1
|
Jhanwar-Uniyal M, Dominguez JF, Mohan AL, Tobias ME, Gandhi CD. Disentangling the signaling pathways of mTOR complexes, mTORC1 and mTORC2, as a therapeutic target in glioblastoma. Adv Biol Regul 2021; 83:100854. [PMID: 34996736 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbior.2021.100854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Aberrant signaling of mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR' aka mammalian target of rapamycin) is shown to be linked to tumorigenesis of numerous malignancies including glioblastoma (GB). Glioblastoma mTOR is a serine threonine kinase that functions by forming two multiprotein complexes. There complexes are named mTORC1 and mTORC2 and downstream activated substrate execute cellular and metabolic functions. This signaling cascade of PI3K/AKT/mTOR is often upregulated due to frequent loss of the tumor suppressor PTEN, a phosphatase that functions antagonistically to PI3K. mTOR regulates cell growth, motility, and metabolism by forming two multiprotein complexes, mTORC1 and mTORC2, which are composed of special binding partners. These complexes are sensitive to distinct stimuli. mTORC1 is sensitive to nutrients and mTORC2 is regulated via PI3K and growth factor signaling. Since rapamycin and it's analogue are less effective in treatment of GB, we used novel ATP-competitive dual inhibitors of mTORC1 and mTORC2, namely, Torin1, Torin2, and XL388. Torin2 caused a concentration dependent pharmacodynamic effects on inhibition of phosphorylation of the mTORC1 substrates S6KSer235/236 and 4E-BP1Thr37/46 as well as the mTORC2 substrate AKTSer473 resulting in suppression of tumor cell proliferation and migration. Torin1 showed similar effects only at higher doses. Another small molecule compound, XL388 suppressed cell proliferation at a higher dose but failed to inhibit cell migration. Torin1 suppressed phosphorylation of PRAS40Thr246, however Torin2 completely abolished it. XL388 treatment inhibited the phosphorylation of PRAS40Thr246 at higher doses only. These findings underscore the use of novel compounds in treatment of cancer. In addition, formulation of third generation mTOR inhibitor "Rapalink-1" may provide new aspects to target mTOR pathways. Numerous inhibitors are currently being used in clinical trials that are aimed to target activated mTOR pathways.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Meena Jhanwar-Uniyal
- Department of Neurosurgery, Westchester Medical Center, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, 10595, USA.
| | - Jose F Dominguez
- Department of Neurosurgery, Westchester Medical Center, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, 10595, USA
| | - Avinash L Mohan
- Department of Neurosurgery, Westchester Medical Center, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, 10595, USA
| | - Michael E Tobias
- Department of Neurosurgery, Westchester Medical Center, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, 10595, USA
| | - Chirag D Gandhi
- Department of Neurosurgery, Westchester Medical Center, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, 10595, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Glioblastoma, hypoxia and autophagy: a survival-prone 'ménage-à-trois'. Cell Death Dis 2016; 7:e2434. [PMID: 27787518 PMCID: PMC5133985 DOI: 10.1038/cddis.2016.318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2016] [Revised: 08/24/2016] [Accepted: 09/09/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Glioblastoma multiforme is the most common and the most aggressive primary brain tumor. It is characterized by a high degree of hypoxia and also by a remarkable resistance to therapy because of its adaptation capabilities that include autophagy. This degradation process allows the recycling of cellular components, leading to the formation of metabolic precursors and production of adenosine triphosphate. Hypoxia can induce autophagy through the activation of several autophagy-related proteins such as BNIP3, AMPK, REDD1, PML, and the unfolded protein response-related transcription factors ATF4 and CHOP. This review summarizes the most recent data about induction of autophagy under hypoxic condition and the role of autophagy in glioblastoma.
Collapse
|
3
|
Abstract
In almost all patients, malignant glioma recurs following initial treatment with maximal safe resection, conformal radiotherapy, and temozolomide. This review describes the many options for treatment of recurrent malignant gliomas, including reoperation, alternating electric field therapy, chemotherapy, stereotactic radiotherapy or radiosurgery, or some combination of these modalities, presenting the evidence for each approach. No standard of care has been established, though the antiangiogenic agent, bevacizumab; stereotactic radiotherapy or radiosurgery; and, perhaps, combined treatment with these 2 modalities appear to offer modest benefits over other approaches. Clearly, randomized trials of these options would be advantageous, and novel, more efficacious approaches are urgently needed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- John P Kirkpatrick
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke Cancer Institute, Durham, NC; Department of Surgery, Duke Cancer Institute, Durham, NC.
| | - John H Sampson
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke Cancer Institute, Durham, NC; Department of Surgery, Duke Cancer Institute, Durham, NC
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Catalano M, D'Alessandro G, Lepore F, Corazzari M, Caldarola S, Valacca C, Faienza F, Esposito V, Limatola C, Cecconi F, Di Bartolomeo S. Autophagy induction impairs migration and invasion by reversing EMT in glioblastoma cells. Mol Oncol 2015; 9:1612-25. [PMID: 26022108 DOI: 10.1016/j.molonc.2015.04.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 237] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2015] [Revised: 04/29/2015] [Accepted: 04/30/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell migration and invasion are highly regulated processes involved in both physiological and pathological conditions. Here we show that autophagy modulation regulates the migration and invasion capabilities of glioblastoma (GBM) cells. We observed that during autophagy occurrence, obtained by nutrient deprivation or by pharmacological inhibition of the mTOR complexes, GBM migration and chemokine-mediated invasion were both impaired. We also observed that SNAIL and SLUG, two master regulators of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT process), were down-regulated upon autophagy stimulation and, as a consequence, we found a transcriptional and translational up-regulation of N- and R-cadherins. Conversely, in BECLIN 1-silenced GBM cells, an increased migration capability and an up-regulation of SNAIL and SLUG was observed, with a resulting decrease in N- and R-cadherin mRNAs. ATG5 and ATG7 down-regulation also resulted in an increased migration and invasion of GBM cells combined to an up-regulation of the two EMT regulators. Finally, experiments performed in primary GBM cells from patients largely confirmed the results obtained in established cell cultures. Overall, our results indicate that autophagy modulation triggers a molecular switch from a mesenchymal phenotype to an epithelial-like one in GBM cellular models. Since the aggressiveness and lethality of GBM is defined by local invasion and resistance to chemotherapy, we believe that our evidence provides a further rationale for including autophagy/mTOR-based targets in the current therapeutical regimen of GBM patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Myriam Catalano
- Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti and Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy; Neuromed IRCCS, Via Atinese, Pozzilli, Italy
| | - Giuseppina D'Alessandro
- Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti and Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy; Neuromed IRCCS, Via Atinese, Pozzilli, Italy
| | - Francesca Lepore
- Department of Biology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - Marco Corazzari
- Department of Biology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy; IRCCS L. Spallanzani, Rome, Italy
| | - Sara Caldarola
- Department of Biology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - Cristina Valacca
- Department of Neuroscience, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | - Fiorella Faienza
- Department of Biology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Cristina Limatola
- Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti and Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy; Neuromed IRCCS, Via Atinese, Pozzilli, Italy
| | - Francesco Cecconi
- Department of Biology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy; Department of Neuroscience, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy; Unit of Cell Stress and Survival, Danish Cancer Society Research Center, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Sabrina Di Bartolomeo
- Department of Biology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy; Department of Neuroscience, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Ilkhanizadeh S, Lau J, Huang M, Foster DJ, Wong R, Frantz A, Wang S, Weiss WA, Persson AI. Glial progenitors as targets for transformation in glioma. Adv Cancer Res 2015; 121:1-65. [PMID: 24889528 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-800249-0.00001-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Glioma is the most common primary malignant brain tumor and arises throughout the central nervous system. Recent focus on stem-like glioma cells has implicated neural stem cells (NSCs), a minor precursor population restricted to germinal zones, as a potential source of gliomas. In this review, we focus on the relationship between oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs), the largest population of cycling glial progenitors in the postnatal brain, and gliomagenesis. OPCs can give rise to gliomas, with signaling pathways associated with NSCs also playing key roles during OPC lineage development. Gliomas can also undergo a switch from progenitor- to stem-like phenotype after therapy, consistent with an OPC-origin even for stem-like gliomas. Future in-depth studies of OPC biology may shed light on the etiology of OPC-derived gliomas and reveal new therapeutic avenues.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shirin Ilkhanizadeh
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA; Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Jasmine Lau
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA; Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Miller Huang
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA; Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Daniel J Foster
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA; Department of Neurological Surgery and Brain Tumor Research Center, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA; Sandler Neurosciences Center, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Robyn Wong
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA; Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Aaron Frantz
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA; Department of Neurological Surgery and Brain Tumor Research Center, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA; Sandler Neurosciences Center, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Susan Wang
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA; Department of Neurological Surgery and Brain Tumor Research Center, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA; Sandler Neurosciences Center, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - William A Weiss
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA; Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA; Department of Neurological Surgery and Brain Tumor Research Center, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA; Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Anders I Persson
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA; Department of Neurological Surgery and Brain Tumor Research Center, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA; Sandler Neurosciences Center, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Lin F, de Gooijer MC, Hanekamp D, Brandsma D, Beijnen JH, van Tellingen O. Targeting core (mutated) pathways of high-grade gliomas: challenges of intrinsic resistance and drug efflux. CNS Oncol 2015; 2:271-88. [PMID: 25054467 DOI: 10.2217/cns.13.15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
High-grade gliomas are the most common type of primary brain tumor and are among the most lethal types of human cancer. Most patients with a high-grade glioma have glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most malignant glioma subtype that is associated with a very aggressive disease course and short overall survival. Standard treatment of newly diagnosed GBM involves surgery followed by chemoradiation with temozolomide. However, despite this extensive treatment the mean overall survival is still only 14.6 months and more effective treatments are urgently needed. Although different types of GBMs are indistinguishable by histopathology, novel molecular pathological techniques allow discrimination between the four main GBM subtypes. Targeting the aberrations in the molecular pathways underlying these subtypes is a promising strategy to improve therapy. In this article, we will discuss the potential avenues and pitfalls of molecularly targeted therapies for the treatment of GBM.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fan Lin
- Department of Clinical Chemistry/Preclinical Pharmacology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute/Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital, Plesmanlaan 121, 1066 CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
7
|
Abstract
Despite decades of advancing science and clinical trials, average survival remains dismal for individuals with high-grade gliomas. Our understanding of the genetic and molecular aberrations that contribute to the aggressive nature of these tumors is continually growing, as is our ability to target such specific traits. Herein, we review the major classes of such targeted therapies, as well as the relevant clinical trial outcomes regarding their efficacy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Justin T Jordan
- Center for Neuro-Oncology, Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center, 450 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
Abstract
The survival outcome of patients with malignant gliomas is still poor, despite advances in surgical techniques, radiation therapy and the development of novel chemotherapeutic agents. The heterogeneity of molecular alterations in signaling pathways involved in the pathogenesis of these tumors contributes significantly to their resistance to treatment. Several molecular targets for therapy have been discovered over the last several years. Therapeutic agents targeting these signaling pathways may provide more effective treatments and may improve survival. This review summarizes the important molecular therapeutic targets and the outcome of published clinical trials involving targeted therapeutic agents in glioma patients.
Collapse
|
9
|
Addeo R, Zappavigna S, Parlato C, Caraglia M. Erlotinib: early clinical development in brain cancer. Expert Opin Investig Drugs 2014; 23:1027-37. [PMID: 24836441 DOI: 10.1517/13543784.2014.918950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common brain cancer in adults. It is also, unfortunately, the most aggressive type and the least responsive to therapy. Overexpression of EGFR and/or EGFRvIII is frequently found in GBM and is frequently associated with the more malignant phenotype of the disease and a poor clinical outcome. EGFR-targeted therapy represents a promising anti-GBM therapy. Two EGFR kinase inhibitors, gefitinib and erlotinib have been tested in clinical trials for malignant gliomas. However, the clinical efficacy of EGFR-targeted therapy has been only modest in GBM patients. AREAS COVERED The authors provide an evaluation of erlotinib as a potential therapy for GBM. The authors highlight experiences drawn from clinical trials and discuss the challenges, which include the insufficient penetration through the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and chemoresistance. EXPERT OPINION Malignant brain tumours have a very complex signalling network that is not only driven by EGFR. This complexity dictates tumour sensitivity to EGFR-targeted therapies. Alternative kinase signalling pathways may be involved in parallel with the inhibited target, so that a single target's inactivation is not sufficient to block downstream oncogenic signalling. The use of nanocarriers offers many opportunities, such as the release of the drug to specific cells or tissues, together with the ability to overcome different biological barriers, like the BBB.
Collapse
|
10
|
Masui K, Gini B, Wykosky J, Zanca C, Mischel PS, Furnari FB, Cavenee WK. A tale of two approaches: complementary mechanisms of cytotoxic and targeted therapy resistance may inform next-generation cancer treatments. Carcinogenesis 2013; 34:725-38. [PMID: 23455378 PMCID: PMC3616676 DOI: 10.1093/carcin/bgt086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2013] [Accepted: 02/26/2013] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Chemotherapy and molecularly targeted approaches represent two very different modes of cancer treatment and each is associated with unique benefits and limitations. Both types of therapy share the overarching limitation of the emergence of drug resistance, which prevents these drugs from eliciting lasting clinical benefit. This review will provide an overview of the various mechanisms of resistance to each of these classes of drugs and examples of drug combinations that have been tested clinically. This analysis supports the contention that understanding modes of resistance to both chemotherapy and molecularly targeted therapies may be very useful in selecting those drugs of each class that will have complementing mechanisms of sensitivity and thereby represent reasonable combination therapies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Paul S. Mischel
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research
- Moores Cancer Center and
- University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0660, USA
| | - Frank B. Furnari
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research
- Moores Cancer Center and
- University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0660, USA
| | - Webster K. Cavenee
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research
- Moores Cancer Center and
- University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0660, USA
| |
Collapse
|