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Eldeeb MA. N-Terminal-Dependent Protein Degradation and Targeting Cancer Cells. Anticancer Agents Med Chem 2021; 21:231-236. [PMID: 32814541 DOI: 10.2174/1871520620666200819112632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2020] [Revised: 03/11/2020] [Accepted: 04/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Intracellular protein degradation is mediated selectively by the Ubiquitin-Proteasome System (UPS) and autophagic-lysosomal system in mammalian cells. Many cellular and physiological processes, such as cell division, cell differentiation, and cellular demise, are fine-tuned via the UPS-mediated protein degradation. Notably, impairment of UPS contributes to human disorders, including cancer and neurodegeneration. The proteasome- dependent N-degron pathways mediate the degradation of proteins through their destabilizing aminoterminal residues. Recent advances unveiled that targeting N-degron proteolytic pathways can aid in sensitizing some cancer cells to chemotherapeutic agents. Furthermore, interestingly, exploiting the N-degron feature, the simplest degradation signal in mammals, and fusing it to a ligand specific for Estrogen-Related Receptor alpha (ERRa) has demonstrated its utility in ERRa knockdown, via N-terminal dependent degradation, and also its efficiency in the inhibition of growth of breast cancer cells. These recent advances uncover the therapeutic implications of targeting and exploiting N-degron proteolytic pathways to curb growth and migration of cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed A Eldeeb
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
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Zhu X, Cheng Y, Wu F, Sun H, Zheng W, Jiang W, Shi J, Ma S, Cao H. MFAP2 Promotes the Proliferation of Cancer Cells and Is Associated With a Poor Prognosis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Technol Cancer Res Treat 2020; 19:1533033820977524. [PMID: 33280519 PMCID: PMC7724263 DOI: 10.1177/1533033820977524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Backgrounds: Microfibril-associated protein 2 (MFAP2) is an extracellular matrix protein
that regulates the function of microfibrils by interacting with fibrillin.
MFAP2 has been reported to play an important role in metabolic diseases and
has been shown to be significantly overexpressed in head and neck squamous
cell carcinoma and Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the molecular
function and prognostic value of MFAP2 have never been reported in HCC or
other tumors. Methods: In the present study, expression characteristics of MFAP2 in HCC, its
influence on the development of HCC, as well as its function and potential
mechanism in HCC were verified by Quantitative reverse
transcription-polymerase chain reaction, bioinformatics data mining and in
vitro cell experiments. Results: MFAP2 was prominently high-expressed in HCC and associated with cancer
stages. HCC patients with higher MFAP2 expression displayed lower overall
survival (OS) and disease-specific survival(DSS), while there was no
significant difference in recurrence-free survival (RFS). In vitro
experiments showed that downregulation of MFAP2 inhibited proliferation,
migration level of HCC cells. Transcription factors, DNA methyltransferases,
immune factors may interact with MFAP2 mRNA to promote tumor progression in
HCC. Conclusion: These findings suggest that MFAP2 may play a key role in the development of
HCC. Therefore, MFAP2 may be a valuable prognostic marker and an effective
anticancer target in HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiang Zhu
- Department of General Surgery, The East District of Suzhou Municipal Hospital, The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China.,Department of General Surgery, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Ye Cheng
- Department of General Surgery, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Fan Wu
- Department of General Surgery, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Haoyao Sun
- Department of Radio-Oncology, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Wubin Zheng
- Department of General Surgery, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Wei Jiang
- Department of General Surgery, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Junfeng Shi
- Department of Oncology, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Shijie Ma
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Affiliated Huaian No.1 People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Huaian, Nanjing, People's Republic of China
| | - Hongyong Cao
- Department of General Surgery, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
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Saurabh K, Shah PP, Doll MA, Siskind LJ, Beverly LJ. UBR-box containing protein, UBR5, is over-expressed in human lung adenocarcinoma and is a potential therapeutic target. BMC Cancer 2020; 20:824. [PMID: 32867711 PMCID: PMC7457484 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-020-07322-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background N-end rule ubiquitination pathway is known to be disrupted in many diseases, including cancer. UBR5, an E3 ubiquitin ligase, is mutated and/or overexpressed in human lung cancer cells suggesting its pathological role in cancer. Methods We determined expression of UBR5 protein in multiple lung cancer cell lines and human patient samples. Using immunoprecipitation followed by mass spectrometry we determined the UBR5 interacting proteins. The impact of loss of UBR5 for lung adenocarcinoma cell lines was analyzed using cell viability, clonogenic assays and in vivo xenograft models in nude mice. Additional Western blot analysis was performed to assess the loss of UBR5 on downstream signaling. Statistical analysis was done by one-way ANOVA for in vitro studies and Wilcoxon paired t-test for in vivo tumor volumes. Results We show variability of UBR5 expression levels in lung adenocarcinoma cell lines and in primary human patient samples. To gain better insight into the role that UBR5 may play in lung cancer progression we performed unbiased interactome analyses for UBR5. Data indicate that UBR5 has a wide range of interacting protein partners that are known to be involved in critical cellular processes such as DNA damage, proliferation and cell cycle regulation. We have demonstrated that shRNA-mediated loss of UBR5 decreases cell viability and clonogenic potential of lung adenocarcinoma cell lines. In addition, we found decreased levels of activated AKT signaling after the loss of UBR5 in lung adenocarcinoma cell lines using multiple means of UBR5 knockdown/knockout. Furthermore, we demonstrated that loss of UBR5 in lung adenocarcinoma cells results in significant reduction of tumor volume in nude mice. Conclusions These findings demonstrate that deregulation of the N-end rule ubiquitination pathway plays a crucial role in the etiology of some human cancers, and blocking this pathway via UBR5-specific inhibitors, may represent a unique therapeutic target for human cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kumar Saurabh
- James Graham Brown Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
| | - Parag P Shah
- James Graham Brown Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
| | - Mark A Doll
- James Graham Brown Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA.,Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
| | - Leah J Siskind
- James Graham Brown Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA.,Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
| | - Levi J Beverly
- James Graham Brown Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA. .,Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA. .,Division of Hematology and Oncology, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA.
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