Regulation of a Tumor Target Through Steroid Receptors

性状（由申请人提供）：在表达叶酸受体（FR）α型的有限数量的正常组织中，受体仅限于顶端（管腔）表面，在那里它无法通过循环到达。因此，FR-α被认为是一种有前途的肿瘤靶点，特别是在妇科癌症的主要亚型中，用于通过血流选择性递送广泛的诊断和治疗剂。尽管来自临床前和临床研究的大量且不断增长的证据支持开发此类诊断/治疗的可行性，但将动物模型中获得的成功转化为人类癌症受到肿瘤中FR-α表达水平的变异性和异质性的混淆。我们以前已经表明，抗雌激素将上调雌激素受体（ER）阳性肿瘤中的FR-α基因。我们现在表明，FR-α基因可以通过孕激素受体（PR），糖皮质激素受体（GR）和雄激素受体（AR）进行转录调节，大大扩展了FR-α +肿瘤的组织学范围，其中受体表达可能被优化以实现有效靶向。PR、GR和AR的激动剂通过明显不同的机制增强FR-α转录，并且在不存在经典激素反应元件的情况下，此外，组蛋白脱乙酰酶（HDAC）抑制剂阿司他丁A似乎增强这些作用，克服细胞环境依赖性共调节因子限制。PR、GR和AR对FR-α基因的作用将在体外和动物肿瘤异种移植模型的生理环境中进行充分详细的机制研究，以建立FR-α表达可通过这些核受体控制的生物学背景和临床条件。具体目标是：（i）FR-α的核受体调节的机制研究：阐明个人的行动模式（直接与间接）的核受体，建立共调节因子的要求/限制，绘制FR-α启动子中PRa、PRb、GR和AR的作用位点，鉴定相关转录因子的动力学并使其相关，检查良好耐受的HDAC抑制剂的作用并测试各种合成激动剂;（ii）开发和研究稳定的重组细胞系，这些细胞系将单独和组合表达类固醇受体以及FR-α，以反映它们在肿瘤中的体内（共）表达模式，并表征单个和组合的核受体介导的FR-α调节这些细胞中的体外和潜在串扰机制;（iii）使用在Aim ii中开发的代表性模型细胞系和FR靶向成像剂，测试适当的类固醇受体激动剂和拮抗剂以及HDAC抑制剂在动物肿瘤异种移植模型中的作用。预计拟议的研究将系统地为操纵肿瘤组织以提高全身成像的灵敏度和FR靶向药物的治疗效果的这一概念的临床试验奠定基础。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In the limited number of normal tissues in which the folate receptor (FR) type alpha is expressed, the receptor is restricted to apical (luminal) surfaces, where it is inaccessible via the circulation. As a consequence, FR-alpha is regarded as a promising tumor target, particularly in major subtypes of gynecological cancers, for the selective delivery of a broad range of diagnostic and therapeutic agents through the blood stream. Even though a large and growing body of evidence from pre-clinical and clinical studies supports the feasibility of developing such diagnostics/therapies, translating the success obtained in animal models to human cancer is confounded by variability and heterogeneity in the expression levels of FR-alpha in the tumors. We have previously shown that antiestrogens will up-regulate the FR-alpha gene in estrogen receptor (ER)-positive tumors. We now show that the FR-alpha gene can be transcriptionally modulated by the progesterone receptor (PR), the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and the androgen receptor (AR), greatly expanding the histologic range of FR-alpha+ tumors in which the receptor expression may be optimized for effective targeting. Agonists of PR, GR and AR enhance FR-alpha transcription by apparently distinct mechanisms and in the absence of classical hormone response elements and further, trichostatin A, a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, appears to potentiate these effects, overcoming cell context-dependent co-regulator limitations. The actions of PR, GR and AR on the FR-alpha gene will be studied in sufficient mechanistic detail in vitro and in the physiologic milieu of animal tumor xenograft models to establish the biological contexts and clinical conditions in which FR-alpha expression may be controlled through these nuclear receptors. The specific aims are: (i) Mechanistic studies of nuclear receptor modulation of FR-alpha: Elucidate the individual modes of action (direct vs. indirect) of the nuclear receptors, establish co-regulator requirements/limitations, map the sites of action of PRa, PRb, GR and AR in the FR-alpha promoter, identify and relate the dynamics of the relevant transcription factors, examine the effects of well tolerated HDAC inhibitors and test various synthetic agonists; (ii) Develop and study stable recombinant cell lines that will express the steroid receptors individually and in combination, together with FR-alpha to reflect their in vivo (co)expression patterns in tumors and characterize individual and combined nuclear receptor mediated modulation of FR-alpha in these cells in vitro and mechanisms of potential cross-talk; (iii) Test the effects of the appropriate steroid receptor agonists and antagonists and HDAC inhibitors in animal tumor xenograft models using representative model cell lines developed in Aim ii and FR-targeted imaging agents. It is anticipated that the proposed studies will systematically establish a foundation for clinical trials of this concept of manipulating tumor tissues to enhance the sensitivity of whole body imaging and the therapeutic efficacy of FR-targeted agents.