Person: Aktas, Bertal
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Aktas
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Bertal
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Aktas, Bertal
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Publication Chemical Genetics Identify eIF2α Kinase Heme Regulated Inhibitor as Anti-Cancer Target(2013) Chen, Ting; Ozel, Duygu; Qiao, Yuan; Harbinski, Fred; Chen, Limo; Denoyelle, Séverine; He, Xiaoying; Zvereva, Nela; Supko, Jeffrey; Chorev, Michael; Halperin, Jose; Aktas, BertalTranslation initiation plays a critical role in cellular homeostasis, proliferation, differentiation and malignant transformation. Consistently, increasing the abundance of the eIF2·GTP·Met-tRNAi translation initiation complex transforms normal cells and contributes to cancer initiation and the severity of some anemia. The chemical modifiers of the eIF2·GTP·Met-tRNAi ternary complex are therefore invaluable tools for studying its role in the pathobiology of human disorders and for determining if this complex can be pharmacologically targeted for therapeutic purposes. Using a cell based assay, we identified N,N’-diarylureas as novel inhibitors of the ternary complex abundance. Direct functional-genetics and biochemical evidence demonstrated that the N,N’-diarylureas activate heme regulated inhibitor kinase, thereby phosphorylate eIF2α and reduce abundance of the ternary complex. Using tumor cell proliferation in vitro and tumor growth in vivo as paradigms, we demonstrate that N,N’-diarylureas are potent and specific tools for studying the role eIF2·GTP·Met-tRNAi ternary complex in the pathobiology of human disorders.Publication Small-molecule targeting of translation initiation for cancer therapy(Impact Journals LLC, 2013) Aktas, Bertal; Qiao, Yuan; Ozdelen, Esra; Schubert, Roland; Sevinc, Sema; Harbinski, Fred; Grubissich, Luciano; Singer, Samuel; Halperin, JoseTranslation initiation plays a critical role in the regulation of cell growth and tumorigenesis. We report here that inhibiting translation initiation through induction of eIF2α phosphorylation by small-molecular-weight compounds restricts the availability of the eIF2·GTP·Met-tRNAi ternary complex and abrogates the proliferation of cancer cells in vitro and tumor growth in vivo. Restricting the availability of the ternary complex preferentially down-regulates the expression of growth-promoting proteins and up-regulates the expression of ER stress response genes in cancer cells as well as in tumors excised from either animal models of human cancer or cancer patients. These findings provide the first direct evidence for translational control of gene-specific expression by small molecules in vivo and indicate that translation initiation factors are bona fide targets for development of mechanism-specific anti-cancer agents.Publication Synthesis of Rigidified eIF4E/eIF4G Inhibitor-1 (4EGI-1) Mimetic and Their in Vitro Characterization as Inhibitors of Protein–Protein Interaction(American Chemical Society, 2014) Mahalingam, Poornachandran; Takrouri, Khuloud; Chen, Ting; Sahoo, Rupam; Papadopoulos, Evangelos; Chen, Limo; Wagner, Gerhard; Aktas, Bertal; Halperin, Jose; Chorev, MichaelThe 4EGI-1 is the prototypic inhibitor of eIF4E/eIF4G interaction, a potent inhibitor of translation initiation in vitro and in vivo and an efficacious anticancer agent in animal models of human cancers. We report on the design, synthesis, and in vitro characterization of a series of rigidified mimetic of this prototypic inhibitor in which the phenyl in the 2-(4-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)thiazol-2-yl) moiety was bridged into a tricyclic system. The bridge consisted one of the following: ethylene, methylene oxide, methylenesulfide, methylenesulfoxide, and methylenesulfone. Numerous analogues in this series were found to be markedly more potent than the parent prototypic inhibitor in the inhibition of eIF4E/eIF4G interaction, thus preventing the eIF4F complex formation, a rate limiting step in the translation initiation cascade in eukaryotes, and in inhibition of human cancer cell proliferation.Publication Depletion of eIF2.GTP.Met-tRNAi translation initiation complex up-regulates BRCA1 expression in vitro and in vivo(Impact Journals LLC, 2015) Aktas, Bertal; Bordelois, Paula; Peker, Selen; Merajver, Sophia; Halperin, JoseMost sporadic breast and ovarian cancers express low levels of the breast cancer susceptibility gene, BRCA1. The BRCA1 gene produces two transcripts, mRNAa and mRNAb. mRNAb, present in breast cancer but not in normal mammary epithelial cells, contains three upstream open reading frames (uORFs) in its 5′UTR and is translationally repressed. Comparable tandem uORFs are characteristically seen in mRNAs whose translational efficiency paradoxically increases when the overall translation rate is decreased due to phosphorylation of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 α (eIF2α). Here we show fish oil derived eicosopanthenoic acid (EPA) that induces eIF2α phosphorylation translationally up-regulates the expression of BRCA1 in human breast cancer cells. We demonstrate further that a diet rich in EPA strongly induces expression of BRCA1 in human breast cancer xenografts.Publication Tumor suppression by small molecule inhibitors of translation initiation(Impact Journals LLC, 2012) Chen, Limo; Aktas, Bertal; Wang, Yibo; He, Xiaoying; Sahoo, Rupam; Zhang, Nancy; Denoyelle, Severine; Kabha, Eihab; Yang, Hongwei; Freedman, Revital; Supko, Jeffrey; Chorev, Michael; Wagner, Gerhard; Halperin, JoseTranslation initiation factors are over-expressed and/or activated in many human cancers and may contribute to their genesis and/or progression. Removal of physiologic restraints on translation initiation causes malignant transformation. Conversely, restoration of physiological restrains on translation initiation reverts malignant phenotypes. Here, we extensively characterize the anti-cancer activity of two small molecule inhibitors of translation initiation: #1181, which targets the eIF2-GTP-Met-tRNAi ternary complex, and 4EGI-1, which targets the eIF4F complex. In vitro, both molecules inhibit translation initiation, abrogate preferentially translation of mRNAs coding for oncogenic proteins, and inhibit proliferation of human cancer cells. In vivo, both #1181 and 4EGI-1 strongly inhibit growth of human breast and melanoma cancer xenografts without any apparent macroscopic- or microscopic-toxicity. Mechanistically, #1181 phosphorylates eIF2α while 4EGI-1 disrupts eIF4G/eIF4E interaction in the tumors excised from mice treated with these agents. These data indicate that inhibition of translation initiation is a new paradigm in cancer therapy.Publication Emerging Role for the PERK/eIF2α/ATF4 in Human Cutaneous Leishmaniasis(Nature Publishing Group UK, 2017) Dias-Teixeira, Karina Luiza; Calegari-Silva, Teresa C.; Medina, Jorge M.; Vivarini, Áislan C.; Cavalcanti, Átila; Teteo, Nataly; Santana, Alynne Karen M.; Real, Fernando; Gomes, Ciro M.; Pereira, Renata Meirelles Santos; Fasel, Nicolas; Silva, João S.; Aktas, Bertal; Lopes, Ulisses G.Leishmania parasites utilize adaptive evasion mechanisms in infected macrophages to overcome host defenses and proliferate. We report here that the PERK/eIF2α/ATF4 signaling branch of the integrated endoplasmic reticulum stress response (IERSR) is activated by Leishmania and this pathway is important for Leishmania amazonensis infection. Knocking down PERK or ATF4 expression or inhibiting PERK kinase activity diminished L. amazonensis infection. Knocking down ATF4 decreased NRF2 expression and its nuclear translocation, reduced HO-1 expression and increased nitric oxide production. Meanwhile, the increased expression of ATF4 and HO-1 mRNAs were observed in lesions derived from patients infected with the prevalent related species L.(V.) braziliensis. Our data demonstrates that Leishmania parasites activate the PERK/eIF2α/ATF-4 pathway in cultured macrophages and infected human tissue and that this pathway is important for parasite survival and progression of the infection.