeloid Cell Leukemia Sequence 1 Protein, Neoplasm Proteins/drug effects/metabolism, Phosphorylation, Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2/drug effects/metabolism, Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism, Resting Phase, Retinoblastoma Protein/drug effects/metabolism, TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand, Transforming Growth Factor beta/*pharmacology, Transforming Growth Factor beta1, Tretinoin/*antagonists & inhibitors/pharmacology, Tumor Cells, Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism/pharmacology},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{pachernik_multiple_2002,

title = {Multiple biological effects of inhibitors of arachidonic acid metabolism on human keratinocytes.},

author = {Jirí Pacherník and Ales Hampl and Karel Soucek and Martina Kovaríková and Zdenek Andrysík and Jirina Hofmanová and Alois Kozubík},

doi = {10.1007/s00403-001-0288-5},

issn = {0340-3696},

year  = {2002},

date = {2002-02-01},

journal = {Archives of dermatological research},

volume = {293},

number = {12},

pages = {626–633},

abstract = {BACKGROUND: Various compounds that inhibit processing of arachidonic acid (AA) are being intensively tested for their antitumour activity. However, the mechanisms responsible for such activity remain rather elusive. To approach this issue, we examined the effects of several structurally different inhibitors of AA metabolism in the human keratinocyte HaCaT cell line. METHODS: Several parameters were determined in HaCaT cells exposed to increasing concentrations of the inhibitors for 24 and/or 48 h. These included (1) oxidoreductase activity, total protein mass and cell cycle distribution to assess cell proliferation, (2) degradation of PARP protein to assess apoptosis, and (3) cell morphology, distribution of F-actin and expression of cytokeratins and E-cadherin to evaluate changes in differentiation status. RESULTS: While eicosatetraynoic acid (ETYA), nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA), esculetin and MK-886 reduced proliferation of HaCaT cells, the cyclooxygenase inhibitors indomethacin and piroxicam had no such effects. Esculetin and NDGA arrested cells in S phase, and ETYA and MK-886 delayed cell progression through G(1) phase. Higher concentrations of NDGA, MK886 and/or ETYA caused cleavage of PARP. No changes in the expression of cytokeratins and E-cadherin were observed upon treatment with any of the inhibitors. However, esculetin induced redistribution of F-actin accompanied by increased cell adhesion and size. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that, in addition to their ability to inhibit cell proliferation and to induce apoptosis, lipoxygenase inhibitors and/or ETYA may also elicit other important physiological responses in HaCaT keratinocytes.},

note = {Place: Germany},

keywords = {11, 14-Eicosatetraynoic Acid/pharmacology, 5, 8, Arachidonic Acid/*antagonists & inhibitors, Cell Differentiation/drug effects, Cell Division/drug effects, Cell Line, Cell Survival/drug effects, Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors/pharmacology, Humans, Indoles/pharmacology, Keratinocytes/cytology/*drug effects/*physiology, Lipoxygenase Inhibitors/pharmacology, Transformed, Umbelliferones/pharmacology},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}