Hsp90 Inhibitors NVP-AUY922 and NVP-BEP800 May Exert a Significant Radiosensitization on Tumor Cells along with a Cell Type-Specific Cytotoxicity.

Targeting heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) provides a promising therapeutic approach to enhance the sensitivity of tumor cells to ionizing radiation (IR). To explore the impact of scheduling drug-IR administration, in the present study, we analyzed the response of lung carcinoma A549 and glioblastoma SNB19 cells to simultaneous drug-IR treatment followed by a long-term drug administration. Cellular response was evaluated at different time intervals after IR-alone, drug-alone, or combined drug-IR treatments by colony counts and expression profiles of Hsp90 and its clients, along with several apoptotic markers and cell cycle-related proteins, as well as by IR-drug-induced cell cycle arrest, DNA damage, and repair.

Intracellular delivery of 2-deoxy-D-glucose into tumor cells by long-term cultivation and through swelling-activated pathways: implications for radiation treatment.

2-Deoxy-D-glucose (2DG), a well-known inhibitor of anaerobic glycolysis, is expected to exert cytotoxic and radiosensitizing effects. In order to test this hypothesis, the response of four tumor cell lines (U87-MG, GaMG, A549 and HT1080) to 2DG was analyzed for cell proliferation, changes in cell volume and nucleus size, as well as for radiation-induced DNA fragmentation, measured by the alkaline Comet assay. Two methods were used for loading cells with 2DG.

20 Years of hypertension research using genetically modified animals: no clinically promising approaches in sight.

The incidence of essential or primary hypertension is increasing, especially in the northern hemisphere, but although the disease displays clear symptoms, its aetiology appears very complex, and thus no causal treatment is available yet. In the 1990's, genetically modified animals (GMO) were considered to be the key to solving this problem of high complexity. However, until now, although a few approaches have shown that old, well-known drugs have a positive effect (decrease of blood pressure) on such animal models of hypertension, no approach has appeared in the literature of this area of research which might indicate a direct connection between GMO and a therapeutic strategy to treat or prevent this type of hypertension in humans.

Photorhabdus luminescens genes induced upon insect infection.

Background: Photorhabdus luminescens is a Gram-negative luminescent enterobacterium and a symbiote to soil nematodes belonging to the species Heterorhabditis bacteriophora. P.luminescens is simultaneously highly pathogenic to insects.