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Mateos MRC, Carpintero-Fernández P, Freijanes PS, Mosquera J, Nebril BA, Mayán Santos MD. Insights into the role of connexins and specialized intercellular communication pathways in breast cancer: Mechanisms and applications. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2024:189173. [PMID: 39154967 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2024.189173] [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: 05/27/2024] [Revised: 07/31/2024] [Accepted: 08/14/2024] [Indexed: 08/20/2024]
Abstract
Gap junctions, membrane-based channels comprised of connexin proteins (Cxs), facilitate direct communication among neighbouring cells and between cells and the extracellular space through their hemichannels. The normal human breast expresses various Cxs family proteins, such as Cx43, Cx30, Cx32, Cx46, and Cx26, crucial for proper tissue development and function. These proteins play a significant role in breast cancer development, progression, and therapy response. In primary tumours, there is often a reduction and cytoplasmic mislocalization of Cx43 and Cx26, while metastatic lesions show an upregulation of these and other Cxs. Although existing research predominantly supports the tumour-suppressing role of Cxs in primary carcinomas through channel-dependent and independent functions, controversies persist regarding their involvement in the metastatic process. This review aims to provide an updated perspective on Cxs in human breast cancer, with a specific focus on intrinsic subtypes due to the heterogeneous nature of this disease. Additionally, the manuscript will explore the role of Cxs in immune interactions and novel forms of intercellular communication, such as tunneling nanotubes and extracellular vesicles, within the breast tumour context and tumour microenvironment. Recent findings suggest that Cxs hold potential as therapeutic targets for mitigating metastasis and drug resistance. Furthermore, they may serve as novel biomarkers for cancer prognosis, offering promising avenues for future research and clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Rodríguez-Candela Mateos
- Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de A Coruña (INIBIC), Servizo Galego de Saúde (SERGAS), Xubias de Arriba, 84, 15006 A Coruña, Spain
| | - Paula Carpintero-Fernández
- Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de A Coruña (INIBIC), Servizo Galego de Saúde (SERGAS), Xubias de Arriba, 84, 15006 A Coruña, Spain; CellCOM Research Group, Center for Research in Nanomaterials and Biomedicine (CINBIO), Universidade de Vigo, Edificio Olimpia Valencia, Campus Universitario Lagoas Marcosende, 36310 Vigo, Spain; Galicia Sur Health Research Institute (IIS Galicia Sur), SERGAS, Spain
| | - Paz Santiago Freijanes
- Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de A Coruña (INIBIC), Servizo Galego de Saúde (SERGAS), Xubias de Arriba, 84, 15006 A Coruña, Spain; Anatomic Pathology Department, Breast Unit, A Coruña University Hospital, SERGAS, A Coruña, Spain
| | - Joaquin Mosquera
- Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de A Coruña (INIBIC), Servizo Galego de Saúde (SERGAS), Xubias de Arriba, 84, 15006 A Coruña, Spain; Surgery Department, Breast Unit, A Coruña University Hospital, SERGAS, A Coruña, Spain
| | - Benigno Acea Nebril
- Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de A Coruña (INIBIC), Servizo Galego de Saúde (SERGAS), Xubias de Arriba, 84, 15006 A Coruña, Spain; Surgery Department, Breast Unit, A Coruña University Hospital, SERGAS, A Coruña, Spain
| | - María D Mayán Santos
- Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de A Coruña (INIBIC), Servizo Galego de Saúde (SERGAS), Xubias de Arriba, 84, 15006 A Coruña, Spain; CellCOM Research Group, Center for Research in Nanomaterials and Biomedicine (CINBIO), Universidade de Vigo, Edificio Olimpia Valencia, Campus Universitario Lagoas Marcosende, 36310 Vigo, Spain; Galicia Sur Health Research Institute (IIS Galicia Sur), SERGAS, Spain.
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Dietary Supplementation of Selenoneine-Containing Tuna Dark Muscle Extract Effectively Reduces Pathology of Experimental Colorectal Cancers in Mice. Nutrients 2018; 10:nu10101380. [PMID: 30262787 PMCID: PMC6212930 DOI: 10.3390/nu10101380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2018] [Revised: 09/22/2018] [Accepted: 09/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Selenoneine is an ergothioneine analog with greater antioxidant activity and is the major form of organic selenium in the blood, muscles, and other tissues of tuna. The aim of this study was to determine whether a selenoneine-rich diet exerts antioxidant activities that can prevent carcinogenesis in two types of colorectal cancer model in mice. We administrated selenoneine-containing tuna dark muscle extract (STDME) to mice for one week and used azoxymethane (AOM) and dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) for inducing colorectal carcinogenesis. Next, we examined the incidence of macroscopic polyps and performed functional analysis of immune cells from the spleen. In the AOM/DSS-induced colitis-associated cancer (CAC) model, the oral administration of STDME significantly decreased tumor incidence and inhibited the accumulation of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) while also inhibiting the downregulation of interferon-γ (IFN-γ) production during carcinogenesis. These results suggest that dietary STDME may be an effective agent for reducing colorectal tumor progression.
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Yu ML, Zhang CL, Yuan DD, Tong XH, Tao L. Panax notoginseng saponins enhances the cytotoxicity of cisplatin via increasing gap junction intercellular communication. Biol Pharm Bull 2012; 35:1230-7. [PMID: 22863918 DOI: 10.1248/bpb.b110535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Panax Notoginseng Saponins (PNS) have been well known to have anti-tumor activity and enhance cytotoxicity of some cancer chemotherapy agents, but the mechanisms underlying these effects are still unknown. This study investigates the effect of PNS on cytotoxicity of cisplatin and the relationship between this effect and the modulation of gap junctions (GJ) function by PNS in a transfected cell line. The cytotoxicity of cisplatin (0.25-1 µg/mL) was increased in the presence of GJ. Inhibition of gap junction by either GJ blocker or interception of Connexin (Cx) expression decreased the cytotoxicity of cisplatin. Increasing GJ function enhanced cytotoxicity of cisplatin, only in the cells with functional GJ. PNS (50-200 µg/mL) significantly enhanced cisplatin cytotoxicity, but this effect required functional gap junctions between the cells. Exposure of the cells to PNS (50-200 µg/mL) for 4 h leads to a significant enhance in dye coupling of GJ in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that PNS increases the cytotoxicity of cisplatin through enhancement of GJ activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mei-ling Yu
- Department of Pharmacology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, P. R. China
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Dawson MI, Xia Z. The retinoid X receptors and their ligands. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Biol Lipids 2011; 1821:21-56. [PMID: 22020178 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbalip.2011.09.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 258] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2011] [Revised: 08/23/2011] [Accepted: 09/23/2011] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
This chapter presents an overview of the current status of studies on the structural and molecular biology of the retinoid X receptor subtypes α, β, and γ (RXRs, NR2B1-3), their nuclear and cytoplasmic functions, post-transcriptional processing, and recently reported ligands. Points of interest are the different changes in the ligand-binding pocket induced by variously shaped agonists, the communication of the ligand-bound pocket with the coactivator binding surface and the heterodimerization interface, and recently identified ligands that are natural products, those that function as environmental toxins or drugs that had been originally designed to interact with other targets, as well as those that were deliberately designed as RXR-selective transcriptional agonists, synergists, or antagonists. Of these synthetic ligands, the general trend in design appears to be away from fully aromatic rigid structures to those containing partial elements of the flexible tetraene side chain of 9-cis-retinoic acid. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Advances in High Density Lipoprotein Formation and Metabolism: A Tribute to John F. Oram (1945-2010).
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcia I Dawson
- Cancer Center, Sanford-Burn Medical Research Institute, 10901 North Torrey Pines Rd., La Jolla, CA 93207, USA.
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Liu Y, Zhang X, Li ZJ, Chen XH. Up-regulation of Cx43 expression and GJIC function in acute leukemia bone marrow stromal cells post-chemotherapy. Leuk Res 2009; 34:631-40. [PMID: 19910046 DOI: 10.1016/j.leukres.2009.10.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2009] [Revised: 09/10/2009] [Accepted: 10/14/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Gap junction intercellular communication (GJIC) among bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) most frequently occurs through a channel composed of connexin43 (Cx43). Dysregulation of connexin expression is believed to have a role in carcinogenesis. In earlier work, we found that in acute leukemia BMSCs, expression of Cx43 and functioning GJIC declined. However, there has been no evaluation of whether GJIC in BMSCs in complete remission (CR) post-chemotherapy is different from GJIC pre-chemotherapy. We studied Cx43 expression and tested GJIC function in human bone marrow cultures under different physiological and pathological conditions. To assay Cx43 expression we used immunocytochemistry, laser scan confocal microscopy (LSCM), flow cytometry and RT-PCR. The results showed that the expression level of Cx43 and its mRNA in acute leukemia BMSCs post-chemotherapy was significantly higher and similar to normal levels than in primary acute leukemia BMSCs (p<0.01). Functional tests in cultures using dye transfer and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) assays showed that the function of GJIC in acute leukemia BMSCs was significantly improved following effective chemotherapy. Our findings suggest Cx43 and GJIC might be involved in the courses of occurrence, development and termination of acute leukemia, and effective chemotherapy could improve Cx43 expression and GJIC function that were dysfunctional prior to treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yao Liu
- Department of Hematology, Xinqiao Hospital, The Third Military Medical University, Shapingba District, Xinqiao Street, Chongqing 400037, China
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Foss B, Tronstad KJ, Bruserud Ø. Connexin-based signaling in acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2009; 1798:1-8. [PMID: 19883623 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2009.10.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2009] [Revised: 09/15/2009] [Accepted: 10/26/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Normal and malignant hematopoiesis are regulated by intercellular communication in the hematopoietic microenvironments, and both soluble mediators as well as direct cell-cell contact play important functional roles. Gap junctions are complex membrane structures that transfer molecules between neighboring cells and thereby alter intracellular signaling and metabolism. The gap junction building blocks, the connexins, are also involved in gap junction-independent intercellular communication by forming hemichannels that transfer substances between the intra- and extracellular spaces. Connexins are furthermore involved in cell regulation as single molecules by modulating intracellular pathways and possibly gene transcription. The role of connexins in leukemogenesis and leukemic cell functions are not well characterized. In this review, we describe the known effects of gap junctions and connexins in acute myelogenous leukemia and the diverse potential of connexins in acute myelogenous leukemia chemosensitivity, intracellular signaling and cell death regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brynjar Foss
- Department of Health Studies, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway.
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Foss B, Hervig T, Bruserud Ø. Connexins Are Active Participants of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Regulation. Stem Cells Dev 2009; 18:807-12. [DOI: 10.1089/scd.2009.0086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Brynjar Foss
- Department of Health Studies, University of Stavanger, Norway
| | - Tor Hervig
- The Blood Bank, Haukeland University Hospital, University of Bergen, Norway
- Gades Institute, Haukeland University Hospital, University of Bergen, Norway
| | - Øystein Bruserud
- Institute of Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, University of Bergen, Norway
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