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Safrhansova L, Hlozkova K, Starkova J. Targeting amino acid metabolism in cancer. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2022; 373:37-79. [PMID: 36283767 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ircmb.2022.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Metabolic rewiring is a characteristic hallmark of cancer cells. This phenomenon sustains uncontrolled proliferation and resistance to apoptosis by increasing nutrients and energy supply. However, reprogramming comes together with vulnerabilities that can be used against tumor and can be applied in targeted therapy. In the last years, the genetic background of tumors has been identified thoroughly and new therapies targeting those mutations tested. Nevertheless, we propose that targeting the phenotype of cancer cells could be another way of treatment aiming to avoid drug resistance and non-responsiveness of cancer patients. Amino acid metabolism is part of the altered processes in cancer cells. Amino acids are building blocks and also sensors of signaling pathways regulating main biological processes. In this comprehensive review, we described four amino acids (asparagine, arginine, methionine, and cysteine) which have been actively investigated as potential targets for anti-tumor therapy. Asparagine depletion is successfully used for decades in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia and there is a strong implication to apply it to other types of tumors. Arginine auxotrophic tumors are great candidates for arginine-starvation therapy. Higher requirement for essential amino acids such as methionine and cysteine point out promising targetable weaknesses of cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucie Safrhansova
- CLIP - Childhood Leukaemia Investigation Prague, Prague, Czech Republic; Dept. of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Katerina Hlozkova
- CLIP - Childhood Leukaemia Investigation Prague, Prague, Czech Republic; Dept. of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Julia Starkova
- CLIP - Childhood Leukaemia Investigation Prague, Prague, Czech Republic; Dept. of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic; University Hospital Motol, Prague, Czech Republic.
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Miao YQ, Chen W, Zhou J, Shen Q, Sun Y, Li T, Wang SC. N(6)-adenosine-methyltransferase-14 promotes glioma tumorigenesis by repressing argininosuccinate synthase 1 expression in an m6A-dependent manner. Bioengineered 2022; 13:1858-1871. [PMID: 35012429 PMCID: PMC8805915 DOI: 10.1080/21655979.2021.2018386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Revised: 12/08/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Glioma is one of the leading causes of tumor-related deaths worldwide, but its potential mechanism remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the biological role and potential mechanism of argininosuccinate synthase 1 (ASS1) in glioma. The relative expression levels of ASS1 in glioma specimens and cell lines were calculated by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting. The biological functions of ASS1 were demonstrated using the 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) assay, transwell assay, and in vivo experiments. In addition, methylated RNA immunoprecipitation (MeRIP), RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), and luciferase reporter assays were performed to explore the molecular mechanism of ASS1 in glioma. ASS1 expression levels were found to be downregulated in glioma specimens and cell lines. Functionally, we confirmed that ASS1 inhibited glioma cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and growth both. Furthermore, we found that ASS1 was a target of N(6)-adenosine-methyltransferase-14 (METTL14)-mediated N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification. Overexpression of METTL14 markedly elevated ASS1 mRNA m6A modification and suppressed ASS1 mRNA expression. We also revealed that METTL14-mediated ASS1 mRNA degradation relied on the YTH m6A RNA-binding protein 2 (YTHDF2)-dependent pathway. We confirmed that decreased ASS1 expression promoted the cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in glioma, and that the METTL14/ASS1/YTHDF2 regulatory axis may be an effective therapeutic target for glioma.
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Affiliation(s)
- You-Qing Miao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Nanjing, China
| | - Wei Chen
- Department of Urology, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jianfeng Zhou
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Children’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Qiyang Shen
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Children’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Ying Sun
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Nanjing, China
| | - Tao Li
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Children’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Sheng-Chan Wang
- Department of Geriatrics, Geriatric Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
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Zhang H, Liu M, Wang X, Ren Y, Kim YM, Wang X, Lu X, Pang H, Liu G, Gu Y, Sun M, Shi Y, Zhang C, Zhang Y, Zhang J, Li S, Zhang L. Genomic Copy Number Variants in CML Patients With the Philadelphia Chromosome (Ph+): An Update. Front Genet 2021; 12:697009. [PMID: 34447409 PMCID: PMC8383316 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.697009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Submicroscopic segmental imbalances detected by array-comparative genomic hybridization (array-CGH) were discovered to be common in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients with t(9;22) as the sole chromosomal anomaly. To confirm the findings of the previous study and expand the investigation, additional CML patients with t(9;22) as the sole chromosomal anomaly were recruited and copy number variants (CNVs) were searched for. Methods Karyotyping tests were performed on 106 CML patients during January 2010-September 2019 in our Genetics Laboratory. Eighty-four (79.2%) patients had the Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome as the sole chromosomal anomaly. Only 49(58.3%) of these 84 patients had sufficient marrow or leukemia blood materials to additionally be included in the array-CGH analysis. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was carried out to confirm the genes covered by the deleted or duplicated regions of the CNVs. Results 11(22.4%) out of the 49 patients were found to have one to three somatic segmental somatic segmental (CNVs), including fourteen deletions and three duplications. The common region associated with deletions was on 9q33.3-34.12. Identified in five (45.5%) of the 11 positive patients with segmental CNVs, the deletions ranged from 106 kb to 4.1 Mb in size. Two (18.2%) cases had a deletion in the ABL1-BCR fusion gene on der (9), while three (27.3%) cases had a deletion in the ASS1 gene. The remaining CNVs were randomly distributed on different autosomes. Conclusion Subtle genomic CNVs are relatively common in CML patients without cytogenetically visible additional chromosomal aberrations (ACAs). Long-term studies investigating the potential impact on patient prognosis and treatment outcome is underway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heyang Zhang
- Department of Hematology, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Meng Liu
- Department of Hematology, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China.,Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, United States
| | - Xiaoxue Wang
- Department of Hematology, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China.,Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, United States
| | - Yuan Ren
- Department of Hematology, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China.,Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, United States
| | - Young Mi Kim
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, United States
| | - Xianfu Wang
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, United States
| | - Xianglan Lu
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, United States
| | - Hui Pang
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, United States
| | - Guangming Liu
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, United States.,Department of Gastroenterology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Yue Gu
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, United States.,Department of Respiratory and Intensive Care Medicine, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Mingran Sun
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, United States.,Department of Hematology and Oncology, Anshan Hospital of First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Anshan, China
| | - Yunpeng Shi
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, United States.,Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Chuan Zhang
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, United States.,Gansu Province Medical Genetics Center, Gansu Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Lanzhou, China
| | - Yaowen Zhang
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, United States.,Department of Neurology, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Jianqin Zhang
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, United States.,Department of Pediatric Respiratory, Dalian Children's Hospital, Dalian, China
| | - Shibo Li
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, United States
| | - Lijun Zhang
- Department of Hematology, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
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Agnello G, Alters SE, Rowlinson SW. Preclinical safety and antitumor activity of the arginine-degrading therapeutic enzyme pegzilarginase, a PEGylated, cobalt-substituted recombinant human arginase 1. Transl Res 2020; 217:11-22. [PMID: 31954097 DOI: 10.1016/j.trsl.2019.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2019] [Revised: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 12/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Metabolic remodeling contributes to the development and progression of some cancers and exposes them to vulnerabilities, including specific nutrient dependencies that can be targeted therapeutically. Arginine is a semiessential amino acid, and several cancers are unable to endogenously synthesize sufficient levels of arginine for survival and proliferation, most commonly due to reduced expression of argininosuccinate synthase (ASS1). Such cancers are dependent on arginine and they can be targeted via enzyme-mediated depletion of systemic arginine. We report the preclinical safety, antitumor efficacy, and immune-potentiating effects of pegzilarginase, a highly potent human arginine-degrading enzyme. Toxicology studies showed that pegzilarginase-mediated arginine depletion is well tolerated at therapeutic levels that elicit an antitumor growth effect. To determine which tumor types are best suited for clinical development, we profiled clinical tumor samples for ASS1 expression, which correlated with pegzilarginase sensitivity in vivo in patient-derived xenograft (PDx) models. Among the histologies tested, malignant melanoma, small cell lung cancer and Merkel cell carcinoma had the highest prevalence of low ASS1 expression, the highest proportion of PDx models responding to pegzilarginase, and the strongest correlation between low or no ASS1 expression and sensitivity to pegzilarginase. In an immune-competent syngeneic mouse model, pegzilarginase slowed tumor growth and promoted the recruitment of CD8+ tumor infiltrating lymphocytes. This is consistent with the known autophagy-inducing effects of arginine depletion, and the link between autophagy and major histocompatibility complex antigen presentation to T cells. Our work supports the ongoing clinical investigations of pegzilarginase in solid tumors and clinical combination of pegzilarginase with immune checkpoint inhibitors.
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Vettore L, Westbrook RL, Tennant DA. New aspects of amino acid metabolism in cancer. Br J Cancer 2020; 122:150-156. [PMID: 31819187 PMCID: PMC7052246 DOI: 10.1038/s41416-019-0620-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 218] [Impact Index Per Article: 54.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2019] [Revised: 08/01/2019] [Accepted: 10/18/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
An abundant supply of amino acids is important for cancers to sustain their proliferative drive. Alongside their direct role as substrates for protein synthesis, they can have roles in energy generation, driving the synthesis of nucleosides and maintenance of cellular redox homoeostasis. As cancer cells exist within a complex and often nutrient-poor microenvironment, they sometimes exist as part of a metabolic community, forming relationships that can be both symbiotic and parasitic. Indeed, this is particularly evident in cancers that are auxotrophic for particular amino acids. This review discusses the stromal/cancer cell relationship, by using examples to illustrate a number of different ways in which cancer cells can rely on and contribute to their microenvironment - both as a stable network and in response to therapy. In addition, it examines situations when amino acid synthesis is driven through metabolic coupling to other reactions, and synthesis is in excess of the cancer cell's proliferative demand. Finally, it highlights the understudied area of non-proteinogenic amino acids in cancer metabolism and their potential role.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Vettore
- Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
| | - Rebecca L Westbrook
- Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
| | - Daniel A Tennant
- Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK.
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A comparison of adult rhabdomyosarcoma and high-grade neuroendocrine carcinoma of the urinary bladder reveals novel PPP1R12A fusions in rhabdomyosarcoma. Hum Pathol 2019; 88:48-59. [PMID: 30946934 DOI: 10.1016/j.humpath.2019.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2018] [Revised: 03/10/2019] [Accepted: 03/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Some rhabdomyosarcomas and sarcomatoid carcinomas with heterologous rhabdomyosarcomatous elements resemble high-grade neuroendocrine carcinoma, creating a diagnostic difficulty. The purpose of this study was to characterize the overlap of adult genitourinary rhabdomyosarcomas, excluding those occurring at paratesticular sites, with high-grade neuroendocrine carcinoma and identify features helpful in their separation. Seventeen cases of rhabdomyosarcoma (11 from the urinary bladder and 3 each from kidney and prostate) were compared to 10 cases of high-grade neuroendocrine carcinoma from the urinary bladder. These tumors were analyzed by immunohistochemistry for desmin, MyoD1, myogenin, chromogranin, synaptophysin, CD56, TTF1, and ASCL1, and RNA sequencing was performed on 4 cases of bladder rhabdomyosarcoma (2 rhabdomyosarcomas and 2 sarcomatoid-rhabdomyosarcoma) and 10 cases of bladder high-grade neuroendocrine carcinoma. This was compared to public data from 414 typical urothelial carcinomas from The Cancer Genome Atlas dataset. Morphologic and immunophenotypic overlap with high-grade neuroendocrine carcinoma was seen in half of the bladder tumors, which included 4 rhabdomyosarcomas and 2 sarcomatoid rhabdomyosarcomas. RNA sequencing confirmed expression of neuroendocrine markers in these cases (2 rhabdomyosarcomas and 2 sarcomatoid rhabdomyosarcomas). Differential neuroendocrine differentiation was highlighted by ASCL1 protein expression only in high-grade neuroendocrine carcinoma. Moreover, both a pure alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma and sarcomatoid rhabdomyosarcoma of the urinary bladder demonstrated a fusion involving PPP1R12A. In summary, adult rhabdomyosarcomas of the urinary bladder are molecularly distinct from high-grade neuroendocrine carcinomas based on specific patterns of expression of myogenic and epithelial to mesenchymal transition-related transcription factors as well as the presence of a novel PPP1R12A fusion which is seen in a subset of cases.
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