51
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Walker FM, Sobral LM, Danis E, Sanford B, Balakrishnan I, Wang D, Pierce A, Karam SD, Serkova NJ, Foreman NK, Venkataraman S, Dowell R, Vibhakar R, Dahl NA. Rapid PTEFb-dependent transcriptional reorganization underpins the glioma adaptive response to radiotherapy. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.24.525424. [PMID: 36747867 PMCID: PMC9900817 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.24.525424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Dynamic regulation of gene expression is fundamental for cellular adaptation to exogenous stressors. PTEFb-mediated pause-release of RNA polymerase II (Pol II) is a conserved regulatory mechanism for synchronous transcriptional induction in response to heat shock, but this pro-survival role has not been examined in the applied context of cancer therapy. Using model systems of pediatric high-grade glioma, we show that rapid genome-wide reorganization of active chromatin facilitates PTEFb-mediated nascent transcriptional induction within hours of exposure to therapeutic ionizing radiation. Concurrent inhibition of PTEFb disrupts this chromatin reorganization and blunts transcriptional induction, abrogating key adaptive programs such as DNA damage repair and cell cycle regulation. This combination demonstrates a potent, synergistic therapeutic potential agnostic of glioma subtype, leading to a marked induction of tumor cell apoptosis and prolongation of xenograft survival. These studies reveal a central role for PTEFb underpinning the early adaptive response to radiotherapy, opening new avenues for combinatorial treatment in these lethal malignancies.
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52
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Pradhan R, Dey A, Taliyan R, Puri A, Kharavtekar S, Dubey SK. Recent Advances in Targeted Nanocarriers for the Management of Triple Negative Breast Cancer. Pharmaceutics 2023; 15:pharmaceutics15010246. [PMID: 36678877 PMCID: PMC9866847 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15010246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Revised: 01/01/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a life-threatening form of breast cancer which has been found to account for 15% of all the subtypes of breast cancer. Currently available treatments are significantly less effective in TNBC management because of several factors such as poor bioavailability, low specificity, multidrug resistance, poor cellular uptake, and unwanted side effects being the major ones. As a rapidly growing field, nano-therapeutics offers promising alternatives for breast cancer treatment. This platform provides a suitable pathway for crossing biological barriers and allowing sustained systemic circulation time and an improved pharmacokinetic profile of the drug. Apart from this, it also provides an optimized target-specific drug delivery system and improves drug accumulation in tumor cells. This review provides insights into the molecular mechanisms associated with the pathogenesis of TNBC, along with summarizing the conventional therapy and recent advances of different nano-carriers for the management of TNBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajesh Pradhan
- Department of Pharmacy, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani 333031, India
| | - Anuradha Dey
- Medical Research, R&D Healthcare Division, Emami Ltd., Kolkata 700056, India
| | - Rajeev Taliyan
- Department of Pharmacy, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani 333031, India
- Correspondence: (R.T.); (S.K.D.); Tel.: +91-6378-364-745 (R.T.); +91-8239-703-734 (S.K.D.)
| | - Anu Puri
- RNA Structure and Design Section, RNA Biology Laboratory (RBL), Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute—Frederick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Sanskruti Kharavtekar
- Department of Pharmacy, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani 333031, India
| | - Sunil Kumar Dubey
- Department of Pharmacy, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani 333031, India
- Medical Research, R&D Healthcare Division, Emami Ltd., Kolkata 700056, India
- Correspondence: (R.T.); (S.K.D.); Tel.: +91-6378-364-745 (R.T.); +91-8239-703-734 (S.K.D.)
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Mounika P, Gurupadayya B, Kumar HY, Namitha B. An Overview of CDK Enzyme Inhibitors in Cancer Therapy. Curr Cancer Drug Targets 2023; 23:603-619. [PMID: 36959160 DOI: 10.2174/1568009623666230320144713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2022] [Revised: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 03/25/2023]
Abstract
The ability to address the cell cycle in cancer therapy brings up new medication development possibilities. Cyclin-dependent kinases are a group of proteins that control the progression of the cell cycle. The CDK/cyclin complexes are activated when specific CDK sites are phosphorylated. Because of their non-selectivity and severe toxicity, most first-generation CDK inhibitors (also known as pan-CDK inhibitors) have not been authorized for clinical usage. Despite this, significant progress has been made in allowing pan-CDK inhibitors to be employed in clinical settings. Pan-CDK inhibitors' toxicity and side effects have been lowered in recent years because of the introduction of combination therapy techniques. As a result of this, pan-CDK inhibitors have regained a lot of clinical potential as a combination therapy approach. The CDK family members have been introduced in this overview, and their important roles in cell cycle control have been discussed. Then, we have described the current state of CDK inhibitor research, with a focus on inhibitors other than CDK4/6. We have mentioned first-generation pan-CDKIs, flavopiridol and roscovitine, as well as second-generation CDKIs, dinaciclib, P276-00, AT7519, TG02, roniciclib, and RGB-286638, based on their research phases, clinical trials, and cancer targeting. CDKIs are CDK4/6, CDK7, CDK9, and CDK12 inhibitors. Finally, we have looked into the efficacy of CDK inhibitors and PD1/PDL1 antibodies when used together, which could lead to the development of a viable cancer treatment strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peddaguravagari Mounika
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, JSS College of Pharmacy, JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research, Mysuru, 570015, India
| | - Bannimath Gurupadayya
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, JSS College of Pharmacy, JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research, Mysuru, 570015, India
| | - Honnavalli Yogish Kumar
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, JSS College of Pharmacy, JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research, Mysuru, 570015, India
| | - Bannimath Namitha
- Department of Pharmacology, JSS College of Pharmacy, JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research, Mysuru, 570015, India
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D'costa M, Bothe A, Das S, Udhaya Kumar S, Gnanasambandan R, George Priya Doss C. CDK regulators—Cell cycle progression or apoptosis—Scenarios in normal cells and cancerous cells. ADVANCES IN PROTEIN CHEMISTRY AND STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY 2023; 135:125-177. [PMID: 37061330 DOI: 10.1016/bs.apcsb.2022.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Serine/threonine kinases called cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) interact with cyclins and CDK inhibitors (CKIs) to control the catalytic activity. CDKs are essential controllers of RNA transcription and cell cycle advancement. The ubiquitous overactivity of the cell cycle CDKs is caused by a number of genetic and epigenetic processes in human cancer, and their suppression can result in both cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. This review focused on CDKs, describing their kinase activity, their role in phosphorylation inhibition, and CDK inhibitory proteins (CIP/KIP, INK 4, RPIC). We next compared the role of different CDKs, mainly p21, p27, p57, p16, p15, p18, and p19, in the cell cycle and apoptosis in cancer cells with respect to normal cells. The current work also draws attention to the use of CDKIs as therapeutics, overcoming the pharmacokinetic barriers of pan-CDK inhibitors, analyze new chemical classes that are effective at attacking the CDKs that control the cell cycle (cdk4/6 or cdk2). It also discusses CDKI's drawbacks and its combination therapy against cancer patients. These findings collectively demonstrate the complexity of cancer cell cycles and the need for targeted therapeutic intervention. In order to slow the progression of the disease or enhance clinical outcomes, new medicines may be discovered by researching the relationship between cell death and cell proliferation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria D'costa
- Laboratory of Integrative Genomics, Department of Integrative Biology, School of Bio Sciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Anusha Bothe
- Laboratory of Integrative Genomics, Department of Integrative Biology, School of Bio Sciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Soumik Das
- Laboratory of Integrative Genomics, Department of Integrative Biology, School of Bio Sciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - S Udhaya Kumar
- Laboratory of Integrative Genomics, Department of Integrative Biology, School of Bio Sciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - R Gnanasambandan
- Laboratory of Integrative Genomics, Department of Integrative Biology, School of Bio Sciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India.
| | - C George Priya Doss
- Laboratory of Integrative Genomics, Department of Integrative Biology, School of Bio Sciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India.
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55
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Li ZM, Liu G, Gao Y, Zhao MG. Targeting CDK7 in oncology: The avenue forward. Pharmacol Ther 2022; 240:108229. [PMID: 35700828 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2022.108229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2022] [Revised: 06/02/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 7 is best characterized for the ability to regulate biological processes, including the cell cycle and gene transcription. Abnormal CDK7 activity is observed in various tumours and represents a driving force for tumourigenesis. Therefore, CDK7 may be an appealing target for cancer treatment. Whereas, the enthusiasm for CDK7-targeted therapeutic strategy is mitigated due to the widely possessed belief that this protein is essential for normal cells. Indeed, the fact confronts the consensus. This is the first review to introduce the role of CDK7 in pan-cancers via a combined analysis of comprehensive gene information and (pre)clinical research results. We also discuss the recent advances in protein structure and summarize the understanding of mechanisms underlying CDK7 function. These endeavours highlight the pivotal roles of CDK7 in tumours and may contribute to the development of effective CDK7 inhibitors within the strategy of structure-based drug discovery for cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhi-Mei Li
- Institute of Medical Research, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072, Shaanxi, PR China
| | - Guan Liu
- Department of General Surgery, Tangdu Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xinsi Road 1, Xi'an 710038, Shaanxi, PR China
| | - Ya Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Esophageal Cancer Prevention and Treatment, Key Laboratory of Advanced Drug Preparation Technologies, Ministry of Education of China, Key Laboratory of Henan Province for Drug Quality and Evaluation, Institute of Drug Discovery and Development, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, 100 Kexue Avenue, Zhengzhou 450001, Henan, PR China.
| | - Ming-Gao Zhao
- Institute of Medical Research, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072, Shaanxi, PR China; Department of Pharmacy, Tangdu Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xinsi Road 1, Xi'an 710038, Shaanxi, PR China.
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56
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Xu Z, Lee DS, Chandran S, Le VT, Bump R, Yasis J, Dallarda S, Marcotte S, Clock B, Haghani N, Cho CY, Akdemir K, Tyndale S, Futreal PA, McVicker G, Wahl GM, Dixon JR. Structural variants drive context-dependent oncogene activation in cancer. Nature 2022; 612:564-572. [PMID: 36477537 PMCID: PMC9810360 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05504-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Higher-order chromatin structure is important for the regulation of genes by distal regulatory sequences1,2. Structural variants (SVs) that alter three-dimensional (3D) genome organization can lead to enhancer-promoter rewiring and human disease, particularly in the context of cancer3. However, only a small minority of SVs are associated with altered gene expression4,5, and it remains unclear why certain SVs lead to changes in distal gene expression and others do not. To address these questions, we used a combination of genomic profiling and genome engineering to identify sites of recurrent changes in 3D genome structure in cancer and determine the effects of specific rearrangements on oncogene activation. By analysing Hi-C data from 92 cancer cell lines and patient samples, we identified loci affected by recurrent alterations to 3D genome structure, including oncogenes such as MYC, TERT and CCND1. By using CRISPR-Cas9 genome engineering to generate de novo SVs, we show that oncogene activity can be predicted by using 'activity-by-contact' models that consider partner region chromatin contacts and enhancer activity. However, activity-by-contact models are only predictive of specific subsets of genes in the genome, suggesting that different classes of genes engage in distinct modes of regulation by distal regulatory elements. These results indicate that SVs that alter 3D genome organization are widespread in cancer genomes and begin to illustrate predictive rules for the consequences of SVs on oncogene activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhichao Xu
- Gene Expression Laboratory; Salk Institute for Biological Studies; La Jolla, CA, 92037; USA,These authors contributed equally
| | - Dong-Sung Lee
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Seoul, Seoul, South Korea,These authors contributed equally
| | - Sahaana Chandran
- Gene Expression Laboratory; Salk Institute for Biological Studies; La Jolla, CA, 92037; USA
| | - Victoria T. Le
- Gene Expression Laboratory; Salk Institute for Biological Studies; La Jolla, CA, 92037; USA
| | - Rosalind Bump
- Gene Expression Laboratory; Salk Institute for Biological Studies; La Jolla, CA, 92037; USA
| | - Jean Yasis
- Gene Expression Laboratory; Salk Institute for Biological Studies; La Jolla, CA, 92037; USA
| | - Sofia Dallarda
- Gene Expression Laboratory; Salk Institute for Biological Studies; La Jolla, CA, 92037; USA
| | - Samantha Marcotte
- Gene Expression Laboratory; Salk Institute for Biological Studies; La Jolla, CA, 92037; USA
| | - Benjamin Clock
- Gene Expression Laboratory; Salk Institute for Biological Studies; La Jolla, CA, 92037; USA
| | - Nicholas Haghani
- Gene Expression Laboratory; Salk Institute for Biological Studies; La Jolla, CA, 92037; USA
| | - Chae Yun Cho
- Gene Expression Laboratory; Salk Institute for Biological Studies; La Jolla, CA, 92037; USA
| | - Kadir Akdemir
- Department of Genomic Medicine; UT MD Anderson Cancer Center; Houston, TX, 77030; USA
| | - Selene Tyndale
- Integrative Biology Laboratory; Salk Institute for Biological Studies; La Jolla, CA, 92037; USA
| | - P. Andrew Futreal
- Department of Genomic Medicine; UT MD Anderson Cancer Center; Houston, TX, 77030; USA
| | - Graham McVicker
- Integrative Biology Laboratory; Salk Institute for Biological Studies; La Jolla, CA, 92037; USA
| | - Geoffrey M. Wahl
- Gene Expression Laboratory; Salk Institute for Biological Studies; La Jolla, CA, 92037; USA
| | - Jesse R. Dixon
- Gene Expression Laboratory; Salk Institute for Biological Studies; La Jolla, CA, 92037; USA,Correspondence:
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57
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Li X, Tang L, Chen Q, Cheng X, Liu Y, Wang C, Zhu C, Xu K, Gao F, Huang J, Wang R, Guan X. Inhibition of MYC suppresses programmed cell death ligand-1 expression and enhances immunotherapy in triple-negative breast cancer. Chin Med J (Engl) 2022; 135:2436-2445. [PMID: 36583862 PMCID: PMC9945371 DOI: 10.1097/cm9.0000000000002329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cancer immunotherapy has emerged as a promising strategy against triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). One of the immunosuppressive pathways involves programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) and programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1), but many patients derived little benefit from PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint blockades treatment. Prior research has shown that MYC, a master transcription amplifier highly expressed in TNBC cells, can regulate the tumor immune microenvironment and constrain the efficacy of immunotherapy. This study aims to investigate the regulatory relationship between MYC and PD-L1, and whether a cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitor that inhibits MYC expression in combination with anti-PD-L1 antibodies can enhance the response to immunotherapy. METHODS Public databases and TNBC tissue microarrays were used to study the correlation between MYC and PD-L1. The expression of MYC and PD-L1 in TNBCs was examined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting. A patient-derived tumor xenograft (PDTX) model was used to evaluate the influence of a CDK7 inhibitor THZ1 on PD-L1 expression. Cell proliferation and migration were detected by 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) cell proliferation and cell migration assays. Tumor xenograft models were established for in vivo verification. RESULTS A high MYC expression level was associated with a poor prognosis and could alter the proportion of tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TIICs). The positive correlation between MYC and PD-L1 was confirmed by immunostaining samples from 165 TNBC patients. Suppression of MYC in TNBC caused a reduction in the levels of both PD-L1 messenger RNA and protein. In addition, antitumor immune response was enhanced in the TNBC cancer xenograft mouse model with suppression of MYC by CDK7 inhibitor THZ1. CONCLUSIONS The combined therapy of CDK7 inhibitor THZ1 and anti-PD-L1 antibody appeared to have a synergistic effect, which might offer new insight for enhancing immunotherapy in TNBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xintong Li
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, China
| | - Lin Tang
- Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210093, China
| | - Qin Chen
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, China
| | - Xumin Cheng
- Department of Breast Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, China
| | - Yiqiu Liu
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, China
| | - Cenzhu Wang
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, China
| | - Chengjun Zhu
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, China
| | - Kun Xu
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, China
| | - Fangyan Gao
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, China
| | - Jinyi Huang
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, China
| | - Runtian Wang
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, China
| | - Xiaoxiang Guan
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, China
- Jiangsu Key Lab of Cancer Biomarkers, Prevention and Treatment, Collaborative Innovation Center for Personalized Cancer Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, China
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58
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Takayama KI, Inoue S. Targeting phase separation on enhancers induced by transcription factor complex formations as a new strategy for treating drug-resistant cancers. Front Oncol 2022; 12:1024600. [PMID: 36263200 PMCID: PMC9574090 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.1024600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The limited options for treating patients with drug-resistant cancers have emphasized the need to identify alternative treatment targets. Tumor cells have large super-enhancers (SEs) in the vicinity of important oncogenes for activation. The physical process of liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) contributes to the assembly of several membrane-less organelles in mammalian cells. Intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) of proteins induce LLPS formation by developing condensates. It was discovered that key transcription factors (TFs) undergo LLPS in SEs. In addition, TFs play critical roles in the epigenetic and genetic regulation of cancer progression. Recently, we revealed the essential role of disease-specific TF collaboration changes in advanced prostate cancer (PC). OCT4 confers epigenetic changes by promoting complex formation with TFs, such as Forkhead box protein A1 (FOXA1), androgen receptor (AR) and Nuclear respiratory factor 1 (NRF1), inducing PC progression. It was demonstrated that TF collaboration through LLPS underlying transcriptional activation contributes to cancer aggressiveness and drug resistance. Moreover, the disruption of TF-mediated LLPS inhibited treatment-resistant PC tumor growth. Therefore, we propose that repression of TF collaborations involved in the LLPS of SEs could be a promising strategy for advanced cancer therapy. In this article, we summarize recent evidence highlighting the formation of LLPS on enhancers as a potent therapeutic target in advanced cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ken-ichi Takayama
- Department of Systems Aging Science and Medicine, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Satoshi Inoue
- Department of Systems Aging Science and Medicine, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan
- Division of Systems Medicine and Gene Therapy, Saitama Medical University, Saitama, Japan
- *Correspondence: Satoshi Inoue,
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59
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CDK14 inhibition reduces mammary stem cell activity and suppresses triple negative breast cancer progression. Cell Rep 2022; 40:111331. [PMID: 36103813 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Revised: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway plays an important role in regulating mammary organogenesis and oncogenesis. However, therapeutic methods targeting the Wnt pathway against breast cancer have been limited. To address this challenge, we investigate the function of cyclin-dependent kinase 14 (CDK14), a member of the Wnt signaling pathway, in mammary development and breast cancer progression. We show that CDK14 is expressed in the mammary basal layer and elevated in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). CDK14 knockdown reduces the colony-formation ability and regeneration capacity of mammary basal cells and inhibits the progression of murine MMTV-Wnt-1 basal-like mammary tumor. CDK14 knockdown or pharmacological inhibition by FMF-04-159-2 suppresses the progression and metastasis of TNBC. Mechanistically, CDK14 inhibition inhibits mammary regeneration and TNBC progression by attenuating Wnt/β-catenin signaling. These findings highlight the significance of CDK14 in mammary development and TNBC progression, shedding light on CDK14 as a promising therapeutic target for TNBC.
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60
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van der Noord VE, van de Water B, Le Dévédec SE. Targeting the Heterogeneous Genomic Landscape in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer through Inhibitors of the Transcriptional Machinery. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:4353. [PMID: 36139513 PMCID: PMC9496798 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14184353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Revised: 08/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype of breast cancer defined by lack of the estrogen, progesterone and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2. Although TNBC tumors contain a wide variety of oncogenic mutations and copy number alterations, the direct targeting of these alterations has failed to substantially improve therapeutic efficacy. This efficacy is strongly limited by interpatient and intratumor heterogeneity, and thereby a lack in uniformity of targetable drivers. Most of these genetic abnormalities eventually drive specific transcriptional programs, which may be a general underlying vulnerability. Currently, there are multiple selective inhibitors, which target the transcriptional machinery through transcriptional cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) 7, 8, 9, 12 and 13 and bromodomain extra-terminal motif (BET) proteins, including BRD4. In this review, we discuss how inhibitors of the transcriptional machinery can effectively target genetic abnormalities in TNBC, and how these abnormalities can influence sensitivity to these inhibitors. These inhibitors target the genomic landscape in TNBC by specifically suppressing MYC-driven transcription, inducing further DNA damage, improving anti-cancer immunity, and preventing drug resistance against MAPK and PI3K-targeted therapies. Because the transcriptional machinery enables transcription and propagation of multiple cancer drivers, it may be a promising target for (combination) treatment, especially of heterogeneous malignancies, including TNBC.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Sylvia E. Le Dévédec
- Division of Drug Discovery and Safety, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, Leiden University, 2333 CC Leiden, The Netherlands
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61
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Wang Y, Zhang Z, Mi X, Li M, Huang D, Song T, Qi X, Yang M. Elevation of effective p53 expression sensitizes wild-type p53 breast cancer cells to CDK7 inhibitor THZ1. Cell Commun Signal 2022; 20:96. [PMID: 36058938 PMCID: PMC9442925 DOI: 10.1186/s12964-022-00837-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The cyclin-dependent kinase 7 (CDK7) inhibitor THZ1 represses multiple cancer cells. However, its tumor-repressive efficiency in wild-type p53 breast cancer cells remains controversial. Methods We conducted various assays, including CCK8, colony formation, flow cytometry, western blotting, and lactate dehydrogenase release detection, to clarify whether p53 elevation sensitizes breast cancer cells to THZ1. Results We found that upregulating functional p53 contributes to the increased sensitivity of breast cancer cells to THZ1. Increased THZ1 sensitivity requires active p53 and an intact p53 pathway, which was confirmed by introducing exogenous wild-type p53 and the subsequent elevation of THZ1-mediated tumor suppression in breast cancer cells carrying mutant p53. We confirmed that p53 accumulates in the nucleus and mitochondria during cell death. Furthermore, we identified extensive transcriptional disruption, rather than solely CDK7 inhibition, as the mechanism underlying the nutlin-3 and THZ1-induced death of breast cancer cells. Finally, we observed the combined nutlin-3 and THZ1 treatment amplified gasdermin E cleavage. Conclusion Enhanced sensitivity of breast cancer cells to THZ1 can be achieved by increasing effective p53 expression. Our approach may serve as a potential treatment for patients with breast cancer resistant to regular therapies. Video Abstract
Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12964-022-00837-z.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yueyuan Wang
- Department of Breast Surgery, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhihao Zhang
- Department of Breast Surgery, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, People's Republic of China
| | - Xuguang Mi
- Tumor Biotherapy Center, Jilin Province People's Hospital, Changchun, 130021, Jilin, Republic of China
| | - Mingxi Li
- Department of Neurology and Neuroscience Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, People's Republic of China
| | - Dan Huang
- Department of Breast Surgery, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, People's Republic of China
| | - Tingting Song
- Department of Breast Surgery, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaoyan Qi
- Department of Breast Surgery, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, People's Republic of China
| | - Ming Yang
- Department of Breast Surgery, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, People's Republic of China.
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Li J, Liu T, Song Y, Wang M, Liu L, Zhu H, Li Q, Lin J, Jiang H, Chen K, Zhao K, Wang M, Zhou H, Lin H, Luo C. Discovery of Small-Molecule Degraders of the CDK9-Cyclin T1 Complex for Targeting Transcriptional Addiction in Prostate Cancer. J Med Chem 2022; 65:11034-11057. [PMID: 35925880 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c00257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Aberrant hyperactivation of cyclins results in carcinogenesis and therapy resistance in cancers. Direct degradation of the specific cyclin or cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK)-cyclin complex by small-molecule degraders remains a great challenge. Here, we applied the first application of hydrophobic tagging to induce degradation of CDK9-cyclin T1 heterodimer, which is required to keep productive transcription of oncogenes in cancers. LL-K9-3 was identified as a potent small-molecule degrader of CDK9-cyclin T1. Quantitative and time-resolved proteome profiling exhibited LL-K9-3 induced selective and synchronous degradation of CDK9 and cyclin T1. The expressions of androgen receptor (AR) and cMyc were reduced by LL-K9-3 in 22RV1 cells. LL-K9-3 exhibited enhanced anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects compared with its parental CDK9 inhibitor SNS032 and suppressed downstream signaling of CDK9 and AR more effectively than SNS032. Moreover, LL-K9-3 inhibited AR and Myc-driven oncogenic transcriptional programs and exerted stronger inhibitory effects on several intrinsic target genes of AR than the monomeric CDK9 PROTAC (Thal-SNS032).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiacheng Li
- The Center for Chemical Biology, Drug Discovery and Design Center, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Ting Liu
- School of Pharmacy, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350122, China
| | - Yuanli Song
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China.,Department of Analytical Chemistry and CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zuchongzhi Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Mingyu Wang
- The Center for Chemical Biology, Drug Discovery and Design Center, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Liping Liu
- The Center for Chemical Biology, Drug Discovery and Design Center, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Hongwen Zhu
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China.,Department of Analytical Chemistry and CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zuchongzhi Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Qi Li
- The Center for Chemical Biology, Drug Discovery and Design Center, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Jin Lin
- School of Pharmacy, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350122, China
| | - Hualiang Jiang
- The Center for Chemical Biology, Drug Discovery and Design Center, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Kaixian Chen
- The Center for Chemical Biology, Drug Discovery and Design Center, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Kehao Zhao
- School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology and Drug Evaluation (Yantai University), Ministry of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Drug Delivery System and Biotech Drugs in Universities of Shandong, Yantai University, Yantai 264005, China
| | - Mingliang Wang
- The Center for Chemical Biology, Drug Discovery and Design Center, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Hu Zhou
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China.,Department of Analytical Chemistry and CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zuchongzhi Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Hua Lin
- The Center for Chemical Biology, Drug Discovery and Design Center, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China.,Biomedical Research Center of South China, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350117, China
| | - Cheng Luo
- School of Pharmacy, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350122, China.,The Center for Chemical Biology, Drug Discovery and Design Center, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China.,School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, 100 Haike Road, Shanghai 201210, China
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63
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Xiao Q, Xiao Y, Li LY, Chen MK, Wu M. Multifaceted regulation of enhancers in cancer. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. GENE REGULATORY MECHANISMS 2022; 1865:194839. [PMID: 35750313 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagrm.2022.194839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Enhancer is one kind of cis-elements regulating gene transcription, whose activity is tightly controlled by epigenetic enzymes and histone modifications. Active enhancers are classified into typical enhancers, super-enhancers and over-active enhancers, according to the enrichment and location of histone modifications. Epigenetic factors control the level of histone modifications on enhancers to determine their activity, such as histone methyltransferases and acetylases. Transcription factors, cofactors and mediators co-operate together and are required for enhancer functions. In turn, abnormalities in these trans-acting factors affect enhancer activity. Recent studies have revealed enhancer dysregulation as one of the important features for cancer. Variations in enhancer regions and mutations of enhancer regulatory genes are frequently observed in cancer cells, and altering the activity of onco-enhancers is able to repress oncogene expression, and suppress tumorigenesis and metastasis. Here we summarize the recent discoveries about enhancer regulation in cancer and discuss their potential application in diagnosis and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiong Xiao
- Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, Hubei Key Laboratory of Developmentally Originated Disease, College of Life Sciences, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430072, China
| | - Yong Xiao
- Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, Hubei Key Laboratory of Developmentally Originated Disease, College of Life Sciences, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430072, China
| | - Lian-Yun Li
- Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, Hubei Key Laboratory of Developmentally Originated Disease, College of Life Sciences, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430072, China
| | - Ming-Kai Chen
- Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, Hubei Key Laboratory of Developmentally Originated Disease, College of Life Sciences, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430072, China.
| | - Min Wu
- Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, Hubei Key Laboratory of Developmentally Originated Disease, College of Life Sciences, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430072, China.
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64
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Wavelet-Vermuse C, Odnokoz O, Xue Y, Lu X, Cristofanilli M, Wan Y. CDC20-Mediated hnRNPU Ubiquitination Regulates Chromatin Condensation and Anti-Cancer Drug Response. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:3732. [PMID: 35954396 PMCID: PMC9367339 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14153732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Revised: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Cell division cycle 20 (CDC20) functions as a critical cell cycle regulator. It plays an important role in cancer development and drug resistance. However, the molecular mechanisms by which CDC20 regulates cellular drug response remain poorly understood. Chromatin-associated CDC20 interactome in breast cancer cells was analyzed by using affinity purification coupled with mass spectrometry. hnRNPU as a CDC20 binding partner was validated by co-immunoprecipitation and immunostaining. The molecular domain, comprising amino acid residues 461-653, on hnRNPU required for its interaction with CDC20 was identified by mapping of interactions. Co-immunoprecipitation showed that CDC20-mediated hnRNPU ubiquitination promotes its interaction with the CTCF and cohesin complex. The effects of CDC20-hnRNPU on nuclear size and chromatin condensation were investigated by analyzing DAPI and H2B-mCherry staining, respectively. The role of CDC20-hnRNPU in tumor progression and drug resistance was examined by CCK-8 cell survival and clonogenic assays. Our study indicates that CDC20-mediated ubiquitination of hnRNPU modulates chromatin condensation by regulating the interaction between hnRNPU and the CTCF-cohesin complex. Dysregulation of the CDC20-hnRNPU axis contributes to tumor progression and drug resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cindy Wavelet-Vermuse
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; (C.W.-V.); (O.O.)
| | - Olena Odnokoz
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; (C.W.-V.); (O.O.)
| | - Yifan Xue
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15206, USA; (Y.X.); (X.L.)
| | - Xinghua Lu
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15206, USA; (Y.X.); (X.L.)
| | | | - Yong Wan
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; (C.W.-V.); (O.O.)
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
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Targeting transcription in heart failure via CDK7/12/13 inhibition. Nat Commun 2022; 13:4345. [PMID: 35896549 PMCID: PMC9329381 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31541-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2021] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is associated with high mortality, highlighting an urgent need for new therapeutic strategies. As stress-activated cardiac signaling cascades converge on the nucleus to drive maladaptive gene programs, interdicting pathological transcription is a conceptually attractive approach for HFrEF therapy. Here, we demonstrate that CDK7/12/13 are critical regulators of transcription activation in the heart that can be pharmacologically inhibited to improve HFrEF. CDK7/12/13 inhibition using the first-in-class inhibitor THZ1 or RNAi blocks stress-induced transcription and pathologic hypertrophy in cultured rodent cardiomyocytes. THZ1 potently attenuates adverse cardiac remodeling and HFrEF pathogenesis in mice and blocks cardinal features of disease in human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes. THZ1 suppresses Pol II enrichment at stress-transactivated cardiac genes and inhibits a specific pathologic gene program in the failing mouse heart. These data identify CDK7/12/13 as druggable regulators of cardiac gene transactivation during disease-related stress, suggesting that HFrEF features a critical dependency on transcription that can be therapeutically exploited.
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66
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Karn V, Sandhya S, Hsu W, Parashar D, Singh HN, Jha NK, Gupta S, Dubey NK, Kumar S. CRISPR/Cas9 system in breast cancer therapy: advancement, limitations and future scope. Cancer Cell Int 2022; 22:234. [PMID: 35879772 PMCID: PMC9316746 DOI: 10.1186/s12935-022-02654-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2022] [Accepted: 07/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer is one of the major causes of mortality worldwide, therefore it is considered a major health concern. Breast cancer is the most frequent type of cancer which affects women on a global scale. Various current treatment strategies have been implicated for breast cancer therapy that includes surgical removal, radiation therapy, hormonal therapy, chemotherapy, and targeted biological therapy. However, constant effort is being made to introduce novel therapies with minimal toxicity. Gene therapy is one of the promising tools, to rectify defective genes and cure various cancers. In recent years, a novel genome engineering technology, namely the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)-associated protein-9 (Cas9) has emerged as a gene-editing tool and transformed genome-editing techniques in a wide range of biological domains including human cancer research and gene therapy. This could be attributed to its versatile characteristics such as high specificity, precision, time-saving and cost-effective methodologies with minimal risk. In the present review, we highlight the role of CRISPR/Cas9 as a targeted therapy to tackle drug resistance, improve immunotherapy for breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vamika Karn
- Department of Biotechnology, Amity University, Mumbai, 410221, India
| | - Sandhya Sandhya
- Division of Oncology Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Wayne Hsu
- Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgery, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, 110, Taiwan
| | - Deepak Parashar
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, 53226, USA
| | - Himanshu Narayan Singh
- Department of System Biology, Columbia University Irving Medical Centre, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Niraj Kumar Jha
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Engineering & Technology (SET), Sharda University, Greater Noida, 201310, India.,Department of Biotechnology, School of Applied & Life Sciences (SALS), Uttaranchal University, Dehradun, 248007, India.,Department of Biotechnology Engineering and Food Technology, Chandigarh University, Mohali, 140413, India
| | - Saurabh Gupta
- Department of Biotechnology, GLA University, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Navneet Kumar Dubey
- Victory Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Taipei, 114757, Taiwan. .,ShiNeo Technology Co., Ltd., New Taipei City, 24262, Taiwan.
| | - Sanjay Kumar
- Department of Life Sciences, School of Basic Sciences and Research, Sharda University, Greater Noida, 201310, India.
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67
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Guo X, Chen H, Zhou Y, Shen L, Wu S, Chen Y. Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibition and its intersection with immunotherapy in breast cancer: more than CDK4/6 inhibition. Expert Opin Investig Drugs 2022; 31:933-944. [PMID: 35786092 DOI: 10.1080/13543784.2022.2097067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i) have had clinical success in treating hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative metastatic breast cancer. Notably, CDK4/6i have expanded to the neoadjuvant setting for early breast cancer and other cancer types and potently synergize with immunotherapy. Other CDKs, including CDK7, CDK9, and CDK12/13, mainly function in transcriptional processes as well as cell cycle regulation, RNA splicing, and DNA damage response. Inhibiting these CDKs aids in suppressing tumors, reversing drug resistance, increasing drug sensitivity, and enhancing anti-tumor immunity in breast cancer. AREAS COVERED We reviewed the applications of CDK4/6i, CDK7i, CDK9i and CDK12/13i for various breast cancer subtypes and their potentials for combination with immunotherapy. A literature search of PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science was conducted in April 2022. EXPERT OPINION The use of CDK4/6i represents a major milestone in breast cancer treatment. Moreover, transcription-related CDKs play critical roles in tumor development and are promising therapeutic targets for breast cancer. Some relevant clinical studies are underway. More specific and efficient CDKis will undoubtedly be developed and clinically tested. Characterization of their immune-priming effects will promote the development of combination therapies consisting of CDKi and immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xianan Guo
- Department of Breast Surgery and Oncology, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, Ministry of Education, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Huihui Chen
- Department of Breast Surgery and Oncology, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, Ministry of Education, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yunxiang Zhou
- Department of Breast Surgery and Oncology, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, Ministry of Education, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Lu Shen
- Department of Breast Surgery and Oncology, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, Ministry of Education, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Shijie Wu
- Department of Breast Surgery and Oncology, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, Ministry of Education, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yiding Chen
- Department of Breast Surgery and Oncology, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, Ministry of Education, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
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68
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Gao R, Luo Q, Li Y, Song L, Cai J(S, Xiong Y, Yan F, Liu J. Biosynthetic Nanobubble-Mediated CRISPR/Cas9 Gene Editing of Cdh2 Inhibits Breast Cancer Metastasis. Pharmaceutics 2022; 14:pharmaceutics14071382. [PMID: 35890278 PMCID: PMC9319454 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14071382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Revised: 06/04/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a process in which epithelial cells undergo a series of biochemical changes to acquire a mesenchymal phenotype, has been linked to tumor metastasis. Here, we present a novel strategy for knocking out the EMT-related Cdh2 gene, which encodes N-cadherin through CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing by an ultrasound combined with biosynthetic nanobubbles (Gas Vesicles, GVs). Polyethyleneimine were employed as a gene delivery vector to deliver sgRNA into 4T1 cells that stably express the Cas9 protein, resulting in the stable Cdh2 gene- knockout cell lines. The Western blotting assay confirmed the absence of an N-cadherin protein in these Cdh2 gene-knockout 4T1 cell lines. Significantly reduced tumor cell migration was observed in the Cdh2 gene-knockout 4T1 cells in comparison with the wild-type cells. Our study demonstrated that an ultrasound combined with GVs could effectively mediate CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing of a Cdh2 gene to inhibit tumor invasion and metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruru Gao
- Department of Medical Ultrasound, The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510180, China; (R.G.); (Q.L.); (Y.X.)
| | - Qiong Luo
- Department of Medical Ultrasound, The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510180, China; (R.G.); (Q.L.); (Y.X.)
| | - Yang Li
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Shenzhen People’s Hospital (The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University), Shenzhen 518020, China;
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Shenzhen People’s Hospital (The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology), Shenzhen 518020, China
| | - Liming Song
- Department of Orthopedics, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510282, China;
| | | | - Ying Xiong
- Department of Medical Ultrasound, The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510180, China; (R.G.); (Q.L.); (Y.X.)
| | - Fei Yan
- Center for Cell and Gene Circuit Design, CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
- Correspondence: (F.Y.); (J.L.)
| | - Jianhua Liu
- Department of Medical Ultrasound, The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510180, China; (R.G.); (Q.L.); (Y.X.)
- Correspondence: (F.Y.); (J.L.)
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69
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Super-Enhancers, Phase-Separated Condensates, and 3D Genome Organization in Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14122866. [PMID: 35740532 PMCID: PMC9221043 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14122866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2022] [Revised: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
3D chromatin organization plays an important role in transcription regulation and gene expression. The 3D genome is highly maintained by several architectural proteins, such as CTCF, Yin Yang 1, and cohesin complex. This structural organization brings regulatory DNA elements in close proximity to their target promoters. In this review, we discuss the 3D chromatin organization of super-enhancers and their relationship to phase-separated condensates. Super-enhancers are large clusters of DNA elements. They can physically contact with their target promoters by chromatin looping during transcription. Multiple transcription factors can bind to enhancer and promoter sequences and recruit a complex array of transcriptional co-activators and RNA polymerase II to effect transcriptional activation. Phase-separated condensates of transcription factors and transcriptional co-activators have been implicated in assembling the transcription machinery at particular enhancers. Cancer cells can hijack super-enhancers to drive oncogenic transcription to promote cell survival and proliferation. These dysregulated transcriptional programs can cause cancer cells to become highly dependent on transcriptional regulators, such as Mediator and BRD4. Moreover, the expression of oncogenes that are driven by super-enhancers is sensitive to transcriptional perturbation and often occurs in phase-separated condensates, supporting therapeutic rationales of targeting SE components, 3D genome organization, or dysregulated condensates in cancer.
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70
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PRRX1 is a master transcription factor of stromal fibroblasts for myofibroblastic lineage progression. Nat Commun 2022; 13:2793. [PMID: 35589735 PMCID: PMC9120014 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30484-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Although stromal fibroblasts play a critical role in cancer progression, their identities remain unclear as they exhibit high heterogeneity and plasticity. Here, a master transcription factor (mTF) constructing core-regulatory circuitry, PRRX1, which determines the fibroblast lineage with a myofibroblastic phenotype, is identified for the fibroblast subgroup. PRRX1 orchestrates the functional drift of fibroblasts into myofibroblastic phenotype via TGF-β signaling by remodeling a super-enhancer landscape. Such reprogrammed fibroblasts have myofibroblastic functions resulting in markedly enhanced tumorigenicity and aggressiveness of cancer. PRRX1 expression in cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF) has an unfavorable prognosis in multiple cancer types. Fibroblast-specific PRRX1 depletion induces long-term and sustained complete remission of chemotherapy-resistant cancer in genetically engineered mice models. This study reveals CAF subpopulations based on super-enhancer profiles including PRRX1. Therefore, mTFs, including PRRX1, provide another opportunity for establishing a hierarchical classification system of fibroblasts and cancer treatment by targeting fibroblasts. Cancer associated fibroblasts are an important and highly heterogeneous component of the tumor microenvironment. Here the authors identify PRRX1 as a master transcription factor determining a fibroblast lineage with myofibroblastic phenotype, associated with unfavourable prognosis in several cancer types.
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71
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Yoshino S, Suzuki HI. The molecular understanding of super-enhancer dysregulation in cancer. NAGOYA JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCE 2022; 84:216-229. [PMID: 35967935 PMCID: PMC9350580 DOI: 10.18999/nagjms.84.2.216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Abnormalities in the regulation of gene expression are associated with various pathological conditions. Among the distal regulatory elements in the genome, the activation of target genes by enhancers plays a central role in the formation of cell type-specific gene expression patterns. Super-enhancers are a subclass of enhancers that frequently contain multiple enhancer-like elements and are characterized by dense binding of master transcription factors and Mediator complexes and high signals of active histone marks. Super-enhancers have been studied in detail as important regulatory regions that control cell identity and contribute to the pathogenesis of diverse diseases. In cancer, super-enhancers have multifaceted roles by activating various oncogenes and other cancer-related genes and shaping characteristic gene expression patterns in cancer cells. Alterations in super-enhancer activities in cancer involve multiple mechanisms, including the dysregulation of transcription factors and the super-enhancer-associated genomic abnormalities. The study of super-enhancers could contribute to the identification of effective biomarkers and the development of cancer therapeutics targeting transcriptional addiction. In this review, we summarize the roles of super-enhancers in cancer biology, with a particular focus on hematopoietic malignancies, in which multiple super-enhancer alteration mechanisms have been reported.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seiko Yoshino
- Division of Molecular Oncology, Center for Neurological Diseases and Cancer, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan.
| | - Hiroshi I. Suzuki
- Division of Molecular Oncology, Center for Neurological Diseases and Cancer, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan.
,Institute for Glyco-core Research (iGCORE), Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
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72
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Li X, Dean DC, Yuan J, Temple TH, Trent JC, Rosenberg AE, Yu S, Hornicek FJ, Duan Z. Inhibition of CDK7-dependent transcriptional addiction is a potential therapeutic target in synovial sarcoma. Biomed Pharmacother 2022; 149:112888. [PMID: 35367753 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2022.112888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2022] [Revised: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Synovial sarcoma is typical aggressive malignant without satisfactory treatment outcome in adult series. Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) in transcription have been considered promising molecular targets in cancer. Among these, CDK7 has been shown to play important roles in the pathogenesis of malignancies. However, the modulation mechanism of CDK7-regulated transcription in synovial sarcoma is unknown. In the present study, we aim to determine the expression and function of CDK7 in the transcription cycle of RNA polymerase II (RNAP II), and evaluate its prognostic and therapeutic significance in synovial sarcoma. Results showed that overexpression of CDK7 correlates with higher clinical stage and grade, and worse outcomes in clinic. High CDK7 expression was confirmed in all tested human synovial sarcoma cell lines and CDK7 was largely localized to the cell nucleus. Downregulation through siRNA or inhibition with the CDK7-targeting agent BS-181 exhibited dose-dependent cytotoxicity and prevented cell colony formation. Western blots demonstrated that inhibition of CDK7 paused transcription by a reduction of RNAP II phosphorylation. Blocking CDK7-dependent transcriptional addiction was accompanied by promotion of apoptosis. Furthermore, the CDK7-specific inhibitor reduced 3D spheroid formation and migration of synovial sarcoma. Collectively, our findings highlight the role of CDK7-dependent transcriptional addiction in human synovial sarcoma. CDK7-specific cytotoxic agents are therefore promising novel treatment options for synovial sarcoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyang Li
- Department of Orthopedics, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China; Sarcoma Biology Laboratory, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
| | - Dylan C Dean
- Sarcoma Biology Laboratory, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA; Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Keck School of Medicine at University of Southern California (USC), USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, 1441 Eastlake Ave, NTT 3449, Los Angeles, California, 90033, USA.
| | - Jin Yuan
- Department of Orthopedics, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China.
| | - Thomas H Temple
- Sarcoma Biology Laboratory, Department of Orthopaedics, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida 33136, USA.
| | - Jonathan C Trent
- Department of Medicine, Hematology & Oncology, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida 33136, USA.
| | - Andrew E Rosenberg
- Departments of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida 33136, USA.
| | - Shengji Yu
- Department of Orthopedics, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China.
| | - Francis J Hornicek
- Sarcoma Biology Laboratory, Department of Orthopaedics, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida 33136, USA; Sarcoma Biology Laboratory, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
| | - Zhenfeng Duan
- Sarcoma Biology Laboratory, Department of Orthopaedics, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida 33136, USA; Sarcoma Biology Laboratory, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
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Reduced miR-371b-5p expression drives tumor progression via CSDE1/RAC1 regulation in triple-negative breast cancer. Oncogene 2022; 41:3151-3161. [PMID: 35490208 PMCID: PMC9135623 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-022-02326-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Revised: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive subtype of breast cancer; however, specific prognostic biomarkers have not yet been developed. In this study, we identified dysregulated microRNAs (miRNAs) in TNBC by profiling miRNA and mRNA expression. In patients with TNBC, miR-371b-5p expression was reduced, and miR-371b-5p overexpression significantly mitigated TNBC cell growth, migration, and invasion. In addition, we found that expression of cold shock domain-containing protein E1 (CSDE1), a direct target gene of miR-371b-5p, was upregulated in TNBC cells, and inhibition of CSDE1 expression alleviated TNBC cell growth by regulating RAC1 transcription. Mechanistically, CSDE1, phosphorylated C-terminal domain (p-CTD) of RNA polymerase II (RNAPII), and CDK7 form a complex, and downregulation of CSDE1 leads to weak interaction between RNAPII p-CTD and CDK7, resulting in a decrease in RNAPII p-CTD expression to reduce RAC1 transcript levels in CSDE1-deficient TNBC cells. Our data demonstrate that miR-371b-5p is a tumor-suppressive miRNA that regulates the CSDE1/Rac1 axis and could be a potential prognostic biomarker for TNBC.
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Dion V, Schumacher N, Masar N, Pieltain A, Tocquin P, Lesoinne P, Malgrange B, Vandenbosch R, Franzen R. Cyclin-dependent kinase 7 contributes to myelin maintenance in the adult central nervous system and promotes myelin gene expression. Glia 2022; 70:1652-1665. [PMID: 35488490 DOI: 10.1002/glia.24186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Revised: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Mechanisms regulating oligodendrocyte differentiation, developmental myelination and myelin maintenance in adulthood are complex and still not completely described. Their understanding is crucial for the development of new protective or therapeutic strategies in demyelinating pathologies such as multiple sclerosis. In this perspective, we have investigated the role of Cyclin-dependent kinase 7 (Cdk7), a kinase involved in cell-cycle progression and transcription regulation, in the oligodendroglial lineage. We generated a conditional knock-out mouse model in which Cdk7 is invalidated in post-mitotic oligodendrocytes. At the end of developmental myelination, the number and diameter of myelinated axons, as well as the myelin structure, thickness and protein composition, were normal. However, in young adult and in aged mice, there was a higher number of small caliber myelinated axons associated with a decreased mean axonal diameter, myelin sheaths of large caliber axons were thinner, and the level of some major myelin-associated proteins was reduced. These defects were accompanied by the appearance of an abnormal clasping phenotype. We also used an in vitro oligodendroglial model and showed that Cdk7 pharmacological inhibition led to an altered myelination-associated morphological modification combined with a decreased expression of myelin-specific genes. Altogether, we identified novel functions for Cdk7 in CNS myelination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valérie Dion
- Laboratory of Nervous System Disorders and Therapies, GIGA Neurosciences, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Nathalie Schumacher
- Laboratory of Nervous System Disorders and Therapies, GIGA Neurosciences, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Nathalie Masar
- Laboratory of Nervous System Disorders and Therapies, GIGA Neurosciences, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Alexandra Pieltain
- Laboratory of Nervous System Disorders and Therapies, GIGA Neurosciences, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Pierre Tocquin
- CARE PhytoSYSTEMS, Integrative Biological Sciences, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Pierre Lesoinne
- Laboratory of Nervous System Disorders and Therapies, GIGA Neurosciences, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Brigitte Malgrange
- Laboratory of Developmental Neurobiology, GIGA Stem Cells & GIGA Neurosciences, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Renaud Vandenbosch
- Laboratory of Developmental Neurobiology, GIGA Stem Cells & GIGA Neurosciences, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.,Division of Histology, Department of Biomedical and Preclinical Sciences, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Rachelle Franzen
- Laboratory of Nervous System Disorders and Therapies, GIGA Neurosciences, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
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Sofi S, Mehraj U, Qayoom H, Aisha S, Asdaq SMB, Almilaibary A, Mir MA. Cyclin-dependent kinases in breast cancer: expression pattern and therapeutic implications. Med Oncol 2022; 39:106. [PMID: 35486263 DOI: 10.1007/s12032-022-01731-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Presently, breast cancer (BC) is one of the most common malignancies diagnosed and the leading cause of tumor-related deaths among women worldwide. Cell cycle dysregulation is one of the hallmarks of cancer, resulting in uncontrolled cell proliferation. Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) are central to the cell cycle control system, and deregulation of these kinases leads to the development of malignancies, including breast cancer. CDKs and cyclins have been reported as crucial components involved in tumor cell proliferation and metastasis. Given the aggressive nature, tumor heterogeneity, and chemoresistance, there is an urgent need to explore novel targets and therapeutics to manage breast cancer effectively. Inhibitors targeting CDKs modulate the cell cycle, thus throwing light upon their therapeutic aspect where the progression of tumor cells could be inhibited. This article gives a comprehensive account of CDKs in breast cancer progression and metastasis and recent developments in the modulation of CDKs in treating malignancies. We have also explored the expression pattern and prognostic significance of CDKs in breast cancer patients. The article will also shed light on the Implications of CDK inhibition and TGF-β signaling in breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shazia Sofi
- Department of Bioresources, School of Biological Sciences, University of Kashmir, Hazratbal, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, 190006, India
| | - Umar Mehraj
- Department of Bioresources, School of Biological Sciences, University of Kashmir, Hazratbal, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, 190006, India
| | - Hina Qayoom
- Department of Bioresources, School of Biological Sciences, University of Kashmir, Hazratbal, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, 190006, India
| | - Shariqa Aisha
- Department of Bioresources, School of Biological Sciences, University of Kashmir, Hazratbal, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, 190006, India
| | | | - Abdullah Almilaibary
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Albaha University, Albaha, 65511, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Manzoor A Mir
- Department of Bioresources, School of Biological Sciences, University of Kashmir, Hazratbal, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, 190006, India.
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Li X, Li J, Xu L, Wei W, Cheng A, Zhang L, Zhang M, Wu G, Cai C. CDK16 promotes the progression and metastasis of triple-negative breast cancer by phosphorylating PRC1. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL & CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH : CR 2022; 41:149. [PMID: 35449080 PMCID: PMC9027050 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-022-02362-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2022] [Accepted: 04/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Background Cyclin-dependent kinase 16 (CDK16) is an atypical PCTAIRE kinase, and its activity is dependent on the Cyclin Y (CCNY) family. Ccnys have been reported to regulate mammary stem cell activity and mammary gland development, and CCNY has been recognized as an oncoprotein in various cancers, including breast cancer. However, it remains unclear whether CDK16 has a role in breast cancer and whether it can be used as a therapeutic target for breast cancer. Methods Publicly available breast cancer datasets analyses and Kaplan-Meier survival analyses were performed to reveal the expression and clinical relevance of atypical CDKs in breast cancer. CDK16 protein expression was further examined by immunohistochemical and immunoblot analyses of clinical samples. Cell proliferation was measured by colony formation and MTT analyses. Cell cycle and apoptosis were examined by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis. Wound-healing and trans-well invasion assays were conducted to test cell migration ability. The functions of CDK16 on tumorigenesis and metastasis were evaluated by cell line-derived xenograft, patient-derived organoid/xenograft, lung metastasis and systemic metastasis mouse models. Transcriptomic analysis was performed to reveal the potential molecular mechanisms involved in the function of CDK16. Pharmacological inhibition of CDK16 was achieved by the small molecular inhibitor rebastinib to further assess the anti-tumor utility of targeting CDK16. Results CDK16 is highly expressed in breast cancer, particularly in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). The elevated CDK16 expression is correlated with poor outcomes in breast cancer patients. CDK16 can improve the proliferation and migration ability of TNBC cells in vitro, and promote tumor growth and metastasis of TNBC in vivo. Both genetic knockdown and pharmacological inhibition of CDK16 significantly suppress the tumor progression of TNBC. Mechanistically, CDK16 exerts its function by phosphorylating protein regulator of cytokinesis 1 (PRC1) to regulate spindle formation during mitosis. Conclusion CDK16 plays a critical role in TNBC and is a novel promising therapeutic target for TNBC. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13046-022-02362-w.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Li
- Department of Thyroid and Breast Surgery, Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Medical Research Institute, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Jinpeng Li
- Department of Thyroid and Breast Surgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Liming Xu
- Department of Thyroid and Breast Surgery, Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Medical Research Institute, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Wei Wei
- Department of Thyroid and Breast Surgery, Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Medical Research Institute, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Anyi Cheng
- Department of Thyroid and Breast Surgery, Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Medical Research Institute, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Lingxian Zhang
- Department of Thyroid and Breast Surgery, Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Medical Research Institute, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Mengna Zhang
- Department of Thyroid and Breast Surgery, Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Medical Research Institute, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Gaosong Wu
- Department of Thyroid and Breast Surgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China.
| | - Cheguo Cai
- Department of Thyroid and Breast Surgery, Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Medical Research Institute, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China.
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Xie G, Zhu A, Gu X. Converged DNA Damage Response Renders Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma Sensitive to CDK7 Inhibition. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14071714. [PMID: 35406486 PMCID: PMC8996977 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14071714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2022] [Revised: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of primary liver cancer. HCC has a dismal five-year mortality estimate of >95%, ranking as the fourth leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Despite the recent progression in the treatment of HCC with multikinase inhibitors, immunotherapy, and antiangiogenic monoclonal antibodies, among other newly emerging therapeutics, the efficacy has varied among patients, making HCC a high priority for developing novel targeted therapeutic agents. CDK7 has been exploited as a therapeutic target in HCC. In the present study, we demonstrated that HCC cells were highly susceptible to THZ1, a selective covalent CDK7 inhibitor. We further discovered that transcription factor MYC-promoted cell proliferation renders cancer cells hypersensitive to apoptotic cell death with THZ1 treatment. Our findings indicate that targeting CDK7 with THZ1 may be a new plausible strategy for treating HCC, in which MYC plays crucial roles in cell proliferation and tumor growth. Abstract Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a lethal malignancy with high mortality. The inhibition of cyclin-dependent kinase 7 (CDK7) activity has shown therapeutic efficacy in HCC. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we show that three HCC lines, HepG2, Hep3B, and SK-Hep-1, were highly susceptible to the CDK7 inhibitor THZ1. In mouse models, THZ1 effectively reduced HepG2 tumor growth and tumor weight. THZ1 arrested cell cycle and triggered MYC-related apoptosis in HepG2. To evaluate how MYC protein levels affected THZ1-induced apoptotic cell death, we overexpressed MYC in HepG2 and found that exogenously overexpressed MYC promoted cell cycle progression and increased cells in the S phase. THZ1 drastically engendered the apoptosis of MYC-overexpressing HepG2 cells in the S and G2/M phases. Importantly, transcription-inhibition-induced apoptosis is associated with DNA damage, and exogenous MYC expression further enhanced the THZ1-induced DNA damage response in MYC-overexpressing HepG2 cells. Consistently, in the HepG2 xenografts, THZ1 treatment was associated with DNA-damage-induced cell death. Together, our data indicate that the converged effect of MYC-promoted cell cycle progression and CDK7 inhibition by THZ1 confers the hypersensitivity of HCC to DNA-damage-induced cell death. Our findings may suggest a new therapeutic strategy of THZ1 against HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guiqin Xie
- Department of Oral Pathology, Howard University, 600 W. Street NW, Washington, DC 20059, USA;
- Cancer Center, Howard University, 600 W. Street NW, Washington, DC 20059, USA
- Correspondence: (G.X.); (X.G.)
| | - Ailin Zhu
- Department of Oral Pathology, Howard University, 600 W. Street NW, Washington, DC 20059, USA;
| | - Xinbin Gu
- Department of Oral Pathology, Howard University, 600 W. Street NW, Washington, DC 20059, USA;
- Cancer Center, Howard University, 600 W. Street NW, Washington, DC 20059, USA
- Correspondence: (G.X.); (X.G.)
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78
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Qi J, Ouyang Z. Targeting CDK4/6 for Anticancer Therapy. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10030685. [PMID: 35327487 PMCID: PMC8945444 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10030685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Revised: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 (CDK4/6) are key regulators of the cell cycle and are deemed as critical therapeutic targets of multiple cancers. Various approaches have been applied to silence CDK4/6 at different levels, i.e., CRISPR to knock out at the DNA level, siRNA to inhibit translation, and drugs that target the protein of interest. Here we summarize the current status in this field, highlighting the mechanisms of small molecular inhibitors treatment and drug resistance. We describe approaches to combat drug resistance, including combination therapy and PROTACs drugs that degrade the kinases. Finally, critical issues and perspectives in the field are outlined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiating Qi
- The Second Clinical College, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China;
| | - Zhuqing Ouyang
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
- Correspondence:
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79
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Liu Q, Guo L, Lou Z, Xiang X, Shao J. Super-enhancers and novel therapeutic targets in colorectal cancer. Cell Death Dis 2022; 13:228. [PMID: 35277481 PMCID: PMC8917125 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-022-04673-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Revised: 02/12/2022] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Transcription factors, cofactors, chromatin regulators, and transcription apparatuses interact with transcriptional regulatory elements, including promoters, enhancers, and super-enhancers (SEs), to coordinately regulate the transcription of target genes and thereby control cell behaviors. Among these transcriptional regulatory components and related elements, SEs often play a central role in determining cell identity and tumor initiation and progression. Therefore, oncogenic SEs, which are generated within cancer cells in oncogenes and other genes important in tumor pathogenesis, have emerged as attractive targets for novel cancer therapeutic strategies in recent years. Herein, we review the identification, formation and activation modes, and regulatory mechanisms for downstream genes and pathways of oncogenic SEs. We also review the therapeutic strategies and compounds targeting oncogenic SEs in colorectal cancer and other malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Liu
- Department of Pathology & Pathophysiology, and Cancer Institute of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Department of Pathology of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Lijuan Guo
- Department of Pathology & Pathophysiology, and Cancer Institute of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Disease Proteomics of Zhejiang Province, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention of China National Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zhiyuan Lou
- Department of Pathology & Pathophysiology, and Cancer Institute of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Disease Proteomics of Zhejiang Province, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention of China National Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xueping Xiang
- Department of Pathology & Pathophysiology, and Cancer Institute of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
- Key Laboratory of Disease Proteomics of Zhejiang Province, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention of China National Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
| | - Jimin Shao
- Department of Pathology & Pathophysiology, and Cancer Institute of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
- Key Laboratory of Disease Proteomics of Zhejiang Province, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention of China National Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
- Cancer Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
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80
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Xie Z, Hou S, Yang X, Duan Y, Han J, Wang Q, Liao C. Lessons Learned from Past Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Drug Discovery Efforts. J Med Chem 2022; 65:6356-6389. [PMID: 35235745 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c02190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Inhibition of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) has become an effective therapeutic strategy for treating various diseases, especially cancer. Over almost three decades, although great efforts have been made to discover CDK inhibitors, many of which have entered clinical trials, only four CDK inhibitors have been approved. In the process of CDK inhibitor development, many difficulties and misunderstandings have hampered their discovery and clinical applications, which mainly include inadequate understanding of the biological functions of CDKs, less attention paid to pan- and multi-CDK inhibitors, nonideal isoform selectivity of developed selective CDK inhibitors, overlooking the metabolic stability of early discovered CDK inhibitors, no effective resistance solutions, and a lack of available combination therapy and effective biomarkers for CDK therapies. After reviewing the mechanisms of CDKs and the research progress of CDK inhibitors, this perspective summarizes and discusses these difficulties or lessons, hoping to facilitate the successful discovery of more useful CDK inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhouling Xie
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Engineering, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, P. R. China
| | - Shuzeng Hou
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Engineering, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, P. R. China
| | - Xiaoxiao Yang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Engineering, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, P. R. China
| | - Yajun Duan
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Engineering, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, P. R. China
| | - Jihong Han
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Engineering, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, P. R. China
| | - Qin Wang
- Department of Otolaryngology─Head and Neck Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230022, P. R. China
| | - Chenzhong Liao
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Engineering, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, P. R. China
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81
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Gao Y, Volegova M, Nasholm N, Das S, Kwiatkowski N, Abraham BJ, Zhang T, Gray NS, Gustafson C, Krajewska M, George RE. Synergistic Anti-Tumor Effect of Combining Selective CDK7 and BRD4 Inhibition in Neuroblastoma. Front Oncol 2022; 11:773186. [PMID: 35198433 PMCID: PMC8859926 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.773186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) that have critical roles in RNA polymerase II (Pol II)-mediated gene transcription are emerging as therapeutic targets in cancer. We have previously shown that THZ1, a covalent inhibitor of CDKs 7/12/13, leads to cytotoxicity in MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma through the downregulation of super-enhancer-associated transcriptional upregulation. Here we determined the effects of YKL-5-124, a novel covalent inhibitor with greater selectivity for CDK7 in neuroblastoma cells. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN We tested YKL-5-124 in MYCN-amplified and nonamplified neuroblastoma cells individually and in combination with other inhibitors in cell line and animal models. Cell viability, target validation, effects on cell cycle and transcription were analyzed. RESULTS CDK7 inhibition with YKL-5-124 did not lead to significant cell death, but resulted in aberrant cell cycle progression especially in MYCN-amplified cells. Unlike THZ1, YKL-5-124 had minimal effects on Pol II C-terminal domain phosphorylation, but significantly inhibited that of the CDK1 and CDK2 cell cycle kinases. Combining YKL-5-124 with the BRD4 inhibitor JQ1 resulted in synergistic cytotoxicity. A distinct MYCN-gene expression signature associated with resistance to BRD4 inhibition was suppressed with the combination. The synergy between YKL-5-124 and JQ1 translated into significant tumor regression in cell line and patient-derived xenograft mouse models of neuroblastoma. CONCLUSIONS The combination of CDK7 and BRD4 inhibition provides a therapeutic option for neuroblastoma and suggests that the addition of YKL-5-124 could improve the therapeutic efficacy of JQ1 and delay resistance to BRD4 inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Gao
- Department of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States.,Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Marina Volegova
- Department of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States.,Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Nicole Nasholm
- Department of Pediatrics, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Sanjukta Das
- Department of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States.,Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Nicholas Kwiatkowski
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Brian J Abraham
- Department of Computational Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, United States
| | - Tinghu Zhang
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Nathanael S Gray
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States.,Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Clay Gustafson
- Department of Pediatrics, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Malgorzata Krajewska
- Department of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States.,Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Rani E George
- Department of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States.,Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
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82
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Huang X, Qiu M, Wang T, Li B, Zhang S, Zhang T, Liu P, Wang Q, Qian ZR, Zhu C, Wu M, Zhao J. Carrier-free multifunctional nanomedicine for intraperitoneal disseminated ovarian cancer therapy. J Nanobiotechnology 2022; 20:93. [PMID: 35193583 PMCID: PMC8864853 DOI: 10.1186/s12951-022-01300-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2021] [Accepted: 02/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecological cancer which is characterized by extensive peritoneal implantation metastasis and malignant ascites. Despite advances in diagnosis and treatment in recent years, the five-year survival rate is only 25–30%. Therefore, developing multifunctional nanomedicine with abilities of promoting apoptosis and inhibiting migration on tumor cells would be a promising strategy to improve the antitumor effect. Methods and results In this study, we developed a novel ACaT nanomedicine composed of alendronate, calcium ions and cyclin-dependent kinase 7 (CDK7) inhibitor THZ1. With the average size of 164 nm and zeta potential of 12.4 mV, the spherical ACaT nanoparticles were selectively internalized by tumor cells and effectively accumulated in the tumor site. Results of RNA-sequencing and in vitro experiments showed that ACaT promoted tumor cell apoptosis and inhibited tumor cell migration by arresting the cell cycle, increasing ROS and affecting calcium homeostasis. Weekly intraperitoneally administered of ACaT for 8 cycles significantly inhibited the growth of tumor and prolonged the survival of intraperitoneal xenograft mice. Conclusion In summary, this study presents a new self-assembly nanomedicine with favorable tumor targeting, antitumor activity and good biocompatibility, providing a novel therapeutic strategy for advanced ovarian cancer. Graphical Abstract ![]()
Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12951-022-01300-4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiuyu Huang
- The Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, Guangdong, People's Republic of China
| | - Miaojuan Qiu
- The Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, Guangdong, People's Republic of China
| | - Tianqi Wang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, Guangdong, People's Republic of China
| | - Binbin Li
- The Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, Guangdong, People's Republic of China
| | - Shiqiang Zhang
- The Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, Guangdong, People's Republic of China
| | - Tianzhi Zhang
- The Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, Guangdong, People's Republic of China
| | - Peng Liu
- The Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, Guangdong, People's Republic of China
| | - Qiang Wang
- The Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, Guangdong, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhi Rong Qian
- The Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, Guangdong, People's Republic of China
| | - Chengming Zhu
- The Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
| | - Meiying Wu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
| | - Jing Zhao
- The Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
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Super enhancers as master gene regulators in the pathogenesis of hematologic malignancies. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2022; 1877:188697. [PMID: 35150791 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2022.188697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Revised: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 02/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Transcriptional deregulation of multiple oncogenes, tumor suppressors and survival pathways is a cancer cell hallmark. Super enhancers (SE) are long stretches of active enhancers in close linear proximity that ensure extraordinarily high expression levels of key genes associated with cell lineage, function and survival. SE landscape is intrinsically prone to changes and reorganization during the course of normal cell differentiation. This functional plasticity is typically utilized by cancer cells, which remodel their SE landscapes to ensure oncogenic transcriptional reprogramming. Multiple recent studies highlighted structural genetic mechanisms in non-coding regions that create new SE or hijack already existing ones. In addition, alterations in abundance/activity of certain SE-associated proteins or certain viral infections can elicit new super enhancers and trigger SE-driven transcriptional changes. For these reasons, SE profiling emerged as a powerful tool for discovering the core transcriptional regulatory circuits in tumor cells. This, in turn, provides new insights into cancer cell biology, and identifies main nodes of key cellular pathways to be potentially targeted. Since SEs are susceptible to inhibition, their disruption results in exponentially amassing 'butterfly' effect on gene expression and cell function. Moreover, many of SE elements are druggable, opening new therapeutic opportunities. Indeed, SE targeting drugs have been studied preclinically in various hematologic malignancies with promising effects. Herein, we review the unique features of SEs, present different cis- and trans-acting mechanisms through which hematologic tumor cells acquire SEs, and finally, discuss the potential of SE targeting in the therapy of hematologic malignancies.
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84
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Tang L, Zhu C, Jin J, Wang X, Yu L, Guan X. Expression of CDK7 correlates with molecular subtypes and predicts clinical outcomes in breast cancer. Transl Cancer Res 2022; 10:669-680. [PMID: 35116400 PMCID: PMC8799258 DOI: 10.21037/tcr-20-2911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Background Cyclin-dependent kinase 7 (CDK7) belongs to CDK family, which is involved in transcriptional activity and cell cycle progression. Recent studies have suggested that CDK7 inhibitor is effective in the treatment of breast cancer, whereas, the efficacy of antitumor response varies significantly in different subtypes of breast cancer. However, the underlying connection between CDK7 and molecular subtypes of breast cancer is currently unknown. Methods To further elucidate the role of CDK7 in breast cancer, we investigated the association of CDK7 expression with different molecular subtypes and clinical outcomes in breast cancer using the Oncomine, GENT2, UALCAN and PrognoScan database. The correlation between CDK7 mRNA expression and promoter methylation was established using MEXPRESS datasets. And the CDK7 expression with different stages and subtypes was also examined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) assay in 140 breast cancer patients. Results We found that the expression of CDK7 was increased in breast cancer. Besides, our data demonstrated that both CDK7 hypomethylation status and copy number variations (CNVs) were highly correlated with mRNA overexpression. Moreover, based on the tissue array of 140 patients and more than 4,000 samples from bc-GenExMiner database, CDK7 protein levels were significantly higher in luminal and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 positive (HER2+) breast cancer in comparison with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) subtype. The expression of CDK7 was prominently correlated with molecular markers of different subtypes of breast cancer. Furthermore, the results of the univariate analysis indicated that high CDK7 expression was dramatically associated with poor overall survival (OS) (P=0.0323, HR =2.08). Conclusions Our results highlighted that elevated CDK7 expression was correlated with molecular subtypes and acted as a candidate biomarker of poor prognosis in breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Tang
- Department of Medical Oncology, Jinling Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Chengjun Zhu
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Juan Jin
- Department of Medical Oncology, Jinling Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xin Wang
- Department of Medical Oncology, Jinling Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Lingyue Yu
- Center for Clinical Cancer Genetics & Global Health, Department of Medicine, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Xiaoxiang Guan
- Department of Medical Oncology, Jinling Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.,Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
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85
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Wong CH, Li CH, Man Tong JH, Zheng D, He Q, Luo Z, Lou UK, Wang J, To KF, Chen Y. The Establishment of CDK9/ RNA PolII/H3K4me3/DNA Methylation Feedback Promotes HOTAIR Expression by RNA Elongation Enhancement in Cancer. Mol Ther 2022; 30:1597-1609. [PMID: 35121112 PMCID: PMC9077372 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2022.01.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2021] [Revised: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Long non-coding RNA HOX Transcript Antisense RNA (HOTAIR) is overexpressed in multiple cancers with diverse genetic profiles. Importantly, since HOTAIR heavily contributes to cancer progression by promoting tumor growth and metastasis, HOTAIR becomes a potential target for cancer therapy. However, the underlying mechanism leading to HOTAIR deregulation is largely unexplored. Here, we performed a pan-cancer analysis using more than 4,200 samples and found that intragenic exon CpG island (Ex-CGI) was hypermethylated and was positively correlated to HOTAIR expression. Also, we revealed that Ex-CGI methylation promotes HOTAIR expression through enhancing the transcription elongation process. Furthermore, we linked up the aberrant intragenic tri-methylation on H3 at lysine 4 (H3K4me3) and Ex-CGI DNA methylation in promoting transcription elongation of HOTAIR. Targeting the oncogenic CDK7-CDK9-H3K4me3 axis downregulated HOTAIR expression and inhibited cell growth in many cancers. To our knowledge, this is the first time that a positive feedback loop that involved CDK9-mediated phosphorylation of RNA Polymerase II Serine 2 (RNA PolII Ser2), H3K4me3, and intragenic DNA methylation, which induced robust transcriptional elongation and heavily contributed to the upregulation of oncogenic lncRNA in cancer has been demonstrated. Targeting the oncogenic CDK7-CDK9-H3K4me3 axis could be a novel therapy in many cancers through inhibiting the HOTAIR expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chi Hin Wong
- A School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong
| | - Chi Han Li
- A School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong
| | - Joanna Hung Man Tong
- Department of Anatomical and Cellular Pathology, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - Duo Zheng
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Regional Immunity and Diseases, Shenzhen University International Cancer Center, Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Qifang He
- A School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong
| | - Zhiyuan Luo
- A School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong
| | - Ut Kei Lou
- A School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong
| | - Jiatong Wang
- A School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong
| | - Ka-Fai To
- Department of Anatomical and Cellular Pathology, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - Yangchao Chen
- A School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong; Shenzhen Research Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen 518087, China.
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86
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Jia Y, Zhou J, Tan TK, Chung TH, Chen Y, Chooi JY, Sanda T, Fullwood MJ, Xiong S, Toh SH, Balan K, Wong RW, Lim JS, Zhang E, Cai Z, Shen P, Chng WJ. Super Enhancer-Mediated Upregulation of HJURP Promotes Growth and Survival of t(4;14)-Positive Multiple Myeloma. Cancer Res 2022; 82:406-418. [PMID: 34893510 PMCID: PMC9397631 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-21-0921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Revised: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Multiple myeloma is an incurable malignancy with marked clinical and genetic heterogeneity. The cytogenetic abnormality t(4;14) (p16.3;q32.3) confers aggressive behavior in multiple myeloma. Recently, essential oncogenic drivers in a wide range of cancers have been shown to be controlled by super-enhancers (SE). We used chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing of the active enhancer marker histone H3 lysine 27 acetylation (H3K27ac) to profile unique SEs in t(4;14)-translocated multiple myeloma. The histone chaperone HJURP was aberrantly overexpressed in t(4;14)-positive multiple myeloma due to transcriptional activation by a distal SE induced by the histone lysine methyltransferase NSD2. Silencing of HJURP with short hairpin RNA or CRISPR interference of SE function impaired cell viability and led to apoptosis. Conversely, HJURP overexpression promoted cell proliferation and abrogated apoptosis. Mechanistically, the NSD2/BRD4 complex positively coregulated HJURP transcription by binding the promoter and active elements of its SE. In summary, this study introduces SE profiling as an efficient approach to identify new targets and understand molecular pathogenesis in specific subtypes of cancer. Moreover, HJURP could be a valuable therapeutic target in patients with t(4;14)-positive myeloma. SIGNIFICANCE: A super-enhancer screen in t(4;14) multiple myeloma serves to identify genes that promote growth and survival of myeloma cells, which may be evaluated in future studies as therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunlu Jia
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Centre for Translational Medicine, Singapore, Republic of Singapore.,Department of Medical Oncology, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jianbiao Zhou
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Centre for Translational Medicine, Singapore, Republic of Singapore.,Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Republic of Singapore
| | - Tze King Tan
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Centre for Translational Medicine, Singapore, Republic of Singapore
| | - Tae-Hoon Chung
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Centre for Translational Medicine, Singapore, Republic of Singapore
| | - Yongxia Chen
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jing-Yuan Chooi
- Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Republic of Singapore
| | - Takaomi Sanda
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Centre for Translational Medicine, Singapore, Republic of Singapore.,Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Republic of Singapore
| | - Melissa J. Fullwood
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Centre for Translational Medicine, Singapore, Republic of Singapore.,School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Republic of Singapore
| | - Sinan Xiong
- Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Republic of Singapore
| | - Sabrina H.M. Toh
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Centre for Translational Medicine, Singapore, Republic of Singapore
| | - Kalpnaa Balan
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Centre for Translational Medicine, Singapore, Republic of Singapore
| | - Regina W.J. Wong
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Centre for Translational Medicine, Singapore, Republic of Singapore
| | - Julia S.L. Lim
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Centre for Translational Medicine, Singapore, Republic of Singapore
| | - Enfan Zhang
- Bone Marrow Transplantation Center, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zhen Cai
- Bone Marrow Transplantation Center, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Peng Shen
- Department of Medical Oncology, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Wee Joo Chng
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Centre for Translational Medicine, Singapore, Republic of Singapore.,Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Republic of Singapore.,Department of Hematology-Oncology, National University Cancer Institute of Singapore (NCIS), The National University Health System (NUHS), Singapore, Republic of Singapore.,Corresponding Author: Wee Joo Chng, Department of Haematology-Oncology, National University Cancer Institute of Singapore (NCIS), The National University Health System (NUHS), 1E, Kent Ridge Road, Singapore 119228. Phone: 656-772-4613; Fax: 656-777-5545; E-mail:
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87
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Kanwal F, Ma M, Rehman MFU, Khan FU, Elizur SE, Batool AI, Wang CC, Tabassum T, Lu C, Wang Y. Aspirin Repurposing in Folate-Decorated Nanoparticles: Another Way to Target Breast Cancer. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 8:788279. [PMID: 35187067 PMCID: PMC8848101 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.788279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer affects more than 1 million women per year worldwide. Through this study, we developed a nanoparticle-based drug delivery system to target breast cancer cells. Aspirin has been found to inhibit thromboembolic diseases with its tumor-preventing activity. As a consequence, it relieves disease symptoms and severity. Here, mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MNPs) have been used to deliver aspirin to the tumor location. MNP-based aspirin in folic acid (F)-conjugated polydopamine (MNP-Asp-PD-PG-F) vehicles are prepared for targeted breast cancer therapy. The vehicle hinges on MNP altered with polymer polyethylene glycol (PG), polydopamine (PD), and F. The delivery vehicle was studied for in vitro drug release, cytotoxicity, and breast cancer cell proliferation. F-conjugated drug delivery vehicles let MNPs achieve an elevated targeting efficacy, ideal for cancer therapy. It was also observed that compared to free aspirin, our drug delivery system (MNP-Asp-PD-PG-F) has a higher cytotoxic and antiproliferative effect on breast cancer cells. The drug delivery system can be proposed as a targeted breast cancer therapy that could be further focused on other targeted cancer therapies. Delivering aspirin by the PD-PG-F system on the tumor sites promises a therapeutic potential for breast cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fariha Kanwal
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Med-X Research Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Mingming Ma
- Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Ocular Fundus Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Eye Diseases, Shanghai Engineering Center for Visual Science and Photomedicine, Shanghai Engineering Center for Precise Diagnosis and Treatment of Eye Diseases, Shanghai, China
| | - Muhammad Fayyaz ur Rehman
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan
- *Correspondence: Muhammad Fayyaz ur Rehman, ; Yao Wang,
| | - Fahim-ullah Khan
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Science and Technology, Bannu, Pakistan
| | - Shai E. Elizur
- IVF Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer and Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Aima Iram Batool
- Department of Zoology, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan
| | - Chi Chiu Wang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China
| | - Tahira Tabassum
- Department of Pathology, Sargodha Medical College, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan
| | - Changrui Lu
- Department of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Donghua University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yao Wang
- Department of Assisted Reproduction, School of Medicine, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- *Correspondence: Muhammad Fayyaz ur Rehman, ; Yao Wang,
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88
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Marineau JJ, Hamman KB, Hu S, Alnemy S, Mihalich J, Kabro A, Whitmore KM, Winter DK, Roy S, Ciblat S, Ke N, Savinainen A, Wilsily A, Malojcic G, Zahler R, Schmidt D, Bradley MJ, Waters NJ, Chuaqui C. Discovery of SY-5609: A Selective, Noncovalent Inhibitor of CDK7. J Med Chem 2022; 65:1458-1480. [PMID: 34726887 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c01171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
CDK7 has emerged as an exciting target in oncology due to its roles in two important processes that are misregulated in cancer cells: cell cycle and transcription. This report describes the discovery of SY-5609, a highly potent (sub-nM CDK7 Kd) and selective, orally available inhibitor of CDK7 that entered the clinic in 2020 (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04247126). Structure-based design was leveraged to obtain high selectivity (>4000-times the closest off target) and slow off-rate binding kinetics desirable for potent cellular activity. Finally, incorporation of a phosphine oxide as an atypical hydrogen bond acceptor helped provide the required potency and metabolic stability. The development candidate SY-5609 displays potent inhibition of CDK7 in cells and demonstrates strong efficacy in mouse xenograft models when dosed as low as 2 mg/kg.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason J Marineau
- Syros Pharmaceuticals Inc., 35 Cambridge Park Drive, Fourth Floor, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02140, United States
| | - Kristin B Hamman
- Syros Pharmaceuticals Inc., 35 Cambridge Park Drive, Fourth Floor, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02140, United States
| | - Shanhu Hu
- Syros Pharmaceuticals Inc., 35 Cambridge Park Drive, Fourth Floor, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02140, United States
| | - Sydney Alnemy
- Syros Pharmaceuticals Inc., 35 Cambridge Park Drive, Fourth Floor, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02140, United States
| | - Janessa Mihalich
- Syros Pharmaceuticals Inc., 35 Cambridge Park Drive, Fourth Floor, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02140, United States
| | - Anzhelika Kabro
- Paraza Pharma Inc., 2525 Avenue Marie-Curie, Montreal, Quebec H4S 2E1, Canada
| | | | - Dana K Winter
- Paraza Pharma Inc., 2525 Avenue Marie-Curie, Montreal, Quebec H4S 2E1, Canada
| | - Stephanie Roy
- Paraza Pharma Inc., 2525 Avenue Marie-Curie, Montreal, Quebec H4S 2E1, Canada
| | - Stephane Ciblat
- Paraza Pharma Inc., 2525 Avenue Marie-Curie, Montreal, Quebec H4S 2E1, Canada
| | - Nan Ke
- Syros Pharmaceuticals Inc., 35 Cambridge Park Drive, Fourth Floor, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02140, United States
| | - Anneli Savinainen
- Syros Pharmaceuticals Inc., 35 Cambridge Park Drive, Fourth Floor, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02140, United States
| | - Ashraf Wilsily
- Syros Pharmaceuticals Inc., 35 Cambridge Park Drive, Fourth Floor, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02140, United States
| | - Goran Malojcic
- Syros Pharmaceuticals Inc., 35 Cambridge Park Drive, Fourth Floor, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02140, United States
| | - Robert Zahler
- Syros Pharmaceuticals Inc., 35 Cambridge Park Drive, Fourth Floor, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02140, United States
| | - Darby Schmidt
- Syros Pharmaceuticals Inc., 35 Cambridge Park Drive, Fourth Floor, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02140, United States
| | - Michael J Bradley
- Syros Pharmaceuticals Inc., 35 Cambridge Park Drive, Fourth Floor, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02140, United States
| | - Nigel J Waters
- Syros Pharmaceuticals Inc., 35 Cambridge Park Drive, Fourth Floor, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02140, United States
| | - Claudio Chuaqui
- Syros Pharmaceuticals Inc., 35 Cambridge Park Drive, Fourth Floor, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02140, United States
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89
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CDK7 Predicts Worse Outcome in Head and Neck Squamous-Cell Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14030492. [PMID: 35158760 PMCID: PMC8833595 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14030492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Revised: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
HNSCC is the sixth most common cancer worldwide and the prognosis is still poor. Here, we investigated the prognostic implications of CDK7 and pMED1. Both proteins affect transcription, and their expression is altered throughout different tumor entities. pMED1 is phosphorylated by CDK7. Importantly, CDK7 and MED1 have been ascribed prognostic implications by various studies. However, their prognostic value in head and neck squamous-cell cancer (HNSCC) remains elusive. We applied immunohistochemical staining of CDK7 and pMED1 on our large and clinically well-characterized HNSCC tissue cohort comprising 419 patients. Software-aided quantification of staining intensity was performed as a measure of protein expression. The following results were linked to the clinicopathological features of our cohort and correlated in different tissue types (primary tumor, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, recurrence). Upregulation CDK7 was associated with worse 5-year overall survival as well as disease-free survival in HNSCC while being independent of other known prognostic factors such as p16-status. Also, CDK7 expression was significantly elevated in immune cell infiltrated tumors. In HNSCC CDK7 might serve as a novel prognostic marker to indicate the prognosis of patients. Furthermore, in vitro studies proved the feasibility of CDK7 inhibition with attenuating effects on cell proliferation underlining its remarkable translational potential for future therapeutic regimes.
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90
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Yuan J, Li X, Yu S. CDK7-dependent transcriptional addiction in bone and soft tissue sarcomas: Present and Future. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2022; 1877:188680. [PMID: 35051528 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2022.188680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2021] [Revised: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Cancer arises from genetic alterations that invariably contribute to dysregulated transcriptional programs. These dysregulated programs establish and maintain specific cancer cell states, leading to an intensive dependence on a set of certain regulators of gene expression. The CDK7 functions as the core of transcription, and governs RNA polymerase II and the downstream oncogenes expression in cancers. CDK7 inhibition leads to reduced recruitment of super-enhancers-driven oncogenic transcription factors, and the depression of these associated oncogenes expression, which indicates the dependence of transcriptional addiction of cancers on CDK7. Given that specified oncoproteins of sarcomas commonly function at oncogenic transcription, targeting CDK7-denpendent transcriptional addiction may be of guiding significance for the treatment of sarcomas. In this review, we summarize the advances in mechanism of targeted CDK7-dependent transcriptional addiction and discuss the path ahead to potential application discovery in bone and soft tissue sarcomas, providing theoretical considerations for bio-orthogonal therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Yuan
- Department of Orthopedics, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoyang Li
- Department of Orthopedics, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
| | - Shengji Yu
- Department of Orthopedics, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
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91
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Control of Expression of Key Cell Cycle Enzymes Drives Cell Line-Specific Functions of CDK7 in Human PDAC Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23020812. [PMID: 35054996 PMCID: PMC8775745 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23020812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Revised: 12/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Inhibition of the dual function cell cycle and transcription kinase CDK7 is known to affect the viability of cancer cells, but the mechanisms underlying cell line-specific growth control remain poorly understood. Here, we employed a previously developed, highly specific small molecule inhibitor that non-covalently blocks ATP binding to CDK7 (LDC4297) to study the mechanisms underlying cell line-specific growth using a panel of genetically heterogeneous human pancreatic tumor lines as model system. Although LDC4297 diminished both transcription rates and CDK T-loop phosphorylation in a comparable manner, some PDAC lines displayed significantly higher sensitivity than others. We focused our analyses on two well-responsive lines (Mia-Paca2 and Panc89) that, however, showed significant differences in their viability upon extended exposure to limiting LDC4297 concentrations. Biochemical and RNAseq analysis revealed striking differences in gene expression and cell cycle control. Especially the downregulation of a group of cell cycle control genes, among them CDK1/2 and CDC25A/C, correlated well to the observed viability differences in Panc89 versus Mia-Paca2 cells. A parallel downregulation of regulatory pathways supported the hypothesis of a feedforward programmatic effect of CDK7 inhibitors, eventually causing hypersensitivity of PDAC lines.
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92
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Ettl T, Schulz D, Bauer RJ. The Renaissance of Cyclin Dependent Kinase Inhibitors. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:293. [PMID: 35053461 PMCID: PMC8773807 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14020293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Revised: 12/29/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK) regulate cell cycle progression. During tumor development, altered expression and availability of CDKs strongly contribute to impaired cell proliferation, a hallmark of cancer. In recent years, targeted inhibition of CDKs has shown considerable therapeutic benefit in a variety of tumor entities. Their success is reflected in clinical approvals of specific CDK4/6 inhibitors for breast cancer. This review provides a detailed insight into the molecular mechanisms of CDKs as well as a general overview of CDK inhibition. It also summarizes the latest research approaches and current advances in the treatment of head and neck cancer with CDK inhibitors. Instead of monotherapies, combination therapies with CDK inhibitors may especially provide promising results in tumor therapy. Indeed, recent studies have shown a synergistic effect of CDK inhibition together with chemo- and radio- and immunotherapy in cancer treatment to overcome tumor evasion, which may lead to a renaissance of CDK inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Ettl
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany;
| | - Daniela Schulz
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany;
- Center for Medical Biotechnology, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Richard Josef Bauer
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany;
- Center for Medical Biotechnology, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
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93
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Vervoort SJ, Devlin JR, Kwiatkowski N, Teng M, Gray NS, Johnstone RW. Targeting transcription cycles in cancer. Nat Rev Cancer 2022; 22:5-24. [PMID: 34675395 DOI: 10.1038/s41568-021-00411-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Accurate control of gene expression is essential for normal development and dysregulation of transcription underpins cancer onset and progression. Similar to cell cycle regulation, RNA polymerase II-driven transcription can be considered as a unidirectional multistep cycle, with thousands of unique transcription cycles occurring in concert within each cell. Each transcription cycle comprises recruitment, initiation, pausing, elongation, termination and recycling stages that are tightly controlled by the coordinated action of transcriptional cyclin-dependent kinases and their cognate cyclins as well as the opposing activity of transcriptional phosphatases. Oncogenic dysregulation of transcription can entail defective control of gene expression, either at select loci or more globally, impacting a large proportion of the genome. The resultant dependency on the core-transcriptional machinery is believed to render 'transcriptionally addicted' cancers sensitive to perturbation of transcription. Based on these findings, small molecules targeting transcriptional cyclin-dependent kinases and associated proteins hold promise for the treatment of cancer. Here, we utilize the transcription cycles concept to explain how dysregulation of these finely tuned gene expression processes may drive tumorigenesis and how therapeutically beneficial responses may arise from global or selective transcriptional perturbation. This conceptual framework helps to explain tumour-selective transcriptional dependencies and facilitates the rational design of combination therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephin J Vervoort
- Gene Regulation Laboratory, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- The Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Jennifer R Devlin
- Gene Regulation Laboratory, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- The Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Nicholas Kwiatkowski
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Mingxing Teng
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Nathanael S Gray
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, CHEM-H and SCI, Stanford Medical School, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
| | - Ricky W Johnstone
- Gene Regulation Laboratory, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
- The Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
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Hu J, Lai Y, Huang H, Ramakrishnan S, Pan Y, Ma VWS, Cheuk W, So GYK, He Q, Geoffrey Lau C, Zhang L, Cho WCS, Chan KM, Wang X, Rebecca Chin Y. TCOF1 upregulation in triple-negative breast cancer promotes stemness and tumour growth and correlates with poor prognosis. Br J Cancer 2022; 126:57-71. [PMID: 34718356 PMCID: PMC8727631 DOI: 10.1038/s41416-021-01596-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Revised: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype of breast cancer with poor prognosis. By performing multiomic profiling, we recently uncovered super-enhancer heterogeneity between breast cancer subtypes. Our data also revealed TCOF1 as a putative TNBC-specific super-enhancer-regulated gene. TCOF1 plays a critical role in craniofacial development but its function in cancer remains unclear. METHODS Overall survival and multivariant Cox regression analyses were conducted using the METABRIC data set. The effect of TCOF1 knockout on TNBC growth and stemness was evaluated by in vitro and in vivo assays. RNA-seq and rescue experiments were performed to explore the underlying mechanisms. RESULTS TCOF1 is frequently upregulated in TNBC and its elevated expression correlates with shorter overall survival. TCOF1 depletion significantly inhibits the growth and stemness of basal-like TNBC, but not of mesenchymal-like cells, highlighting the distinct molecular dependency in different TNBC subgroups. RNA-seq uncovers several stem cell molecules regulated by TCOF1. We further demonstrate that KIT is a downstream effector of TCOF1 in mediating TNBC stemness. TCOF1 expression in TNBC is regulated by the predicted super-enhancer. CONCLUSIONS TCOF1 depletion potently attenuates the growth and stemness of basal-like TNBC. Expression of TCOF1 may serve as a TNBC prognostic marker and a therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianyang Hu
- Tung Biomedical Sciences Centre, Department of Biomedical Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
- City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yuni Lai
- Tung Biomedical Sciences Centre, Department of Biomedical Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Hao Huang
- Tung Biomedical Sciences Centre, Department of Biomedical Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Saravanan Ramakrishnan
- Tung Biomedical Sciences Centre, Department of Biomedical Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Yilin Pan
- Tung Biomedical Sciences Centre, Department of Biomedical Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Victor W S Ma
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Wah Cheuk
- Department of Pathology, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Grace Y K So
- Department of Pathology, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Qingling He
- Tung Biomedical Sciences Centre, Department of Biomedical Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - C Geoffrey Lau
- Department of Neuroscience, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Liang Zhang
- Tung Biomedical Sciences Centre, Department of Biomedical Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
- City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen, China
| | - William C S Cho
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Kui Ming Chan
- Tung Biomedical Sciences Centre, Department of Biomedical Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
- City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen, China
| | - Xin Wang
- Tung Biomedical Sciences Centre, Department of Biomedical Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
- City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen, China
| | - Y Rebecca Chin
- Tung Biomedical Sciences Centre, Department of Biomedical Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
- City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen, China.
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95
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Saleh L, Wilson C, Holen I. CDK4/6 inhibitors: A potential therapeutic approach for triple negative breast cancer. MedComm (Beijing) 2021; 2:514-530. [PMID: 34977868 PMCID: PMC8706744 DOI: 10.1002/mco2.97] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Revised: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells lack expression of the estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2). Thus, TNBC does not respond to hormone-based therapy. TNBC is also an aggressive subtype associated with poorer prognoses compared to other breast cancers. Conventional chemotherapeutics are used to manage TNBC although systemic relapse is common with limited benefits being reported as well as adverse events being documented. Here, we discuss current therapies for TNBC in the neo- and adjuvant settings, as well as recent advancements in the targeting of PD-L1-positive tumors and inclusion of PARP inhibitors for TNBC patients with BRCA mutations. The recent development of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 inhibitors in ER-positive breast cancers has demonstrated significant improvements in progression free survival in patients. Here, we review preclinical data of CDK 4/6 inhibitors and describe current clinical trials assessing these in TNBC disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lubaid Saleh
- Department of Oncology and MetabolismMedical SchoolUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
| | | | - Ingunn Holen
- Department of Oncology and MetabolismMedical SchoolUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
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96
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Hariprabu KNG, Sathya M, Vimalraj S. CRISPR/Cas9 in cancer therapy: A review with a special focus on tumor angiogenesis. Int J Biol Macromol 2021; 192:913-930. [PMID: 34655593 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.10.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Revised: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Tumor angiogenesis is a critical target for cancer treatment and its inhibition has become a common anticancer approach following chemotherapy. However, due to the simultaneous activation of different compensatory molecular mechanisms that enhance tumor angiogenesis, clinically authorized anti-angiogenic medicines are ineffective. Additionally, medications used to treat cancer have an effect on normal body cells; nonetheless, more research is needed to create new cancer therapeutic techniques. With advances in molecular biology, it is now possible to use gene-editing technology to alter the genome and study the functional changes resulting from genetic manipulation. With the development of CRISPR/Cas9 technology, it has become a very powerful tool for altering the genomes of many organisms. It was determined that CRISPR/Cas9, which first appeared in bacteria as a part of an adaptive immune system, could be used, in modified forms, to alter genomes and function. In conclusion, CRISPR/Cas9 could be a major step forward to cancer management by providing patients with an effective method for dealing with cancers by dissecting the carcinogenesis pathways, identifying new biologic targets, and perhaps arming cancer cells with drugs. Hence, this review will discuss the current applications of CRISPR/Cas9 technology in tumor angiogenesis research for the purpose of cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Muthusamy Sathya
- Centre for Biotechnology, Anna University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Selvaraj Vimalraj
- Centre for Biotechnology, Anna University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
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97
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Reddy J, Fonseca MAS, Corona RI, Nameki R, Segato Dezem F, Klein IA, Chang H, Chaves-Moreira D, Afeyan LK, Malta TM, Lin X, Abbasi F, Font-Tello A, Sabedot T, Cejas P, Rodríguez-Malavé N, Seo JH, Lin DC, Matulonis U, Karlan BY, Gayther SA, Pasaniuc B, Gusev A, Noushmehr H, Long H, Freedman ML, Drapkin R, Young RA, Abraham BJ, Lawrenson K. Predicting master transcription factors from pan-cancer expression data. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:eabf6123. [PMID: 34818047 PMCID: PMC8612691 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abf6123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Critical developmental “master transcription factors” (MTFs) can be subverted during tumorigenesis to control oncogenic transcriptional programs. Current approaches to identifying MTFs rely on ChIP-seq data, which is unavailable for many cancers. We developed the CaCTS (Cancer Core Transcription factor Specificity) algorithm to prioritize candidate MTFs using pan-cancer RNA sequencing data. CaCTS identified candidate MTFs across 34 tumor types and 140 subtypes including predictions for cancer types/subtypes for which MTFs are unknown, including e.g. PAX8, SOX17, and MECOM as candidates in ovarian cancer (OvCa). In OvCa cells, consistent with known MTF properties, these factors are required for viability, lie proximal to superenhancers, co-occupy regulatory elements globally, co-bind loci encoding OvCa biomarkers, and are sensitive to pharmacologic inhibition of transcription. Our predictions of MTFs, especially for tumor types with limited understanding of transcriptional drivers, pave the way to therapeutic targeting of MTFs in a broad spectrum of cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Reddy
- Women’s Cancer Research Program at the Samuel
Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles,
CA, USA
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of
Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA,
USA
| | - Marcos A. S. Fonseca
- Women’s Cancer Research Program at the Samuel
Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles,
CA, USA
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of
Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA,
USA
| | - Rosario I. Corona
- Women’s Cancer Research Program at the Samuel
Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles,
CA, USA
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of
Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA,
USA
- Center for Bioinformatics and Functional Genomics,
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Robbin Nameki
- Women’s Cancer Research Program at the Samuel
Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles,
CA, USA
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of
Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA,
USA
| | - Felipe Segato Dezem
- Women’s Cancer Research Program at the Samuel
Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles,
CA, USA
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of
Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA,
USA
- Center for Bioinformatics and Functional Genomics,
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Isaac A. Klein
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research,
Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Heidi Chang
- Women’s Cancer Research Program at the Samuel
Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles,
CA, USA
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of
Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA,
USA
| | | | - Lena K. Afeyan
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research,
Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Xianzhi Lin
- Women’s Cancer Research Program at the Samuel
Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles,
CA, USA
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of
Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA,
USA
| | - Forough Abbasi
- Women’s Cancer Research Program at the Samuel
Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles,
CA, USA
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of
Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA,
USA
- Center for Bioinformatics and Functional Genomics,
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Alba Font-Tello
- Center for Functional Cancer Epigenetics, Dana-Farber
Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Paloma Cejas
- Center for Functional Cancer Epigenetics, Dana-Farber
Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Norma Rodríguez-Malavé
- Center for Bioinformatics and Functional Genomics,
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Ji-Heui Seo
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Functional Cancer Epigenetics, Dana-Farber
Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - De-Chen Lin
- Department of Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical
Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Ursula Matulonis
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Dana Farber
Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Beth Y. Karlan
- Women’s Cancer Research Program at the Samuel
Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles,
CA, USA
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of
Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA,
USA
- Cancer Population Genetics, Jonsson Comprehensive
Cancer Center, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los
Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Simon A. Gayther
- Center for Bioinformatics and Functional Genomics,
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Bogdan Pasaniuc
- Bioinformatics Interdepartmental Program,
University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School
of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine,
David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los
Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Computational Medicine, David Geffen
School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA,
USA
| | - Alexander Gusev
- Center for Functional Cancer Epigenetics, Dana-Farber
Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- McGraw/Patterson Center for Population Sciences,
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Henry Long
- Center for Functional Cancer Epigenetics, Dana-Farber
Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Matthew L. Freedman
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Functional Cancer Epigenetics, Dana-Farber
Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- The Eli and Edythe L. Broad Institute, Cambridge,
MA, USA
| | - Ronny Drapkin
- Penn Ovarian Cancer Research Center, University of
Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Richard A. Young
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research,
Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Biology, M.I.T., Cambridge, MA,
USA
| | - Brian J. Abraham
- Department of Computational Biology, St. Jude
Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
- Corresponding author.
(B.J.A.);
(K.L.)
| | - Kate Lawrenson
- Women’s Cancer Research Program at the Samuel
Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles,
CA, USA
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of
Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA,
USA
- Center for Bioinformatics and Functional Genomics,
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Corresponding author.
(B.J.A.);
(K.L.)
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98
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Lee WK, Cheng SY. Targeting transcriptional regulators for treatment of anaplastic thyroid cancer. JOURNAL OF CANCER METASTASIS AND TREATMENT 2021; 7. [PMID: 34761120 PMCID: PMC8577520 DOI: 10.20517/2394-4722.2021.58] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Dysregulation of genes perpetuates cancer progression. During carcinogenesis, cancer cells acquire dependency of aberrant transcriptional programs (known as “transcription addiction”) to meet the high demands for uncontrolled proliferation. The needs for particular transcription programs for cancer growth could be cancer-type-selective. The dependencies of certain transcription regulators could be exploited for therapeutic benefits. Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is an extremely aggressive human cancer for which new treatment modalities are urgently needed. Its resistance to conventional treatments and the lack of therapeutic options for improving survival might have been attributed to extensive genetic heterogeneity due to subsequent evolving genetic alterations and clonal selections during carcinogenesis. Despite this genetic complexity, mounting evidence has revealed a characteristic transcriptional addiction of ATC cells resulting in evolving diverse oncogenic signaling for cancer cell survival. The transcriptional addiction has presented a huge challenge for effective targeting as shown by the failure of previous targeted therapies. However, an emerging notion is that many different oncogenic signaling pathways activated by multiple upstream driver mutations might ultimately converge on the transcriptional responses, which would provide an opportunity to target transcriptional regulators for treatment of ATC. Here, we review the current understanding of how genetic alterations in cancer distorted the transcription program, leading to acquisition of transcriptional addiction. We also highlight recent findings from studies aiming to exploit the opportunity for targeting transcription regulators as potential therapeutics for ATC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Woo Kyung Lee
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Sheue-Yann Cheng
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
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99
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Zhou JY, Lu KK, Fu WD, Shi H, Gu JW, Lu YQ, Guo GL. Development of prognostic nomograms using institutional data for patients with triple-negative breast cancer. Future Oncol 2021; 17:5077-5091. [PMID: 34704816 DOI: 10.2217/fon-2021-0677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive disease. Nomograms can predict prognosis of patients with TNBC. Methods: A total of 745 eligible TNBC patients were recruited and randomly divided into training and validation groups. Endpoints were disease-free survival and overall survival. Concordance index, area under the curve and calibration curves were used to analyze the predictive accuracy and discriminative ability of nomograms. Results: Based on the training cohort, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, positive lymph nodes, tumor size and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes were used to construct a nomogram for disease-free survival. In addition, age was added to the overall survival nomogram. Conclusion: The current study developed and validated well-calibrated nomograms for predicting disease-free survival and overall survival in patients with TNBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie-Yu Zhou
- Department of Breast Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325000, China
| | - Kang-Kang Lu
- Department of Breast Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325000, China
| | - Wei-Da Fu
- Department of Breast Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325000, China
| | - Hao Shi
- Department of Oncology, Shaoxing People's Hospital, Shaoxing, Zhejiang 312000, China
| | - Jun-Wei Gu
- Department of Breast Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325000, China
| | - Yi-Qiao Lu
- Department of Breast Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325000, China
| | - Gui-Long Guo
- Department of Breast Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325000, China
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100
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No Need to Stick Together to Be Connected: Multiple Types of Enhancers' Networking. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13205201. [PMID: 34680347 PMCID: PMC8533737 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13205201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2021] [Revised: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Transcription regulation programs require the functional interaction of distal and proximal regulatory regions, interacting by specific 3D chromatin configurations. Enhancers are cis-acting regulatory elements able to promote gene expression regardless their orientation and distance from the transcription starting site. Their systematic mapping by genome-wide chromatin profiling and chromosome conformation analysis, combined with the development of gene-editing approaches to modulate their function, revealed that many enhancers work together to fine-tune the expression of their target genes. This review aim to describe the functions of different types of enhancers and the modalities of enhancers’ interaction, focusing on their role in the regulation of complex biological processes like cancer development. Abstract The control of gene expression at a transcriptional level requires a widespread landscape of regulatory elements. Central to these regulatory circuits are enhancers (ENHs), which are defined as cis-acting DNA elements able to increase the transcription of a target gene in a distance- and orientation-independent manner. ENHs are not independent functional elements but work in a complex and dynamic cooperative network, constituting the building blocks of multimodular domains of gene expression regulation. The information from each of these elements converges on the target promoter, contributing to improving the precision and sharpness of gene modulation. ENHs’ interplay varies in its nature and extent, ranging from an additive to redundant effect depending on contexts. Moving from super-enhancers that drive the high expression levels of identity genes, to shadow-enhancers, whose redundant functions contribute to buffering the variation in gene expression, this review aims to describe the different modalities of ENHs’ interaction and their role in the regulation of complex biological processes like cancer development.
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