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Casalou C, Ferreira A, Barral DC. The Role of ARF Family Proteins and Their Regulators and Effectors in Cancer Progression: A Therapeutic Perspective. Front Cell Dev Biol 2020; 8:217. [PMID: 32426352 PMCID: PMC7212444 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.00217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2020] [Accepted: 03/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The Adenosine diphosphate-Ribosylation Factor (ARF) family belongs to the RAS superfamily of small GTPases and is involved in a wide variety of physiological processes, such as cell proliferation, motility and differentiation by regulating membrane traffic and associating with the cytoskeleton. Like other members of the RAS superfamily, ARF family proteins are activated by Guanine nucleotide Exchange Factors (GEFs) and inactivated by GTPase-Activating Proteins (GAPs). When active, they bind effectors, which mediate downstream functions. Several studies have reported that cancer cells are able to subvert membrane traffic regulators to enhance migration and invasion. Indeed, members of the ARF family, including ARF-Like (ARL) proteins have been implicated in tumorigenesis and progression of several types of cancer. Here, we review the role of ARF family members, their GEFs/GAPs and effectors in tumorigenesis and cancer progression, highlighting the ones that can have a pro-oncogenic behavior or function as tumor suppressors. Moreover, we propose possible mechanisms and approaches to target these proteins, toward the development of novel therapeutic strategies to impair tumor progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Casalou
- CEDOC, NOVA Medical School, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Andreia Ferreira
- CEDOC, NOVA Medical School, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Duarte C Barral
- CEDOC, NOVA Medical School, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
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Prieto-Dominguez N, Parnell C, Teng Y. Drugging the Small GTPase Pathways in Cancer Treatment: Promises and Challenges. Cells 2019; 8:E255. [PMID: 30884855 PMCID: PMC6468615 DOI: 10.3390/cells8030255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2019] [Revised: 03/08/2019] [Accepted: 03/13/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Small GTPases are a family of low molecular weight GTP-hydrolyzing enzymes that cycle between an inactive state when bound to GDP and an active state when associated to GTP. Small GTPases regulate key cellular processes (e.g., cell differentiation, proliferation, and motility) as well as subcellular events (e.g., vesicle trafficking), making them key participants in a great array of pathophysiological processes. Indeed, the dysfunction and deregulation of certain small GTPases, such as the members of the Ras and Arf subfamilies, have been related with the promotion and progression of cancer. Therefore, the development of inhibitors that target dysfunctional small GTPases could represent a potential therapeutic strategy for cancer treatment. This review covers the basic biochemical mechanisms and the diverse functions of small GTPases in cancer. We also discuss the strategies and challenges of inhibiting the activity of these enzymes and delve into new approaches that offer opportunities to target them in cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Néstor Prieto-Dominguez
- Department of Oral Biology and Diagnostic Sciences, Dental College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA.
- Institute of Biomedicine (IBIOMED), University of León, León 24010, Spain.
| | | | - Yong Teng
- Department of Oral Biology and Diagnostic Sciences, Dental College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA.
- Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA.
- Department of Medical laboratory, Imaging and Radiologic Sciences, College of Allied Health, Augusta University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA.
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Xie X, Tang SC, Cai Y, Pi W, Deng L, Wu G, Chavanieu A, Teng Y. Suppression of breast cancer metastasis through the inactivation of ADP-ribosylation factor 1. Oncotarget 2018; 7:58111-58120. [PMID: 27517156 PMCID: PMC5295416 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.11185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2016] [Accepted: 08/05/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Metastasis is the major cause of cancer-related death in breast cancer patients, which is controlled by specific sets of genes. Targeting these genes may provide a means to delay cancer progression and allow local treatment to be more effective. We report for the first time that ADP-ribosylation factor 1 (ARF1) is the most amplified gene in ARF gene family in breast cancer, and high-level amplification of ARF1 is associated with increased mRNA expression and poor outcomes of patients with breast cancer. Knockdown of ARF1 leads to significant suppression of migration and invasion in breast cancer cells. Using the orthotopic xenograft model in NSG mice, we demonstrate that loss of ARF1 expression in breast cancer cells inhibits pulmonary metastasis. The zebrafish-metastasis model confirms that the ARF1 gene depletion suppresses breast cancer cells to metastatic disseminate throughout fish body, indicating that ARF1 is a very compelling target to limit metastasis. ARF1 function largely dependents on its activation and LM11, a cell-active inhibitor that specifically inhibits ARF1 activation through targeting the ARF1-GDP/ARNO complex at the Golgi, significantly impairs metastatic capability of breast cancer cell in zebrafish. These findings underline the importance of ARF1 in promoting metastasis and suggest that LM11 that inhibits ARF1 activation may represent a potential therapeutic approach to prevent or treat breast cancer metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiayang Xie
- Department of Oral Biology, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Emory Children's Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Shou-Ching Tang
- Georgia Cancer Center, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, USA.,Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, P.R. China
| | - Yafei Cai
- Georgia Cancer Center, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, USA
| | - Wenhu Pi
- Georgia Cancer Center, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, USA
| | - Libin Deng
- Georgia Cancer Center, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, USA
| | - Guangyu Wu
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, USA
| | - Alain Chavanieu
- Institut des Biomolécules Max Mousseron (IBMM), UMR 5247, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM, France
| | - Yong Teng
- Department of Oral Biology, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, USA.,Georgia Cancer Center, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, USA.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, USA
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Abstract
Small GTP-binding proteins of the ADP-ribosylation factor (Arf) family control various cell functional responses including protein transport and recycling between different cellular compartments, phagocytosis, proliferation, cytoskeletal remodelling, and migration. The activity of Arfs is tightly regulated. GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs) inactivate Arfs by stimulating GTP hydrolysis, and guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) stimulate the conversion of inactive GDP-bound Arf to the active GTP-bound conformation. There is increasing evidence that Arf small GTPases contribute to cancer growth and invasion. Increased expression of Arf6 and of Arf-GEPs, or deregulation Arf-GAP functions have been correlated with enhanced invasive capacity of tumor cells and metastasis. The spatiotemporal specificity of Arf activation is dictated by their GEFs that integrate various signals in stimulated cells. Brefeldin A (BFA), which inactivates a subset of Arf-GEFs, has been very useful for assessing the function of Golgi-localized Arfs. However, specific inhibitors to investigate the individual function of BFA-sensitive and insensitive Arf-GEFs are lacking. In recent years, specific screens have been developed, and new inhibitors with improved selectivity and potency to study cell functional responses regulated by BFA-sensitive and BFA-insensitive Arf pathways have been identified. These inhibitors have been instrumental for our understanding of the spatiotemporal activation of Arf proteins in cells and demonstrate the feasibility of developing small molecules interfering with Arf activation to prevent tumor invasion and metastasis.
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