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Chagas PF, Baroni M, Brassesco MS, Tone LG. Interplay between the RNA binding‐protein Musashi and developmental signaling pathways. J Gene Med 2020; 22:e3136. [DOI: 10.1002/jgm.3136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2019] [Revised: 10/19/2019] [Accepted: 10/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Ferreira Chagas
- Department of GeneticsRibeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo Ribeirão Preto São Paulo Brazil
| | - Mirella Baroni
- Department of GeneticsRibeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo Ribeirão Preto São Paulo Brazil
| | - María Sol Brassesco
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters at Ribeirão PretoUniversity of São Paulo Brazil
| | - Luiz Gonzaga Tone
- Department of GeneticsRibeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo Ribeirão Preto São Paulo Brazil
- Department of PediatricsRibeirão Preto Medical School São Paulo
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2
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Mebendazole Potentiates Radiation Therapy in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2018; 103:195-207. [PMID: 30196056 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2018.08.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2018] [Revised: 08/22/2018] [Accepted: 08/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE The lack of a molecular target in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) makes it one of the most challenging breast cancers to treat. Radiation therapy (RT) is an important treatment modality for managing breast cancer; however, we previously showed that RT can also reprogram a fraction of the surviving breast cancer cells into breast cancer-initiating cells (BCICs), which are thought to contribute to disease recurrence. In this study, we characterize mebendazole (MBZ) as a drug with potential to prevent the occurrence of radiation-induced reprogramming and improve the effect of RT in patients with TNBC. METHODS AND MATERIALS A high-throughput screen was used to identify drugs that prevented radiation-induced conversion of TNBC cells into cells with a cancer-initiating phenotype and exhibited significant toxicity toward TNBC cells. MBZ was one of the drug hits that fulfilled these criteria. In additional studies, we used BCIC markers and mammosphere-forming assays to investigate the effect of MBZ on the BCIC population. Staining with propidium iodide, annexin-V, and γ-H2AX was used to determine the effect of MBZ on cell cycle, apoptosis, and double-strand breaks. Finally, the potential for MBZ to enhance the effect of RT in TNBC was evaluated in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS MBZ efficiently depletes the BCIC pool and prevents the ionizing radiation-induced conversion of breast cancer cells into therapy-resistant BCICs. In addition, MBZ arrests cells in the G2/M phase of the cell cycle and causes double-strand breaks and apoptosis. MBZ sensitizes TNBC cells to ionizing radiation in vitro and in vivo, resulting in improved tumor control in a human xenograft model of TNBC. CONCLUSIONS The data presented in this study support the repurposing of MBZ as a combination treatment with RT in patients with TNBC.
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Yang X, Wang H, Jiao B. Mammary gland stem cells and their application in breast cancer. Oncotarget 2018; 8:10675-10691. [PMID: 27793013 PMCID: PMC5354691 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.12893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2016] [Accepted: 10/14/2016] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The mammary gland is an organ comprising two primary lineages, specifically the inner luminal and the outer myoepithelial cell layers. Mammary gland stem cells (MaSCs) are highly dynamic and self-renewing, and can give rise to these mammary gland lineages. The lineages are responsible for gland generation during puberty as well as expansion during pregnancy. In recent years, researchers have focused on understanding how MaSCs are regulated during mammary gland development and transformation of breast cancer. Here, we summarize the identification of MaSCs, and how they are regulated by the signaling transduction pathways, mammary gland microenvironment, and non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). Moreover, we debate the evidence for their serving as the origin of breast cancer, and discuss the therapeutic perspectives of targeting breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs). In conclusion, a better understanding of the key regulators of MaSCs is crucial for the clinical treatment of breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xing Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Hui Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Baowei Jiao
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China
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Wei W, Lewis MT. Identifying and targeting tumor-initiating cells in the treatment of breast cancer. Endocr Relat Cancer 2015; 22:R135-55. [PMID: 25876646 PMCID: PMC4447610 DOI: 10.1530/erc-14-0447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/07/2015] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women (excluding skin cancer), and it is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Although conventional and targeted therapies have improved survival rates, there are still considerable challenges in treating breast cancer, including treatment resistance, disease recurrence, and metastasis. Treatment resistance can be either de novo - because of traits that tumor cells possess before treatment - or acquired - because of traits that tumor cells gain in response to treatment. A recently proposed mechanism of de novo resistance invokes the existence of a specialized subset of cancer cells defined as tumor-initiating cells (TICs), or cancer stem cells (CSCs). TICs have the capacity to self-renew and to generate new tumors that consist entirely of clonally derived cell types present in the parental tumor. There are data to suggest that TICs are resistant to many conventional cancer therapies and that they can survive treatment in spite of dramatic shrinkage of the tumor. Residual TICs can then eventually regrow, which results in disease relapse. It has also been hypothesized that TIC may be responsible for metastatic disease. If these hypotheses are correct, targeting TICs may be imperative for achieving a cure. In the present review, we discuss evidence for breast TICs and their apparent resistance to conventional chemotherapy and radiotherapy as well as to various targeted therapies. We also address the potential impact of breast TIC plasticity and metastatic potential on therapeutic strategies. Finally, we describe several genes and signaling pathways that appear to be important for TIC function and may represent promising therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Wei
- Baylor College of MedicineLester and Sue Smith Breast Center, Houston, Texas, USADepartments of Molecular and Cellular BiologyRadiologyBaylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, BCM600, Room N1210, Houston, Texas 77030, USA Baylor College of MedicineLester and Sue Smith Breast Center, Houston, Texas, USADepartments of Molecular and Cellular BiologyRadiologyBaylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, BCM600, Room N1210, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Michael T Lewis
- Baylor College of MedicineLester and Sue Smith Breast Center, Houston, Texas, USADepartments of Molecular and Cellular BiologyRadiologyBaylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, BCM600, Room N1210, Houston, Texas 77030, USA Baylor College of MedicineLester and Sue Smith Breast Center, Houston, Texas, USADepartments of Molecular and Cellular BiologyRadiologyBaylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, BCM600, Room N1210, Houston, Texas 77030, USA Baylor College of MedicineLester and Sue Smith Breast Center, Houston, Texas, USADepartments of Molecular and Cellular BiologyRadiologyBaylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, BCM600, Room N1210, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
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Liu Z, Li T, Reinhold MI, Naski MC. MEK1-RSK2 contributes to Hedgehog signaling by stabilizing GLI2 transcription factor and inhibiting ubiquitination. Oncogene 2012. [PMID: 23208494 DOI: 10.1038/onc.2012.544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The transcription factor GLI2 has an important role in the transduction of Hedgehog signaling and thereby regulates tumorigenesis in a wide variety of human tumors. However, the mechanisms controlling GLI2 protein expression and stabilization are incompletely understood. In this study, we show that the mitogen-activated protein kinase MEK1 modulates GLI2 both at the mRNA and protein level. Constitutively activated MEK1 prolonged the half-life of GLI2 and increased its nuclear translocation, accompanied by attenuated ubiquitination of GLI2 protein. RSK2, a protein kinase lying downstream of MEK-ERK cascade, mimicked the effect of MEK on GLI2 stabilization. MEK1 and RSK2 failed to augment the half-life of GLI2 lacking GSK-3β phosphorylation sites, indicating that MEK-RSK stabilizes GLI2 by controlling targeting GSK-3β-mediated phosphorylation and ubiquitination of GLI2. The significance of MEK-RSK stabilization was demonstrated in experiments showing that activation of MEK-RSK paralleled higher protein level of GLI2 in several multiple myelomas (MM) cells relative to normal B cells. Moreover, combined treatment with RSK and GLI inhibitors led to an enhanced apoptosis of MM cells. Thus, our results indicate that MEK-RSK cascade positively regulates GLI2 stabilization and represses its degradation via inhibiting GSK-3β-dependent phosphorylation and ubiquitination of GLI2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z Liu
- 1] Department of Pathology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA [2] Department of Lymphoma and Myeloma, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - T Li
- Department of Biology, College of Chemistry and Life Sciences, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
| | - M I Reinhold
- 1] Department of Pathology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA [2] Department of Physician Assistant Studies, Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
| | - M C Naski
- 1] Department of Pathology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA [2] Department of Pathology, St Mary's Health Care, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
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Barakat MT, Humke EW, Scott MP. Learning from Jekyll to control Hyde: Hedgehog signaling in development and cancer. Trends Mol Med 2010; 16:337-48. [PMID: 20696410 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmed.2010.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 170] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2010] [Revised: 05/13/2010] [Accepted: 05/17/2010] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The Hedgehog (Hh) cascade controls cell proliferation, differentiation and patterning of tissues during embryogenesis but is largely suppressed in the adult. The Hh pathway can become reactivated in cancer. Here, we assimilate data from recent studies to understand how and when the Hh pathway is turned on to aid the neoplastic process. Hh signaling is now known to have a role in established tumors, enabling categorization of tumors based on the role Hh signaling plays in their growth. This categorization has relevance for prognosis and targeted therapeutics. In the first category, abnormal Hh signaling initiates the tumor. In the second category, Hh signaling helps maintain the tumor. In the third category, Hh signaling is implicated but its role is not yet defined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monique T Barakat
- Department of Developmental Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Clark Center West W252, 318 Campus Drive, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305-5439, USA
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Chen M, Feuerstein MA, Levina E, Baghel PS, Carkner RD, Tanner MJ, Shtutman M, Vacherot F, Terry S, de la Taille A, Buttyan R. Hedgehog/Gli supports androgen signaling in androgen deprived and androgen independent prostate cancer cells. Mol Cancer 2010; 9:89. [PMID: 20420697 PMCID: PMC2873440 DOI: 10.1186/1476-4598-9-89] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2010] [Accepted: 04/26/2010] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) develops as a consequence of hormone therapies used to deplete androgens in advanced prostate cancer patients. CRPC cells are able to grow in a low androgen environment and this is associated with anomalous activity of their endogenous androgen receptor (AR) despite the low systemic androgen levels in the patients. Therefore, the reactivated tumor cell androgen signaling pathway is thought to provide a target for control of CRPC. Previously, we reported that Hedgehog (Hh) signaling was conditionally activated by androgen deprivation in androgen sensitive prostate cancer cells and here we studied the potential for cross-talk between Hh and androgen signaling activities in androgen deprived and androgen independent (AI) prostate cancer cells. Results Treatment of a variety of androgen-deprived or AI prostate cancer cells with the Hh inhibitor, cyclopamine, resulted in dose-dependent modulation of the expression of genes that are regulated by androgen. The effect of cyclopamine on endogenous androgen-regulated gene expression in androgen deprived and AI prostate cancer cells was consistent with the suppressive effects of cyclopamine on the expression of a reporter gene (luciferase) from two different androgen-dependent promoters. Similarly, reduction of smoothened (Smo) expression with siRNA co-suppressed expression of androgen-inducible KLK2 and KLK3 in androgen deprived cells without affecting the expression of androgen receptor (AR) mRNA or protein. Cyclopamine also prevented the outgrowth of AI cells from androgen growth-dependent parental LNCaP cells and suppressed the growth of an overt AI-LNCaP variant whereas supplemental androgen (R1881) restored growth to the AI cells in the presence of cyclopamine. Conversely, overexpression of Gli1 or Gli2 in LNCaP cells enhanced AR-specific gene expression in the absence of androgen. Overexpressed Gli1/Gli2 also enabled parental LNCaP cells to grow in androgen depleted medium. AR protein co-immunoprecipitates with Gli2 protein from transfected 293T cell lysates. Conclusions Collectively, our results indicate that Hh/Gli signaling supports androgen signaling and AI growth in prostate cancer cells in a low androgen environment. The finding that Gli2 co-immunoprecipitates with AR protein suggests that an interaction between these proteins might be the basis for Hedgehog/Gli support of androgen signaling under this condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengqian Chen
- The Ordway Research Institute, Albany, New York, USA
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Moraes RC, Chang H, Harrington N, Landua JD, Prigge JT, Lane TF, Wainwright BJ, Hamel PA, Lewis MT. Ptch1 is required locally for mammary gland morphogenesis and systemically for ductal elongation. Development 2009; 136:1423-32. [PMID: 19297414 DOI: 10.1242/dev.023994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Systemic hormones and local growth factor-mediated tissue interactions are essential for mammary gland development. Using phenotypic and transplantation analyses of mice carrying the mesenchymal dysplasia (mes) allele of patched 1 (Ptch1(mes)), we found that Ptch1(mes) homozygosity led to either complete failure of gland development, failure of post-pubertal ductal elongation, or delayed growth with ductal dysplasia. All ductal phenotypes could be present in the same animal. Whole gland and epithelial fragment transplantation each yielded unique morphological defects indicating both epithelial and stromal functions for Ptch1. However, ductal elongation was rescued in all cases, suggesting an additional systemic function. Epithelial function was confirmed using a conditional null Ptch1 allele via MMTV-Cre-mediated disruption. In Ptch1(mes) homozygotes, failure of ductal elongation correlated with diminished estrogen and progesterone receptor expression, but could not be rescued by exogenous ovarian hormone treatment. By contrast, pituitary isografts were able to rescue the ductal elongation phenotype. Thus, Ptch1 functions in the mammary epithelium and stroma to regulate ductal morphogenesis, and in the pituitary to regulate ductal elongation and ovarian hormone responsiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo C Moraes
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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10
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Abstract
The Hedgehog pathway is critical for many developmental processes, including the formation of several epidermal appendages. In the mammary gland strict regulation of the Hedgehog pathway is required for normal development. Alterations in Hedgehog signaling result in defects in both the embryonic and postnatal mammary gland. Activation of Hedgehog signaling either by mutation or misexpression of pathway members can lead to the development and/or progression of cancers in multiple organs. This review addresses the current understanding and controversies of Hedgehog signaling in mammary gland development and its potential role in promoting breast carcinogenesis and cancer progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Hatsell
- Department of Cell Biology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
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Moraes RC, Zhang X, Harrington N, Fung JY, Wu MF, Hilsenbeck SG, Allred DC, Lewis MT. Constitutive activation of smoothened (SMO) in mammary glands of transgenic mice leads to increased proliferation, altered differentiation and ductal dysplasia. Development 2007; 134:1231-42. [PMID: 17287253 DOI: 10.1242/dev.02797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 146] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The hedgehog signaling network regulates pattern formation, proliferation, cell fate and stem/progenitor cell self-renewal in many organs. Altered hedgehog signaling is implicated in 20-25% of all cancers, including breast cancer. We demonstrated previously that heterozygous disruption of the gene encoding the patched-1 (PTCH1) hedgehog receptor, a negative regulator of smoothened (Smo) in the absence of ligand, led to mammary ductal dysplasia in virgin mice. We now show that expression of activated human SMO (SmoM2) under the mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) promoter in transgenic mice leads to increased proliferation, altered differentiation, and ductal dysplasias distinct from those caused by Ptch1 heterozygosity. SMO activation also increased the mammosphere-forming efficiency of primary mammary epithelial cells. However, limiting-dilution transplantation showed a decrease in the frequency of regenerative stem cells in MMTV-SmoM2 epithelium relative to wild type, suggesting enhanced mammosphere-forming efficiency was due to increased survival or activity of division-competent cell types under anchorage-independent growth conditions, rather than an increase in the proportion of regenerative stem cells per se. In human clinical samples, altered hedgehog signaling occurs early in breast cancer development, with PTCH1 expression reduced in approximately 50% of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and invasive breast cancers (IBC). Conversely, SMO is ectopically expressed in 70% of DCIS and 30% of IBC. Surprisingly, in both human tumors and MMTV-SmoM2 mice, SMO rarely colocalized with the Ki67 proliferation marker. Our data suggest that altered hedgehog signaling may contribute to breast cancer development by stimulating proliferation, and by increasing the pool of division-competent cells capable of anchorage-independent growth.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Apoptosis
- Caspase 3/metabolism
- Cell Differentiation
- Cell Proliferation
- Cell Transformation, Neoplastic/genetics
- Cell Transformation, Neoplastic/metabolism
- Cell Transformation, Neoplastic/pathology
- Fibrocystic Breast Disease/etiology
- Fibrocystic Breast Disease/genetics
- Fibrocystic Breast Disease/pathology
- Hedgehog Proteins/metabolism
- Humans
- Ki-67 Antigen/analysis
- Ki-67 Antigen/metabolism
- Mammary Glands, Animal/chemistry
- Mammary Glands, Animal/metabolism
- Mammary Glands, Animal/pathology
- Mammary Tumor Virus, Mouse/genetics
- Mice
- Mice, Transgenic
- Patched Receptors
- Patched-1 Receptor
- Promoter Regions, Genetic
- Receptors, Cell Surface/genetics
- Receptors, Cell Surface/metabolism
- Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled/analysis
- Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled/genetics
- Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled/metabolism
- Smoothened Receptor
- Transgenes
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo C Moraes
- Baylor Breast Center and Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Room N1210; MS:BCM600, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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