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Soosainathan A, Iravani M, El-Botty R, Alexander J, Sourd L, Morisset L, Painsec P, Orha R, Nikitorowicz-Buniak J, Pancholi S, Haider S, Dowsett M, Marangoni E, Martin LA, Isacke CM. Targeting Transcriptional Regulation with a CDK9 Inhibitor Suppresses Growth of Endocrine- and Palbociclib-Resistant ER+ Breast Cancers. Cancer Res 2024; 84:17-25. [PMID: 37801608 PMCID: PMC10758688 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-23-0650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Revised: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/08/2023]
Abstract
The combination of endocrine therapy and CDK4/6 inhibitors such as palbociclib is an effective and well-tolerated treatment for estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer, yet many patients relapse with therapy-resistant disease. Determining the mechanisms underlying endocrine therapy resistance is limited by the lack of ability to fully recapitulate inter- and intratumor heterogeneity in vitro and of availability of tumor samples from women with disease progression or relapse. In this study, multiple cell line models of resistant disease were used for both two-dimensional (2D)- and three-dimensional (3D)-based inhibitor screening. The screens confirmed the previously reported role of pro-proliferative pathways, such as PI3K-AKT-mTOR, in endocrine therapy resistance and additionally identified the transcription-associated cyclin-dependent kinase CDK9 as a common hit in ER+ cell lines and patient-derived organoids modeling endocrine therapy-resistant disease in both the palbociclib-sensitive and palbociclib-resistant settings. The CDK9 inhibitor, AZD4573, currently in clinical trials for hematologic malignancies, acted synergistically with palbociclib in these ER+in vitro 2D and 3D models. In addition, in two independent endocrine- and palbociclib-resistance patient-derived xenografts, treatment with AZD4573 in combination with palbociclib and fulvestrant resulted in tumor regression. Tumor transcriptional profiling identified a set of transcriptional and cell-cycle regulators differentially downregulated only in combination-treated tumors. Together, these findings identify a clinically tractable combination strategy for overcoming resistance to endocrine therapy and CDK4/6 inhibitors in breast cancer and provide insight into the potential mechanism of drug efficacy in targeting treatment-resistant disease. SIGNIFICANCE Targeting transcription-associated CDK9 synergizes with CDK4/6 inhibitor to drive tumor regression in multiple models of endocrine- and palbociclib-resistant ER+ breast cancer, which could address the challenge of overcoming resistance in patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arany Soosainathan
- The Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom
| | - Marjan Iravani
- The Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom
| | - Rania El-Botty
- Translational Research Department, Institut Curie, Paris, France
| | - John Alexander
- The Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom
| | - Laura Sourd
- Translational Research Department, Institut Curie, Paris, France
| | | | - Pierre Painsec
- Translational Research Department, Institut Curie, Paris, France
| | - Rebecca Orha
- The Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom
| | - Joanna Nikitorowicz-Buniak
- The Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sunil Pancholi
- The Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom
| | - Syed Haider
- The Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom
| | - Mitch Dowsett
- The Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom
- Ralph Lauren Centre for Breast Cancer Research, Royal Marsden Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Lesley-Ann Martin
- The Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom
| | - Clare M. Isacke
- The Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom
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2
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Brett JO, Dubash TD, Johnson GN, Niemierko A, Mariotti V, Kim LS, Xi J, Pandey A, Dunne S, Nasrazadani A, Lloyd MR, Kambadakone A, Spring LM, Micalizzi DS, Onozato ML, Che D, Nayar U, Brufsky A, Kalinsky K, Ma CX, O'Shaughnessy J, Han HS, Iafrate AJ, Ryan LY, Juric D, Moy B, Ellisen LW, Maheswaran S, Wagle N, Haber DA, Bardia A, Wander SA. A Gene Panel Associated With Abemaciclib Utility in ESR1-Mutated Breast Cancer After Prior Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 4/6-Inhibitor Progression. JCO Precis Oncol 2023; 7:e2200532. [PMID: 37141550 PMCID: PMC10530719 DOI: 10.1200/po.22.00532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Revised: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE For patients with hormone receptor-positive (HR+), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HER2-) metastatic breast cancer (MBC), first-line treatment is endocrine therapy (ET) plus cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibition (CDK4/6i). After disease progression, which often comes with ESR1 resistance mutations (ESR1-MUT), which therapies to use next and for which patients are open questions. An active area of exploration is treatment with further CDK4/6i, particularly abemaciclib, which has distinct pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties compared with the other approved CDK4/6 inhibitors, palbociclib and ribociclib. We investigated a gene panel to prognosticate abemaciclib susceptibility in patients with ESR1-MUT MBC after palbociclib progression. METHODS We examined a multicenter retrospective cohort of patients with ESR1-MUT MBC who received abemaciclib after disease progression on ET plus palbociclib. We generated a panel of CDK4/6i resistance genes and compared abemaciclib progression-free survival (PFS) in patients without versus with mutations in this panel (CDKi-R[-] v CDKi-R[+]). We studied how ESR1-MUT and CDKi-R mutations affect abemaciclib sensitivity of immortalized breast cancer cells and patient-derived circulating tumor cell lines in culture. RESULTS In ESR1-MUT MBC with disease progression on ET plus palbociclib, the median PFS was 7.0 months for CDKi-R(-) (n = 17) versus 3.5 months for CDKi-R(+) (n = 11), with a hazard ratio of 2.8 (P = .03). In vitro, CDKi-R alterations but not ESR1-MUT induced abemaciclib resistance in immortalized breast cancer cells and were associated with resistance in circulating tumor cells. CONCLUSION For ESR1-MUT MBC with resistance to ET and palbociclib, PFS on abemaciclib is longer for patients with CDKi-R(-) than CDKi-R(+). Although a small and retrospective data set, this is the first demonstration of a genomic panel associated with abemaciclib sensitivity in the postpalbociclib setting. Future directions include testing and improving this panel in additional data sets, to guide therapy selection for patients with HR+/HER2- MBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie O. Brett
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Taronish D. Dubash
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | | | - Andrzej Niemierko
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | | | - Leslie S.L. Kim
- Baylor University Medical Center Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center, Texas Oncology, Dallas, TX
| | - Jing Xi
- Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO
| | - Apurva Pandey
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Siobhan Dunne
- Baylor University Medical Center Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center, Texas Oncology, Dallas, TX
| | - Azadeh Nasrazadani
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA
- Department of Breast Medical Oncology, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Maxwell R. Lloyd
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA
| | - Avinash Kambadakone
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Laura M. Spring
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Douglas S. Micalizzi
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Maristela L. Onozato
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Dante Che
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Utthara Nayar
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Adam Brufsky
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Kevin Kalinsky
- Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY
- Emory University Winship Cancer Institute, Atlanta, GA
| | - Cynthia X. Ma
- Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO
| | - Joyce O'Shaughnessy
- Baylor University Medical Center Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center, Texas Oncology, Dallas, TX
| | | | - Anthony J. Iafrate
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Lianne Y. Ryan
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Dejan Juric
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Beverly Moy
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Leif W. Ellisen
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Shyamala Maheswaran
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Nikhil Wagle
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Daniel A. Haber
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD
| | - Aditya Bardia
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Seth A. Wander
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
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3
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Yuan Q, Su K, Li S, Long X, Liu L, Sun J, Yuan X, Yang M, Tian R, Zhang W, Deng Z, Li Q, Ke C, He Y, Cheng C, Yuan J, Wen Z, Zhou W, Yuan Z. Selective CDK9 knockdown sensitizes TRAIL response by suppression of antiapoptotic factors and NF-kappaB pathway. Apoptosis 2023:10.1007/s10495-023-01842-4. [PMID: 37060507 DOI: 10.1007/s10495-023-01842-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/01/2023] [Indexed: 04/16/2023]
Abstract
The aberrantly up-regulated CDK9 can be targeted for cancer therapy. The CDK inhibitor dinaciclib (Dina) has been found to drastically sensitizes cancer response to TRAIL-expressing extracellular vesicle (EV-T). However, the low selectivity of Dina has limited its application for cancer. We propose that CDK9-targeted siRNA (siCDK9) may be a good alternative to Dina. The siCDK9 molecules were encapsulated into EV-Ts to prepare a complexed nanodrug (siEV-T). It was shown to efficiently suppress CDK9 expression and overcome TRAIL resistance to induce strikingly augmented apoptosis in lung cancer both in vitro and in vivo, with a mechanism related to suppression of both anti-apoptotic factors and nuclear factor-kappa B pathway. Therefore, siEV-T potentially constitutes a novel, highly effective and safe therapy for cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Yuan
- School of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China
| | - Kui Su
- School of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China
| | - Shuyi Li
- School of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China
| | - Xinyi Long
- School of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China
| | - Lang Liu
- School of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China
| | - Jianwu Sun
- School of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China
| | - Xin Yuan
- School of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China
| | - Minghui Yang
- School of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China
| | - Rui Tian
- School of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China
| | - Wanting Zhang
- School of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhujie Deng
- School of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China
| | - Quanjiang Li
- School of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China
| | - Changhong Ke
- School of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China
| | - Yue He
- Jinhang Bio-Science and Biotechnology Co. Ltd, Guangzhou, 510630, People's Republic of China
| | - Chunming Cheng
- Jinhang Bio-Science and Biotechnology Co. Ltd, Guangzhou, 510630, People's Republic of China
| | - Jingna Yuan
- Jinhang Bio-Science and Biotechnology Co. Ltd, Guangzhou, 510630, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhuohao Wen
- Jinhang Bio-Science and Biotechnology Co. Ltd, Guangzhou, 510630, People's Republic of China
| | - Wei Zhou
- School of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China.
| | - Zhengqiang Yuan
- School of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China.
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4
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Wu X, Xie Y, Zhao K, Lu J. Targeting the super elongation complex for oncogenic transcription driven tumor malignancies: Progress in structure, mechanisms and small molecular inhibitor discovery. Adv Cancer Res 2023; 158:387-421. [PMID: 36990537 DOI: 10.1016/bs.acr.2022.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Oncogenic transcription activation is associated with tumor development and resistance derived from chemotherapy or target therapy. The super elongation complex (SEC) is an important complex regulating gene transcription and expression in metazoans closely related to physiological activities. In normal transcriptional regulation, SEC can trigger promoter escape, limit proteolytic degradation of transcription elongation factors and increase the synthesis of RNA polymerase II (POL II), and regulate many normal human genes to stimulate RNA elongation. Dysregulation of SEC accompanied by multiple transcription factors in cancer promotes rapid transcription of oncogenes and induce cancer development. In this review, we summarized recent progress in understanding the mechanisms of SEC in regulating normal transcription, and importantly its roles in cancer development. We also highlighted the discovery of SEC complex target related inhibitors and their potential applications in cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyu Wu
- 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, China; Drug Discovery and Design Center, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Yanqiu Xie
- 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, China; Drug Discovery and Design Center, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 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, China.
| | - Jing Lu
- 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, China.
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5
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Kato N, Kozako T, Ohsugi T, Uchida Y, Yoshimitsu M, Ishitsuka K, Aikawa A, Honda SI. CDK9 Inhibitor Induces Apoptosis, Autophagy, and Suppression of Tumor Growth in Adult T-Cell Leukemia/Lymphoma. Biol Pharm Bull 2023; 46:1269-1276. [PMID: 37661406 DOI: 10.1248/bpb.b23-00228] [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] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) is a hematopoietic malignancy with a poor prognosis that develops in approximately 5% of human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) carriers. Cyclin-dependent kinase 9 (CDK9), together with Cyclin T, forms a transcription elongation factor, positive transcription elongation factor b (P-TEFb). P-TEFb promotes transcriptional elongation by phosphorylating the second serine (Ser2) of the seven amino acid repeat sequence in the C-terminal domain of RNA polymerase II (RNAP II). CDK9 inhibitors suppress cell proliferation by inducing apoptosis in chronic lymphocytic leukemia and breast cancer but there are no reports on autophagy of CDK9 inhibitors. Here, we investigated the effect of LY2857785, a novel CDK9 selective inhibitor, on cell death in ATL-related cell lines in vitro, freshly isolated cells from ATL patients ex vivo, and on ATL tumor xenografts in NOD/SCID mice in vivo. LY2857785 significantly reduced cell viability and induced apoptosis, as shown by annexin V-positive cells, cleaved poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), and cleaved caspase-3, and suppressed the levels of anti-apoptotic protein myeloid cell leukemia-1 (MCL-1). LY2857785 decreased RNAP II Ser2 phosphorylation and downstream c-Myc protein levels. Interestingly, LY2857785 also increased microtubule-associated proteins 1A/1B light chain 3B (LC3)-II binding to autophagosome membranes. Furthermore, LY2857785 decreased the viability of freshly isolated ATL cells and induced apoptosis. Finally, LY2857785 significantly decreased the growth of ATL tumor xenografts. These results suggest that LY2857785 induces cell death of ATL cells by MCL-1-dependent apoptosis and autophagy and has anti-tumor activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naho Kato
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Fukuoka University
| | - Tomohiro Kozako
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Fukuoka University
| | - Takeo Ohsugi
- Department of Laboratory Animal Science, School of Veterinary Medicine, Rakuno Gakuen University
| | - Yuichiro Uchida
- Department of Hematology and Rheumatology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima University
| | - Makoto Yoshimitsu
- Department of Hematology and Rheumatology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima University
- Department of Hematology and Rheumatology, Kagoshima University Hospital
| | - Kenji Ishitsuka
- Department of Hematology and Rheumatology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima University
- Department of Hematology and Rheumatology, Kagoshima University Hospital
| | - Akiyoshi Aikawa
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Fukuoka University
| | - Shin-Ichiro Honda
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Fukuoka University
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6
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Andrade de Oliveira K, Sengupta S, Yadav AK, Clarke R. The complex nature of heterogeneity and its roles in breast cancer biology and therapeutic responsiveness. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2023; 14:1083048. [PMID: 36909339 PMCID: PMC9997040 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1083048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Heterogeneity is a complex feature of cells and tissues with many interacting components. Depending on the nature of the research context, interacting features of cellular, drug response, genetic, molecular, spatial, temporal, and vascular heterogeneity may be present. We describe the various forms of heterogeneity with examples of their interactions and how they play a role in affecting cellular phenotype and drug responses in breast cancer. While cellular heterogeneity may be the most widely described and invoked, many forms of heterogeneity are evident within the tumor microenvironment and affect responses to the endocrine and cytotoxic drugs widely used in standard clinical care. Drug response heterogeneity is a critical determinant of clinical response and curative potential and also is multifaceted when encountered. The interactive nature of some forms of heterogeneity is readily apparent. For example, the process of metastasis has the properties of both temporal and spatial heterogeneity within the host, whereas each individual metastatic deposit may exhibit cellular, genetic, molecular, and vascular heterogeneity. This review describes the many forms of heterogeneity, their integrated activities, and offers some insights into how heterogeneity may be understood and studied in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karla Andrade de Oliveira
- The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, Austin, MN, United States
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Universidade Federal do Piaui, Piauí, Brazil
| | - Surojeet Sengupta
- The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, Austin, MN, United States
| | - Anil Kumar Yadav
- The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, Austin, MN, United States
| | - Robert Clarke
- The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, Austin, MN, United States
- *Correspondence: Robert Clarke,
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7
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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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8
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The crosstalk of the human microbiome in breast and colon cancer: A metabolomics analysis. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol 2022; 176:103757. [PMID: 35809795 DOI: 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2022.103757] [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: 05/27/2022] [Revised: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The human microbiome's role in colon and breast cancer is described in this review. Understanding how the human microbiome and metabolomics interact with breast and colon cancer is the chief area of this study. First, the role of the gut and distal microbiome in breast and colon cancer is investigated, and the direct relationship between microbial dysbiosis and breast and colon cancer is highlighted. This work also focuses on the many metabolomic techniques used to locate prospective biomarkers, make an accurate diagnosis, and research new therapeutic targets for cancer treatment. This review clarifies the influence of anti-tumor medications on the microbiota and the proactive measures that can be taken to treat cancer using a variety of therapies, including radiotherapy, chemotherapy, next-generation biotherapeutics, gene-based therapy, integrated omics technology, and machine learning.
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9
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Thiel JT, Daigeler A, Kolbenschlag J, Rachunek K, Hoffmann S. The Role of CDK Pathway Dysregulation and Its Therapeutic Potential in Soft Tissue Sarcoma. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:3380. [PMID: 35884441 PMCID: PMC9323700 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14143380] [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: 05/17/2022] [Revised: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/09/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Soft tissue sarcomas (STSs) are tumors that are challenging to treat due to their pathologic and molecular heterogeneity and their tumor biology that is not yet fully understood. Recent research indicates that dysregulation of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) signaling pathways can be a strong driver of sarcogenesis. CDKs are enzyme forms that play a crucial role in cell-cycle control and transcription. They belong to the protein kinases group and to the serine/threonine kinases subgroup. Recently identified CDK/cyclin complexes and established CDK/cyclin complexes that regulate the cell cycle are involved in the regulation of gene expression through phosphorylation of critical components of transcription and pre-mRNA processing mechanisms. The current and continually growing body of data shows that CDKs play a decisive role in tumor development and are involved in the proliferation and growth of sarcoma cells. Since the abnormal expression or activation of large numbers of CDKs is considered to be characteristic of cancer development and progression, dysregulation of the CDK signaling pathways occurs in many subtypes of STSs. This review discusses how reversal and regulation can be achieved with new therapeutics and summarizes the current evidence from studies regarding CDK modulation for STS treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Tobias Thiel
- Department of Hand, Plastic, Reconstructive and Burn Surgery, BG Unfallklinik Tuebingen, University of Tuebingen, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany; (A.D.); (J.K.); (K.R.); (S.H.)
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10
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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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11
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Fan P, Jordan VC. Estrogen Receptor and the Unfolded Protein Response: Double-Edged Swords in Therapy for Estrogen Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer. Target Oncol 2022; 17:111-124. [PMID: 35290592 PMCID: PMC9007905 DOI: 10.1007/s11523-022-00870-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Estrogen receptor α (ERα) is a target for the treatment of ER-positive breast cancer patients. Paradoxically, it is also the initial site for estrogen (E2) to induce apoptosis in endocrine-resistant breast cancer. How ERα exhibits distinct functions, in different contexts, is the focus of numerous investigations. Compelling evidence demonstrated that unfolded protein response (UPR) is closely correlated with ER-positive breast cancer. Treatment with antiestrogens initially induces mild UPR through ERα with activation of three sensors of UPR-PRK-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK), inositol-requiring enzyme 1α (IRE1α), and activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6)-in the endoplasmic reticulum. Subsequently, these sensors interact with stress-associated transcription factors such as c-MYC, nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), and hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF1α), leading to acquired endocrine resistance. Paradoxically, E2 further activates sustained secondary UPR via ERα to induce apoptosis in endocrine-resistant breast cancer. Specifically, PERK plays a key role in inducing apoptosis, whereas IRE1α and ATF6 are involved in endoplasmic reticulum stress-associated degradation after E2 treatment. Furthermore, persistent activation of PERK deteriorates stress responses in mitochondria and triggers of NF-κB/tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) axis, ultimately determining cell fate to apoptosis. The discovery of E2-induced apoptosis has clinical relevance for treatment of endocrine-resistant breast cancer. All of these findings demonstrate that ERα and associated UPR are double-edged swords in therapy for ER-positive breast cancer, depending on the duration and intensity of UPR stress. Herein, we address the mechanistic progress on how UPR leads to endocrine resistance and commits E2 to inducing apoptosis in endocrine-resistant breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Fan
- Department of Breast Medical Oncology, Unit 1354, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, Texas, TX 77030, USA
| | - V Craig Jordan
- Department of Breast Medical Oncology, Unit 1354, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, Texas, TX 77030, USA.
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12
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Corchado-Cobos R, García-Sancha N, Mendiburu-Eliçabe M, Gómez-Vecino A, Jiménez-Navas A, Pérez-Baena MJ, Holgado-Madruga M, Mao JH, Cañueto J, Castillo-Lluva S, Pérez-Losada J. Pathophysiological Integration of Metabolic Reprogramming in Breast Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14020322. [PMID: 35053485 PMCID: PMC8773662 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14020322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2021] [Revised: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Tumors exhibit metabolic changes that differentiate them from the normal tissues from which they derive. These metabolic changes favor tumor growth, are primarily induced by cancer cells, and produce metabolic and functional changes in the surrounding stromal cells. There is a close functional connection between the metabolic changes in tumor cells and those that appear in the surrounding stroma. A better understanding of intratumoral metabolic interactions may help identify new vulnerabilities that will facilitate new, more individualized treatment strategies against cancer. We review the metabolic changes described in tumor and stromal cells and their functional changes and then consider, in depth, the metabolic interactions between the cells of the two compartments. Although these changes are generic, we illustrate them mainly with reference to examples in breast cancer. Abstract Metabolic changes that facilitate tumor growth are one of the hallmarks of cancer. The triggers of these metabolic changes are located in the tumor parenchymal cells, where oncogenic mutations induce an imperative need to proliferate and cause tumor initiation and progression. Cancer cells undergo significant metabolic reorganization during disease progression that is tailored to their energy demands and fluctuating environmental conditions. Oxidative stress plays an essential role as a trigger under such conditions. These metabolic changes are the consequence of the interaction between tumor cells and stromal myofibroblasts. The metabolic changes in tumor cells include protein anabolism and the synthesis of cell membranes and nucleic acids, which all facilitate cell proliferation. They are linked to catabolism and autophagy in stromal myofibroblasts, causing the release of nutrients for the cells of the tumor parenchyma. Metabolic changes lead to an interstitium deficient in nutrients, such as glucose and amino acids, and acidification by lactic acid. Together with hypoxia, they produce functional changes in other cells of the tumor stroma, such as many immune subpopulations and endothelial cells, which lead to tumor growth. Thus, immune cells favor tissue growth through changes in immunosuppression. This review considers some of the metabolic changes described in breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Corchado-Cobos
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular del Cáncer (IBMCC-CIC), Universidad de Salamanca/CSIC, 37007 Salamanca, Spain; (R.C.-C.); (N.G.-S.); (M.M.-E.); (A.G.-V.); (A.J.-N.); (M.J.P.-B.); (J.C.)
- Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria de Salamanca (IBSAL), 37007 Salamanca, Spain;
| | - Natalia García-Sancha
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular del Cáncer (IBMCC-CIC), Universidad de Salamanca/CSIC, 37007 Salamanca, Spain; (R.C.-C.); (N.G.-S.); (M.M.-E.); (A.G.-V.); (A.J.-N.); (M.J.P.-B.); (J.C.)
- Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria de Salamanca (IBSAL), 37007 Salamanca, Spain;
| | - Marina Mendiburu-Eliçabe
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular del Cáncer (IBMCC-CIC), Universidad de Salamanca/CSIC, 37007 Salamanca, Spain; (R.C.-C.); (N.G.-S.); (M.M.-E.); (A.G.-V.); (A.J.-N.); (M.J.P.-B.); (J.C.)
- Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria de Salamanca (IBSAL), 37007 Salamanca, Spain;
| | - Aurora Gómez-Vecino
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular del Cáncer (IBMCC-CIC), Universidad de Salamanca/CSIC, 37007 Salamanca, Spain; (R.C.-C.); (N.G.-S.); (M.M.-E.); (A.G.-V.); (A.J.-N.); (M.J.P.-B.); (J.C.)
- Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria de Salamanca (IBSAL), 37007 Salamanca, Spain;
| | - Alejandro Jiménez-Navas
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular del Cáncer (IBMCC-CIC), Universidad de Salamanca/CSIC, 37007 Salamanca, Spain; (R.C.-C.); (N.G.-S.); (M.M.-E.); (A.G.-V.); (A.J.-N.); (M.J.P.-B.); (J.C.)
- Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria de Salamanca (IBSAL), 37007 Salamanca, Spain;
| | - Manuel Jesús Pérez-Baena
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular del Cáncer (IBMCC-CIC), Universidad de Salamanca/CSIC, 37007 Salamanca, Spain; (R.C.-C.); (N.G.-S.); (M.M.-E.); (A.G.-V.); (A.J.-N.); (M.J.P.-B.); (J.C.)
- Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria de Salamanca (IBSAL), 37007 Salamanca, Spain;
| | - Marina Holgado-Madruga
- Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria de Salamanca (IBSAL), 37007 Salamanca, Spain;
- Departamento de Fisiología y Farmacología, Universidad de Salamanca, 37007 Salamanca, Spain
- Instituto de Neurociencias de Castilla y León (INCyL), Universidad de Salamanca, 37007 Salamanca, Spain
| | - Jian-Hua Mao
- Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA;
- Berkeley Biomedical Data Science Center, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Javier Cañueto
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular del Cáncer (IBMCC-CIC), Universidad de Salamanca/CSIC, 37007 Salamanca, Spain; (R.C.-C.); (N.G.-S.); (M.M.-E.); (A.G.-V.); (A.J.-N.); (M.J.P.-B.); (J.C.)
- Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria de Salamanca (IBSAL), 37007 Salamanca, Spain;
- Departamento de Dermatología, Hospital Universitario de Salamanca, Paseo de San Vicente 58-182, 37007 Salamanca, Spain
- Complejo Asistencial Universitario de Salamanca, 37007 Salamanca, Spain
| | - Sonia Castillo-Lluva
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigaciones Sanitarias San Carlos (IdISSC), 28040 Madrid, Spain
- Correspondence: (S.C.-L.); (J.P-L.)
| | - Jesús Pérez-Losada
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular del Cáncer (IBMCC-CIC), Universidad de Salamanca/CSIC, 37007 Salamanca, Spain; (R.C.-C.); (N.G.-S.); (M.M.-E.); (A.G.-V.); (A.J.-N.); (M.J.P.-B.); (J.C.)
- Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria de Salamanca (IBSAL), 37007 Salamanca, Spain;
- Correspondence: (S.C.-L.); (J.P-L.)
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Fairlie WD, Lee EF. Targeting the BCL-2-regulated apoptotic pathway for the treatment of solid cancers. Biochem Soc Trans 2021; 49:2397-2410. [PMID: 34581776 PMCID: PMC8589438 DOI: 10.1042/bst20210750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2021] [Revised: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The deregulation of apoptosis is a key contributor to tumourigenesis as it can lead to the unwanted survival of rogue cells. Drugs known as the BH3-mimetics targeting the pro-survival members of the BCL-2 protein family to induce apoptosis in cancer cells have achieved clinical success for the treatment of haematological malignancies. However, despite our increasing knowledge of the pro-survival factors mediating the unwanted survival of solid tumour cells, and our growing BH3-mimetics armamentarium, the application of BH3-mimetic therapy in solid cancers has not reached its full potential. This is mainly attributed to the need to identify clinically safe, yet effective, combination strategies to target the multiple pro-survival proteins that typically mediate the survival of solid tumours. In this review, we discuss current and exciting new developments in the field that has the potential to unleash the full power of BH3-mimetic therapy to treat currently recalcitrant solid malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- W. Douglas Fairlie
- Cell Death and Survival Laboratory, Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, Heidelberg, Victoria 3084, Australia
- Cell Death and Survival Laboratory, School of Cancer Medicine, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria 3086, Australia
- La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria 3086, Australia
| | - Erinna F. Lee
- Cell Death and Survival Laboratory, Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, Heidelberg, Victoria 3084, Australia
- Cell Death and Survival Laboratory, School of Cancer Medicine, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria 3086, Australia
- La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria 3086, Australia
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14
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Wei D, Wang H, Zeng Q, Wang W, Hao B, Feng X, Wang P, Song N, Kan W, Huang G, Zhou X, Tan M, Zhou Y, Huang R, Li J, Chen XH. Discovery of Potent and Selective CDK9 Degraders for Targeting Transcription Regulation in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer. J Med Chem 2021; 64:14822-14847. [PMID: 34538051 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c01350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is highly aggressive with very limited treatment options due to the lack of efficient targeted therapies and thus still remains clinically challenging. Targeting transcription-associated cyclin-dependent kinases to remodel transcriptional regulation shows great promise in cancer therapy. Herein, we report the synthesis, optimization, and evaluation of new series of heterobifunctional molecules as highly selective and efficacious CDK9 degraders, enabling potent inhibition of TNBC cell growth and rapidly targeted degradation of CDK9. Moreover, the most potent CDK9 degrader (compound 45) induces cell apoptosis in vitro and inhibits tumor growth in the MDA-MB-231 TNBC model. Furthermore, the RNA-seq, immunohistochemistry assays demonstrate that the CDK9 degrader downregulates the downstream targets, such as MYC, at the transcriptional level, resulting apoptosis in TNBC cells. Our work establishes that 45 is a highly potent and efficacious CDK9 degrader for targeting transcription regulation, which represents an effective strategy and great potential as a new targeted therapy for TNBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Wei
- Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Hanlin Wang
- College of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai 201203, China.,State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Qinghe Zeng
- Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Wenjing Wang
- Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Bingbing Hao
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Xule Feng
- Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Peipei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Ning Song
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Weijuan Kan
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Guifang Huang
- School of Chinese Materia Medica, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Xiaoyu Zhou
- Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Minjia Tan
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Yubo Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.,Zhongshan Institute for Drug Discovery, The Institutes of Drug Discovery and Development, CAS, Zhongshan, Guangdong 528400, China
| | - Ruimin Huang
- Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.,School of Chinese Materia Medica, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Jia Li
- College of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai 201203, China.,State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.,Zhongshan Institute for Drug Discovery, The Institutes of Drug Discovery and Development, CAS, Zhongshan, Guangdong 528400, China.,School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, China
| | - Xiao-Hua Chen
- Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.,School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, China
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15
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Anshabo AT, Milne R, Wang S, Albrecht H. CDK9: A Comprehensive Review of Its Biology, and Its Role as a Potential Target for Anti-Cancer Agents. Front Oncol 2021; 11:678559. [PMID: 34041038 PMCID: PMC8143439 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.678559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) are proteins pivotal to a wide range of cellular functions, most importantly cell division and transcription, and their dysregulations have been implicated as prominent drivers of tumorigenesis. Besides the well-established role of cell cycle CDKs in cancer, the involvement of transcriptional CDKs has been confirmed more recently. Most cancers overtly employ CDKs that serve as key regulators of transcription (e.g., CDK9) for a continuous production of short-lived gene products that maintain their survival. As such, dysregulation of the CDK9 pathway has been observed in various hematological and solid malignancies, making it a valuable anticancer target. This therapeutic potential has been utilized for the discovery of CDK9 inhibitors, some of which have entered human clinical trials. This review provides a comprehensive discussion on the structure and biology of CDK9, its role in solid and hematological cancers, and an updated review of the available inhibitors currently being investigated in preclinical and clinical settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abel Tesfaye Anshabo
- Drug Discovery and Development, Centre for Cancer Diagnostics and Therapeutics, Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Robert Milne
- Drug Discovery and Development, Centre for Cancer Diagnostics and Therapeutics, Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Shudong Wang
- Drug Discovery and Development, Centre for Cancer Diagnostics and Therapeutics, Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Hugo Albrecht
- Drug Discovery and Development, Centre for Cancer Diagnostics and Therapeutics, Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia
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16
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Mandal R, Becker S, Strebhardt K. Targeting CDK9 for Anti-Cancer Therapeutics. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:2181. [PMID: 34062779 PMCID: PMC8124690 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13092181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Revised: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 04/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Cyclin Dependent Kinase 9 (CDK9) is one of the most important transcription regulatory members of the CDK family. In conjunction with its main cyclin partner-Cyclin T1, it forms the Positive Transcription Elongation Factor b (P-TEFb) whose primary function in eukaryotic cells is to mediate the positive transcription elongation of nascent mRNA strands, by phosphorylating the S2 residues of the YSPTSPS tandem repeats at the C-terminus domain (CTD) of RNA Polymerase II (RNAP II). To aid in this process, P-TEFb also simultaneously phosphorylates and inactivates a number of negative transcription regulators like 5,6-dichloro-1-β-D-ribofuranosylbenzimidazole (DRB) Sensitivity-Inducing Factor (DSIF) and Negative Elongation Factor (NELF). Significantly enhanced activity of CDK9 is observed in multiple cancer types, which is universally associated with significantly shortened Overall Survival (OS) of the patients. In these cancer types, CDK9 regulates a plethora of cellular functions including proliferation, survival, cell cycle regulation, DNA damage repair and metastasis. Due to the extremely critical role of CDK9 in cancer cells, inhibiting its functions has been the subject of intense research, resulting the development of multiple, increasingly specific small-molecule inhibitors, some of which are presently in clinical trials. The search for newer generation CDK9 inhibitors with higher specificity and lower potential toxicities and suitable combination therapies continues. In fact, the Phase I clinical trials of the latest, highly specific CDK9 inhibitor BAY1251152, against different solid tumors have shown good anti-tumor and on-target activities and pharmacokinetics, combined with manageable safety profile while the phase I and II clinical trials of another inhibitor AT-7519 have been undertaken or are undergoing. To enhance the effectiveness and target diversity and reduce potential drug-resistance, the future of CDK9 inhibition would likely involve combining CDK9 inhibitors with inhibitors like those against BRD4, SEC, MYC, MCL-1 and HSP90.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ranadip Mandal
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; (R.M.); (S.B.)
| | - Sven Becker
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; (R.M.); (S.B.)
| | - Klaus Strebhardt
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; (R.M.); (S.B.)
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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17
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Simeone P, Tacconi S, Longo S, Lanuti P, Bravaccini S, Pirini F, Ravaioli S, Dini L, Giudetti AM. Expanding Roles of De Novo Lipogenesis in Breast Cancer. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:3575. [PMID: 33808259 PMCID: PMC8036647 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18073575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Revised: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
In recent years, lipid metabolism has gained greater attention in several diseases including cancer. Dysregulation of fatty acid metabolism is a key component in breast cancer malignant transformation. In particular, de novo lipogenesis provides the substrate required by the proliferating tumor cells to maintain their membrane composition and energetic functions during enhanced growth. However, it appears that not all breast cancer subtypes depend on de novo lipogenesis for fatty acid replenishment. Indeed, while breast cancer luminal subtypes rely on de novo lipogenesis, the basal-like receptor-negative subtype overexpresses genes involved in the utilization of exogenous-derived fatty acids, in the synthesis of triacylglycerols and lipid droplets, and fatty acid oxidation. These metabolic differences are specifically associated with genomic and proteomic changes that can perturb lipogenic enzymes and related pathways. This behavior is further supported by the observation that breast cancer patients can be stratified according to their molecular profiles. Moreover, the discovery that extracellular vesicles act as a vehicle of metabolic enzymes and oncometabolites may provide the opportunity to noninvasively define tumor metabolic signature. Here, we focus on de novo lipogenesis and the specific differences exhibited by breast cancer subtypes and examine the functional contribution of lipogenic enzymes and associated transcription factors in the regulation of tumorigenic processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pasquale Simeone
- Department of Medicine and Aging Sciences, University “G. d’Annunzio”, Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy; (P.S.); (P.L.)
- Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST), University “G. d’Annunzio”, Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy
| | - Stefano Tacconi
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, Via Prov.le Lecce-Monteroni, 73100 Lecce, Italy; (S.T.); (S.L.)
| | - Serena Longo
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, Via Prov.le Lecce-Monteroni, 73100 Lecce, Italy; (S.T.); (S.L.)
| | - Paola Lanuti
- Department of Medicine and Aging Sciences, University “G. d’Annunzio”, Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy; (P.S.); (P.L.)
- Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST), University “G. d’Annunzio”, Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy
| | - Sara Bravaccini
- IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo per lo Studio dei Tumori (IRST) “Dino Amadori”, 47014 Meldola, Italy; (S.B.); (F.P.); (S.R.)
| | - Francesca Pirini
- IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo per lo Studio dei Tumori (IRST) “Dino Amadori”, 47014 Meldola, Italy; (S.B.); (F.P.); (S.R.)
| | - Sara Ravaioli
- IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo per lo Studio dei Tumori (IRST) “Dino Amadori”, 47014 Meldola, Italy; (S.B.); (F.P.); (S.R.)
| | - Luciana Dini
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology “C. Darwin”, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy;
- CNR Nanotec, 73100 Lecce, Italy
| | - Anna M. Giudetti
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, Via Prov.le Lecce-Monteroni, 73100 Lecce, Italy; (S.T.); (S.L.)
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18
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Wang L, Zhang S, Wang X. The Metabolic Mechanisms of Breast Cancer Metastasis. Front Oncol 2021; 10:602416. [PMID: 33489906 PMCID: PMC7817624 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2020.602416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is one of the most common malignancy among women worldwide. Metastasis is mainly responsible for treatment failure and is the cause of most breast cancer deaths. The role of metabolism in the progression and metastasis of breast cancer is gradually being emphasized. However, the regulatory mechanisms that conduce to cancer metastasis by metabolic reprogramming in breast cancer have not been expounded. Breast cancer cells exhibit different metabolic phenotypes depending on their molecular subtypes and metastatic sites. Both intrinsic factors, such as MYC amplification, PIK3CA, and TP53 mutations, and extrinsic factors, such as hypoxia, oxidative stress, and acidosis, contribute to different metabolic reprogramming phenotypes in metastatic breast cancers. Understanding the metabolic mechanisms underlying breast cancer metastasis will provide important clues to develop novel therapeutic approaches for treatment of metastatic breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingling Wang
- Department of Breast Surgery, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, Hangzhou, China.,Department of Surgical Oncology and Cancer Institute, Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Shizhen Zhang
- Institute of Translational Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiaochen Wang
- Department of Breast Surgery, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, Hangzhou, China
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19
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A review on kinases phosphorylating the carboxyl-terminal domain of RNA polymerase II-Biological functions and inhibitors. Bioorg Chem 2020; 104:104318. [PMID: 33142427 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2020.104318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Revised: 08/18/2020] [Accepted: 09/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
RNA polymerase II (RNA Pol II) plays a major role in gene transcription for eukaryote. One of the major modes of regulation in eukaryotes is the phosphorylation of the carboxyl-terminal domain (CTD) of RNA Pol II. The current study found that the phosphorylation of Ser2, Ser5, Ser7, Thr4 and Tyr1 among the heptapeptide repeats of CTD plays a key role in the transcription process. We therefore review the biological functions and inhibitors of kinases that phosphorylate these amino acid residues including transcriptional cyclin-dependent protein kinases (CDKs), bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4), Polo-like kinases 3 (Plk3) and Abelson murine leukemia viral oncogene 1 and 2 (c-Abl1/2).
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20
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Wang Y, Chen X, Yan Y, Zhu X, Liu M, Liu X. Discovery and SARs of 5-Chloro-N4-phenyl-N2-(pyridin-2-yl)pyrimidine-2,4-diamine Derivatives as Oral Available and Dual CDK 6 and 9 Inhibitors with Potent Antitumor Activity. J Med Chem 2020; 63:3327-3347. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.9b02121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yang Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Xing Chen
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Yaoyao Yan
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Xiaochen Zhu
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Mingming Liu
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
- Anhui Chem-Bright Bioengineering Co., Ltd., Huaibei 235025, China
| | - Xinhua Liu
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
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21
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Mollah SA, Subramaniam S. Histone Signatures Predict Therapeutic Efficacy in Breast Cancer. IEEE OPEN JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2020; 1:74-82. [PMID: 32412527 PMCID: PMC7207876 DOI: 10.1109/ojemb.2020.2967105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2019] [Revised: 01/08/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective: Regulatory abnormalities caused by chromatin modifications are being increasingly recognized as contributors to cancer. While many molecularly targeted drugs have the potential to revert these modifications, their precise mechanism of action in cellular reprogramming is not known. Methods: To address this, we introduce an integrated phosphoprotein-histone-drug network (iPhDNet) approach to generate “global chromatin fingerprints of histone signatures.” The method integrates proteomic/phosphoproteomic, transcriptomic and regulatory genomic data to provide a causal mechanistic network and histone signatures of drug response. Results: We demonstrate the utility of iPhDNet in identifying H3K27me3K36me3 histone mark as a key fingerprint of response, mediated by chromatin remodelers BRD4, NSD3, EZH2, and a proto-oncogene MYC when treated with CDK inhibitors. Conclusions: We construct a regulatory network of breast cancer response to treatment and show that histone H3K27me3K36me3 status changes, driven by the BRD4/MYC pathway, upon treatment with drugs are hallmarks of response to treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shamim A Mollah
- 11Bioinformatics & Systems Biology ProgramThe University of California San DiegoLa JollaCA92093USA
| | - Shankar Subramaniam
- 33Departments of Bioengineering, Cellular & Molecular Medicine and Computer Science & EngineeringThe University of California San DiegoLa JollaCA92093USA
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22
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Overexpression of TK1 and CDK9 in plasma-derived exosomes is associated with clinical resistance to CDK4/6 inhibitors in metastatic breast cancer patients. Breast Cancer Res Treat 2019; 178:57-62. [PMID: 31346846 DOI: 10.1007/s10549-019-05365-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2019] [Accepted: 07/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i) improve progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with hormone receptor-positive (HR+) advanced breast cancer. However, a better knowledge of predictive biomarkers of response and resistance to CDK4/6i is needed. Therefore, the present article addresses the role of the mRNA expression of thymidine kinase 1 (TK1), CDK4, 6 and 9 in plasma-derived exosomes and their relevance in the pharmacologic activity of CDK4/6i. METHODS Blood samples of 40 HR+/HER2- advanced breast cancer patients were collected before (T0) the administration of palbociclib plus hormonal therapy and after 3 months (T1). RNA was isolated from exosomes and analysed for the expression of TK1, CDK 4, 6 and 9 by digital droplet PCR (ddPCR). RESULTS A higher value of TK1 copies/ml at baseline (T0) was significantly associated with the number of previous lines of chemotherapy (p = 0.009). In patients with PD, a significant increase was observed in the number of copies/ml of TK1 (p = 0.01) and CDK9 (p = 0.03) comparing T1 vs. T0 values. No significant correlations between response to treatment and clinical parameters were found at univariate analysis. High baseline CDK4 expression was significantly correlated with longer PFS in patients treated with fulvestrant + palbociclib (low versus high: 6.45 months vs. not reached, p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS The present study demonstrates that, in plasma-derived exosomes, high baseline CDK4 mRNA levels are associated with response to palbociclib plus hormonal therapy, while the increase in TK1 and CDK9 mRNA copies/ml is associated with clinical resistance.
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Kulkoyluoglu-Cotul E, Arca A, Madak-Erdogan Z. Crosstalk between Estrogen Signaling and Breast Cancer Metabolism. Trends Endocrinol Metab 2019; 30:25-38. [PMID: 30471920 DOI: 10.1016/j.tem.2018.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2018] [Revised: 10/23/2018] [Accepted: 10/26/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Estrogens and estrogen receptors (ERs) regulate metabolism in both normal physiology and in disease. The metabolic characteristics of intrinsic breast cancer subtypes change based on their ER expression. Crosstalk between estrogen signaling elements and several key metabolic regulators alters metabolism in breast cancer cells, and enables tumors to rewire their metabolism to adapt to poor perfusion, transient nutrient deprivation, and increased acidity. This leads to the selection of drug-resistant and metastatic clones. In this review we discuss studies revealing the role of estrogen signaling elements in drug resistance development and metabolic adaptation during breast cancer progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eylem Kulkoyluoglu-Cotul
- Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA. https://twitter.com/@eylemkul
| | - Alexandra Arca
- School of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Zeynep Madak-Erdogan
- Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA; Division of Nutritional Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA; Cancer Center at Illinois, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA; Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA; Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA; National Center for Supercomputing Applications, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.
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24
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Ma H, Seebacher NA, Hornicek FJ, Duan Z. Cyclin-dependent kinase 9 (CDK9) is a novel prognostic marker and therapeutic target in osteosarcoma. EBioMedicine 2018; 39:182-193. [PMID: 30579871 PMCID: PMC6355967 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2018.12.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2018] [Revised: 12/07/2018] [Accepted: 12/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Cyclin-dependent protein kinase 9 (CDK9) has been shown to play an important role in the pathogenesis of malignant tumors. However, the expression and function of CDK9 remain unknown in osteosarcomas. The purpose of this study is to assess the expression, function and clinical prognostic relationship of CDK9 in osteosarcomas. Methods A tissue microarray of 70 patient specimens was analyzed by immunohistochemistry to measure CDK9 expression, which was further investigated for correlation with patient clinical characteristics. CDK9 expression in osteosarcoma cell lines and patient tissues was also evaluated by Western blotting. CDK9-specific siRNA and the CDK9 inhibitor were applied to determine the effect of CDK9 inhibition on osteosarcoma cell proliferation and anti-apoptotic activity. The clonogenicity and migration activity were also examined using clonogenic and wound healing assays. A 3D cell culture model was performed to mimic the in vivo osteosarcoma environment to further validate the effect of CDK9 inhibition on osteosarcoma cells. Findings We demonstrated that higher CDK9-expression is associated with significantly shortened patient survival by immunohistochemistry. Expression of CDK9 is inversely correlated to the percent of tumor necrosis post-neoadjuvant chemotherapy, which is the most important predictive factor of disease outcome for osteosarcoma patients. Knockdown of CDK9 with siRNA and inhibition of CDK9 activity with inhibitor decreased cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in osteosarcoma. Interpretation High expression of CDK9 is an independent predictor of poor prognosis in osteosarcoma patients. Our results suggest that CDK9 is a novel prognostic marker and a promising therapeutic target for osteosarcomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hangzhan Ma
- Department of Orthopaedics, Panyu Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong 511400, China; Sarcoma Biology Laboratory, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Nicole A Seebacher
- Sarcoma Biology Laboratory, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Francis J Hornicek
- Sarcoma Biology Laboratory, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Zhenfeng Duan
- Sarcoma Biology Laboratory, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
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25
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Antineoplastic effects of selective CDK9 inhibition with atuveciclib on cancer stem-like cells in triple-negative breast cancer. Oncotarget 2018; 9:37305-37318. [PMID: 30647871 PMCID: PMC6324664 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.26468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2018] [Accepted: 12/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Treatment options for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) are limited due to the lack of efficient targeted therapies, frequently resulting in recurrence and metastatic disease. Accumulating evidence suggests that a small population of cancer stem-like cells (CSLCs) is responsible for tumor recurrence and therapy resistance. Here we investigated the role of cyclin-dependent kinase 9 (CDK9) in TNBC. Using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data we found high-CDK9 expression correlates with worse overall survival in TNBC patients. Pharmacologic inhibition of CDK9 with atuveciclib in high-CDK9 expressing TNBC cell lines reduced expression of CDK9 targets MYC and MCL1 and decreased cell proliferation and survival. Importantly, atuveciclib inhibited the growth of mammospheres and reduced the percentage of CD24low/CD44high cells, indicating disruption of breast CSLCs (BCSLCs). Furthermore, atuveciclib impaired 3D invasion of tumorspheres suggesting inhibition of both invasion and metastatic potential. Finally, atuveciclib enhanced the antineoplastic effects of Cisplatin and promoted inhibitory effects on BCSLCs grown as mammospheres. Together, these findings suggest CDK9 as a potential therapeutic target in aggressive forms of CDK9-high TNBC.
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Schlafstein AJ, Withers AE, Rudra S, Danelia D, Switchenko JM, Mister D, Harari S, Zhang H, Daddacha W, Ehdaivand S, Li X, Torres MA, Yu DS. CDK9 Expression Shows Role as a Potential Prognostic Biomarker in Breast Cancer Patients Who Fail to Achieve Pathologic Complete Response after Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy. Int J Breast Cancer 2018; 2018:6945129. [PMID: 30405916 PMCID: PMC6204190 DOI: 10.1155/2018/6945129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2018] [Revised: 07/10/2018] [Accepted: 09/01/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Failure to achieve pathologic complete response is associated with poor prognosis in breast cancer patients following neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT). However, prognostic biomarkers for clinical outcome are unclear in this patient population. Cyclin-dependent kinase 9 (CDK9) is often dysregulated in breast cancer, and its deficiency results in genomic instability. We reviewed the records of 84 breast cancer patients from Emory University's Winship Cancer Institute who had undergone surgical resection after NACT and had tissue available for tissue microarray analysis (TMA). Data recorded included disease presentation, treatment, pathologic response, overall survival (OS), locoregional recurrence free survival (LRRFS), distant-failure free survival (DFFS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), and event-free survival (EFS). Immunohistochemistry was performed on patient samples to determine CDK9 expression levels after NACT. Protein expression was linked with clinical data to determine significance. In a Cox proportional hazards model, using a time-dependent covariate to evaluate the risk of death between groups beyond 3 years, high CDK9 expression was significantly associated with an increase in OS (HR: 0.26, 95% CI: 0.07-0.98, p=0.046). However, Kaplan-Meier curves for OS, LRRFS, DFFS, RFS, and EFS did not reach statistical significance. The results of this study indicate that CDK9 may have a potential role as a prognostic biomarker in patients with breast cancer following NACT. However, further validation studies with increased sample sizes are needed to help elucidate the prognostic role for CDK9 in the management of these patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley J. Schlafstein
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Allison E. Withers
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Soumon Rudra
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Diana Danelia
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Jeffrey M. Switchenko
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Rollins School of Public Health and Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Donna Mister
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Saul Harari
- Department of Pathology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Hui Zhang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Waaqo Daddacha
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Shahrzad Ehdaivand
- Department of Pathology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Xiaoxian Li
- Department of Pathology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Mylin A. Torres
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - David S. Yu
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
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Luo JJ, Su DS, Xie SL, Liu Y, Liu P, Yang XJ, Pei DS. Hypersensitive assessment of aryl hydrocarbon receptor transcriptional activity using a novel truncated cyp1a promoter in zebrafish. FASEB J 2018; 32:2814-2826. [PMID: 29298861 DOI: 10.1096/fj.201701171r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is a persistent organic pollutant (POP), an unintentional byproduct of various industrial processes, and a human carcinogen. The expression of the cytochrome P450 1A (cyp1a) gene is upregulated in the presence of TCDD through activating the aryl hydrocarbon receptor pathway in a dose-dependent manner. Several essential response elements, including the 8 potential xenobiotic response elements in the cyp1a promoter region, have been identified to be the main functional parts for the response to TCDD. Thus, we aimed to develop a convenient and sensitive biomonitoring tool to examine the level of POPs in the environment and evaluate its potential human health risks by TCDD. Here, we established a transgenic zebrafish model with a red fluorescent reporter gene ( mCherry) using the truncated cyp1a promoter. Under exposure to TCDD, the expression pattern of mCherry in the reporter zebrafish mirrored that of endogenous cyp1a mRNA, and the primary target tissues for TCDD were the brain vessels, liver, gut, cloaca, and skin. Our results indicated that exposure of the embryos to TCDD at concentrations as low as 0.005 nM for 48 h, which did not elicit morphologic abnormalities in the embryos, markedly increased mCherry expression. In addition, the reporter embryos responded to other POPs, and primary liver cell culture of zebrafish revealed that Cyp1a protein was mainly expressed in the cytoplasm of liver cells. Furthermore, our transgenic fish embryos demonstrated that TCDD exposure can regulate the expression levels of several tumor-related factors, including epidermal growth factor, TNF-α, C-myc, proliferating cell nuclear antigen, TGF-β, serine/threonine kinase (Akt), and phosphorylated Akt, suggesting that our transgenic fish can be used as a sensitive model to evaluate the carcinogenicity induced by TCDD exposure.-Luo, J.-J., Su, D.-S., Xie, S.-L., Liu, Y., Liu, P., Yang, X.-J., Pei D.-S. Hypersensitive assessment of aryl hydrocarbon receptor transcriptional activity using a novel truncated cyp1a promoter in zebrafish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan-Juan Luo
- Center for Neuroscience, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing, China
| | - Dong-Sheng Su
- Center for Neuroscience, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing, China
| | - Shao-Lin Xie
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing, China
- College of Marine Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yi Liu
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing, China
| | - Pei Liu
- Center for Neuroscience, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
| | - Xiao-Jun Yang
- Center for Neuroscience, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
| | - De-Sheng Pei
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing, China
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28
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Antitumor effects of cyclin dependent kinase 9 inhibition in esophageal adenocarcinoma. Oncotarget 2018; 8:28696-28710. [PMID: 28404924 PMCID: PMC5438684 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.15645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2016] [Accepted: 01/23/2017] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Role of cyclin dependent kinase 9(CDK9) as a potential target in esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) is unknown. We investigated CDK9 protein expression in EAC and Barrett's esophagus and role of CDK9 in oncogenic processes of EAC in vitro and in murine xenografts. The CDK9 expression was significantly higher in EAC as compared to Barrett's esophagus in patient samples. Stable shCDK9 in SKGT4 reduced proliferation by 37% at day 4, increased apoptosis at 48 hours and induced G1 cell cycle arrest at 48 hours (58.4% vs. 45.8%) compared to controls SKGT4 cells. SKGT4-shCDK9 cell-derived tumors were significantly smaller than control SKGT4-derived tumors in xenografts (72.89mm3 vs. 270mm3). Pharmaceutical inhibition of CDK9 by Flavopiridol (0.1µm for 48 hours) and CAN508 (20 and 40µm for 72 hours) induced significant reduction in proliferation and 2-fold increase in apoptosis in SKGT4, FLO1 and OE33 cells. In xenograft models, CAN508 (60 mg/kg/dayx10 days) and Flavopiridol (4mg/kg/dayx10 days) caused 50.8% and 63.1% reduction in xenograft tumors as compared to control on post-treatment day 21. Reduction of MCL-1 and phosphorylated RNA polymerase II was observed with transient shCDK9 in SKGT4 cells but not with stable shCDK9. CAN508 (20 and 40 µm) and Flavopiridol (0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 µm) for 4 hours showed reduction in MCL-1 mRNA (84% and 96%) and protein. Mcl-1 overexpression conferred resistance to Flavopiridol (0.2 µm or 0.4 µm for 48 hours) and CAN 508 (20 or 40µm for 72 hours). Chromatin immunoprecipitation demonstrated significant reduction of binding of transcriptional factor HIF-1α to MCL-1 promoter in FLO-1 cells by CDK9 inhibitors.
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29
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Li J, Chen J, Xue L, Zhan Q. Transcriptional activation of Nlp by estrogen-ERα in breast cancer. Sci Bull (Beijing) 2017; 62:1445-1454. [PMID: 36659394 DOI: 10.1016/j.scib.2017.09.014] [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: 06/25/2017] [Revised: 08/03/2017] [Accepted: 08/24/2017] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Estrogen Receptor-α (ERα) is the key transcription factor that regulates cell proliferation and homeostasis. In this pathway, estrogen plays an important role in genomic instability and cell cycle regulation processes and the mechanisms of its action are multifaceted. In this study, we showed that estrogen regulates genomic instability through promoting the expression of Nlp, a BRCA1-associated centrosomal protein which is involved in microtubule nucleation, spindle formation, chromosomal missegregation and abnormal cytokinesis. We demonstrated that the expression of Nlp is strongly associated with ERα and FOXA1 level in clinical breast cancer samples with poor clinical outcomes to breast cancer patients. Addition of estrogen in the ER-positive breast cancer cells resulted in elevation of NLP mRNA. Significantly, we identified that estrogen-ERα is capable of regulating Nlp expression through specifically binding ERα to the proximal region and the Estrogen Responsive Elements (ERE) enhancer in the distal region of NLP gene. Reporter assays demonstrated that estrogen directly activated Nlp promoter. ChIP assay results showed that E2-ERα directly bound to the EREs of Nlp. Therefore, overexpression of Nlp in breast cancer exhibits a hormone-dependent pattern, and estrogen participates in the regulation of genome instability and cell cycle in breast cancer cells partially through transcriptional activation of NLP gene. Overexpression of Nlp enhances the malignant progression of ERα-positive breast cancer cells in vitro, whereas knockdown of Nlp suppresses this biological effects in ERα-positive breast cancer cells. ERα/Nlp axis may serve as a promising target against breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Li
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Cancer Institute and Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, China
| | - Jie Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Cancer Institute and Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, China; Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Peking University Cancer Hospital, Beijing 100142, China
| | - Liyan Xue
- Department of Pathology, Cancer Institute and Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, China
| | - Qimin Zhan
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Cancer Institute and Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, China; Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Peking University Cancer Hospital, Beijing 100142, China.
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30
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Franco LC, Morales F, Boffo S, Giordano A. CDK9: A key player in cancer and other diseases. J Cell Biochem 2017; 119:1273-1284. [PMID: 28722178 DOI: 10.1002/jcb.26293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2017] [Accepted: 07/18/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 9 (CDK9) is part of a functional diverse group of enzymes responsible for cell cycle control and progression. It associates mainly with Cyclin T1 and forms the Positive Transcription Elongation Factor b (p-TEFb) complex responsible for regulation of transcription elongation and mRNA maturation. Recent studies have highlighted the importance of CDK9 in many relevant pathologic processes, like cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and viral replication. Herein we provide an overview of the different pathways in which CDK9 is directly and indirectly involved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lia Carolina Franco
- Escuela de Medicina, Universidad de las Americas (UDLA), Quito, Ecuador.,Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, Department of Biology, College of Science and Technology, Temple University, PA, Pennsylvania
| | - Fátima Morales
- Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, Department of Biology, College of Science and Technology, Temple University, PA, Pennsylvania.,Departamento de Química Orgánica, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Silvia Boffo
- Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, Department of Biology, College of Science and Technology, Temple University, PA, Pennsylvania
| | - Antonio Giordano
- Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, Department of Biology, College of Science and Technology, Temple University, PA, Pennsylvania.,Department of Medicine, Surgery and Neuroscience, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
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31
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MYC overexpression with its prognostic and clinicopathological significance in breast cancer. Oncotarget 2017; 8:93998-94008. [PMID: 29212204 PMCID: PMC5706850 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.21501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2017] [Accepted: 08/31/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Proto-oncogene MYC has been indicated to promote progression of many cancers. However, prognostic and clinicopathological significance of MYC in breast cancer need further evaluation. Methods We searched EMBASE and PubMed databases to find useful studies. We analyzed relationships between high MYC expression and prognostic data/ clinicopathological features through hazard ratio (HR) and odds ratio (OR). Each statistical test was two-sided. Results There were 29 studies (36 cohorts) with 12621 patients enrolled in our study The MYC overexpression was associated with worse DFS/RFS (disease/relapse free survival) in 11 studies (16 cohorts) with 5390 patients, and OS (overall survival) of 7 studies (8 cohorts) with 2672 patients. Subgroup analysis according to ethnicity/technique/data source displayed that MYC overexpression was associated with poor DFS/RFS in FISH, other technique, all data source and Asian/Non-Asian subgroup, and worse OS in all subgroups. In addition, MYC overexpression was related to large tumor size, high histologic grade, lymph node metastasis, negative hormone receptors and positive Ki67 expression. Conclusions Our results showed that MYC overexpression was associated with worse prognosis and high risk of breast cancer, especially in patients with negative hormone receptors, which highlighted the potential of MYC as a significant prognostic biomarker of breast cancer.
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Brägelmann J, Böhm S, Guthrie MR, Mollaoglu G, Oliver TG, Sos ML. Family matters: How MYC family oncogenes impact small cell lung cancer. Cell Cycle 2017; 16:1489-1498. [PMID: 28737478 DOI: 10.1080/15384101.2017.1339849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is one of the most deadly cancers and currently lacks effective targeted treatment options. Recent advances in the molecular characterization of SCLC has provided novel insight into the biology of this disease and raises hope for a paradigm shift in the treatment of SCLC. We and others have identified activation of MYC as a driver of susceptibility to Aurora kinase inhibition in SCLC cells and tumors that translates into a therapeutic option for the targeted treatment of MYC-driven SCLC. While MYC shares major features with its paralogs MYCN and MYCL, the sensitivity to Aurora kinase inhibitors is unique for MYC-driven SCLC. In this review, we will compare the distinct molecular features of the 3 MYC family members and address the potential implications for targeted therapy of SCLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Brägelmann
- a Molecular Pathology, Institute of Pathology, University of Cologne , Cologne , Germany.,b Department of Translational Genomics , Medical Faculty, University of Cologne , Cologne , Germany
| | - Stefanie Böhm
- a Molecular Pathology, Institute of Pathology, University of Cologne , Cologne , Germany.,b Department of Translational Genomics , Medical Faculty, University of Cologne , Cologne , Germany
| | - Matthew R Guthrie
- c Department of Oncological Sciences , University of Utah, Huntsman Cancer Institute , Salt Lake City , UT , USA
| | - Gurkan Mollaoglu
- c Department of Oncological Sciences , University of Utah, Huntsman Cancer Institute , Salt Lake City , UT , USA
| | - Trudy G Oliver
- c Department of Oncological Sciences , University of Utah, Huntsman Cancer Institute , Salt Lake City , UT , USA
| | - Martin L Sos
- a Molecular Pathology, Institute of Pathology, University of Cologne , Cologne , Germany.,b Department of Translational Genomics , Medical Faculty, University of Cologne , Cologne , Germany.,d Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne , University of Cologne , Cologne , Germany
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Paparidis NFDS, Durvale MC, Canduri F. The emerging picture of CDK9/P-TEFb: more than 20 years of advances since PITALRE. MOLECULAR BIOSYSTEMS 2017; 13:246-276. [PMID: 27833949 DOI: 10.1039/c6mb00387g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
CDK9 is a prominent member of the transcriptional CDKs subfamily, a group of kinases whose function is to control the primary steps of mRNA synthesis and processing by eukaryotic RNA polymerase II. As a cyclin-dependent kinase, CDK9 activation in vivo depends upon its association with T-type cyclins to assemble the positive transcription elongation factor (P-TEFb). Although CDK9/P-TEFb phosphorylates the C-terminal domain of RNAP II in the same positions targeted by CDK7 (TFIIH) and CDK8 (Mediator), the former does not participate in the transcription initiation, but rather plays a unique role by driving the polymerase to productive elongation. In addition to RNAP II CTD, the negative transcription elongation factors DSIF and NELF also represent major CDK9 substrates, whose phosphorylation is required to overcome the proximal pause of the polymerase. CDK9 is recruited to specific genes through proteins that interact with both P-TEFb and distinct elements in DNA, RNA or chromatin, where it modulates the activity of individual RNAP II transcription complexes. The regulation of CDK9 function is an intricate network that includes post-translational modifications (phosphorylation/dephosphorylation and acetylation/deacetylation of key residues) as well as the association of P-TEFb with various proteins that can stimulate or inhibit its kinase activity. Several cases of CDK9 deregulation have been linked to important human diseases, including various types of cancer and also AIDS (due to its essential role in HIV replication). Not only HIV, but also many other human viruses have been shown to depend strongly on CDK9 activity to be transcribed within host cells. This review summarizes the main advances made on CDK9/P-TEFb field in more than 20 years, introducing the structural, functional and genetic aspects that have been elucidated ever since.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolas Ferreira Dos Santos Paparidis
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Physics, Institute of Chemistry of Sao Carlos, Sao Paulo University, Av. Trabalhador Sãocarlense, 400, Zip Code 780, 13560-970, São Carlos-SP, Brazil.
| | - Maxwell Castro Durvale
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Chemistry, Sao Paulo University, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, 748, 05508-000, Butantã - São Paulo - SP, Brazil
| | - Fernanda Canduri
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Physics, Institute of Chemistry of Sao Carlos, Sao Paulo University, Av. Trabalhador Sãocarlense, 400, Zip Code 780, 13560-970, São Carlos-SP, Brazil.
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Fallah Y, Brundage J, Allegakoen P, Shajahan-Haq AN. MYC-Driven Pathways in Breast Cancer Subtypes. Biomolecules 2017; 7:biom7030053. [PMID: 28696357 PMCID: PMC5618234 DOI: 10.3390/biom7030053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 124] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2017] [Revised: 06/19/2017] [Accepted: 07/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The transcription factor MYC (MYC proto-oncogene, bHLH transcription factor) is an essential signaling hub in multiple cellular processes that sustain growth of many types of cancers. MYC regulates expression of RNA, both protein and non-coding, that control central metabolic pathways, cell death, proliferation, differentiation, stress pathways, and mechanisms of drug resistance. Activation of MYC has been widely reported in breast cancer progression. Breast cancer is a complex heterogeneous disease and treatment options are primarily guided by histological and biochemical evaluations of the tumors. Based on biochemical markers, three main breast cancer categories are ER+ (estrogen receptor alpha positive), HER2+ (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 positive), and TNBC (triple-negative breast cancer; estrogen receptor negative, progesterone receptor negative, HER2 negative). MYC is elevated in TNBC compared with other cancer subtypes. Interestingly, MYC-driven pathways are further elevated in aggressive breast cancer cells and tumors that display drug resistant phenotype. Identification of MYC target genes is essential in isolating signaling pathways that drive tumor development. In this review, we address the role of MYC in the three major breast cancer subtypes and highlight the most promising leads to target MYC functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yassi Fallah
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20057, USA.
| | - Janetta Brundage
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20057, USA.
| | - Paul Allegakoen
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20057, USA.
| | - Ayesha N Shajahan-Haq
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20057, USA.
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35
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Thomas AL, Lind H, Hong A, Dokic D, Oppat K, Rosenthal E, Guo A, Thomas A, Hamden R, Jeruss JS. Inhibition of CDK-mediated Smad3 phosphorylation reduces the Pin1-Smad3 interaction and aggressiveness of triple negative breast cancer cells. Cell Cycle 2017; 16:1453-1464. [PMID: 28678584 DOI: 10.1080/15384101.2017.1338988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly aggressive breast cancer subtype that lacks effective targeted therapies. Although TNBC is not defined by specific therapeutic targets, a subset of patients have tumors that overexpress cyclins. High cyclin D/E expression catalyzes CDK4/2 activity. In turn, CDK4/2 can non-canonically phosphorylate Smad3, a key TGFβ signaling intermediate, and this phosphorylation has been associated with the shift from tumor-suppressive to oncogenic TGFβ pathway action in breast oncogenesis. Additionally, CDK-mediated Smad3 phosphorylation facilitates an interaction between Smad3 and Pin1, a cis-trans isomerase that is also overexpressed in aggressive breast cancers. Treatment with CYC065, a CDK2/9 inhibitor, decreased non-canonical Smad3 phosphorylation and inhibited the Pin1-Smad3 interaction. We hypothesized that the interaction of Pin1 and Smad3, facilitated by CDK-mediated Smad3 phosphorylation, promotes TNBC cell aggressiveness. Inhibition of the Pin1-Smad3 interaction in TNBC cell lines, through depletion of Pin1 or CYC065 treatment, resulted in decreased cell migration/invasion and impeded the EMT program. Inhibition of CDK-mediated phosphorylation of Smad3 by mutagenesis also decreased cell migration, underscoring the importance of non-canonical CDK2 phosphorylation of Smad3 to enable cell motility. Pin1 depletion restored Smad3 protein levels and tumor-suppressive activity, suggesting that the Pin1-Smad3 interaction has a negative impact on canonical Smad3 action. Collectively, the data show that the Pin1-Smad3 interaction, facilitated by CDK-mediated Smad3 phosphorylation, is associated with oncogenic TGFβ signaling and breast cancer progression. Inhibition of this interaction with CYC065 treatment may provide an important therapeutic option for TNBC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra L Thomas
- a Driskill Graduate Program , Northwestern University , Chicago , IL , USA
| | - Hanne Lind
- b University of Michigan , Ann Arbor , MI , USA
| | - Angela Hong
- b University of Michigan , Ann Arbor , MI , USA
| | - Danijela Dokic
- c Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Northwestern University , Chicago , IL , USA
| | | | | | - Amina Guo
- b University of Michigan , Ann Arbor , MI , USA
| | - Aaron Thomas
- d Department of Surgery , University of Michigan , Ann Arbor , MI , USA
| | - Randala Hamden
- e Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine , Chicago , IL , USA
| | - Jacqueline S Jeruss
- d Department of Surgery , University of Michigan , Ann Arbor , MI , USA.,e Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine , Chicago , IL , USA.,f Department of Biomedical Engineering , University of Michigan , Ann Arbor , MI , USA
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Liao Y, Feng Y, Shen J, Hornicek FJ, Duan Z. The roles and therapeutic potential of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) in sarcoma. Cancer Metastasis Rev 2017; 35:151-63. [PMID: 26669603 DOI: 10.1007/s10555-015-9601-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Uncontrolled proliferation and cell growth is the hallmark of many different malignant diseases, including sarcomas. Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) are members of the serine/threonine protein kinase family and play crucial roles in tumor cell proliferation and growth by controlling cell cycle, transcription, and RNA splicing. In addition, several CDKs influence multiple targets and phosphorylate transcription factors involved in tumorigenesis. There are many examples linking dysregulated activation and expression of CDKs to tumors, and targeting CDKs in tumor cells has become a promising therapeutic strategy. More recently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the CDK4/6 inhibitor palbociclib for treating metastatic breast cancer. In sarcomas, high levels of CDK mRNA and protein expression have been found in most human sarcoma cells and patient tissues. Many studies have demonstrated consistent results in which inhibition of different CDKs decrease sarcoma cell growth and induce apoptosis. Therefore, CDKs comprise an attractive set of targets for novel anti-sarcoma drug development. In this review, we discuss the roles of different members of CDKs in various sarcomas and provide a pre-clinical overview of promising therapeutic potentials of targeting CDKs with a special emphasis on sarcoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunfei Liao
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Sarcoma Biology Laboratory, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit Street, Jackson 1115, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.,Wuhan Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1277 Jie Fang Avenue, Wuhan, China, 430022
| | - Yong Feng
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Sarcoma Biology Laboratory, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit Street, Jackson 1115, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.,Wuhan Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1277 Jie Fang Avenue, Wuhan, China, 430022
| | - Jacson Shen
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Sarcoma Biology Laboratory, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit Street, Jackson 1115, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Francis J Hornicek
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Sarcoma Biology Laboratory, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit Street, Jackson 1115, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Zhenfeng Duan
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Sarcoma Biology Laboratory, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit Street, Jackson 1115, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.
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El-Shinawi M, Mohamed HT, Abdel-Fattah HH, Ibrahim SAA, El-Halawany MS, Nouh MA, Schneider RJ, Mohamed MM. Inflammatory and Non-inflammatory Breast Cancer: A Potential Role for Detection of Multiple Viral DNAs in Disease Progression. Ann Surg Oncol 2015; 23:494-502. [PMID: 26508152 DOI: 10.1245/s10434-015-4888-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2015] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is the most lethal form of breast cancer. Multiple viral infections in IBC tissues were found to be associated with disease pathogenesis. OBJECTIVE The aim of the present study was to correlate the incidence of viral DNA with breast cancer progression. MATERIALS AND METHODS Overall, 135 women diagnosed with breast cancer were enrolled in this study. Using polymerase chain reaction and sequencing assays, we determined the incidence of human papillomavirus types 16 and 18 (HPV-16 and -18), human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), Epstein-Barr virus, human herpes simplex virus type 1 and 2, and human herpes virus type 8 (HHV-8) in breast carcinoma tissue biopsies. We also assessed the expression of the cell proliferation marker Ki-67 by immunohistochemistry in association with the incidence of viral DNA. RESULTS HCMV and HPV-16 were the most detected viral DNAs in breast carcinoma tissues; however, the frequency of HCMV and HHV-8 DNA were significantly higher in IBC than non-IBC tissues. Moreover, the prevalence of multiple viral DNAs was higher in IBC than non-IBC tissues. The incidence of multiple viral DNAs positively correlates with tumor size and number of metastatic lymph nodes in both non-IBC and IBC patients. The expression of Ki-67 was found to be significantly higher in both non-IBC and IBC tissues in which multiple viral DNAs were detected. CONCLUSIONS The incidence of multiple viral DNAs in IBC tissues was higher compared with non-IBC tissues. The present results suggest the possibility of a functional relationship between the presence of multiple viral DNAs and disease pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed El-Shinawi
- Department of General Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Hossam Taha Mohamed
- Cancer Biology Research Lab, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt.
| | | | - Sherif Abdel Aziz Ibrahim
- Cancer Biology Research Lab, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt
| | - Medhat S El-Halawany
- Cancer Biology Research Lab, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt
| | - M Akram Nouh
- Department of Pathology, National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt
| | - Robert J Schneider
- Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mona Mostafa Mohamed
- Cancer Biology Research Lab, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt
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Sengupta S, Biarnes MC, Clarke R, Jordan VC. Inhibition of BET proteins impairs estrogen-mediated growth and transcription in breast cancers by pausing RNA polymerase advancement. Breast Cancer Res Treat 2015; 150:265-78. [PMID: 25721606 DOI: 10.1007/s10549-015-3319-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2014] [Accepted: 02/20/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Estrogen (E2)-induced transcription requires coordinated recruitment of estrogen receptor α (ER) and multiple factors at the promoter of activated genes. However, the precise mechanism by which this complex stimulates the RNA polymerase II activity required to execute transcription is largely unresolved. We investigated the role of bromodomain (BRD) containing bromodomain and extra-terminal (BET) proteins, in E2-induced growth and gene activation. JQ1, a specific BET protein inhibitor, was used to block BET protein function in two different ER-positive breast cancer cell lines (MCF7 and T47D). Real-time PCR and ChIP assays were used to measure RNA expression and to detect recruitment of various factors on the genes, respectively. Protein levels were measured by Western blotting. JQ1 suppressed E2-induced growth and transcription in both MCF7 and T47D cells. The combination of E2 and JQ1 down-regulated the levels of ER protein in MCF7 cells but the loss of ER was not responsible for JQ1-mediated inhibition of E2 signaling. JQ1 did not disrupt E2-induced recruitment of ER and co-activator (SRC3) at the E2-responsive DNA elements. The E2-induced increase in histone acetylation was also not altered by JQ1. However, JQ1 blocked the E2-induced transition of RNA polymerase II from initiation to elongation by stalling it at the promoter region of the responsive genes upstream of the transcription start site. This study establishes BET proteins as the key mediators of E2-induced transcriptional activation. This adds another layer of complexity to the regulation of estrogen-induced gene activation that can potentially be targeted for therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Surojeet Sengupta
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University Medical Center, 3970 Reservoir Rd NW, Washington, DC, 20057, USA,
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Chao C, Silverberg MJ, Xu L, Chen LH, Castor B, Martínez-Maza O, Abrams DI, Zha HD, Haque R, Said J. A comparative study of molecular characteristics of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma from patients with and without human immunodeficiency virus infection. Clin Cancer Res 2015; 21:1429-37. [PMID: 25589617 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-14-2083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE HIV-related diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) may be biologically different from DLBCL in the general population. We compared, by HIV status, the expression and prognostic significance of selected oncogenic markers in DLBCL diagnosed at Kaiser Permanente in California, between 1996 and 2007. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Eighty HIV-infected DLBCL patients were 1:1 matched to 80 HIV-uninfected DLBCL patients by age, gender, and race. Twenty-three markers in the following categories were examined using IHC: (i) cell-cycle regulators, (ii) B-cell activators, (iii) antiapoptotic proteins, and (iv) others, such as IgM. Tumor marker expression was compared across HIV infection status by Fisher exact test. For markers differentially expressed in HIV-related DLBCL, logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between tumor marker expression and 2-year overall mortality, adjusting for International Prognostic Index, cell-of-origin phenotype, and DLBCL morphologic variants. RESULTS Expression of cMYC (% positive in HIV-related and -unrelated DLBCL: 64% vs. 32%), BCL6 (45% vs. 10%), PKC-β2 (61% vs. 4%), MUM1 (59% vs. 14%), and CD44 (87% vs. 56%) was significantly elevated in HIV-related DLBCLs, whereas expression of p27 (39% vs. 75%) was significantly reduced. Of these, cMYC expression was independently associated with increased 2-year mortality in HIV-infected patients [relative risk = 3.09 (0.90-10.55)] in multivariable logistic regression. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that HIV-related DLBCL pathogenesis more frequently involves cMYC and BCL6 among other factors. In particular, cMYC-mediated pathogenesis may partly explain the more aggressive clinical course of DLBCL in HIV-infected patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun Chao
- Department of Research and Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena, California.
| | - Michael J Silverberg
- Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, California
| | - Lanfang Xu
- Department of Research and Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena, California
| | - Lie-Hong Chen
- Department of Research and Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena, California
| | - Brandon Castor
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Otoniel Martínez-Maza
- Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles, California. Department of Epidemiology, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Los Angeles, California
| | - Donald I Abrams
- Department of Medicine and San Francisco General Hospital, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Hongbin D Zha
- Los Angeles Medical Center, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Reina Haque
- Department of Research and Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena, California
| | - Jonathan Said
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, California
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Abstract
Around 70% of all breast cancers are estrogen receptor alpha positive and hence their development is highly dependent on estradiol. While the invention of endocrine therapies has revolusioned the treatment of the disease, resistance to therapy eventually occurs in a large number of patients. This paper seeks to illustrate and discuss the complexity and heterogeneity of the mechanisms which underlie resistance and the approaches proposed to combat them. It will also focus on the use and development of methods for predicting which patients are likely to develop resistance.
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