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Bailly C. The bacterial thiopeptide thiostrepton. An update of its mode of action, pharmacological properties and applications. Eur J Pharmacol 2022; 914:174661. [PMID: 34863996 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2021.174661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The bacterial thiopeptide thiostrepton (TS) is used as a veterinary medicine to treat bacterial infections. TS is a protein translation inhibitor, essentially active against Gram-positive bacteria and some Gram-negative bacteria. In procaryotes, TS abrogates binding of GTPase elongation factors to the 70S ribosome, by altering the structure of rRNA-L11 protein complexes. TS exerts also antimalarial effects by disrupting protein synthesis in the apicoplast genome of Plasmodium falciparum. Interestingly, the drug targets both the infectious pathogen (bacteria or parasite) and host cell, by inducing endoplasmic reticulum stress-mediated autophagy which contributes to enhance the host cell defense. In addition, TS has been characterized as a potent chemical inhibitor of the oncogenic transcription factor FoxM1, frequently overexpressed in cancers or other diseases. The capacity of TS to crosslink FoxM1, and a few other proteins such as peroxiredoxin 3 (PRX3) and the 19S proteasome, contributes to the anticancer effects of the thiopeptide. The anticancer activities of TS evidenced using diverse tumor cell lines, in vivo models and drug combinations are reviewed here, together with the implicated targets and mechanisms. The difficulty to formulate TS is a drag on the pharmaceutical development of the natural product. However, the design of hemisynthetic analogues and the use of micellar drug delivery systems should facilitate a broader utilization of the compound in human and veterinary medicines. This review shed light on the many pharmacological properties of TS, with the objective to promote its use as a pharmacological tool and medicinal product.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Bailly
- OncoWitan, Scientific Consulting Office, Lille, Wasquehal, 59290, France.
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2
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Chesnokov MS, Borhani S, Halasi M, Arbieva Z, Khan I, Gartel AL. FOXM1-AKT Positive Regulation Loop Provides Venetoclax Resistance in AML. Front Oncol 2021; 11:696532. [PMID: 34381718 PMCID: PMC8350342 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.696532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 07/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Forkhead box protein M1 (FOXM1) is a crucial regulator of cancer development and chemoresistance. It is often overexpressed in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and is associated with poor survival and reduced efficacy of cytarabine therapy. Molecular mechanisms underlying high FOXM1 expression levels in malignant cells are still unclear. Here we demonstrate that AKT and FOXM1 constitute a positive autoregulatory loop in AML cells that sustains high activity of both pro-oncogenic regulators. Inactivation of either AKT or FOXM1 signaling results in disruption of whole loop, coordinated suppression of FOXM1 or AKT, respectively, and similar transcriptomic changes. AML cells with inhibited AKT activity or stable FOXM1 knockdown display increase in HOXA genes expression and BCL2L1 suppression that are associated with prominent sensitization to treatment with Bcl-2 inhibitor venetoclax. Taken together, our data indicate that AKT and FOXM1 in AML cells should not be evaluated as single independent regulators but as two parts of a common FOXM1-AKT positive feedback circuit. We also report for the first time that FOXM1 inactivation can overcome AML venetoclax resistance. Thus, targeting FOXM1-AKT loop may open new possibilities in overcoming AML drug resistance and improving outcomes for AML patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikhail S Chesnokov
- Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Soheila Borhani
- Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Marianna Halasi
- Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
- Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Zarema Arbieva
- Genome Research Core, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Irum Khan
- Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Andrei L. Gartel
- Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
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3
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Khan I, Eklund EE, Gartel AL. Therapeutic Vulnerabilities of Transcription Factors in AML. Mol Cancer Ther 2020; 20:229-237. [PMID: 33158995 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-20-0115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2020] [Revised: 08/13/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is characterized by impaired myeloid lineage differentiation, uncontrolled proliferation, and inhibition of proapoptotic pathways. In spite of a relatively homogeneous clinical disease presentation, risk of long-term survival in AML varies from 20% to 80% depending on molecular disease characteristics. In recognition of the molecular heterogeneity of AML, the European Leukemia Net (ELN) and WHO classification systems now incorporate cytogenetics and increasing numbers of gene mutations into AML prognostication. Several of the genomic AML subsets are characterized by unique transcription factor alterations that are highlighted in this review. There are many mechanisms of transcriptional deregulation in leukemia. We broadly classify transcription factors based on mechanisms of transcriptional deregulation including direct involvement of transcription factors in recurrent translocations, loss-of-function mutations, and intracellular relocalization. Transcription factors, due to their pleiotropic effects, have been attractive but elusive targets. Indirect targeting approaches include inhibition of upstream kinases such as TAK1 for suppression of NFκB signaling and downstream effectors such as FGF signaling in HOXA-upregulated leukemia. Other strategies include targeting scaffolding proteins like BrD4 in the case of MYC or coactivators such as menin to suppress HOX expression; disrupting critical protein interactions in the case of β-catenin:TCF/LEF, and preventing transcription factor binding to DNA as in the case of PU.1 or FOXM1. We comprehensively describe the mechanism of deregulation of transcription factors in genomic subsets of AML, consequent pathway addictions, and potential therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irum Khan
- Department of Medicine, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Elizabeth E Eklund
- Feinberg School of Medicine and Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois.,Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Andrei L Gartel
- Department of Medicine, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois.
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4
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The Role of Forkhead Box Proteins in Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Cancers (Basel) 2019; 11:cancers11060865. [PMID: 31234353 PMCID: PMC6627614 DOI: 10.3390/cancers11060865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2019] [Revised: 05/29/2019] [Accepted: 06/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Forkhead box (FOX) proteins are a group of transcriptional factors implicated in different cellular functions such as differentiation, proliferation and senescence. A growing number of studies have focused on the relationship between FOX proteins and cancers, particularly hematological neoplasms such as acute myeloid leukemia (AML). FOX proteins are widely involved in AML biology, including leukemogenesis, relapse and drug sensitivity. Here we explore the role of FOX transcription factors in the major AML entities, according to "The 2016 revision to the World Health Organization classification of myeloid neoplasms and acute leukemia", and in the context of the most recurrent gene mutations identified in this heterogeneous disease. Moreover, we report the new evidences about the role of FOX proteins in drug sensitivity, mechanisms of chemoresistance, and possible targeting for personalized therapies.
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5
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Park AK, Lee JY, Cheong H, Ramaswamy V, Park SH, Kool M, Phi JH, Choi SA, Cavalli F, Taylor MD, Kim SK. Subgroup-specific prognostic signaling and metabolic pathways in pediatric medulloblastoma. BMC Cancer 2019; 19:571. [PMID: 31185958 PMCID: PMC6560914 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-019-5742-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2018] [Accepted: 05/22/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Using a pathway-focused approach, we aimed to provide a subgroup-specific basis for finding novel therapeutic strategies and further refinement of the risk stratification in pediatric medulloblastoma. Method Based on genome-wide Cox regression and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis, we investigated prognosis-related signaling pathways and core genes in pediatric medulloblastoma subgroups using 530 patient data from Medulloblastoma Advanced Genomic International Consortium (MAGIC) project. We further examined the relationship between expression of the prognostic core genes and frequent chromosome aberrations using broad range copy number change data. Results In SHH subgroup, relatively high expression of the core genes involved in p53, PLK1, FOXM1, and Aurora B signaling pathways are associated with poor prognosis, and their average expression synergistically increases with co-occurrence of losses of 17p, 14q, or 10q, or gain of 17q. In Group 3, in addition to high MYC expression, relatively elevated expression of PDGFRA, IGF1R, and FGF2 and their downstream genes in PI3K/AKT and MAPK/ERK pathways are related to poor survival outcome, and their average expression is increased with the presence of isochromosome 17q [i(17q)] and synergistically down-regulated with simultaneous losses of 16p, 8q, or 4q. In Group 4, up-regulation of the genes encoding various immune receptors and those involved in NOTCH, NF-κB, PI3K/AKT, or RHOA signaling pathways are associated with worse prognosis. Additionally, the expressions of Notch genes correlate with those of the prognostic immune receptors. Besides the Group 4 patients with previously known prognostic aberration, loss of chromosome 11, those with loss of 8q but without i(17q) show excellent survival outcomes and low average expression of the prognostic core genes whereas those harboring 10q loss, 1q gain, or 12q gain accompanied by i(17q) show bad outcomes. Finally, several metabolic pathways known to be reprogrammed in cancer cells are detected as prognostic pathways including glutamate metabolism in SHH subgroup, pentose phosphate pathway and TCA cycle in Group 3, and folate-mediated one carbon-metabolism in Group 4. Conclusions The results underscore several subgroup-specific pathways for potential therapeutic interventions: SHH-GLI-FOXM1 pathway in SHH subgroup, receptor tyrosine kinases and their downstream pathways in Group 3, and immune and inflammatory pathways in Group 4. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12885-019-5742-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ae Kyung Park
- College of Pharmacy and Research Institute of Life and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sunchon National University, Suncheon, Korea
| | - Ji Yeoun Lee
- Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Seoul National University Children's Hospital, Department of Neurosurgery, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.,Department of Anatomy, Neural Development and Anomaly Lab, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.,Neuroscience Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Heesun Cheong
- Division of Cancer Biology, National Cancer Center, Goyang, Korea
| | - Vijay Ramaswamy
- Division of Haematology/Oncology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Sung-Hye Park
- Department of Pathology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Marcel Kool
- Division of Paediatric Neurooncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ji Hoon Phi
- Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Seoul National University Children's Hospital, Department of Neurosurgery, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Seung Ah Choi
- Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Seoul National University Children's Hospital, Department of Neurosurgery, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Florence Cavalli
- Programme in Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Michael D Taylor
- Programme in Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada. .,Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
| | - Seung-Ki Kim
- Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Seoul National University Children's Hospital, Department of Neurosurgery, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. .,Neuroscience Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
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6
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Khan I, Halasi M, Patel A, Schultz R, Kalakota N, Chen YH, Aardsma N, Liu L, Crispino JD, Mahmud N, Frankfurt O, Gartel AL. FOXM1 contributes to treatment failure in acute myeloid leukemia. JCI Insight 2018; 3:121583. [PMID: 30089730 PMCID: PMC6129129 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.121583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2018] [Accepted: 06/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients with NPM1 mutations demonstrate a superior response to standard chemotherapy treatment. Our previous work has shown that these favorable outcomes are linked to the cytoplasmic relocalization and inactivation of FOXM1 driven by mutated NPM1. Here, we went on to confirm the important role of FOXM1 in increased chemoresistance in AML. A multiinstitution retrospective study was conducted to link FOXM1 expression to clinical outcomes in AML. We establish nuclear FOXM1 as an independent clinical predictor of chemotherapeutic resistance in intermediate-risk AML in a multivariate analysis incorporating standard clinicopathologic risk factors. Using colony assays, we show a dramatic decrease in colony size and numbers in AML cell lines with knockdown of FOXM1, suggesting an important role for FOXM1 in the clonogenic activity of AML cells. In order to further prove a potential role for FOXM1 in AML chemoresistance, we induced an FLT3-ITD-driven myeloid neoplasm in a FOXM1-overexpressing transgenic mouse model and demonstrated significantly higher residual disease after standard chemotherapy. This suggests that constitutive overexpression of FOXM1 in this model induces chemoresistance. Finally, we performed proof-of-principle experiments using a currently approved proteasome inhibitor, ixazomib, to target FOXM1 and demonstrated a therapeutic response in AML patient samples and animal models of AML that correlates with the suppression of FOXM1 and its transcriptional targets. Addition of low doses of ixazomib increases sensitization of AML cells to chemotherapy backbone drugs cytarabine and the hypomethylator 5-azacitidine. Our results underscore the importance of FOXM1 in AML progression and treatment, and they suggest that targeting it may have therapeutic benefit in combination with standard AML therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irum Khan
- Department of Medicine, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Marianna Halasi
- Department of Medicine, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | | | - Rachael Schultz
- Department of Medicine, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Nandini Kalakota
- Department of Medicine, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Yi-Hua Chen
- Department of Pathology, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Nathan Aardsma
- Department of Pathology, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Li Liu
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | | | - Nadim Mahmud
- Department of Medicine, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | | | - Andrei L Gartel
- Department of Medicine, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois, USA
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7
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Wang Y, Yun Y, Wu B, Wen L, Wen M, Yang H, Zhao L, Liu W, Huang S, Wen N, Li Y. FOXM1 promotes reprogramming of glucose metabolism in epithelial ovarian cancer cells via activation of GLUT1 and HK2 transcription. Oncotarget 2018; 7:47985-47997. [PMID: 27351131 PMCID: PMC5216994 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.10103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2015] [Accepted: 05/12/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer cells exhibit the reprogrammed metabolism mainly via aerobic glycolysis, a phenomenon known historically as the Warburg effect; however, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. In this study, we characterized the critical role of transcription factor Forkhead box protein M1 (FOXM1) in aerobic glycolysis of human epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) and its molecular mechanisms. Our data showed that aberrant expression of FOXM1 significantly contributed to the reprogramming of glucose metabolism in EOC cells. Aerobic glycolysis and cell proliferation were down-regulated in EOC cells when FOXM1 gene expression was suppressed by RNA interference. Moreover, knockdown of FOXM1 in EOC cells significantly reduced glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) and hexokinase 2 (HK2) expression. FOXM1 bound directly to the GLUT1 and HK2 promoter regions and regulated the promoter activities and the expression of the genes at the transcriptional level. This reveals a novel mechanism by which glucose metabolism is regulated by FOXM1. Importantly, we further demonstrated that the expression levels of FOXM1, GLUT1 and HK2 were significantly increased in human EOC tissues relative to normal ovarian tissues, and that FOXM1 expression was positively correlated with GLUT1 and HK2 expression. Taken together, our results show that FOXM1 promotes reprogramming of glucose metabolism in EOC cells via activation of GLUT1 and HK2 transcription, suggesting that FOXM1 may be an important target in aerobic glycolysis pathway for developing novel anticancer agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Wang
- Department of Oncology, State Key Discipline of Cell Biology, Xijing Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.,Institute of Stomatology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Yuyu Yun
- State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Cell Engineering Research Center & Department of Cell Biology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Bo Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Cell Engineering Research Center & Department of Cell Biology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Li Wen
- Institute of Stomatology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Mingling Wen
- Department of Pharmacy, Affiliated Hospital of Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Huiling Yang
- Institute of Stomatology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Lisheng Zhao
- Institute of Stomatology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Wenchao Liu
- Department of Oncology, State Key Discipline of Cell Biology, Xijing Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Suyun Huang
- Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA.,Program in Cancer Biology, The University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Ning Wen
- Institute of Stomatology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Yu Li
- State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Cell Engineering Research Center & Department of Cell Biology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
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8
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Fei BY, He X, Ma J, Zhang M, Chai R. FoxM1 is associated with metastasis in colorectal cancer through induction of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Oncol Lett 2017; 14:6553-6561. [PMID: 29163688 PMCID: PMC5686434 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2017.7022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2015] [Accepted: 02/03/2017] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of forkhead box M1 (FoxM1) in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and metastasis in colorectal cancer (CRC). Immunohistochemical assays were performed to detect FoxM1 and epithelial (E-) cadherin protein expression in 92 CRC, 61 colonic adenoma and 32 wild-type colonic tissue samples. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assays were performed to determine the expression levels of FoxM1 and E-cadherin mRNAs in 30 CRC and adjacent normal mucosal tissues. RNA interference was used to knock down endogenous FoxM1 expression in CRC cell lines, and the migratory and invasive capacity of the CRC cells was analyzed. The expression of FoxM1, E-cadherin and neuronal (N-) cadherin in the CRC cell lines was evaluated using qPCR and Western blot analysis. The relative expression levels of FoxM1 mRNA and protein were significantly increased in the CRC tissues compared with those in the colonic adenoma and wild-type mucosal tissue samples (P<0.01). In contrast, the relative expression levels of E-cadherin mRNA and protein were significantly decreased in the CRC tissues compared with in the colonic adenoma and normal mucosal tissues (P<0.01). FoxM1 overexpression and decreased E-cadherin expression were significantly associated with poor colonic tissue differentiation, lymph node metastasis and an advanced tumor-node-metastasis stage. Additionally, the increased expression of FoxM1 was associated with a decrease in E-cadherin expression (P<0.01). Furthermore, RNA interference-mediated FoxM1 knockdown significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of CRC cells. Downregulation of FoxM1 expression significantly increased E-cadherin expression and decreased N-cadherin expression. The results of the present study suggest that FoxM1 overexpression in tumor tissues is significantly associated with metastasis in CRC through the induction of EMT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bao-Ying Fei
- Department of Gastroenterology, Tongde Hospital of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310012, P.R. China
| | - Xujun He
- Key Laboratory of Gastroenterology of Zhejiang, Zhejiang Province People's Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310014, P.R. China
| | - Jie Ma
- Department of Pathology, Zhejiang Province People's Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310014, P.R. China
| | - Mei Zhang
- Department of Pathology, Zhejiang Province People's Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310014, P.R. China
| | - Rui Chai
- Department of Anorectal Surgery, Zhejiang Province People's Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310014, P.R. China
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9
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Alachkar H, Mutonga MBG, Metzeler KH, Fulton N, Malnassy G, Herold T, Spiekermann K, Bohlander SK, Hiddemann W, Matsuo Y, Stock W, Nakamura Y. Preclinical efficacy of maternal embryonic leucine-zipper kinase (MELK) inhibition in acute myeloid leukemia. Oncotarget 2015; 5:12371-82. [PMID: 25365263 PMCID: PMC4323011 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.2642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2014] [Accepted: 10/28/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Maternal embryonic leucine-zipper kinase (MELK), which was reported to be frequently up-regulated in various types of solid cancer, plays critical roles in formation and maintenance of cancer stem cells. However, little is known about the relevance of this kinase in hematologic malignancies. Here we report characterization of possible roles of MELK in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). MELK is expressed in AML cell lines and AML blasts with higher levels in less differentiated cells. MELK is frequently upregulated in AML with complex karyotypes and is associated with worse clinical outcome. MELK knockdown resulted in growth inhibition and apoptosis of leukemic cells. Hence, we investigated the potent anti-leukemia activity of OTS167, a small molecule MELK kinase inhibitor, in AML, and found that the compound induced cell differentiation and apoptosis as well as decreased migration of AML cells. MELK expression was positively correlated with the expression of FOXM1 as well as its downstream target genes. Furthermore, MELK inhibition resulted in downregulation of FOXM1 activity and the expression of its downstream targets. Taken together, and given that OTS167 is undergoing a phase I clinical trial in solid cancer, our study warrants clinical evaluation of this compound as a novel targeted therapy for AML patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Houda Alachkar
- Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | | | - Klaus H Metzeler
- Department of Internal Medicine 3, University Hospital Grosshadern, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU), München, Germany. Clinical Cooperative Group Leukemia, Helmholtz Center Munich for Environmental Health, München, Germany
| | - Noreen Fulton
- Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | | | - Tobias Herold
- Department of Internal Medicine 3, University Hospital Grosshadern, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU), München, Germany. Clinical Cooperative Group Leukemia, Helmholtz Center Munich for Environmental Health, München, Germany
| | - Karsten Spiekermann
- Department of Internal Medicine 3, University Hospital Grosshadern, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU), München, Germany. Clinical Cooperative Group Leukemia, Helmholtz Center Munich for Environmental Health, München, Germany
| | - Stefan K Bohlander
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Wolfgang Hiddemann
- Department of Internal Medicine 3, University Hospital Grosshadern, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU), München, Germany. Clinical Cooperative Group Leukemia, Helmholtz Center Munich for Environmental Health, München, Germany
| | - Yo Matsuo
- OncoTherapy Science, Inc., Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Wendy Stock
- Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
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10
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Wang JY, Jia XH, Xing HY, Li YJ, Fan WW, Li N, Xie SY. Inhibition of Forkhead box protein M1 by thiostrepton increases chemosensitivity to doxorubicin in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Mol Med Rep 2015; 12:1457-64. [PMID: 25760224 DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2015.3469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2014] [Accepted: 02/27/2015] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is an aggressive type of blood malignancy, deriving from T-cell progenitors in the thymus, and comprises 10-15% of pediatric and 25% of adult primary ALL cases. Despite advances, 20% of pediatric and the majority of adult patients with T-ALL succumb to mortality from resistant or relapsed disease, and the survival rate for patients with resistant or relapsed T-ALL remains poor. Alterations in the expression of Forkhead box protein M1 (FoxM1) have been detected in several types of cancer, and the inhibition of FoxM1 has been investigated as therapeutic strategy in cancer. The present study investigated the effects of the inhibition of FoxM1 by thiostrepton in human T-ALL Jurkat cells. The cells were treated with different concentrations of thiostrepton, either alone or in combination with doxorubicin. Cell viability was measured using CCK-8 assays and the cell cycle distribution, apoptosis and cell-associated mean fluorescence intensity of intracellular doxorubicin were assessed using flow cytometric analysis. The mRNA and protein expression levels were detected by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analyses. The inhibition of FoxM1 by thiostrepton significantly decreased the proliferation of the Jurkat cells proliferation in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Cell arrest at the G2/M phase, and apoptosis was significantly increased in the thiostrepton-treated Jurkat cells. Thiostrepton reduced the half maximal inhibitory concentration of doxorubicin in the Jurkat cells, and significantly enhanced the cytotoxicity of doxorubicin within the Jurkat cells by enhancing doxorubicin-induced apoptosis and increasing the accumulation of intracellular doxorubicin. Furthermore, the inhibition of FoxM1 by thiostrepton enhanced doxorubicin-induced apoptosis, possibly through a caspase-3-dependent pathway, and increased the accumulation of intracellular doxorubicin, possibly through downregulating the expression of glutathione S-transferase pi. Collectively, the results of the present study suggested that targeting FoxM1 with thiostrepton resulted in potent antileukemia activity and chemosensitizing effects in human T-ALL Jurkat cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian-Yong Wang
- Department of Pediatrics, The Affiliated Hospital of Binzhou Medical University, Binzhou, Shandong 256603, P.R. China
| | - Xiu-Hong Jia
- Department of Pediatrics, The Affiliated Hospital of Binzhou Medical University, Binzhou, Shandong 256603, P.R. China
| | - Hai-Yan Xing
- Department of Respiration, Binzhou People's Hospital, Binzhou, Shandong 256603, P.R. China
| | - You-Jie Li
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Key Laboratory of Tumour Molecular Biology, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, Shandong 264003, P.R. China
| | - Wen-Wen Fan
- Department of Pediatrics, Women and Children Hospital of Qingdao, Qingdao, Shandong 266011, P.R. China
| | - Na Li
- Department of Pediatrics, The Affiliated Hospital of Binzhou Medical University, Binzhou, Shandong 256603, P.R. China
| | - Shu-Yang Xie
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Key Laboratory of Tumour Molecular Biology, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, Shandong 264003, P.R. China
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11
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Zhu H. Targeting forkhead box transcription factors FOXM1 and FOXO in leukemia (Review). Oncol Rep 2014; 32:1327-34. [PMID: 25175498 DOI: 10.3892/or.2014.3357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2014] [Accepted: 07/08/2014] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Deregulation of forkhead box (FOX) proteins has been found in many genetic diseases and malignancies including leukemia. Leukemia is a common neoplastic disease of the blood or bone marrow characterized by the presence of immature leukocytes and is one of the leading causes of death due to cancer. Forkhead transcription factors, FOXM1 and FOXO family members (FOXOs), are important mediators in leukemia development. Aberrant expression of FOXM1 and FOXOs results in leukemogenesis. Usually the expression of FOXM1 is upregulated, whereas the expression of FOXOs is downregulated due to phosphorylation, nuclear exclusion and degradation in leukemia. On the one hand, FOXOs are bona fide tumor suppressors, on the other hand, active FOXOs maintain leukemia stem cells and stimulate drug resistance genes, contributing to leukemogenesis. FOXM1 and FOXOs have been proven to be potential targets for the development of leukemia therapeutics. They are also valuable diagnostic and prognostic markers in leukemia for clinical applications. This review summarizes the present knowledge concerning the molecular mechanisms by which FOXM1 and FOXOs modulate leukemogenesis and leukemia development, the clinical relevance of these FOX proteins in leukemia and related areas that warrant further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong Zhu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Biology, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan 410082, P.R. China
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