At the specified picomolar concentrations for 24 h or (B) exposed EGF-SubA (1 pM) for the specified time periods. Total cellular protein was isolated and immunoblotting was performed with anti-GRP78 antibody. SubA and EGF-SubA cleaved the endogenous GRP78 (78 kDa) resulting in an additional smaller fragment of 28 kDa (cGRP78). (C-E) Total cellular protein and RNA were isolated from U251 cells exposed to EGF-SubA at the stated concentrations for 24 h. EGF-SubA induced GRP78 cleavage resulted in nuclear localization of ATF6 (C; nATF6), a dose-dependent phosphorylation of PERK (D; pPERK), and Ire1 activation, determined by Xbp1 mRNA splicing (E). Each figure is a representative of three independent experiments. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0052265.gImmunoblot AnalysisExponentially growing cells with or without treatment were lysed with ice-cold RIPA buffer (Sigma Aldrich) on ice. For in vivo studies, approximately 5 mg of flash frozen mouse brain, liver and tumor 22948146 tissue were homogenized using a sterile Dounce homogenizer, suspended in 2 ml of ice cold RIPA buffer, and centrifuged at 8000 g for 10 m at 4uC. The supernatant was used for immunoblot analysis. Thirty mg of protein was resolved in 10 Tris-glycine SDS-PAGE and transferred to PVDF membrane (Millipore, Billerica, MA). The blots were probed with mouse antiBiP/GRP78 (1:10,000 BD Transduction Laboratories), mouse anti-b actin (1:20,000 Sigma Aldrich), rabbit anti-PERK (1:500, Cell Signaling), rabbit anti-phospho PERK (1:1000, Santa Cruz Biotechnology), mouse anti-ATF6 (1:1000, Abcam), rabbit anti-cleaved caspase 3 (1:1000, Cell Signaling) and (1:1000, Abcam) antibodies. Microcystin-LR cost Anti-mouse or antibodies conjugated with HRP was used for detection (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Rockford,rabbit anti-EGFR rabbit secondary chemiluminescent IL).In-vivo Tumor GrowthThe University of South Florida Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) approved this study. Four to six week old athymic nu/nu mice (Charles River Laboratories) were used in the study. U251 cells (56106) were injected into the right hind flank subcutaneously. When the tumors reached a order Itacitinib volume of ,150 mm3 they were randomized into one of the two groups. One group received EGF-SubA (125 mg/kg; n = 6) in sterile PBS (100 ml) and the control group received the same volume of PBSTargeting the UPR in Glioblastoma with EGF-SubAFigure 3. The influence of SubA and EGF-SubA on glioma cell survival. A clonogenic assay was performed to study the cytoxicity of SubA and EGF-SubA in U251 (A), T98G (B) and U87 cells (C). Cells were seeded as single cell suspensions in six well culture plates, allowed to adhere, and treated with the stated concentrations of SubA or EGF-SubA for 24 h. Plates were then replaced with fresh culture media and surviving fractions were calculated 10 to 14 d following treatment. Cell survival was significantly different between SubA and EGF SubA treatment in U251 (p,0.0001) and T98G (p,0.0001 at concentrations 0.5 pM) and not significant in U87 cells (p = 0.2112). (D) Immunoblotting of total cellular protein from U251 cells treated with EGF-SubA at the stated concentrations for 24 h demonstrates EGF-SubA induced apoptosis, as determined by cleaved caspase 3. Each figure is a representative of three independent experiments. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0052265.galone (n = 6) subcutaneously behind the neck. A total of three doses were delivered every other day. The tumor volume (L x W x W/2) and mice weight were measured every ot.At the specified picomolar concentrations for 24 h or (B) exposed EGF-SubA (1 pM) for the specified time periods. Total cellular protein was isolated and immunoblotting was performed with anti-GRP78 antibody. SubA and EGF-SubA cleaved the endogenous GRP78 (78 kDa) resulting in an additional smaller fragment of 28 kDa (cGRP78). (C-E) Total cellular protein and RNA were isolated from U251 cells exposed to EGF-SubA at the stated concentrations for 24 h. EGF-SubA induced GRP78 cleavage resulted in nuclear localization of ATF6 (C; nATF6), a dose-dependent phosphorylation of PERK (D; pPERK), and Ire1 activation, determined by Xbp1 mRNA splicing (E). Each figure is a representative of three independent experiments. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0052265.gImmunoblot AnalysisExponentially growing cells with or without treatment were lysed with ice-cold RIPA buffer (Sigma Aldrich) on ice. For in vivo studies, approximately 5 mg of flash frozen mouse brain, liver and tumor 22948146 tissue were homogenized using a sterile Dounce homogenizer, suspended in 2 ml of ice cold RIPA buffer, and centrifuged at 8000 g for 10 m at 4uC. The supernatant was used for immunoblot analysis. Thirty mg of protein was resolved in 10 Tris-glycine SDS-PAGE and transferred to PVDF membrane (Millipore, Billerica, MA). The blots were probed with mouse antiBiP/GRP78 (1:10,000 BD Transduction Laboratories), mouse anti-b actin (1:20,000 Sigma Aldrich), rabbit anti-PERK (1:500, Cell Signaling), rabbit anti-phospho PERK (1:1000, Santa Cruz Biotechnology), mouse anti-ATF6 (1:1000, Abcam), rabbit anti-cleaved caspase 3 (1:1000, Cell Signaling) and (1:1000, Abcam) antibodies. Anti-mouse or antibodies conjugated with HRP was used for detection (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Rockford,rabbit anti-EGFR rabbit secondary chemiluminescent IL).In-vivo Tumor GrowthThe University of South Florida Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) approved this study. Four to six week old athymic nu/nu mice (Charles River Laboratories) were used in the study. U251 cells (56106) were injected into the right hind flank subcutaneously. When the tumors reached a volume of ,150 mm3 they were randomized into one of the two groups. One group received EGF-SubA (125 mg/kg; n = 6) in sterile PBS (100 ml) and the control group received the same volume of PBSTargeting the UPR in Glioblastoma with EGF-SubAFigure 3. The influence of SubA and EGF-SubA on glioma cell survival. A clonogenic assay was performed to study the cytoxicity of SubA and EGF-SubA in U251 (A), T98G (B) and U87 cells (C). Cells were seeded as single cell suspensions in six well culture plates, allowed to adhere, and treated with the stated concentrations of SubA or EGF-SubA for 24 h. Plates were then replaced with fresh culture media and surviving fractions were calculated 10 to 14 d following treatment. Cell survival was significantly different between SubA and EGF SubA treatment in U251 (p,0.0001) and T98G (p,0.0001 at concentrations 0.5 pM) and not significant in U87 cells (p = 0.2112). (D) Immunoblotting of total cellular protein from U251 cells treated with EGF-SubA at the stated concentrations for 24 h demonstrates EGF-SubA induced apoptosis, as determined by cleaved caspase 3. Each figure is a representative of three independent experiments. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0052265.galone (n = 6) subcutaneously behind the neck. A total of three doses were delivered every other day. The tumor volume (L x W x W/2) and mice weight were measured every ot.