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Cheng S, Zhou Z, Liu J, Li J, Wang Y, Xiao J, Luo Y. Landscape analysis of alternative splicing in kidney renal clear cell carcinoma and their clinical significance. Aging (Albany NY) 2024; 16:10016-10032. [PMID: 38862257 PMCID: PMC11210227 DOI: 10.18632/aging.205915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024]
Abstract
A growing number of studies reveal that alternative splicing (AS) is associated with tumorigenesis, progression, and metastasis. Systematic analysis of alternative splicing signatures in renal cancer is lacking. In our study, we investigated the AS landscape of kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) and identified AS predictive model to improve the prognostic prediction of KIRC. We obtained clinical data and gene expression profiles of KIRC patients from the TCGA database to evaluate AS events. The calculation results for seven types of AS events indicated that 46276 AS events from 10577 genes were identified. Next, we applied Cox regression analysis to identify 5864 prognostic-associated AS events. We used the Metascape database to verify the potential pathways of prognostic-associated AS. Moreover, we constructed KIRC prediction systems with prognostic-associated AS events by the LASSO Cox regression model. AUCs demonstrated that these prediction systems had excellent prognostic accuracy simultaneously. We identified 34 prognostic associated splicing factors (SFs) and constructed homologous regulatory networks. Furthermore, in vitro experiments were performed to validate the favorable effect of SFs FMR1 in KIRC. In conclusion, we overviewed AS events in KIRC and identified AS-based prognostic models to assist the survival prediction of KIRC patients. Our study may provide a novel predictive signature to improve the prognostic prediction of KIRC, which might facilitate KIRC patient counseling and individualized management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Songtao Cheng
- Department of Urology, Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Zili Zhou
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Jiannan Liu
- Department of Urology, Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Jun Li
- Department of Urology, Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Yu Wang
- Department of Urology, Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Jiantao Xiao
- Department of Urology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yongwen Luo
- Department of Urology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
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Luo Y, Li Z, Zhu H, Lu J, Lei Z, Su C, Liu F, Zhang H, Huang Q, Han S, Rao D, Wang T, Chen X, Cao H, Zhang Z, Huang W, Liang H. Transcription factor EHF drives cholangiocarcinoma development through transcriptional activation of glioma-associated oncogene homolog 1 and chemokine CCL2. MedComm (Beijing) 2024; 5:e535. [PMID: 38741887 PMCID: PMC11089446 DOI: 10.1002/mco2.535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 03/10/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is characterized by rapid onset and high chance of metastasis. Therefore, identification of novel therapeutic targets is imperative. E26 transformation-specific homologous factor (EHF), a member of the E26 transformation-specific transcription factor family, plays a pivotal role in epithelial cell differentiation and cancer progression. However, its precise role in CCA remains unclear. In this study, through in vitro and in vivo experiments, we demonstrated that EHF plays a profound role in promoting CCA by transcriptional activation of glioma-associated oncogene homolog 1 (GLI1). Moreover, EHF significantly recruited and activated tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) through the C-C motif chemokine 2/C-C chemokine receptor type 2 (CCL2/CCR2) axis, thereby remodeling the tumor microenvironment. In human CCA tissues, EHF expression was positively correlated with GLI1 and CCL2 expression, and patients with co-expression of EHF/GLI1 or EHF/CCL2 had the most adverse prognosis. Furthermore, the combination of the GLI1 inhibitor, GANT58, and CCR2 inhibitor, INCB3344, substantially reduced the occurrence of EHF-mediated CCA. In summary, our findings suggest that EHF is a potential prognostic biomarker for patients with CCA, while also advocating the therapeutic approach of combined targeting of GLI1 and CCL2/CCR2-TAMs to inhibit EHF-driven CCA development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiming Luo
- Hepatic Surgery CentreTongji HospitalTongji Medical CollegeHuazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanChina
| | - Zhi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme EngineeringSchool of Life SciencesHubei UniversityWuhanChina
- Key Laboratory of Breeding Biotechnology and Sustainable AquacultureInstitute of HydrobiologyChinese Academy of SciencesWuhanChina
| | - He Zhu
- Hepatic Surgery CentreTongji HospitalTongji Medical CollegeHuazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanChina
| | - Junli Lu
- Hepatic Surgery CentreTongji HospitalTongji Medical CollegeHuazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanChina
| | - Zhen Lei
- Hepatic Surgery CentreTongji HospitalTongji Medical CollegeHuazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanChina
| | - Chen Su
- Hepatic Surgery CentreTongji HospitalTongji Medical CollegeHuazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanChina
| | - Furong Liu
- Hepatic Surgery CentreTongji HospitalTongji Medical CollegeHuazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanChina
| | - Hongwei Zhang
- Hepatic Surgery CentreTongji HospitalTongji Medical CollegeHuazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanChina
| | - Qibo Huang
- Hepatic Surgery CentreTongji HospitalTongji Medical CollegeHuazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanChina
| | - Shenqi Han
- Hepatic Surgery CentreTongji HospitalTongji Medical CollegeHuazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanChina
| | - Dean Rao
- Hepatic Surgery CentreTongji HospitalTongji Medical CollegeHuazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanChina
| | - Tiantian Wang
- Hepatic Surgery CentreTongji HospitalTongji Medical CollegeHuazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanChina
| | - Xiaoping Chen
- Hepatic Surgery CentreTongji HospitalTongji Medical CollegeHuazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanChina
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato‐Pancreato‐Biliary DiseasesWuhanChina
- Key Laboratory of Organ TransplantationMinistry of Education, NHC Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, Key Laboratory of Organ TransplantationChinese Academy of Medical SciencesWuhanChina
| | - Hong Cao
- Key Laboratory of Breeding Biotechnology and Sustainable AquacultureInstitute of HydrobiologyChinese Academy of SciencesWuhanChina
| | - Zhiwei Zhang
- Hepatic Surgery CentreTongji HospitalTongji Medical CollegeHuazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanChina
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato‐Pancreato‐Biliary DiseasesWuhanChina
| | - Wenjie Huang
- Hepatic Surgery CentreTongji HospitalTongji Medical CollegeHuazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanChina
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato‐Pancreato‐Biliary DiseasesWuhanChina
- Key Laboratory of Organ TransplantationMinistry of Education, NHC Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, Key Laboratory of Organ TransplantationChinese Academy of Medical SciencesWuhanChina
| | - Huifang Liang
- Hepatic Surgery CentreTongji HospitalTongji Medical CollegeHuazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanChina
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato‐Pancreato‐Biliary DiseasesWuhanChina
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Zhao J, Yang Y, Pan Y, Zhou P, Wang J, Zheng Y, Zhang X, Zhai S, Zhang X, Li L, Yang D. Transcription Factor GLI1 Induces IL-6-Mediated Inflammatory Response and Facilitates the Progression of Adamantinomatous Craniopharyngioma. ACS Chem Neurosci 2023; 14:3347-3356. [PMID: 37691264 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.3c00031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Adamantinomatous craniopharyngioma (ACP) is a neuroendocrine tumor whose pathogenesis remains unclear. This study investigated the role of glioma-associated oncogene family zinc finger 1 (GLI1), a transcription factor in the sonic hedgehog (SHH) signaling pathway, in ACP. We discovered that GLI1 regulates the expression of IL-6, thereby triggering inflammatory responses in ACP and influencing the tumor's progression. Analyzing the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database chip GSE68015, we found that GLI1 is overexpressed in ACP, correlating positively with the spite of ACP and inflammation markers. Knockdown of GLI1 significantly inhibited the levels of tumor necrosis factor α, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and IL-1β in ACP cells, as well as cell proliferation and migration. We further identified a binding site between GLI1 and the promoter region of IL-6, demonstrating that GLI1 can enhance the expression of IL-6. These findings were verified in vivo, where activation of the SHH pathway significantly promoted GLI1 and IL-6 expressions in nude mice, inducing inflammation and tumor growth. Conversely, GLI1 knockdown markedly suppressed these processes. Our study uncovers a potential molecular mechanism for the occurrence of inflammatory responses and tumor progression in ACP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingyi Zhao
- Department of Radiotherapy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, P.R. China
| | - Yongqiang Yang
- Department of Radiotherapy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, P.R. China
| | - Yuanyuan Pan
- Institute of Radiation Therapy and Tumor Critical Care of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, P.R. China
| | - Pengcheng Zhou
- Department of Radiotherapy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, P.R. China
| | - Juan Wang
- Department of Radiotherapy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, P.R. China
| | - Yingjuan Zheng
- Institute of Radiation Therapy and Tumor Critical Care of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, P.R. China
| | - Xiangxian Zhang
- Henan Key Laboratory of Molecular Radiotherapy, Zhengzhou 450052, P.R. China
| | - Suna Zhai
- Henan Key Laboratory of Molecular Radiotherapy, Zhengzhou 450052, P.R. China
| | - Xiqian Zhang
- Institute of Radiation Therapy and Tumor Critical Care of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, P.R. China
| | - Liming Li
- Comprehensive Hyperthermia Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, P.R. China
| | - Daoke Yang
- Department of Radiotherapy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, P.R. China
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Cierpikowski P, Leszczyszyn A, Bar J. The Role of Hedgehog Signaling Pathway in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Cells 2023; 12:2083. [PMID: 37626893 PMCID: PMC10453169 DOI: 10.3390/cells12162083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Revised: 08/12/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth leading malignancy worldwide, with a poor prognosis and limited treatment options. Molecularly targeted therapies for HNSCC are still lacking. However, recent reports provide novel insights about many molecular alterations in HNSCC that may be useful in future therapies. Therefore, it is necessary to identify new biomarkers that may provide a better prediction of the disease and promising targets for personalized therapy. The poor response of HNSCC to therapy is attributed to a small population of tumor cells called cancer stem cells (CSCs). Growing evidence indicates that the Hedgehog (HH) signaling pathway plays a crucial role in the development and maintenance of head and neck tissues. The HH pathway is normally involved in embryogenesis, stem cell renewal, and tissue regeneration. However, abnormal activation of the HH pathway is also associated with carcinogenesis and CSC regulation. Overactivation of the HH pathway was observed in several tumors, including basal cell carcinoma, that are successfully treated with HH inhibitors. However, clinical studies about HH pathways in HNSCC are still rare. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge and recent advances regarding the HH pathway in HNSCC and discuss its possible implications for prognosis and future therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piotr Cierpikowski
- Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, The Ludwik Rydygier Specialist Hospital, Osiedle Zlotej Jesieni 1, 31-826 Krakow, Poland
| | - Anna Leszczyszyn
- Dental Surgery Outpatient Clinic, 4th Military Clinical Hospital, Weigla 5, 53-114 Wroclaw, Poland;
| | - Julia Bar
- Department of Immunopathology and Molecular Biology, Wroclaw Medical University, Bujwida 44, 50-345 Wroclaw, Poland
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Waseem A, Rashid S, Rashid K, Khan MA, Khan R, Haque R, Seth P, Raza SS. Insight into the transcription factors regulating Ischemic Stroke and Glioma in Response to Shared Stimuli. Semin Cancer Biol 2023; 92:102-127. [PMID: 37054904 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2023.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Revised: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/09/2023] [Indexed: 04/15/2023]
Abstract
Cerebral ischemic stroke and glioma are the two leading causes of patient mortality globally. Despite physiological variations, 1 in 10 people who have an ischemic stroke go on to develop brain cancer, most notably gliomas. In addition, glioma treatments have also been shown to increase the risk of ischemic strokes. Stroke occurs more frequently in cancer patients than in the general population, according to traditional literature. Unbelievably, these events share multiple pathways, but the precise mechanism underlying their co-occurrence remains unknown. Transcription factors (TFs), the main components of gene expression programmes, finally determine the fate of cells and homeostasis. Both ischemic stroke and glioma exhibit aberrant expression of a large number of TFs, which are strongly linked to the pathophysiology and progression of both diseases. The precise genomic binding locations of TFs and how TF binding ultimately relates to transcriptional regulation remain elusive despite a strong interest in understanding how TFs regulate gene expression in both stroke and glioma. As a result, the importance of continuing efforts to understand TF-mediated gene regulation is highlighted in this review, along with some of the primary shared events in stroke and glioma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arshi Waseem
- Laboratory for Stem Cell & Restorative Neurology, Department of Biotechnology, Era's Lucknow Medical College and Hospital, Era University, Sarfarazganj, Lucknow-226003, India
| | - Sumaiya Rashid
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 173, Al-Kharj 11942, Saudi Arabia
| | - Khalid Rashid
- Department of Cancer Biology, Vontz Center for Molecular Studies, Cincinnati, OH 45267-0521
| | | | - Rehan Khan
- Chemical Biology Unit, Institute of Nano Science and Technology, Knowledge City,Mohali, Punjab 140306, India
| | - Rizwanul Haque
- Department of Biotechnology, Central University of South Bihar, Gaya -824236, India
| | - Pankaj Seth
- Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, Neurovirology Section, National Brain Research Centre, Manesar, Haryana-122052, India
| | - Syed Shadab Raza
- Laboratory for Stem Cell & Restorative Neurology, Department of Biotechnology, Era's Lucknow Medical College and Hospital, Era University, Sarfarazganj, Lucknow-226003, India; Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Era's Lucknow Medical College Hospital, Era University, Sarfarazganj, Lucknow-226003, India
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6
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Fluoride in the Central Nervous System and Its Potential Influence on the Development and Invasiveness of Brain Tumours-A Research Hypothesis. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24021558. [PMID: 36675073 PMCID: PMC9866357 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24021558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2022] [Revised: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The purpose of this review is to attempt to outline the potential role of fluoride in the pathogenesis of brain tumours, including glioblastoma (GBM). In this paper, we show for the first time that fluoride can potentially affect the generally accepted signalling pathways implicated in the formation and clinical course of GBM. Fluorine compounds easily cross the blood-brain barrier. Enhanced oxidative stress, disruption of multiple cellular pathways, and microglial activation are just a few examples of recent reports on the role of fluoride in the central nervous system (CNS). We sought to present the key mechanisms underlying the development and invasiveness of GBM, as well as evidence on the current state of knowledge about the pleiotropic, direct, or indirect involvement of fluoride in the regulation of these mechanisms in various tissues, including neural and tumour tissue. The effects of fluoride on the human body are still a matter of controversy. However, given the growing incidence of brain tumours, especially in children, and numerous reports on the effects of fluoride on the CNS, it is worth taking a closer look at these mechanisms in the context of brain tumours, including gliomas.
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Wong GL, Manore SG, Doheny DL, Lo HW. STAT family of transcription factors in breast cancer: Pathogenesis and therapeutic opportunities and challenges. Semin Cancer Biol 2022; 86:84-106. [PMID: 35995341 PMCID: PMC9714692 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2022.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and second-leading cause of cancer deaths in women. Breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) promote metastasis and therapeutic resistance contributing to tumor relapse. Through activating genes important for BCSCs, transcription factors contribute to breast cancer metastasis and therapeutic resistance, including the signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) family of transcription factors. The STAT family consists of six major isoforms, STAT1, STAT2, STAT3, STAT4, STAT5, and STAT6. Canonical STAT signaling is activated by the binding of an extracellular ligand to a cell-surface receptor followed by STAT phosphorylation, leading to STAT nuclear translocation and transactivation of target genes. It is important to note that STAT transcription factors exhibit diverse effects in breast cancer; some are either pro- or anti-tumorigenic while others maintain dual, context-dependent roles. Among the STAT transcription factors, STAT3 is the most widely studied STAT protein in breast cancer for its critical roles in promoting BCSCs, breast cancer cell proliferation, invasion, angiogenesis, metastasis, and immune evasion. Consequently, there have been substantial efforts in developing cancer therapeutics to target breast cancer with dysregulated STAT3 signaling. In this comprehensive review, we will summarize the diverse roles that each STAT family member plays in breast cancer pathobiology, as well as, the opportunities and challenges in pharmacologically targeting STAT proteins and their upstream activators in the context of breast cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grace L Wong
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Sara G Manore
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Daniel L Doheny
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Hui-Wen Lo
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA; Breast Cancer Center of Excellence, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA; Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
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8
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Doheny D, Manore S, Sirkisoon SR, Zhu D, Aguayo NR, Harrison A, Najjar M, Anguelov M, Cox AO, Furdui CM, Watabe K, Hollis T, Thomas A, Strowd R, Lo HW. An FDA-Approved Antifungal, Ketoconazole, and Its Novel Derivative Suppress tGLI1-Mediated Breast Cancer Brain Metastasis by Inhibiting the DNA-Binding Activity of Brain Metastasis-Promoting Transcription Factor tGLI1. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:4256. [PMID: 36077791 PMCID: PMC9454738 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14174256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The goal of this study is to identify pharmacological inhibitors that target a recently identified novel mediator of breast cancer brain metastasis (BCBM), truncated glioma-associated oncogene homolog 1 (tGLI1). Inhibitors of tGLI1 are not yet available. To identify compounds that selectively kill tGLI1-expressing breast cancer, we screened 1527 compounds using two sets of isogenic breast cancer and brain-tropic breast cancer cell lines engineered to stably express the control, GLI1, or tGLI1 vector, and identified the FDA-approved antifungal ketoconazole (KCZ) to selectively target tGLI1-positive breast cancer cells and breast cancer stem cells, but not tGLI1-negative breast cancer and normal cells. KCZ's effects are dependent on tGLI1. Two experimental mouse metastasis studies have demonstrated that systemic KCZ administration prevented the preferential brain metastasis of tGLI1-positive breast cancer and suppressed the progression of established tGLI1-positive BCBM without liver toxicities. We further developed six KCZ derivatives, two of which (KCZ-5 and KCZ-7) retained tGLI1-selectivity in vitro. KCZ-7 exhibited higher blood-brain barrier penetration than KCZ/KCZ-5 and more effectively reduced the BCBM frequency. In contrast, itraconazole, another FDA-approved antifungal, failed to suppress BCBM. The mechanistic studies suggest that KCZ and KCZ-7 inhibit tGLI1's ability to bind to DNA, activate its target stemness genes Nanog and OCT4, and promote tumor proliferation and angiogenesis. Our study establishes the rationale for using KCZ and KCZ-7 for treating and preventing BCBM and identifies their mechanism of action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Doheny
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
| | - Sara Manore
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
| | - Sherona R. Sirkisoon
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
| | - Dongqin Zhu
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
| | - Noah R. Aguayo
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
| | - Alexandria Harrison
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
| | - Mariana Najjar
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
| | - Marlyn Anguelov
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
| | - Anderson O’Brien Cox
- Proteomics and Metabolomics Shared Resource, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
| | - Cristina M. Furdui
- Proteomics and Metabolomics Shared Resource, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section on Molecular Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
- Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
| | - Kounosuke Watabe
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
- Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
| | - Thomas Hollis
- Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
| | - Alexandra Thomas
- Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
| | - Roy Strowd
- Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
- Department of Neurology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
| | - Hui-Wen Lo
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
- Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
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Kuo YH, Hung HS, Tsai CW, Chiu SC, Liu SP, Chiang YT, Shyu WC, Lin SZ, Fu RH. A Novel Splice Variant of BCAS1 Inhibits β-Arrestin 2 to Promote the Proliferation and Migration of Glioblastoma Cells, and This Effect Was Blocked by Maackiain. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14163890. [PMID: 36010884 PMCID: PMC9405932 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14163890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Revised: 07/31/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Brain-enriched myelin-associated protein 1 (BCAS1) is frequently highly expressed in human cancer, but its detailed function is unclear. Here, we identified a novel splice variant of the BCAS1 gene in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) named BCAS1-SV1. The expression of BCAS1-SV1 was weak in heathy brain cells but high in GBM cell lines. The overexpression of BCAS1-SV1 significantly increased the proliferation and migration of GBM cells, whereas the RNA-interference-mediated knockdown of BCAS1-SV1 reduced proliferation and migration. Moreover, using a yeast-two hybrid assay, immunoprecipitation, and immunofluorescence staining, we confirmed that β-arrestin 2 is an interaction partner of BCAS1-SV1 but not BCAS1. The downregulation of β-arrestin 2 directly enhanced the malignancy of GBM and abrogated the effects of BCAS1-SV1 on GBM cells. Finally, we used a yeast two-hybrid-based growth assay to identify that maackiain (MK) is a potential inhibitor of the interaction between BCAS1-SV1 and β-arrestin 2. MK treatment lessened the proliferation and migration of GBM cells and prolonged the lifespan of tumor-bearing mice in subcutaneous xenograft and intracranial U87-luc xenograft models. This study provides the first evidence that the gain-of-function BCAS1-SV1 splice variant promotes the development of GBM by suppressing the β-arrestin 2 pathway and opens up a new therapeutic perspective in GBM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun-Hua Kuo
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan
| | - Huey-Shan Hung
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan
- Translational Medicine Research Center, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Wen Tsai
- Department of Nutrition, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan
| | - Shao-Chih Chiu
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan
| | - Shih-Ping Liu
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan
- Translational Medicine Research Center, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Ting Chiang
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan
| | - Woei-Cherng Shyu
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan
- Translational Medicine Research Center, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan
| | - Shinn-Zong Lin
- Buddhist Tzu Chi Bioinnovation Center, Tzu Chi Foundation, Hualien 970, Taiwan
- Department of Neurosurgery, Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital, Hualien 970, Taiwan
| | - Ru-Huei Fu
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan
- Translational Medicine Research Center, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +886-422052121-7826
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10
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Sirkisoon SR, Wong GL, Aguayo NR, Doheny DL, Zhu D, Regua AT, Arrigo A, Manore SG, Wagner C, Thomas A, Singh R, Xing F, Jin G, Watabe K, Lo HW. Breast cancer extracellular vesicles-derived miR-1290 activates astrocytes in the brain metastatic microenvironment via the FOXA2→CNTF axis to promote progression of brain metastases. Cancer Lett 2022; 540:215726. [PMID: 35589002 PMCID: PMC9387054 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2022.215726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2022] [Revised: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Mechanisms underlying breast cancer brain metastasis (BCBM) are still unclear. In this study, we observed that extracellular vesicles (EVs) secreted from breast cancer cells with increased expression of tGLI1, a BCBM-promoting transcription factor, strongly activated astrocytes. EV-derived microRNA/miRNA microarray revealed tGLI1-positive breast cancer cells highly secreted miR-1290 and miR-1246 encapsulated in EVs. Genetic knockin/knockout studies established a direct link between tGLI1 and both miRNAs. Datamining and analysis of patient samples revealed that BCBM patients had more circulating EV-miRs-1290/1246 than those without metastasis. Ectopic expression of miR-1290 or miR-1246 strongly activated astrocytes whereas their inhibitors abrogated the effect. Conditioned media from miR-1290- or miR-1246-overexpressing astrocytes promoted mammospheres. Furthermore, miRs-1290/1246 suppressed expression of FOXA2 transcription repressor, leading to CNTF cytokine secretion and subsequent activation of astrocytes. Finally, we conducted a mouse study to demonstrate that astrocytes overexpressing miR-1290, but not miR-1246, enhanced intracranial colonization and growth of breast cancer cells. Collectively, our findings demonstrate, for the first time, that breast cancer EV-derived miR-1290 and miR-1246 activate astrocytes in the brain metastatic microenvironment and that EV-derived miR-1290 promotes progression of brain metastases through the novel EV-miR-1290→FOXA2→CNTF signaling axis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sherona R Sirkisoon
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
| | - Grace L Wong
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
| | - Noah R Aguayo
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
| | - Daniel L Doheny
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
| | - Dongqin Zhu
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
| | - Angelina T Regua
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
| | - Austin Arrigo
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
| | - Sara G Manore
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
| | - Calvin Wagner
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
| | - Alexandra Thomas
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; Breast Cancer Center of Excellence, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
| | - Ravi Singh
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
| | - Fei Xing
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; Breast Cancer Center of Excellence, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
| | - Guangxu Jin
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
| | - Kounosuke Watabe
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; Breast Cancer Center of Excellence, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
| | - Hui-Wen Lo
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; Breast Cancer Center of Excellence, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA.
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11
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Wang H, Lai Q, Wang D, Pei J, Tian B, Gao Y, Gao Z, Xu X. Hedgehog signaling regulates the development and treatment of glioblastoma (Review). Oncol Lett 2022; 24:294. [PMID: 35949611 PMCID: PMC9353242 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2022.13414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and fatal malignant tumor type of the central nervous system. GBM affects public health and it is important to identify biomarkers to improve diagnosis, reduce drug resistance and improve prognosis (e.g., personalized targeted therapies). Hedgehog (HH) signaling has an important role in embryonic development, tissue regeneration and stem cell renewal. A large amount of evidence indicates that both normative and non-normative HH signals have an important role in GBM. The present study reviewed the role of the HH signaling pathway in the occurrence and progression of GBM. Furthermore, the effectiveness of drugs that target different components of the HH pathway was also examined. The HH pathway has an important role in reversing drug resistance after GBM conventional treatment. The present review highlighted the relevance of HH signaling in GBM and outlined that this pathway has a key role in the occurrence, development and treatment of GBM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongping Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tangshan Gongren Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Tangshan, Hebei 063000, P.R. China
| | - Qun Lai
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130041, P.R. China
| | - Dayong Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tangshan Gongren Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Tangshan, Hebei 063000, P.R. China
| | - Jian Pei
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tangshan Gongren Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Tangshan, Hebei 063000, P.R. China
| | - Baogang Tian
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tangshan Gongren Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Tangshan, Hebei 063000, P.R. China
| | - Yunhe Gao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tangshan Gongren Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Tangshan, Hebei 063000, P.R. China
| | - Zhaoguo Gao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tangshan Gongren Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Tangshan, Hebei 063000, P.R. China
| | - Xiang Xu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tangshan Gongren Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Tangshan, Hebei 063000, P.R. China
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12
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Transcription Factors with Targeting Potential in Gliomas. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23073720. [PMID: 35409080 PMCID: PMC8998804 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23073720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Revised: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Gliomas portray a large and heterogeneous group of CNS tumors, encompassing a wide range of low- to high-grade tumors, as defined by histological and molecular characteristics. The identification of signature mutations and other molecular abnormalities has largely impacted tumor classification, diagnosis, and therapy. Transcription factors (TFs) are master regulators of gene expression programs, which ultimately shape cell fate and homeostasis. A variety of TFs have been detected to be aberrantly expressed in brain tumors, being highly implicated in critical pathological aspects and progression of gliomas. Herein, we describe a selection of oncogenic (GLI-1/2/3, E2F1–8, STAT3, and HIF-1/2) and tumor suppressor (NFI-A/B, TBXT, MYT1, and MYT1L) TFs that are deregulated in gliomas and are subsequently associated with tumor development, progression, and migratory potential. We further discuss the current targeting options against these TFs, including chemical (Bortezomib) and natural (Plumbagin) compounds, small molecules, and inhibitors, and address their potential implications in glioma therapy.
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13
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Rimkus TK, Arrigo AB, Zhu D, Carpenter RL, Sirkisoon S, Doheny D, Regua AT, Wong GL, Manore S, Wagner C, Lin HK, Jin G, Ruiz J, Chan M, Debinski W, Lo HW. NEDD4 degrades TUSC2 to promote glioblastoma progression. Cancer Lett 2022; 531:124-135. [PMID: 35167936 PMCID: PMC8920049 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2022.01.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Revised: 01/23/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Whether tumor suppressor candidate 2 (TUSC2) plays an important role in glioblastoma (GBM) progression is largely unknown. Whether TUSC2 undergoes polyubiquitination is unknown. Herein, we report that TUSC2 protein expression is reduced/lost in GBM compared to normal brain due to protein destabilization; TUSC2 mRNA is equally expressed in both tissues. NEDD4 E3 ubiquitin ligase polyubiquitinates TUSC2 at residue K71, and the TUSC2-K71R mutant is resistant to NEDD4-mediated proteasomal degradation. Analysis of GBM specimens showed NEDD4 protein is highly expressed in GBM and the level is inversely correlated with TUSC2 protein levels. Furthermore, TUSC2 restoration induces apoptosis and inhibits patient-derived glioma stem cells (PD-GSCs) in vitro and in vivo. Conversely, TUSC2-knockout promotes PD-GSCs in vitro and in vivo. RNA-Seq analysis and subsequent validations showed GBM cells with TUSC2-knockout expressed increased Bcl-xL and were more resistant to apoptosis induced by a Bcl-xL-specific BH3 mimetic. A TUSC2-knockout gene signature created from the RNA-seq data predicts poor patient survival. Together, these findings establish that NEDD4-mediated polyubiquitination is a novel mechanism for TUSC2 degradation in GBM and that TUSC2 loss promotes GBM progression in part through Bcl-xL upregulation.
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14
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Papavassiliou KA, Papavassiliou AG. Transcription factors in glioblastoma - Molecular pathogenesis and clinical implications. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2021; 1877:188667. [PMID: 34894431 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2021.188667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Revised: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Glioblastoma, also known as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), is one of the most lethal human cancers, however, the molecular mechanisms driving GBM remain largely elusive. Recent studies have revealed that transcription factors are significantly involved in GBM biology. Transcription factors (TFs), which are proteins that bind DNA to regulate gene expression, have critical roles at focal points in signaling pathways, orchestrating many cellular processes, such as cell growth and proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, immune responses, and metabolism. Dysregulated or mutated TFs are common in GBM, resulting in aberrant gene expression that promotes tumor initiation, progression, and resistance to conventional therapies. In the present Review, we focus on TFs that are implicated in GBM pathogenesis, highlighting their oncogenic or tumor suppressive functions and describing the molecular mechanisms underlying their effect on GBM cells. We also discuss their use as biomarkers for GBM prognosis and therapeutic response, as well as their targeting with drugs for GBM treatment. Deciphering the role of TFs in the biology of GBM will provide new insights into the pathological mechanisms and reveal novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kostas A Papavassiliou
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens 11527, Athens, Greece
| | - Athanasios G Papavassiliou
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens 11527, Athens, Greece.
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15
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A pan-cancer analysis of alternative splicing of splicing factors in 6904 patients. Oncogene 2021; 40:5441-5450. [PMID: 34285345 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-021-01947-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2021] [Revised: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/08/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Great progress has been made in the investigation on mutation and expression of splicing factor. However, little is known on the role of alternative splicing of splicing factors across cancers. Here, we reported a pan-cancer analysis of alternative splicing of splicing factors spanning 6904 patients across 16 cancer types, and identified 167 splicing factors with implications regulating cancer-specific splicing patterns through alternative splicing. Furthermore, we found that abnormal splicing events of splicing factors could serve as potential common regulators for alternative splicing in different cancers. In addition, we developed a splicing-derived neoepitopes database (ASPNs), which provided the corresponding putative alternative splicing-derived neoepitopes of 16 cancer types. Our results suggested that alternative splicing of splicing factors involved in the pre-RNA splicing process was common across cancer types and may represent an underestimated hallmark of tumorigenesis.
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16
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Carballo GB, Ribeiro JH, Lopes GPDF, Ferrer VP, Dezonne RS, Pereira CM, Spohr TCLDSE. GANT-61 Induces Autophagy and Apoptosis in Glioblastoma Cells despite their heterogeneity. Cell Mol Neurobiol 2021; 41:1227-1244. [PMID: 32504326 DOI: 10.1007/s10571-020-00891-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2020] [Accepted: 05/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common adult primary tumor of the CNS characterized by rapid growth and diffuse invasiveness into the brain parenchyma. The GBM resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs may be due to the presence of cancer stem cells (CSCs). The CSCs activate the same molecular pathways as healthy stem cells such as WNT, Sonic hedgehog (SHH), and Notch. Mutations or deregulations of those pathways play a key role in the proliferation and differentiation of their surrounding environment, leading to tumorigenesis. Here we investigated the effect of SHH signaling pathway inhibition in human GBM cells by using GANT-61, considering stem cell phenotype, cell proliferation, and cell death. Our results demonstrated that GANT-61 induces apoptosis and autophagy in GBM cells, by increasing the expression of LC3 II and cleaved caspase 3 and 9. Moreover, we observed that SHH signaling plays a crucial role in CSC phenotype maintenance, being also involved in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) phenotype. We also noted that SHH pathway modulation can regulate cell proliferation as revealed through the analysis of Ki-67 and c-MYC expressions. We concluded that SHH signaling pathway inhibition may be a promising therapeutic approach to treat patients suffering from GBM refractory to traditional treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Basile Carballo
- Instituto Estadual Do Cérebro Paulo Niemeyer, Rua do Rezende 156, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 20231-092, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Anatomia Patológica, Hospital Universitário Clementino Fraga Filho, Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Orofacial Development and Regeneration, Institute of Oral Biology, Centre for Dental Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jessica Honorato Ribeiro
- Instituto Estadual Do Cérebro Paulo Niemeyer, Rua do Rezende 156, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 20231-092, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Anatomia Patológica, Hospital Universitário Clementino Fraga Filho, Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Radiobiology Unit, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre, SCK·CEN, Mol, Belgium
| | - Giselle Pinto de Faria Lopes
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Anatomia Patológica, Hospital Universitário Clementino Fraga Filho, Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Departamento de Biotecnologia Marinha, Instituto de Estudos do Mar Almirante Paulo Moreira (IEAPM)/Coordenação de Pesquisa, Instituto Nacional de Câncer (INCA), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Valéria Pereira Ferrer
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Anatomia Patológica, Hospital Universitário Clementino Fraga Filho, Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Institute of Biology, Fluminense Federal University, Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Romulo Sperduto Dezonne
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biomedicina Translacional, Universidade Do Grande Rio, Duque de Caxias, Brazil
| | - Cláudia Maria Pereira
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biomedicina Translacional, Universidade Do Grande Rio, Duque de Caxias, Brazil
| | - Tania Cristina Leite de Sampaio E Spohr
- Instituto Estadual Do Cérebro Paulo Niemeyer, Rua do Rezende 156, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 20231-092, Brazil.
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Anatomia Patológica, Hospital Universitário Clementino Fraga Filho, Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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17
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Mehterov N, Kazakova M, Sbirkov Y, Vladimirov B, Belev N, Yaneva G, Todorova K, Hayrabedyan S, Sarafian V. Alternative RNA Splicing-The Trojan Horse of Cancer Cells in Chemotherapy. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:genes12071085. [PMID: 34356101 PMCID: PMC8306420 DOI: 10.3390/genes12071085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Revised: 07/14/2021] [Accepted: 07/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Almost all transcribed human genes undergo alternative RNA splicing, which increases the diversity of the coding and non-coding cellular landscape. The resultant gene products might have distinctly different and, in some cases, even opposite functions. Therefore, the abnormal regulation of alternative splicing plays a crucial role in malignant transformation, development, and progression, a fact supported by the distinct splicing profiles identified in both healthy and tumor cells. Drug resistance, resulting in treatment failure, still remains a major challenge for current cancer therapy. Furthermore, tumor cells often take advantage of aberrant RNA splicing to overcome the toxicity of the administered chemotherapeutic agents. Thus, deciphering the alternative RNA splicing variants in tumor cells would provide opportunities for designing novel therapeutics combating cancer more efficiently. In the present review, we provide a comprehensive outline of the recent findings in alternative splicing in the most common neoplasms, including lung, breast, prostate, head and neck, glioma, colon, and blood malignancies. Molecular mechanisms developed by cancer cells to promote oncogenesis as well as to evade anticancer drug treatment and the subsequent chemotherapy failure are also discussed. Taken together, these findings offer novel opportunities for future studies and the development of targeted therapy for cancer-specific splicing variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolay Mehterov
- Department of Medical Biology, Medical University-Plovdiv, 4002 Plovdiv, Bulgaria; (N.M.); (M.K.); (Y.S.)
- Research Institute, Medical University-Plovdiv, 4002 Plovdiv, Bulgaria
| | - Maria Kazakova
- Department of Medical Biology, Medical University-Plovdiv, 4002 Plovdiv, Bulgaria; (N.M.); (M.K.); (Y.S.)
- Research Institute, Medical University-Plovdiv, 4002 Plovdiv, Bulgaria
| | - Yordan Sbirkov
- Department of Medical Biology, Medical University-Plovdiv, 4002 Plovdiv, Bulgaria; (N.M.); (M.K.); (Y.S.)
- Research Institute, Medical University-Plovdiv, 4002 Plovdiv, Bulgaria
| | - Boyan Vladimirov
- Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, Medical University-Plovdiv, 4002 Plovdiv, Bulgaria;
| | - Nikolay Belev
- Medical Simulation and Training Center, Medical University-Plovdiv, 4002 Plovdiv, Bulgaria;
| | - Galina Yaneva
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Varna, 9002 Varna, Bulgaria;
| | - Krassimira Todorova
- Laboratory of Reproductive OMICs Technologies, Institute of Biology and Immunology of Reproduction, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria; (K.T.); (S.H.)
| | - Soren Hayrabedyan
- Laboratory of Reproductive OMICs Technologies, Institute of Biology and Immunology of Reproduction, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria; (K.T.); (S.H.)
| | - Victoria Sarafian
- Department of Medical Biology, Medical University-Plovdiv, 4002 Plovdiv, Bulgaria; (N.M.); (M.K.); (Y.S.)
- Research Institute, Medical University-Plovdiv, 4002 Plovdiv, Bulgaria
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +359-882-512-952
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18
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TrkA Interacts with and Phosphorylates STAT3 to Enhance Gene Transcription and Promote Breast Cancer Stem Cells in Triple-Negative and HER2-Enriched Breast Cancers. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13102340. [PMID: 34066153 PMCID: PMC8150921 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13102340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2021] [Revised: 05/05/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Breast cancer is the leading cancer in American women. Due to the inherent aggressiveness of triple-negative and HER2-enriched breast cancers, it is imperative to identify novel molecular targets for therapeutic intervention. Due to their abnormal activities in metastatic breast cancers, JAK2–STAT3 and TrkA pathways have been individually implicated in aggressive breast tumors. However, their co-activation and signaling interactions have not been thoroughly investigated. Therefore, our study aimed to elucidate the extent of crosstalk between JAK2–STAT3 and TrkA signaling pathways and its impact on breast cancer. Our data revealed a novel interaction between TrkA and STAT3, and that this interaction results in STAT3 phosphorylation and activation by TrkA, leading to enhanced stemness gene expression and stem cell renewal. We further found that the co-activation of JAK2–STAT3 and TrkA pathways is correlated with shorter time to develop overall and organ-specific metastasis, suggesting that this signaling crosstalk underlies the aggressiveness of triple-negative and HER2-enriched breast cancers. Abstract JAK2–STAT3 and TrkA signaling pathways have been separately implicated in aggressive breast cancers; however, whether they are co-activated or undergo functional interaction has not been thoroughly investigated. Herein we report, for the first time that STAT3 and TrkA are significantly co-overexpressed and co-activated in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and HER2-enriched breast cancer, as shown by immunohistochemical staining and data mining. Through immunofluorescence staining–confocal microscopy and immunoprecipitation–Western blotting, we found that TrkA and STAT3 co-localize and physically interact in the cytoplasm, and the interaction is dependent on STAT3-Y705 phosphorylation. TrkA–STAT3 interaction leads to STAT3 phosphorylation at Y705 by TrkA in breast cancer cells and cell-free kinase assays, indicating that STAT3 is a novel substrate of TrkA. β-NGF-mediated TrkA activation induces TrkA–STAT3 interaction, STAT3 nuclear transport and transcriptional activity, and the expression of STAT3 target genes, SOX2 and MYC. The co-activation of both pathways promotes breast cancer stem cells. Finally, we found that TNBC and HER2-enriched breast cancer with JAK2–STAT3 and TrkA co-activation are positively associated with poor overall metastasis-free and organ-specific metastasis-free survival. Collectively, our study uncovered that TrkA is a novel activating kinase of STAT3, and their co-activation enhances gene transcription and promotes breast cancer stem cells in TNBC and HER2-enriched breast cancer.
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19
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Zhang Y, Qian J, Gu C, Yang Y. Alternative splicing and cancer: a systematic review. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2021; 6:78. [PMID: 33623018 PMCID: PMC7902610 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-021-00486-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 160] [Impact Index Per Article: 53.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2020] [Revised: 09/24/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The abnormal regulation of alternative splicing is usually accompanied by the occurrence and development of tumors, which would produce multiple different isoforms and diversify protein expression. The aim of the present study was to conduct a systematic review in order to describe the regulatory mechanisms of alternative splicing, as well as its functions in tumor cells, from proliferation and apoptosis to invasion and metastasis, and from angiogenesis to metabolism. The abnormal splicing events contributed to tumor progression as oncogenic drivers and/or bystander factors. The alterations in splicing factors detected in tumors and other mis-splicing events (i.e., long non-coding and circular RNAs) in tumorigenesis were also included. The findings of recent therapeutic approaches targeting splicing catalysis and splicing regulatory proteins to modulate pathogenically spliced events (including tumor-specific neo-antigens for cancer immunotherapy) were introduced. The emerging RNA-based strategies for the treatment of cancer with abnormally alternative splicing isoforms were also discussed. However, further studies are still required to address the association between alternative splicing and cancer in more detail.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanjiao Zhang
- The Third Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
- School of Medicine & Holistic Integrative Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Jinjun Qian
- School of Medicine & Holistic Integrative Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Chunyan Gu
- The Third Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China.
- School of Medicine & Holistic Integrative Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China.
| | - Ye Yang
- The Third Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China.
- School of Medicine & Holistic Integrative Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China.
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20
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McMahon JT, Faraj RR, Adamson DC. Emerging and investigational targeted chemotherapy and immunotherapy agents for metastatic brain tumors. Expert Opin Investig Drugs 2020; 29:1389-1406. [PMID: 33040640 DOI: 10.1080/13543784.2020.1836154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Metastases to the central nervous system are the most common cause of malignant intracranial tumors in adults. Current standard of care includes surgery and radiation, but overall survival remains poor. A range of systemic therapies are emerging as promising treatment options for these patients. AREAS COVERED This study reviews novel drug regimens that are under investigation in phase 1 and 2 clinical trials. To identify relevant therapies under clinical investigation, a search was performed on http://clinicaltrials.gov and Pubmed with the keywords brain metastasis, Phase I clinical trial, and Phase II clinical trial from 2016 to 2020. The authors detail the mechanisms of action of all trial agents, outline evidence for their utility, and summarize the current state of the field. EXPERT OPINION Current advancements in the medical management of brain metastases can be categorized into targeted therapies, methods of overcoming treatment resistance, novel combinations of therapies, and modulation of the tumor microenvironment with a specific focus on immunotherapy. Each of these realms holds great promise for the field going forward. A more streamlined structure for enrollment into clinical trials will be a crucial step in accelerating progress in this area.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Razan R Faraj
- Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University , Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - David Cory Adamson
- Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University , Atlanta, GA, USA.,Department of Neurosurgery, Atlanta VA Medical Center , Decatur, GA
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21
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Doheny D, Sirkisoon S, Carpenter RL, Aguayo NR, Regua AT, Anguelov M, Manore SG, Arrigo A, Jalboush SA, Wong GL, Yu Y, Wagner CJ, Chan M, Ruiz J, Thomas A, Strowd R, Lin J, Lo HW. Combined inhibition of JAK2-STAT3 and SMO-GLI1/tGLI1 pathways suppresses breast cancer stem cells, tumor growth, and metastasis. Oncogene 2020; 39:6589-6605. [PMID: 32929154 PMCID: PMC7572897 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-020-01454-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2020] [Revised: 08/19/2020] [Accepted: 09/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and HER2-positive breast cancer are particularly aggressive and associated with unfavorable prognosis. TNBC lacks effective treatments. HER2-positive tumors have treatment options but often acquire resistance to HER2-targeted therapy after initial response. To address these challenges, we determined whether novel combinations of JAK2-STAT3 and SMO-GLI1/tGLI1 inhibitors synergistically target TNBC and HER2 breast cancer since these two pathways are concurrently activated in both tumor types and enriched in metastatic tumors. Herein, we show that novel combinations of JAK2 inhibitors (ruxolitinib and pacritinib) with SMO inhibitors (vismodegib and sonidegib) synergistically inhibited in vitro growth of TNBC and HER2-positive trastuzumab-resistant BT474-TtzmR cells. Synergy was also observed against breast cancer stem cells. To determine if the combination is efficacious in inhibiting metastasis, we treated mice with intracardially inoculated TNBC cells and found the combination to inhibit lung and liver metastases, and prolong host survival without toxicity. The combination inhibited orthotopic growth, VEGF-A expression, and tumor vasculature of both TNBC and HER2-positive trastuzumab-refractory breast cancer. Lung metastasis of orthotopic BT474-TtzmR xenografts was suppressed by the combination. Together, our results indicated that dual targeting of JAK2 and SMO resulted in synergistic suppression of breast cancer growth and metastasis, thereby supporting future clinical testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Doheny
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Sherona Sirkisoon
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Richard L Carpenter
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine-Bloomington, JH 308 1001 E. 3rd St., Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA
| | - Noah Reeve Aguayo
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Angelina T Regua
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Marlyn Anguelov
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Sara G Manore
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Austin Arrigo
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Sara Abu Jalboush
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Grace L Wong
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Yang Yu
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Calvin J Wagner
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Michael Chan
- Wake Forest Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Jimmy Ruiz
- Wake Forest Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Alexandra Thomas
- Wake Forest Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Roy Strowd
- Wake Forest Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
- Department of Neurology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Jiayuh Lin
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Hui-Wen Lo
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
- Wake Forest Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
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22
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Doheny D, Manore SG, Wong GL, Lo HW. Hedgehog Signaling and Truncated GLI1 in Cancer. Cells 2020; 9:cells9092114. [PMID: 32957513 PMCID: PMC7565963 DOI: 10.3390/cells9092114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2020] [Revised: 09/10/2020] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The hedgehog (HH) signaling pathway regulates normal cell growth and differentiation. As a consequence of improper control, aberrant HH signaling results in tumorigenesis and supports aggressive phenotypes of human cancers, such as neoplastic transformation, tumor progression, metastasis, and drug resistance. Canonical activation of HH signaling occurs through binding of HH ligands to the transmembrane receptor Patched 1 (PTCH1), which derepresses the transmembrane G protein-coupled receptor Smoothened (SMO). Consequently, the glioma-associated oncogene homolog 1 (GLI1) zinc-finger transcription factors, the terminal effectors of the HH pathway, are released from suppressor of fused (SUFU)-mediated cytoplasmic sequestration, permitting nuclear translocation and activation of target genes. Aberrant activation of this pathway has been implicated in several cancer types, including medulloblastoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, basal cell carcinoma, glioblastoma, and cancers of lung, colon, stomach, pancreas, ovarian, and breast. Therefore, several components of the HH pathway are under investigation for targeted cancer therapy, particularly GLI1 and SMO. GLI1 transcripts are reported to undergo alternative splicing to produce truncated variants: loss-of-function GLI1ΔN and gain-of-function truncated GLI1 (tGLI1). This review covers the biochemical steps necessary for propagation of the HH activating signal and the involvement of aberrant HH signaling in human cancers, with a highlight on the tumor-specific gain-of-function tGLI1 isoform.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Doheny
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA; (D.D.); (S.G.M.); (G.L.W.)
| | - Sara G. Manore
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA; (D.D.); (S.G.M.); (G.L.W.)
| | - Grace L. Wong
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA; (D.D.); (S.G.M.); (G.L.W.)
| | - Hui-Wen Lo
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA; (D.D.); (S.G.M.); (G.L.W.)
- Wake Forest Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-336-716-0695
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23
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Song WY, Jiang XH, Ding Y, Wang Y, Zhou MX, Xia Y, Zhang CY, Yin CC, Qiu C, Li K, Sun P, Han X. Inhibition of heparanase protects against pancreatic beta cell death in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice via reducing intra-islet inflammatory cell infiltration. Br J Pharmacol 2020; 177:4433-4447. [PMID: 32608014 DOI: 10.1111/bph.15183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2020] [Revised: 06/18/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Intra-islet heparan sulfate (HS) plays an important role in the maintenance of pancreatic islet function. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect mechanism of HS loss on the functioning of islets in diabetic mice. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH The hypoglycaemic effect of a heparanase inhibitor, OGT2115, was tested in a streptozotocin-induced diabetic mouse model. The islets in pancreatic sections were also stained to reveal their morphology. An insulinoma cell line (MIN6) and primary isolated murine islets were used to investigate the effect of OGT2115 in vitro. KEY RESULTS Intra-islet HS was clearly lost in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice due to the increased heparanase expression in damaged islets. OGT2115 prevented intra-islet HS loss and improved the glucose profile and insulin secretion in streptozotocin-treated mice. The apoptosis of pancreatic beta cells and the infiltration of mononuclear macrophages, CD4- and CD8-positive T-cells in islets was reduced by OGT2115 in streptozotocin-treated mice, but OGT2115 did not alter the direct streptozotocin-induced damage in vitro. The expression of heparanase was increased in high glucose-treated isolated islets but not in response to direct streptozotocin stimulation. Further experiments showed that high glucose stimuli could decreased expression of PPARγ in cultured islets, thereby relieving the PPARγ-induced inhibition of heparanase gene expression. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS Hyperglycaemia could cause intra-islet HS loss by elevating the expression of heparanase, thereby aggravating inflammatory cell infiltration and islet damage. Inhibition of heparanase might provide benefit for pancreatic beta cell protection in Type 1 diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Yu Song
- Key Laboratory of Human Functional Genomics of Jiangsu Province, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiao-Han Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Human Functional Genomics of Jiangsu Province, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Ying Ding
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Human Functional Genomics of Jiangsu Province, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Ming-Xuan Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Human Functional Genomics of Jiangsu Province, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yun Xia
- Key Laboratory of Human Functional Genomics of Jiangsu Province, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Chen-Yu Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Human Functional Genomics of Jiangsu Province, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Chong-Chong Yin
- Key Laboratory of Human Functional Genomics of Jiangsu Province, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Chen Qiu
- Key Laboratory of Human Functional Genomics of Jiangsu Province, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Kai Li
- Key Laboratory of Human Functional Genomics of Jiangsu Province, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Peng Sun
- Key Laboratory of Human Functional Genomics of Jiangsu Province, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiao Han
- Key Laboratory of Human Functional Genomics of Jiangsu Province, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
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24
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Xiong A, Spyrou A, Forsberg-Nilsson K. Involvement of Heparan Sulfate and Heparanase in Neural Development and Pathogenesis of Brain Tumors. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2020; 1221:365-403. [PMID: 32274718 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-34521-1_14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Brain tumors are aggressive and devastating diseases. The most common type of brain tumor, glioblastoma (GBM), is incurable and has one of the worst five-year survival rates of all human cancers. GBMs are invasive and infiltrate healthy brain tissue, which is one main reason they remain fatal despite resection, since cells that have already migrated away lead to rapid regrowth of the tumor. Curative therapy for medulloblastoma (MB), the most common pediatric brain tumor, has improved, but the outcome is still poor for many patients, and treatment causes long-term complications. Recent advances in the classification of pediatric brain tumors reveal distinct subgroups, allowing more targeted therapy for the most aggressive forms, and sparing children with less malignant tumors the side-effects of massive treatment. Heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs), main components of the neurogenic niche, interact specifically with a large number of physiologically important molecules and vital roles for HS biosynthesis and degradation in neural stem cell differentiation have been presented. HSPGs are composed of a core protein with attached highly charged, sulfated disaccharide chains. The major enzyme that degrades HS is heparanase (HPSE), an important regulator of extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling which has been suggested to promote the growth and invasion of other types of tumors. This is of clinical interest because GBM are highly invasive and children with metastatic MB at the time of diagnosis exhibit a worse outcome. Here we review the involvement of HS and HPSE in development of the nervous system and some of its most malignant brain tumors, glioblastoma and medulloblastoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anqi Xiong
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Insitutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Argyris Spyrou
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Karin Forsberg-Nilsson
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
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25
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Splicing Dysregulation as Oncogenic Driver and Passenger Factor in Brain Tumors. Cells 2019; 9:cells9010010. [PMID: 31861467 PMCID: PMC7016899 DOI: 10.3390/cells9010010] [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: 11/23/2019] [Revised: 12/13/2019] [Accepted: 12/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Brain tumors are a heterogeneous group of neoplasms ranging from almost benign to highly aggressive phenotypes. The malignancy of these tumors mostly relies on gene expression reprogramming, which is frequently accompanied by the aberrant regulation of RNA processing mechanisms. In brain tumors, defects in alternative splicing result either from the dysregulation of expression and activity of splicing factors, or from mutations in the genes encoding splicing machinery components. Aberrant splicing regulation can generate dysfunctional proteins that lead to modification of fundamental physiological cellular processes, thus contributing to the development or progression of brain tumors. Herein, we summarize the current knowledge on splicing abnormalities in brain tumors and how these alterations contribute to the disease by sustaining proliferative signaling, escaping growth suppressors, or establishing a tumor microenvironment that fosters angiogenesis and intercellular communications. Lastly, we review recent efforts aimed at developing novel splicing-targeted cancer therapies, which employ oligonucleotide-based approaches or chemical modulators of alternative splicing that elicit an impact on brain tumor biology.
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26
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Sirkisoon SR, Carpenter RL, Rimkus T, Doheny D, Zhu D, Aguayo NR, Xing F, Chan M, Ruiz J, Metheny-Barlow LJ, Strowd R, Lin J, Regua AT, Arrigo A, Anguelov M, Pasche B, Debinski W, Watabe K, Lo HW. TGLI1 transcription factor mediates breast cancer brain metastasis via activating metastasis-initiating cancer stem cells and astrocytes in the tumor microenvironment. Oncogene 2019; 39:64-78. [PMID: 31462709 PMCID: PMC6938539 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-019-0959-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2019] [Revised: 06/24/2019] [Accepted: 07/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Mechanisms for breast cancer metastasis remain unclear. Whether truncated glioma-associated oncogene homolog 1 (TGLI1), a transcription factor known to promote angiogenesis, migration and invasion, plays any role in metastasis of any tumor type has never been investigated. In this study, results of two mouse models of breast cancer metastasis showed that ectopic expression of TGLI1, but not GLI1, promoted preferential metastasis to the brain. Conversely, selective TGLI1 knockdown using antisense oligonucleotides led to decreased breast cancer brain metastasis (BCBM) in vivo. Immunohistochemical staining showed that TGLI1, but not GLI1, was increased in lymph node metastases compared to matched primary tumors, and that TGLI1 was expressed at higher levels in BCBM specimens compared to primary tumors. TGLI1 activation is associated with a shortened time to develop BCBM and enriched in HER2-enriched and triple-negative breast cancers. Radioresistant BCBM cell lines and specimens expressed higher levels of TGLI1, but not GLI1, than radiosensitive counterparts. Since cancer stem cells (CSCs) are radioresistant and metastasis-initiating cells, we examined TGLI1 for its involvement in breast CSCs and found TGLI1 to transcriptionally activate stemness genes CD44, Nanog, Sox2, and OCT4 leading to CSC renewal, and TGLI1 outcompetes with GLI1 for binding to target promoters. We next examined whether astrocyte-priming underlies TGLI1-mediated brain tropism and found that TGLI1-positive CSCs strongly activated and interacted with astrocytes in vitro and in vivo. These findings demonstrate, for the first time, that TGLI1 mediates breast cancer metastasis to the brain, in part, through promoting metastasis-initiating CSCs and activating astrocytes in BCBM microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sherona R Sirkisoon
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Richard L Carpenter
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Tadas Rimkus
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Daniel Doheny
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Dongqin Zhu
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Noah R Aguayo
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Fei Xing
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.,Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Michael Chan
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.,Department of Radiation Oncology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Jimmy Ruiz
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.,Department of Hematology and Oncology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Linda J Metheny-Barlow
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.,Department of Radiation Oncology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Roy Strowd
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.,Department of Neurology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Jiayuh Lin
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Angelina T Regua
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Austin Arrigo
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Marlyn Anguelov
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Boris Pasche
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.,Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Waldemar Debinski
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.,Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Kounosuke Watabe
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.,Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Hui-Wen Lo
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA. .,Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
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27
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Role of Hedgehog Signaling in Vasculature Development, Differentiation, and Maintenance. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20123076. [PMID: 31238510 PMCID: PMC6627637 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20123076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2019] [Revised: 06/17/2019] [Accepted: 06/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The role of Hedgehog (Hh) signaling in vascular biology has first been highlighted in embryos by Pepicelli et al. in 1998 and Rowitch et al. in 1999. Since then, the proangiogenic role of the Hh ligands has been confirmed in adults, especially under pathologic conditions. More recently, the Hh signaling has been proposed to improve vascular integrity especially at the blood–brain barrier (BBB). However, molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the role of the Hh signaling in vascular biology remain poorly understood and conflicting results have been reported. As a matter of fact, in several settings, it is currently not clear whether Hh ligands promote vessel integrity and quiescence or destabilize vessels to promote angiogenesis. The present review relates the current knowledge regarding the role of the Hh signaling in vasculature development, maturation and maintenance, discusses the underlying proposed mechanisms and highlights controversial data which may serve as a guideline for future research. Most importantly, fully understanding such mechanisms is critical for the development of safe and efficient therapies to target the Hh signaling in both cancer and cardiovascular/cerebrovascular diseases.
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28
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Coltri PP, Dos Santos MGP, da Silva GHG. Splicing and cancer: Challenges and opportunities. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-RNA 2019; 10:e1527. [PMID: 30773852 DOI: 10.1002/wrna.1527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2018] [Revised: 12/14/2018] [Accepted: 01/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Cancer arises from alterations in several metabolic processes affecting proliferation, growth, replication and death of cells. A fundamental challenge in the study of cancer biology is to uncover molecular mechanisms that lead to malignant cellular transformation. Recent genomic analyses revealed that many molecular alterations observed in cancers come from modifications in the splicing process, including mutations in pre-mRNA regulatory sequences, mutations in spliceosome components, and altered ratio of specific splicing regulators. While alterations in splice site preferences might generate alternative isoforms enabling different biological functions, these might also be responsible for nonfunctional isoforms that can eventually cause dysregulation in cellular processes. Molecular characteristics of regulatory sequences and proteins might also be important prognostic tools revealing a cancer-specific splicing pattern and linking splicing control to cancer development. The connection between cancer biology and splicing regulation is of primary importance to understand the mechanisms leading to disease and also to improve development of therapeutic approaches. Splicing modulation is being explored in new anti-cancer therapies and further investigation of targeted splicing factors is critical for the success of these strategies. This article is categorized under: RNA Processing > Splicing Mechanisms RNA-Based Catalysis > RNA Catalysis in Splicing and Translation RNA Processing > Splicing Regulation/Alternative Splicing RNA in Disease and Development > RNA in Disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia P Coltri
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Institute for Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Maria G P Dos Santos
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Institute for Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Guilherme H G da Silva
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Institute for Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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29
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Volnitskiy A, Shtam T, Burdakov V, Kovalev R, Konev A, Filatov M. Abnormal activity of transcription factors gli in high-grade gliomas. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0211980. [PMID: 30730955 PMCID: PMC6366868 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0211980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2018] [Accepted: 01/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Malignant transformation is associated with loss of cell differentiation, anaplasia. Transcription factors gli, required for embryonic development, may be involved in this process. We studied the activity of transcription factors gli in high-grade gliomas and their role in maintenance of stem cell state and glioma cell survival. 20 glioma cell lines and a sample of a normal adult brain tissue were used in the present study. We found the expression of gli target genes, including GLI1 and FOXM1, in all tested glioma cell lines, but not in the normal tissue. Interestingly, the expression of gli target genes in some glioma cell lines was observed together with a high level of their transcriptional repressor, Gli3R. Knockdown of GLI3 in one of these lines resulted in decrease of gli target gene expression. These data suggest that Gli3R does not prevent the gli target genes transcription, and gli3 acts in glioma cells more as an activator, than a repressor of transcription. We observed that gli regulated the expression of such genes, as SOX2 or OCT4 that maintain stem cell state, and TET1, involving in DNA demethylation. Treatment with GANT61 or siRNA against GLI1, GLI2, or GLI3 could result in complete glioma cell death, while cyclopamine had a weaker and line-specific effect on glioma cell survival. Thus, the gli transcription factors are abnormally active in high-grade gliomas, regulate expression of genes, maintaining the stem cell state, and contribute to glioma cell survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrey Volnitskiy
- Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute named by B.P. Konstantinov of National Research Centre "Kurchatov Institute", Gatchina, Russia
| | - Tatiana Shtam
- Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute named by B.P. Konstantinov of National Research Centre "Kurchatov Institute", Gatchina, Russia
- N.N. Petrov National Medical Research Center of Oncology, St. Petersburg, Pesochnyj, Leningradskaya, Russia
| | - Vladimir Burdakov
- Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute named by B.P. Konstantinov of National Research Centre "Kurchatov Institute", Gatchina, Russia
| | - Roman Kovalev
- Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute named by B.P. Konstantinov of National Research Centre "Kurchatov Institute", Gatchina, Russia
| | - Alexander Konev
- Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute named by B.P. Konstantinov of National Research Centre "Kurchatov Institute", Gatchina, Russia
| | - Michael Filatov
- Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute named by B.P. Konstantinov of National Research Centre "Kurchatov Institute", Gatchina, Russia
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30
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Diao Y, Rahman MFU, Vyatkin Y, Azatyan A, St Laurent G, Kapranov P, Zaphiropoulos PG. Identification of novel GLI1 target genes and regulatory circuits in human cancer cells. Mol Oncol 2018; 12:1718-1734. [PMID: 30098229 PMCID: PMC6166001 DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.12366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2018] [Revised: 07/03/2018] [Accepted: 07/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Hedgehog (HH) signaling is involved in many physiological processes, and pathway deregulation can result in a wide range of malignancies. Glioma‐associated oncogene 1 (GLI1) is a transcription factor and a terminal effector of the HH cascade. Despite its crucial role in tumorigenesis, our understanding of the GLI1 cellular targets is quite limited. In this study, we identified multiple new GLI1 target genes using a combination of different genomic surveys and then subjected them to in‐depth validation in human cancer cell lines. We were able to validate >90% of the new targets, which were enriched in functions involved in neurogenesis and regulation of transcription, in at least one type of follow‐up experiment. Strikingly, we found that RNA editing of GLI1 can modulate effects on the targets. Furthermore, one of the top targets, FOXS1, a gene encoding a transcription factor previously implicated in nervous system development, was shown to act in a negative feedback loop limiting the cellular effects of GLI1 in medulloblastoma and rhabdomyosarcoma cells. Moreover, FOXS1 is both highly expressed and positively correlated with GLI1 in medulloblastoma samples of the Sonic HH subgroup, further arguing for the existence of FOXS1/GLI1 interplay in human tumors. Consistently, high FOXS1 expression predicts longer relapse‐free survival in breast cancer. Overall, our findings open multiple new avenues in HH signaling pathway research and have potential for translational implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yumei Diao
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden
| | | | - Yuri Vyatkin
- St. Laurent Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA.,AcademGene LLC, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Ani Azatyan
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden
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Sirkisoon SR, Carpenter RL, Rimkus T, Anderson A, Harrison A, Lange AM, Jin G, Watabe K, Lo HW. Interaction between STAT3 and GLI1/tGLI1 oncogenic transcription factors promotes the aggressiveness of triple-negative breast cancers and HER2-enriched breast cancer. Oncogene 2018; 37:2502-2514. [PMID: 29449694 PMCID: PMC5948110 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-018-0132-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2017] [Revised: 10/25/2017] [Accepted: 10/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), glioma oncogene homolog 1 (GLI1), and truncated GLI1 (tGLI1) are oncogenic transcription factors playing important roles in breast cancer. tGLI1 is a gain-of-function GLI1 isoform. Whether STAT3 physically and/or functionally interacts with GLI1/tGLI1 has not been explored. To address this knowledge gap, we analyzed 47 node-positive breast cancer specimens using immunohistochemical staining and found that phosphorylated-STAT3 (Y705), GLI1, and tGLI1 are co-overexpressed in the majority of triple-negative breast carcinomas (64%) and HER2-enriched (68%) breast carcinomas, and in lymph node metastases (65%). Using gene set enrichment analysis, we analyzed 710 breast tumors and found that STAT3 activation and GLI1/tGLI1 activation signatures are co-enriched in triple-negative subtypes of breast cancers and HER2-enriched subtypes of breast cancers, but not in luminal subtypes of breast cancers. Patients with high levels of STAT3 and GLI1/tGLI1 co-activation in their breast tumors had worse metastasis-free survival compared to those with low levels. Since these proteins co-overexpress in breast tumors, we examined whether they form complexes and observed that STAT3 interacted with both GLI1 and tGLI1. We further found that the STAT3-GLI1 and STAT3-tGLI1 complexes bind to both consensus GLI1-binding and STAT3-binding sites using chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay, and that the co-overexpression markedly activated a promoter controlled by GLI1-binding sites. To identify genes that can be directly co-activated by STAT3 and GLI1/tGLI1, we analyzed three ChIP-seq datasets and identified 34 potential target genes. Following validations using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and survival analysis, we identified three genes as novel transcriptional targets of STAT3 and GLI1/tGLI1, R-Ras2, Cep70, and UPF3A. Finally, we observed that co-overexpression of STAT3 with GLI1/tGLI1 promoted the ability of breast cancer cells to form mammospheres and that STAT3 only cooperates with tGLI1 in immortalized mammary epithelial cells. In summary, our study identified novel physical and functional cooperation between two families of oncogenic transcription factors, and the interaction contributes to aggressiveness of breast cancer cells and poor prognosis of triple-negative breast cancers and HER2-enriched breast cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Tadas Rimkus
- Department of Cancer Biology, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | | | | | | | - Guangxu Jin
- Department of Radiology, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Kounosuke Watabe
- Department of Cancer Biology, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
- Wake Forest Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Hui-Wen Lo
- Department of Cancer Biology, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
- Wake Forest Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
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32
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Rimkus TK, Carpenter RL, Sirkisoon S, Zhu D, Pasche BC, Chan MD, Lesser GJ, Tatter SB, Watabe K, Debinski W, Lo HW. Truncated Glioma-Associated Oncogene Homolog 1 (tGLI1) Mediates Mesenchymal Glioblastoma via Transcriptional Activation of CD44. Cancer Res 2018; 78:2589-2600. [PMID: 29463580 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-17-2933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2017] [Revised: 01/23/2018] [Accepted: 02/15/2018] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
The molecular pathways driving mesenchymal glioblastoma (GBM) are still not well understood. We report here that truncated glioma-associated oncogene homolog 1 (tGLI1) is a tumor-specific transcription factor that facilitates GBM growth, is enriched in the mesenchymal subtype of GBM and glioma stem cells (GSC), and promotes mesenchymal GSC by upregulating transcription of CD44. In an orthotopic GBM xenograft mouse model, tGLI1-overexpressing tumors grew more aggressively with increased proliferation and angiogenesis compared with control and GLI1-overexpressing xenografts. tGLI1 was highly expressed in GBM clinical specimens but undetectable in normal brains, whereas GLI1 was expressed in both tissues. A tGLI1 activation signature (tGAS) correlated with glioma grade, tumor angiogenesis, and poor overall survival, and GBMs with high tGAS were enriched with mesenchymal GBM/GSC gene signatures. Neurospheres contained increased levels of tGLI1, but not GLI1, compared with the monolayer culture; mesenchymal GSC expressed more tGLI1 than proneural GSC. Ectopic tGLI1 expression enhanced the ability of mesenchymal GSC to yield neurospheres in vitro and to form tumors in mouse brains. Selective tGLI1 knockdown reduced neurosphere formation of GBM cells. tGLI1 bound to and transactivated the promoter of the CD44 gene, a marker and mediator for mesenchymal GSC, leading to its expression. Collectively, these findings advance our understanding of GBM biology by establishing tGLI1 as a novel transcriptional activator of CD44 and a novel mediator of mesenchymal GBM and GSC.Significance: These findings highlight the role of a tumor-specific gain-of-function transcription factor tGLI1 in mesenchymal glioma stem cell maintenance and mesenchymal GBM growth. Cancer Res; 78(10); 2589-600. ©2018 AACR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tadas K Rimkus
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
| | - Richard L Carpenter
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
| | - Sherona Sirkisoon
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
| | - Dongqin Zhu
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
| | - Boris C Pasche
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
| | - Michael D Chan
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
- Brain Tumor Center of Excellence, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
| | - Glenn J Lesser
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
- Brain Tumor Center of Excellence, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
| | - Stephen B Tatter
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
- Brain Tumor Center of Excellence, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
- Department of Neurosurgery, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
| | - Kounosuke Watabe
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
- Brain Tumor Center of Excellence, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
| | - Waldemar Debinski
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
- Brain Tumor Center of Excellence, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
| | - Hui-Wen Lo
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
- Brain Tumor Center of Excellence, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
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Babenko VN, Gubanova NV, Bragin AO, Chadaeva IV, Vasiliev GV, Medvedeva IV, Gaytan AS, Krivoshapkin AL, Orlov YL. Computer Analysis of Glioma Transcriptome Profiling: Alternative Splicing Events. J Integr Bioinform 2017; 14:/j/jib.ahead-of-print/jib-2017-0022/jib-2017-0022.xml. [PMID: 28918420 PMCID: PMC6042819 DOI: 10.1515/jib-2017-0022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2017] [Accepted: 07/28/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Here we present the analysis of alternative splicing events on an example of glioblastoma cell culture samples using a set of computer tools in combination with database integration. The gene expression profiles of glioblastoma were obtained from cell culture samples of primary glioblastoma which were isolated and processed for RNA extraction. Transcriptome profiling of normal brain samples and glioblastoma were done by Illumina sequencing. The significant differentially expressed exon-level probes and their corresponding genes were identified using a combination of the splicing index method. Previous studies indicated that tumor-specific alternative splicing is important in the regulation of gene expression and corresponding protein functions during cancer development. Multiple alternative splicing transcripts have been identified as progression markers, including generalized splicing abnormalities and tumor- and stage-specific events. We used a set of computer tools which were recently applied to analysis of gene expression in laboratory animals to study differential splicing events. We found 69 transcripts that are differentially alternatively spliced. Three cancer-associated genes were considered in detail, in particular: APP (amyloid beta precursor protein), CASC4 (cancer susceptibility candidate 4) and TP53. Such alternative splicing opens new perspectives for cancer research.
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Changyaleket B, Deliu Z, Chignalia AZ, Feinstein DL. Heparanase: Potential roles in multiple sclerosis. J Neuroimmunol 2017; 310:72-81. [PMID: 28778449 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneuroim.2017.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2017] [Revised: 06/22/2017] [Accepted: 07/01/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Heparanase is a heparan sulfate degrading enzyme that cleaves heparan sulfate (HS) chains present on HS proteoglycans (HSPGs), and has been well characterized for its roles in tumor metastasis and inflammation. However, heparanase is emerging as a contributing factor in the genesis and severity of a variety of neurodegenerative diseases and conditions. This is in part due to the wide variety of HSPGs on which the presence or absence of HS moieties dictates protein function. This includes growth factors, chemokines, cytokines, as well as components of the extracellular matrix (ECM) which in turn regulate leukocyte infiltration into the CNS. Roles for heparanase in stroke, Alzheimer's disease, and glioma growth have been described; roles for heparanase in other disease such as multiple sclerosis (MS) are less well established. However, given its known roles in inflammation and leukocyte infiltration, it is likely that heparanase also contributes to MS pathology. In this review, we will briefly summarize what is known about heparanase roles in the CNS, and speculate as to its potential role in regulating disease progression in MS and its animal model EAE (experimental autoimmune encephalitis), which may justify testing of heparanase inhibitors for MS treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Zane Deliu
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Andreia Z Chignalia
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Douglas L Feinstein
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL 60612, USA; Jesse Brown Veteran Affairs Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA.
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35
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Carpenter RL, Sirkisoon S, Zhu D, Rimkus T, Harrison A, Anderson A, Paw I, Qasem S, Xing F, Liu Y, Chan M, Metheny-Barlow L, Pasche BC, Debinski W, Watabe K, Lo HW. Combined inhibition of AKT and HSF1 suppresses breast cancer stem cells and tumor growth. Oncotarget 2017; 8:73947-73963. [PMID: 29088759 PMCID: PMC5650314 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.18166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2017] [Accepted: 05/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women. Over 90% of breast cancer deaths are attributable to metastasis. Our lab has recently reported that AKT activates heat shock factor 1 (HSF1), leading to epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in HER2-positive breast cancer. However, it is unknown whether the AKT-HSF1 pathway plays an important role in other breast cancer subtypes, breast cancer stem cells, or breast cancer growth and metastasis. Herein, we showed AKT and HSF1 to be frequently co-activated in breast cancer cell lines and specimens across different subtypes. Activated AKT (S473) and HSF1 (S326) are strongly associated with shortened time to metastasis. Inhibition of the AKT-HSF1 signaling axis using small molecule inhibitors, HSF1 knockdown or the dominant-negative HSF1 mutant (S326A) reduced the growth of metastatic breast cancer cells and breast cancer stem cells. The combination of small molecule inhibitors targeting AKT (MK-2206) and HSF1 (KRIBB11) resulted in synergistic killing of breast cancer cells and breast cancer stem cells across different molecular subtypes. Using an orthotopic xenograft mouse model, we found that combined targeting of AKT and HSF1 to significantly reduce tumor growth, induce tumor apoptosis, delay time to metastasis, and prolong host survival. Taken together, our results indicate AKT-HSF1 signaling mediates breast cancer stem cells self-renewal, tumor growth and metastasis, and that dual targeting of AKT and HSF1 resulted in synergistic suppression of breast cancer progression thereby supporting future testing of AKT-HSF1 combination therapy for breast cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard L Carpenter
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Sherona Sirkisoon
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Dongqin Zhu
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Tadas Rimkus
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Alexandria Harrison
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Ashley Anderson
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Ivy Paw
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Shadi Qasem
- Department of Pathology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC 27157, USA.,Department of Radiation Oncology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Fei Xing
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC 27157, USA.,Department of Radiation Oncology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Yin Liu
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Michael Chan
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC 27157, USA.,Department of Radiation Oncology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Linda Metheny-Barlow
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC 27157, USA.,Department of Radiation Oncology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC 27157, USA.,Brain Tumor Center of Excellence, 1 Medical Center Drive, Winston Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Boris C Pasche
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC 27157, USA.,Department of Radiation Oncology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Waldemar Debinski
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC 27157, USA.,Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC 27157, USA.,Department of Radiation Oncology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC 27157, USA.,Brain Tumor Center of Excellence, 1 Medical Center Drive, Winston Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Kounosuke Watabe
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC 27157, USA.,Department of Radiation Oncology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Hui-Wen Lo
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC 27157, USA.,Department of Radiation Oncology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC 27157, USA.,Brain Tumor Center of Excellence, 1 Medical Center Drive, Winston Salem, NC 27157, USA
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36
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Smad4 suppresses the tumorigenesis and aggressiveness of neuroblastoma through repressing the expression of heparanase. Sci Rep 2016; 6:32628. [PMID: 27595937 PMCID: PMC5011643 DOI: 10.1038/srep32628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2016] [Accepted: 08/11/2016] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Heparanase (HPSE) is the only endo-β-D-glucuronidase that is correlated with the progression of neuroblastoma (NB), the most common extracranial malignancy in childhood. However, the mechanisms underlying HPSE expression in NB still remain largely unknown. Herein, through analyzing cis-regulatory elements and mining public microarray datasets, we identified SMAD family member 4 (Smad4) as a crucial transcription regulator of HPSE in NB. We demonstrated that Smad4 repressed the HPSE expression at the transcriptional levels in NB cells. Mechanistically, Smad4 suppressed the HPSE expression through directly binding to its promoter and repressing the lymphoid enhancer binding factor 1 (LEF1)-facilitated transcription of HPSE via physical interaction. Gain- and loss-of-function studies demonstrated that Smad4 inhibited the growth, invasion, metastasis, and angiogenesis of NB cells in vitro and in vivo. Restoration of HPSE expression prevented the NB cells from changes in these biological features induced by Smad4. In clinical NB specimens, Smad4 was under-expressed and inversely correlated with HPSE levels, while LEF1 was highly expressed and positively correlated with HPSE expression. Patients with high Smad4 expression, low LEF1 or HPSE levels had greater survival probability. These results demonstrate that Smad4 suppresses the tumorigenesis and aggressiveness of NB through repressing the HPSE expression.
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37
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Carpenter RL, Paw I, Zhu H, Sirkisoon S, Xing F, Watabe K, Debinski W, Lo HW. The gain-of-function GLI1 transcription factor TGLI1 enhances expression of VEGF-C and TEM7 to promote glioblastoma angiogenesis. Oncotarget 2016; 6:22653-65. [PMID: 26093087 PMCID: PMC4673189 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.4248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2015] [Accepted: 05/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
We recently discovered that truncated glioma-associated oncogene homolog 1 (TGLI1) is highly expressed in glioblastoma (GBM) and linked to increased GBM vascularity. The mechanisms underlying TGLI1-mediated angiogenesis are unclear. In this study, we compared TGLI1- with GLI1-expressing GBM xenografts for the expression profile of 84 angiogenesis-associated genes. The results showed that expression of six genes were upregulated and five were down-regulated in TGLI1-carrying tumors compared to those with GLI1. Vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) and tumor endothelial marker 7 (TEM7) were selected for further investigations because of their significant correlations with high vascularity in 135 patient GBMs. TGLI1 bound to both VEGF-C and TEM7 gene promoters. Conditioned medium from TGLI1-expressing GBM cells strongly induced tubule formation of brain microvascular endothelial cells, and the induction was prevented by VEGF-C/TEM7 knockdown. Immunohistochemical analysis of 122 gliomas showed that TGLI1 expression was positively correlated with VEGF-C, TEM7 and microvessel density. Analysis of NCBI Gene Expression Omnibus datasets with 161 malignant gliomas showed an inverse relationship between tumoral VEGF-C, TEM7 or microvessel density and patient survival. Together, our findings support an important role that TGLI1 plays in GBM angiogenesis and identify VEGF-C and TEM7 as novel TGLI1 target genes of importance to GBM vascularity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard L Carpenter
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Ivy Paw
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Hu Zhu
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Sherona Sirkisoon
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Fei Xing
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Kounosuke Watabe
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA.,Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Waldemar Debinski
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA.,Brain Tumor Center of Excellence, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA.,Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Hui-Wen Lo
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA.,Brain Tumor Center of Excellence, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA.,Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
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38
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Rimkus TK, Carpenter RL, Qasem S, Chan M, Lo HW. Targeting the Sonic Hedgehog Signaling Pathway: Review of Smoothened and GLI Inhibitors. Cancers (Basel) 2016; 8:cancers8020022. [PMID: 26891329 PMCID: PMC4773745 DOI: 10.3390/cancers8020022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 409] [Impact Index Per Article: 51.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2015] [Revised: 01/25/2016] [Accepted: 02/05/2016] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling pathway is a major regulator of cell differentiation, cell proliferation, and tissue polarity. Aberrant activation of the Shh pathway has been shown in a variety of human cancers, including, basal cell carcinoma, malignant gliomas, medulloblastoma, leukemias, and cancers of the breast, lung, pancreas, and prostate. Tumorigenesis, tumor progression and therapeutic response have all been shown to be impacted by the Shh signaling pathway. Downstream effectors of the Shh pathway include smoothened (SMO) and glioma-associated oncogene homolog (GLI) family of zinc finger transcription factors. Both are regarded as important targets for cancer therapeutics. While most efforts have been devoted towards pharmacologically targeting SMO, developing GLI-targeted approach has its merit because of the fact that GLI proteins can be activated by both Shh ligand-dependent and -independent mechanisms. To date, two SMO inhibitors (LDE225/Sonidegib and GDC-0449/Vismodegib) have received FDA approval for treating basal cell carcinoma while many clinical trials are being conducted to evaluate the efficacy of this exciting class of targeted therapy in a variety of cancers. In this review, we provide an overview of the biology of the Shh pathway and then detail the current landscape of the Shh-SMO-GLI pathway inhibitors including those in preclinical studies and clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tadas K Rimkus
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA.
| | - Richard L Carpenter
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA.
| | - Shadi Qasem
- Department of Pathology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA.
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA.
| | - Michael Chan
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA.
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA.
| | - Hui-Wen Lo
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA.
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA.
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39
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Callahan BP, Wang C. Hedgehog Cholesterolysis: Specialized Gatekeeper to Oncogenic Signaling. Cancers (Basel) 2015; 7:2037-53. [PMID: 26473928 PMCID: PMC4695875 DOI: 10.3390/cancers7040875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2015] [Revised: 09/22/2015] [Accepted: 09/28/2015] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Discussions of therapeutic suppression of hedgehog (Hh) signaling almost exclusively focus on receptor antagonism; however, hedgehog's biosynthesis represents a unique and potentially targetable aspect of this oncogenic signaling pathway. Here, we review a key biosynthetic step called cholesterolysis from the perspectives of structure/function and small molecule inhibition. Cholesterolysis, also called cholesteroylation, generates cholesterol-modified Hh ligand via autoprocessing of a hedgehog precursor protein. Post-translational modification by cholesterol appears to be restricted to proteins in the hedgehog family. The transformation is essential for Hh biological activity and upstream of signaling events. Despite its decisive role in generating ligand, cholesterolysis remains conspicuously unexplored as a therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian P Callahan
- Chemistry Department, Binghamton University 4400 Vestal Parkway East, Binghamton, NY 13902, USA.
| | - Chunyu Wang
- Biology Department, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 110 8th Street, Troy, NY 12180, USA.
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40
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Flemban A, Qualtrough D. The Potential Role of Hedgehog Signaling in the Luminal/Basal Phenotype of Breast Epithelia and in Breast Cancer Invasion and Metastasis. Cancers (Basel) 2015; 7:1863-84. [PMID: 26389956 PMCID: PMC4586799 DOI: 10.3390/cancers7030866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2015] [Revised: 09/09/2015] [Accepted: 09/10/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The epithelium of the lactiferous ducts in the breast is comprised of luminal epithelial cells and underlying basal myoepithelial cells. The regulation of cell fate and transit of cells between these two cell types remains poorly understood. This relationship becomes of greater importance when studying the subtypes of epithelial breast carcinoma, which are categorized according to their expression of luminal or basal markers. The epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a pivotal event in tumor invasion. It is important to understand mechanisms that regulate this process, which bears relation to the normal dynamic of epithelial/basal phenotype regulation in the mammary gland. Understanding this process could provide answers for the regulation of EMT in breast cancer, and thereby identify potential targets for therapy. Evidence points towards a role for hedgehog signaling in breast tissue homeostasis and also in mammary neoplasia. This review examines our current understanding of role of the hedgehog-signaling (Hh) pathway in breast epithelial cells both during breast development and homeostasis and to assess the potential misappropriation of Hh signals in breast neoplasia, cancer stem cells and tumor metastasis via EMT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arwa Flemban
- Department of Biological, Biomedical and Analytical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences, University of West of England, Bristol BS16 1QY, UK.
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah 24382, Saudi Arabia.
| | - David Qualtrough
- Department of Biological, Biomedical and Analytical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences, University of West of England, Bristol BS16 1QY, UK.
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41
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Mechanisms regulating glioma invasion. Cancer Lett 2015; 362:1-7. [PMID: 25796440 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2015.03.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 223] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2015] [Revised: 03/10/2015] [Accepted: 03/11/2015] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive, deadliest, and most common brain malignancy in adults. Despite the advances made in surgical techniques, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, the median survival for GBM patients has remained at a mere 14 months. GBM poses several unique challenges to currently available treatments for the disease. For example, GBM cells have the propensity to aggressively infiltrate/invade into the normal brain tissues and along the vascular tracks, which prevents complete resection of all malignant cells and limits the effect of localized radiotherapy while sparing normal tissue. Although anti-angiogenic treatment exerts anti-edematic effect in GBM, unfortunately, tumors progress with acquired increased invasiveness. Therefore, it is an important task to gain a deeper understanding of the intrinsic and post-treatment invasive phenotypes of GBM in hopes that the gained knowledge would lead to novel GBM treatments that are more effective and less toxic. This review will give an overview of some of the signaling pathways that have been shown to positively and negatively regulate GBM invasion, including, the PI3K/Akt, Wnt, sonic hedgehog-GLI1, and microRNAs. The review will also discuss several approaches to cancer therapies potentially altering GBM invasiveness.
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Liu SY, Chiang MF, Chen YJ. Role of WW domain proteins WWOX in development, prognosis, and treatment response of glioma. Exp Biol Med (Maywood) 2014; 240:315-23. [PMID: 25432984 DOI: 10.1177/1535370214561588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most aggressive and malignant brain tumor. Delicate microenvironment and lineage heterogeneity of GBM cells including infiltration, hypoxia, angiogenesis, and stemness make them highly resistant to current conventional therapies, with an average life expectancy for GBM patients of less than 15 months. Poor response to cytotoxic agents of GBM cells remains the major challenge of GBM treatment. Resistance of GBM to clinical treatment is a result of genomic alternation and deregulated signaling pathways, such as p53 mutation and apoptosis signaling blockage, providing cancer cells more opportunities for survival rather than cell death. WW domain-containing oxidoreductase (WWOX) is a tumor suppressor gene, commonly downregulated in various types of tumors, including GBM. It has been found that the reintroduction of WWOX induced p53-mutant GBM cells to undergo apoptosis, but not in p53 wild-type GBM cells, indicating WWOX is likely to reopen apoptosis pathways in a p53-independent manner in GBM. Identifying the crucial target modulated by WWOX deficiency provides a potential therapeutic target for GBM treatment. Here, we have reviewed the literatures about the role of WWOX in development, signaling pathway, prognosis, and treatment response in malignant glioma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shin-Yi Liu
- Department of Medical Research, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei 104, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Fu Chiang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei 104, Taiwan Graduate Institute of Injury Prevention and Control, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Jen Chen
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei 104, Taiwan Graduate Institute of Pharmacology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
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Xiong A, Kundu S, Forsberg-Nilsson K. Heparan sulfate in the regulation of neural differentiation and glioma development. FEBS J 2014; 281:4993-5008. [DOI: 10.1111/febs.13097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2014] [Revised: 09/17/2014] [Accepted: 10/02/2014] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Anqi Xiong
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, and Science for Life Laboratory; Rudbeck Laboratory; Uppsala University; Uppsala Sweden
| | - Soumi Kundu
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, and Science for Life Laboratory; Rudbeck Laboratory; Uppsala University; Uppsala Sweden
| | - Karin Forsberg-Nilsson
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, and Science for Life Laboratory; Rudbeck Laboratory; Uppsala University; Uppsala Sweden
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