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Ertay A, Ewing RM, Wang Y. Synthetic lethal approaches to target cancers with loss of PTEN function. Genes Dis 2023; 10:2511-2527. [PMID: 37533462 PMCID: PMC7614861 DOI: 10.1016/j.gendis.2022.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2022] [Revised: 12/26/2022] [Accepted: 12/27/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) is a tumour suppressor gene and has a role in inhibiting the oncogenic AKT signalling pathway by dephosphorylating phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-triphosphate (PIP3) into phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2). The function of PTEN is regulated by different mechanisms and inactive PTEN results in aggressive tumour phenotype and tumorigenesis. Identifying targeted therapies for inactive tumour suppressor genes such as PTEN has been challenging as it is difficult to restore the tumour suppressor functions. Therefore, focusing on the downstream signalling pathways to discover a targeted therapy for inactive tumour suppressor genes has highlighted the importance of synthetic lethality studies. This review focuses on the potential synthetic lethality genes discovered in PTEN-inactive cancer types. These discovered genes could be potential targeted therapies for PTEN-inactive cancer types and may improve the treatment response rates for aggressive types of cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayse Ertay
- Biological Sciences, Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Rob M. Ewing
- Biological Sciences, Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
- Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Yihua Wang
- Biological Sciences, Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
- Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
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2
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Guo Y, Zhou Y, Wu P, Ran M, Xu N, Shan W, Sha O, Tam KY. Dichloroacetophenone biphenylsulfone ethers as anticancer pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase inhibitors in non-small cell lung cancer models. Chem Biol Interact 2023; 378:110467. [PMID: 37004952 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbi.2023.110467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2022] [Revised: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
Abstract
Pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1 (PDK1) is an important metabolic enzyme which is often overexpressed in many types of cancers, including non-small-cell lung cancers (NSCLC). Targeting PDK1 appears to be an attractive anticancer strategy. Based on a previously reported moderate potent anticancer PDK1 inhibitor, 64, we developed three dichloroacetophenone biphenylsulfone ethers, 30, 31 and 32, which showed strong PDK1 inhibitions of 74%, 83% and 72% at 10 μM, respectively. Then we investigated the anticancer effects of 31 in two NSCLC cell lines, namely, NCI-H1299 and NCI-H1975. It was found that 31 exhibited sub-micromolar cancer cell IC50s, suppressed colony formation, induced mitochondrial membrane potential depolarization, triggered apoptosis, altered cellular glucose metabolism, with concomitant reductions in extracellular lactate levels and enhanced the generation of reactive oxygen species in NSCLC cells. Moreover, 31 significantly suppressed the tumor growth in an NCI-H1975 mouse xenograft model, outperforming the anticancer effects of 64. Taken together our results suggested that inhibition of PDK1 via dichloroacetophenone biphenylsulfone ethers may provide a novel direction leading to an alternative treatment option in NSCLC therapy.
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3
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Langdon CG, Gadek KE, Garcia MR, Evans MK, Reed KB, Bush M, Hanna JA, Drummond CJ, Maguire MC, Leavey PJ, Finkelstein D, Jin H, Schreiner PA, Rehg JE, Hatley ME. Synthetic essentiality between PTEN and core dependency factor PAX7 dictates rhabdomyosarcoma identity. Nat Commun 2021; 12:5520. [PMID: 34535684 PMCID: PMC8448747 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25829-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2021] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
PTEN promoter hypermethylation is nearly universal and PTEN copy number loss occurs in ~25% of fusion-negative rhabdomyosarcoma (FN-RMS). Here we show Pten deletion in a mouse model of FN-RMS results in less differentiated tumors more closely resembling human embryonal RMS. PTEN loss activated the PI3K pathway but did not increase mTOR activity. In wild-type tumors, PTEN was expressed in the nucleus suggesting loss of nuclear PTEN functions could account for these phenotypes. Pten deleted tumors had increased expression of transcription factors important in neural and skeletal muscle development including Dbx1 and Pax7. Pax7 deletion completely rescued the effects of Pten loss. Strikingly, these Pten;Pax7 deleted tumors were no longer FN-RMS but displayed smooth muscle differentiation similar to leiomyosarcoma. These data highlight how Pten loss in FN-RMS is connected to a PAX7 lineage-specific transcriptional output that creates a dependency or synthetic essentiality on the transcription factor PAX7 to maintain tumor identity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Casey G Langdon
- Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
| | - Katherine E Gadek
- Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
| | - Matthew R Garcia
- Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
| | - Myron K Evans
- Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
| | - Kristin B Reed
- Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
- Rhodes College, Memphis, TN, 38112, USA
| | - Madeline Bush
- Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
- St. Jude Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
| | - Jason A Hanna
- Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
- Purdue Center for Cancer Research, Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Catherine J Drummond
- Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
- Department of Pathology, University of Otago, Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand
| | - Matthew C Maguire
- Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
| | - Patrick J Leavey
- Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
| | - David Finkelstein
- Department of Computational Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
| | - Hongjian Jin
- Center for Applied Bioinformatics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
| | - Patrick A Schreiner
- Center for Applied Bioinformatics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
| | - Jerold E Rehg
- Department of Pathology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
| | - Mark E Hatley
- Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA.
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4
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Liu M, Wu N, Xu K, Saaoud F, Vasilopoulos E, Shao Y, Zhang R, Wang J, Shen H, Yang WY, Lu Y, Sun Y, Drummer C, Liu L, Li L, Hu W, Yu J, Praticò D, Sun J, Jiang X, Wang H, Yang X. Organelle Crosstalk Regulators Are Regulated in Diseases, Tumors, and Regulatory T Cells: Novel Classification of Organelle Crosstalk Regulators. Front Cardiovasc Med 2021; 8:713170. [PMID: 34368262 PMCID: PMC8339352 DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2021.713170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
To examine whether the expressions of 260 organelle crosstalk regulators (OCRGs) in 16 functional groups are modulated in 23 diseases and 28 tumors, we performed extensive -omics data mining analyses and made a set of significant findings: (1) the ratios of upregulated vs. downregulated OCRGs are 1:2.8 in acute inflammations, 1:1 in metabolic diseases, 1:1.2 in autoimmune diseases, and 1:3.8 in organ failures; (2) sepsis and trauma-upregulated OCRG groups such as vesicle, mitochondrial (MT) fission, and mitophagy but not others, are termed as the cell crisis-handling OCRGs. Similarly, sepsis and trauma plus organ failures upregulated seven OCRG groups including vesicle, MT fission, mitophagy, sarcoplasmic reticulum–MT, MT fusion, autophagosome–lysosome fusion, and autophagosome/endosome–lysosome fusion, classified as the cell failure-handling OCRGs; (3) suppression of autophagosome–lysosome fusion in endothelial and epithelial cells is required for viral replications, which classify this decreased group as the viral replication-suppressed OCRGs; (4) pro-atherogenic damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) such as oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL), lipopolysaccharide (LPS), oxidized-1-palmitoyl-2-arachidonoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (oxPAPC), and interferons (IFNs) totally upregulated 33 OCRGs in endothelial cells (ECs) including vesicle, MT fission, mitophagy, MT fusion, endoplasmic reticulum (ER)–MT contact, ER– plasma membrane (PM) junction, autophagosome/endosome–lysosome fusion, sarcoplasmic reticulum–MT, autophagosome–endosome/lysosome fusion, and ER–Golgi complex (GC) interaction as the 10 EC-activation/inflammation-promoting OCRG groups; (5) the expression of OCRGs is upregulated more than downregulated in regulatory T cells (Tregs) from the lymph nodes, spleen, peripheral blood, intestine, and brown adipose tissue in comparison with that of CD4+CD25− T effector controls; (6) toll-like receptors (TLRs), reactive oxygen species (ROS) regulator nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), and inflammasome-activated regulator caspase-1 regulated the expressions of OCRGs in diseases, virus-infected cells, and pro-atherogenic DAMP-treated ECs; (7) OCRG expressions are significantly modulated in all the 28 cancer datasets, and the upregulated OCRGs are correlated with tumor immune infiltrates in some tumors; (8) tumor promoter factor IKK2 and tumor suppressor Tp53 significantly modulate the expressions of OCRGs. Our findings provide novel insights on the roles of upregulated OCRGs in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases and cancers, and novel pathways for the future therapeutic interventions for inflammations, sepsis, trauma, organ failures, autoimmune diseases, metabolic cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), and cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Liu
- Centers for Cardiovascular Research, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States.,Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, School of Basic Medical Science, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
| | - Na Wu
- Departments of Endocrinology and Emergency Medicine, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Keman Xu
- Centers for Cardiovascular Research, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Fatma Saaoud
- Centers for Cardiovascular Research, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Eleni Vasilopoulos
- Centers for Cardiovascular Research, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Ying Shao
- Centers for Cardiovascular Research, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Ruijing Zhang
- Centers for Cardiovascular Research, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States.,Department of Nephrology, The Affiliated People's Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
| | - Jirong Wang
- Centers for Cardiovascular Research, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States.,Department of Cardiology, The Affiliated People's Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
| | - Haitao Shen
- Departments of Endocrinology and Emergency Medicine, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | | | - Yifan Lu
- Centers for Cardiovascular Research, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Yu Sun
- Centers for Cardiovascular Research, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Charles Drummer
- Centers for Cardiovascular Research, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Lu Liu
- Metabolic Disease Research, Inflammation, Translational & Clinical Lung Research, Thrombosis Research, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Li Li
- Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, School of Basic Medical Science, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
| | - Wenhui Hu
- Metabolic Disease Research, Inflammation, Translational & Clinical Lung Research, Thrombosis Research, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Jun Yu
- Metabolic Disease Research, Inflammation, Translational & Clinical Lung Research, Thrombosis Research, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Domenico Praticò
- Alzheimer's Center, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Jianxin Sun
- Department of Medicine, Center for Translational Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Xiaohua Jiang
- Centers for Cardiovascular Research, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States.,Metabolic Disease Research, Inflammation, Translational & Clinical Lung Research, Thrombosis Research, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Hong Wang
- Metabolic Disease Research, Inflammation, Translational & Clinical Lung Research, Thrombosis Research, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Xiaofeng Yang
- Centers for Cardiovascular Research, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States.,Metabolic Disease Research, Inflammation, Translational & Clinical Lung Research, Thrombosis Research, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
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Abstract
In over two decades since the discovery of phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN), nearly 18,000 publications have attempted to elucidate its functions and roles in normal physiology and disease. The frequent disruption of PTEN in cancer cells was a strong indication that it had critical roles in tumour suppression. Germline PTEN mutations have been identified in patients with heterogeneous tumour syndromic diseases, known as PTEN hamartoma tumour syndrome (PHTS), and in some individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Today we know that by limiting oncogenic signalling through the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway, PTEN governs a number of processes including survival, proliferation, energy metabolism, and cellular architecture. Some of the most exciting recent advances in the understanding of PTEN biology and signalling have revisited its unappreciated roles as a protein phosphatase, identified non-enzymatic scaffold functions, and unravelled its nuclear function. These discoveries are certain to provide a new perspective on its full tumour suppressor potential, and knowledge from this work will lead to new anti-cancer strategies that exploit PTEN biology. In this review, we will highlight some outstanding questions and some of the very latest advances in the understanding of the tumour suppressor PTEN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Tak-Sum Chow
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Leonardo Salmena
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Liu J, Chen SJ, Hsu SW, Zhang J, Li JM, Yang DC, Gu S, Pinkerton KE, Chen CH. MARCKS cooperates with NKAP to activate NF-kB signaling in smoke-related lung cancer. Am J Cancer Res 2021; 11:4122-4136. [PMID: 33754052 PMCID: PMC7977464 DOI: 10.7150/thno.53558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2020] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Rationale: Cigarette smoking is a major risk factor for lung cancer development and progression; however, the mechanism of how cigarette smoke activates signaling pathways in promoting cancer malignancy remains to be established. Herein, we aimed to determine the contribution of a signaling protein, myristoylated alanine-rich C kinase substrate (MARCKS), in smoke-mediated lung cancer. Methods: We firstly examined the levels of phosphorylated MARCKS (phospho-MARCKS) in smoke-exposed human lung cancer cells and specimens as well as non-human primate airway epithelium. Next, the MARCKS-interactome and its gene networks were identified. We also used genetic and pharmacological approaches to verify the functionality and molecular mechanism of smoke-induced phospho-MARCKS. Results: We observed that MARCKS becomes activated in airway epithelium and lung cancer cells in response to cigarette smoke. Functional proteomics revealed MARCKS protein directly binds to NF-κB-activating protein (NKAP). Following MARCKS phosphorylation at ser159 and ser163, the MARCKS-NKAP interaction was inhibited, leading to the activation of NF-κB signaling. In a screen of two cohorts of lung cancer patients, we confirmed that phospho-MARCKS is positively correlated with phospho-NF-κB (phospho-p65), and poor survival. Surprisingly, smoke-induced phospho-MARCKS upregulated the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and stem-like properties. Conversely, targeting of MARCKS phosphorylation with MPS peptide, a specific MARCKS phosphorylation inhibitor, suppressed smoke-mediated NF-κB signaling activity, pro-inflammatory cytokines expression, aggressiveness and stemness of lung cancer cells. Conclusion: Our results suggest that phospho-MARCKS is a novel NF-kB activator in smoke-mediated lung cancer progression and provide a promising molecular model for developing new anticancer strategies.
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Ishibashi T, Kajihara I, Mizuhashi S, Kuriyama H, Kimura T, Kanemaru H, Makino K, Miyashita A, Aoi J, Makino T, Fukushima S, Kita K, Ihn H. Methyl-CpG binding domain protein 3: a new diagnostic marker and potential therapeutic target of melanoma. Biosci Trends 2020; 14:390-395. [PMID: 32963182 DOI: 10.5582/bst.2020.01048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Methyl-CpG binding domain protein 3 (MBD3) belongs to the methyl-CpG binding protein family. MBD3 facilitates the initiation of neural stem cell reprogramming. Melanoma originates in melanocytes derived from neural crest stem cells; therefore, we investigated the role of MBD3 in melanoma. MBD3 was overexpressed in melanoma compared with pigmented nevi. MBD3 knockdown had no effect on the proliferation of melanoma cells (A375 and A2058 cells). Contrarily, it significantly reduced the migration and invasion of A375 cells, but had no significant effect on A2058 cells. Furthermore, MBD3 knockdown reduced N-cadherin protein levels and matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) activity in A375 cells, but had no significant effect on A2058 cells. Based on these results, the MBD3 expression level may be a useful biomarker for the diagnosis of melanoma. Thus, MBD3 has potential as a novel therapeutic target for some melanoma patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takayuki Ishibashi
- Department of Dermatology and Plastic Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
| | - Ikko Kajihara
- Department of Dermatology and Plastic Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
| | - Satoru Mizuhashi
- Department of Dermatology and Plastic Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
| | - Haruka Kuriyama
- Department of Dermatology and Plastic Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
| | - Toshihiro Kimura
- Department of Dermatology and Plastic Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
| | - Hisashi Kanemaru
- Department of Dermatology and Plastic Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
| | - Katsunari Makino
- Department of Dermatology and Plastic Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
| | - Azusa Miyashita
- Department of Dermatology and Plastic Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
| | - Jun Aoi
- Department of Dermatology and Plastic Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
| | - Takamitsu Makino
- Department of Dermatology and Plastic Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
| | - Satoshi Fukushima
- Department of Dermatology and Plastic Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
| | - Kanako Kita
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
| | - Hironobu Ihn
- Department of Dermatology and Plastic Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
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Chen C, Zhu S, Zhang X, Zhou T, Gu J, Xu Y, Wan Q, Qi X, Chai Y, Liu X, Chen L, Yan J, Hua Y, Lin F. Targeting the Synthetic Vulnerability of PTEN-Deficient Glioblastoma Cells with MCL1 Inhibitors. Mol Cancer Ther 2020; 19:2001-2011. [PMID: 32737157 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-20-0099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2020] [Revised: 05/17/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
PTEN deletion or mutation occurs in 30% to 60% of patients with glioblastoma (GBM) and is associated with poor prognosis. Efficacious therapy for this subgroup of patients is currently lacking. To identify potential target(s) to selectively suppress PTEN-deficient GBM growth, we performed a three-step synthetic lethal screen on LN18 PTEN wild-type (WT) and knockout (KO) isogeneic GBM cell lines using a library containing 606 target-selective inhibitors. A MCL1 inhibitor UMI-77 identified in the screen exhibited excellent suppression on the proliferation, colony formation, 3D spheroid, and neurosphere formation of PTEN-deficient GBM cells. Mechanistically, loss of PTEN in GBM cells led to upregulation of MCL1 in posttranslational level via inhibition of GSK3β, and consequently confer cells resistance to apoptosis. Pharmacologic inhibition or knockdown of MCL1 blocked this PI3K-GSK3β-MCL1 axis and caused reduction of several antiapoptotic proteins, finally induced massive caspase-3 cleavage and apoptosis. In both subcutaneous and orthotopic GBM models, knockdown of MCL1 significantly impaired the in vivo growth of PTEN-deficient xenografts. Moreover, the combination of UMI-77 and temozolomide synergistically killed PTEN-deficient GBM cells. Collectively, our work identified MCL1 as a promising target for PTEN-deficient GBM. For future clinical investigations, priority should be given to the development of a selective MCL1 inhibitor with efficient brain delivery and minimal in vivo toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Chen
- Department of Cell Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Sichao Zhu
- Department of Cell Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xia Zhang
- Department of Cell Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Tingting Zhou
- Department of Cell Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jing Gu
- Department of Cell Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yurong Xu
- Department of Cell Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Quan Wan
- Department of Cell Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiao Qi
- Department of Cell Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yezi Chai
- Department of Cell Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiaorong Liu
- Department of Cell Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Lukui Chen
- Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, Zhongda Hospital, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jie Yan
- Department of Forensic Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Yunfen Hua
- College of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
| | - Fan Lin
- Department of Cell Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China. .,Institute for Brain Tumors & Key Laboratory of Rare Metabolic Diseases, Nanjing Medical University; The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University; Key Laboratory of Human Functional Genomics of Jiangsu Province; Nanjing, China
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9
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Chang H, Cai Z, Roberts TM. The Mechanisms Underlying PTEN Loss in Human Tumors Suggest Potential Therapeutic Opportunities. Biomolecules 2019; 9:biom9110713. [PMID: 31703360 PMCID: PMC6921025 DOI: 10.3390/biom9110713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2019] [Revised: 11/01/2019] [Accepted: 11/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In this review, we will first briefly describe the diverse molecular mechanisms associated with PTEN loss of function in cancer. We will then proceed to discuss the molecular mechanisms linking PTEN loss to PI3K activation and demonstrate how these mechanisms suggest possible therapeutic approaches for patients with PTEN-null tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyeyoun Chang
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA; (H.C.); (Z.C.)
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- KIST-DFCI On-Site Lab, Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Zhenying Cai
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA; (H.C.); (Z.C.)
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Thomas M. Roberts
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA; (H.C.); (Z.C.)
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-617-632-3049
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