Melanoma Metastasis Inhibition by Eristostatin

描述(申请人提供)：转移(即肿瘤扩散)是癌症治愈的主要障碍。转移过程包括许多步骤。如果这一连串的事件在任何一步被中断，就不会发生转移。Eristostatin是蛇毒蛋白去整合素家族的一员，已被发现在免疫缺陷小鼠体内抑制黑色素瘤转移。到目前为止，Eristostatin抗转移作用的基础仍不清楚。这项研究的长期目标是确定黑色素瘤转移被抑制的分子机制。本文提出的具体目标是通过追求两个具体目标来研究eristostatin如何抑制实验性转移：(I)表征eristostatin及其突变体与具有明确定义的表面受体的不同组合的四种黑色素瘤细胞株的相互作用。(Ii)确定对其抗转移能力最关键的eristostatin内的结构序列。重组eristostatin突变将通过丙氨酸扫描诱变产生，并与谷胱甘肽-S-转移酶制成细菌融合蛋白。这些纯化的突变体将用于四个人转移性黑色素瘤细胞系的一系列功能分析。我们将通过交联和免疫学技术确定与每个细胞上的eristostatin相互作用的特定分子。为了确定哪个残基(S)负责其细胞相互作用，每个突变体将与野生型eristostatin在细胞检测中的活性进行比较。那些在细胞相互作用中表现出最大差异的突变体将被用于实验转移分析。静脉注射后。给免疫缺陷小鼠注射黑色素瘤细胞和突变的eristostatin，将小鼠观察四周，然后进行尸检。转移潜能将通过计算肺转移来评估。肺冷冻切片将用免疫组织化学染色进行评估。综上所述，这些研究将为了解一种自然产生的蛋白质如何拥有与黑色素瘤细胞结合并阻止其转移能力的“合适”提供洞察力。这些信息反过来将导致针对这些细胞的治疗剂的合理设计。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Metastasis (i.e., tumor spread) is the major obstacle to cancer cure. The metastatic process consists of many steps. If the cascade of events is interrupted at any step, metastasis will not occur. Eristostatin, a member of the disintegrin family of viper venom proteins, has been found to inhibit melanoma metastasis in vivo using immunodeficient mice. To date, the basis for eristostatin's anti-metastatic effect remains unknown. The long term objective of this research is to identify molecular mechanisms by which melanoma metastasis may be inhibited. The specific goal proposed here is to investigate how eristostatin inhibits experimental metastasis by pursuing two specific aims: (i) Characterize the interactions of eristostatin and its mutants with four melanoma cell lines possessing distinct combinations of well-defined surface receptors. (ii) Identify the structural sequence within eristostatin which is most critical for its anti-metastatic ability. Recombinant eristostatin mutations will be created by alanine scanning mutagenesis, and made as bacterial fusion proteins with glutathione-S-transferase. These purified mutants will be used in a series of functional assays with four human metastatic melanoma cells lines. We will identify the specific molecule with which eristostatin interacts on each cell through crosslinking and immunological techniques. To determine which residue(s) of eristostatin are responsible for its cellular interactions, each mutant will be compared with wildtype eristostatin's activity in cellular assays. Those mutants which show the greatest difference in cellular interaction will be used in experimental metastasis assays. After i.v. injection of immunodeficient mice with melanoma cells and mutated eristostatin, mice will be observed for four weeks, and then necropsied. Metastatic potential will be assessed by counting lung metastases. Cryosections of lungs will be evaluated using immunohistochemical stains. Taken together, these studies will provide insights into how one naturally occurring protein possesses the "right fit" to bind melanoma cells and block their metastatic ability. This information will, in turn, lead to a rational design of therapeutic agents which would target these cells.