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Živalj M, Van Ginderachter JA, Stijlemans B. Lipocalin-2: A Nurturer of Tumor Progression and a Novel Candidate for Targeted Cancer Therapy. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:5159. [PMID: 37958332 PMCID: PMC10648573 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15215159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Revised: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Within the tumor microenvironment (TME) exists a complex signaling network between cancer cells and stromal cells, which determines the fate of tumor progression. Hence, interfering with this signaling network forms the basis for cancer therapy. Yet, many types of cancer, in particular, solid tumors, are refractory to the currently used treatments, so there is an urgent need for novel molecular targets that could improve current anti-cancer therapeutic strategies. Lipocalin-2 (Lcn-2), a secreted siderophore-binding glycoprotein that regulates iron homeostasis, is highly upregulated in various cancer types. Due to its pleiotropic role in the crosstalk between cancer cells and stromal cells, favoring tumor progression, it could be considered as a novel biomarker for prognostic and therapeutic purposes. However, the exact signaling route by which Lcn-2 promotes tumorigenesis remains unknown, and Lcn-2-targeting moieties are largely uninvestigated. This review will (i) provide an overview on the role of Lcn-2 in orchestrating the TME at the level of iron homeostasis, macrophage polarization, extracellular matrix remodeling, and cell migration and survival, and (ii) discuss the potential of Lcn-2 as a promising novel drug target that should be pursued in future translational research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maida Živalj
- Brussels Center for Immunology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
- Myeloid Cell Immunology Laboratory, VIB Center for Inflammation Research, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Jo A. Van Ginderachter
- Brussels Center for Immunology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
- Myeloid Cell Immunology Laboratory, VIB Center for Inflammation Research, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Benoit Stijlemans
- Brussels Center for Immunology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
- Myeloid Cell Immunology Laboratory, VIB Center for Inflammation Research, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
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Hurley EH, Tao J, Liu S, Krutsenko Y, Singh S, Monga SP. Inhibition of Heat Shock Factor 1 Signaling Decreases Hepatoblastoma Growth via Induction of Apoptosis. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY 2023; 193:148-160. [PMID: 36336065 PMCID: PMC9887635 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2022.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Revised: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Although rare compared with adult liver cancers, hepatoblastoma (HB) is the most common pediatric liver malignancy, and its incidence is increasing. Currently, the treatment includes surgical resection with or without chemotherapy, and in severe cases, liver transplantation in children. The effort to develop more targeted, HB-specific therapies has been stymied by the lack of fundamental knowledge about HB biology. Heat shock factor 1 (HSF1), a transcription factor, is a canonical inducer of heat shock proteins, which act as chaperone proteins to prevent or undo protein misfolding. Recent work has shown a role for HSF1 in cancer beyond the canonical heat shock response. The current study found increased HSF1 signaling in HB versus normal liver. It showed that less differentiated, more embryonic tumors had higher levels of HSF1 than more differentiated, more fetal-appearing tumors. Most strikingly, HSF1 expression levels correlated with mortality. This study used a mouse model of HB to test the effect of inhibiting HSF1 early in tumor development on cancer growth. HSF1 inhibition resulted in fewer and smaller tumors, suggesting HSF1 is needed for aggressive tumor growth. Moreover, HSF1 inhibition also increased apoptosis in tumor foci. These data suggest that HSF1 may be a viable pharmacologic target for HB treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward H Hurley
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
| | - Junyan Tao
- Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Silvia Liu
- Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Yekaterina Krutsenko
- Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Sucha Singh
- Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Satdarshan P Monga
- Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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Lipocalin 2 as a Putative Modulator of Local Inflammatory Processes in the Spinal Cord and Component of Organ Cross talk After Spinal Cord Injury. Mol Neurobiol 2021; 58:5907-5919. [PMID: 34417948 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-021-02530-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Lipocalin 2 (LCN2), an immunomodulator, regulates various cellular processes such as iron transport and defense against bacterial infection. Under pathological conditions, LCN2 promotes neuroinflammation via the recruitment and activation of immune cells and glia, particularly microglia and astrocytes. Although it seems to have a negative influence on the functional outcome in spinal cord injury (SCI), the extent of its involvement in SCI and the underlying mechanisms are not yet fully known. In this study, using a SCI contusion mouse model, we first investigated the expression pattern of Lcn2 in different parts of the CNS (spinal cord and brain) and in the liver and its concentration in blood serum. Interestingly, we could note a significant increase in LCN2 throughout the whole spinal cord, in the brain, liver, and blood serum. This demonstrates the diversity of its possible sites of action in SCI. Furthermore, genetic deficiency of Lcn2 (Lcn2-/-) significantly reduced certain aspects of gliosis in the SCI-mice. Taken together, our studies provide first valuable hints, suggesting that LCN2 is involved in the local and systemic effects post SCI, and might modulate the impairment of different peripheral organs after injury.
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Chen X, Kiss A, Schaff Z, Evert K, Zhang Y, Zhong S, Wang J, Evert M, Calvisi DF, Chen X. CDK9 is dispensable for YAP-driven hepatoblastoma development. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2020; 67:e28221. [PMID: 32124532 DOI: 10.1002/pbc.28221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2019] [Revised: 01/29/2020] [Accepted: 01/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hepatoblastoma (HB) is the most common pediatric liver malignancy, occurring mainly during the first 4 years of life. Recent studies unraveled the frequent, coordinated activation of Wnt/β-catenin and YAP/Hippo (where YAP is yes-associated protein) pathways in human HB samples. Furthermore, it was found that concomitant overexpression of activated forms of β-catenin and YAP in the mouse liver triggers HB formation in YAP/β-catenin mice. Cyclin-dependent kinases 9 (CDK9) is an elongating kinase, which has been shown to mediate YAP-driven tumorigenesis. The role of CDK9 in HB molecular pathogenesis has not been investigated to date. METHODS CDK9 expression was determined in human HB lesions, HB cell lines, and YAP/β-catenin mouse livers. CDK9 was silenced in human HB cell lines and the effects on growth rate and YAP targets were analyzed. Hydrodynamic transfection of YAPS127A and ∆N90-β-catenin together with either shCdk9 or control shLuc (where Luc is luciferase) plasmids was employed to assess the requirement of Cdk9 for HB development in vivo. RESULTS Nuclear immunoreactivity for CDK9 protein was more pronounced in human HB samples and YAP/β-catenin mouse HB tumor tissues than in corresponding surrounding nontumorous liver tissues. CDK9 protein was also expressed in human HB cell lines. Silencing of CDK9 in human HB cell lines did not lead to consistent effects on HB cell growth or YAP target gene expression. Surprisingly, silencing of Cdk9 led to accelerated liver tumorigenesis in YAP/β-catenin mice. CONCLUSION CDK9 is not a major downstream mediator of YAP oncogenic function in HB development and progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyan Chen
- Department of Pharmacy, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, China.,Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences and Liver Center, University of California, San Francisco, California
| | - Andras Kiss
- Second Department of Pathology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Zsuzsa Schaff
- Second Department of Pathology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Katja Evert
- Institute of Pathology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Yi Zhang
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences and Liver Center, University of California, San Francisco, California.,Key Laboratory of Biorheological Science and Technology, College of Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
| | - Sheng Zhong
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences and Liver Center, University of California, San Francisco, California
| | - Jingxiao Wang
- School of Life Science, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Matthias Evert
- Institute of Pathology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Diego F Calvisi
- Institute of Pathology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Xin Chen
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences and Liver Center, University of California, San Francisco, California
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Min Q, Molina L, Li J, Adebayo Michael AO, Russell JO, Preziosi ME, Singh S, Poddar M, Matz-Soja M, Ranganathan S, Bell AW, Gebhardt R, Gaunitz F, Yu J, Tao J, Monga SP. β-Catenin and Yes-Associated Protein 1 Cooperate in Hepatoblastoma Pathogenesis. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY 2019; 189:1091-1104. [PMID: 30794807 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2019.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2018] [Revised: 01/31/2019] [Accepted: 02/01/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Hepatoblastoma (HB), the most common pediatric primary liver neoplasm, shows nuclear localization of β-catenin and yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1) in almost 80% of the cases. Co-expression of constitutively active S127A-YAP1 and ΔN90 deletion-mutant β-catenin (YAP1-ΔN90-β-catenin) causes HB in mice. Because heterogeneity in downstream signaling is being identified owing to mutational differences even in the β-catenin gene alone, we investigated if co-expression of point mutants of β-catenin (S33Y or S45Y) with S127A-YAP1 led to similar tumors as YAP1-ΔN90-β-catenin. Co-expression of S33Y/S45Y-β-catenin and S127A-YAP1 led to activation of Yap and Wnt signaling and development of HB, with 100% mortality by 13 to 14 weeks. Co-expression with YAP1-S45Y/S33Y-β-catenin of the dominant-negative T-cell factor 4 or dominant-negative transcriptional enhanced associate domain 2, the respective surrogate transcription factors, prevented HB development. Although histologically similar, HB in YAP1-S45Y/S33Y-β-catenin, unlike YAP1-ΔN90-β-catenin HB, was glutamine synthetase (GS) positive. However, both ΔN90-β-catenin and point-mutant β-catenin comparably induced GS-luciferase reporter in vitro. Finally, using a previously reported 16-gene signature, it was shown that YAP1-ΔN90-β-catenin HB tumors exhibited genetic similarities with more proliferative, less differentiated, GS-negative HB patient tumors, whereas YAP1-S33Y/S45Y-β-catenin HB exhibited heterogeneity and clustered with both well-differentiated GS-positive and proliferative GS-negative patient tumors. Thus, we demonstrate that β-catenin point mutants can also collaborate with YAP1 in HB development, albeit with a distinct molecular profile from the deletion mutant, which may have implications in both biology and therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Min
- Department of Oncology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Laura Molina
- Division of Experimental Pathology, Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Jing Li
- Department of Gynecology, Shiyan Taihe Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China
| | - Adeola O Adebayo Michael
- Division of Experimental Pathology, Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Jacquelyn O Russell
- Division of Experimental Pathology, Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Morgan E Preziosi
- Division of Experimental Pathology, Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Sucha Singh
- Division of Experimental Pathology, Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Minakshi Poddar
- Division of Experimental Pathology, Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Madlen Matz-Soja
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sarangarajan Ranganathan
- Division of Pediatric Pathology, Department of Pathology, Children's Hospital, Pittburgh, Pennsylvania; Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Aaron W Bell
- Division of Experimental Pathology, Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Rolf Gebhardt
- Institute of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Frank Gaunitz
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jinming Yu
- Department of Oncology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China; Department of Radiation Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Shandong Academy of Medical Science, Jinan, China.
| | - Junyan Tao
- Department of Gynecology, Shiyan Taihe Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China; Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Satdarshan P Monga
- Department of Gynecology, Shiyan Taihe Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China; Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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