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Sevimli TS, Ghorbani A, Gakhiyeva F, Cevizlidere BD, Sevimli M. Boric Acid Alters the Expression of DNA Double Break Repair Genes in MCF-7-Derived Breast Cancer Stem Cells. Biol Trace Elem Res 2024; 202:3980-3987. [PMID: 38087035 DOI: 10.1007/s12011-023-03987-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2024]
Abstract
Breast cancer pathology ranks second in mortality among women worldwide due to the resistance of cancer stem cells in tumor tissue to radiotherapy and chemotherapy and their effective DNA damage response system (DDR). Targeting the expression of DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair genes in breast cancer stem cells (BC-SCs) is essential for facilitating their elimination with conventional therapies. This study aims to investigate the effects of boric acid (BA) on the expression of DNA DSB repair genes in BC-SCs, which has not been studied in the literature before. BS-SCs were isolated by the MACS method and characterized by flow cytometry. The effects of BA on BC-SCs' DNA DSB repair genes were deciphered by cell viability assay, inverted microscopy, and RT-qPCR. While the expression of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 was upregulated, the expression of the ATM (p < 0.001), RAD51 (p < 0.001), and KU70 (p < 0.001) was downregulated in dose-treated BC-SCs (p < 0.001) to the qPCR results. Consequently, BA affects some of the DNA DSB repair genes of breast cancer stem cells. Findings from this study could provide new insights into the potential therapeutic application of BA in BC-SC elimination and cancer intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tuğba Semerci Sevimli
- Department of Cellular Therapy and Stem Cell Production, Application, and Research Center (ESTEM), Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Eskisehir, 26040, Turkey.
- Department of Stem Cell, Institute of Health Sciences, Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Eskisehir, 26040, Turkey.
| | - Aynaz Ghorbani
- Department of Cellular Therapy and Stem Cell Production, Application, and Research Center (ESTEM), Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Eskisehir, 26040, Turkey
- Department of Stem Cell, Institute of Health Sciences, Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Eskisehir, 26040, Turkey
| | - Fidan Gakhiyeva
- Department of Cellular Therapy and Stem Cell Production, Application, and Research Center (ESTEM), Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Eskisehir, 26040, Turkey
- Department of Stem Cell, Institute of Health Sciences, Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Eskisehir, 26040, Turkey
| | - Bahar Demir Cevizlidere
- Department of Cellular Therapy and Stem Cell Production, Application, and Research Center (ESTEM), Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Eskisehir, 26040, Turkey
- Department of Stem Cell, Institute of Health Sciences, Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Eskisehir, 26040, Turkey
| | - Murat Sevimli
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Eskişehir Osmangazi University, Eskisehir, 26040, Turkey
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2
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Malla R, Jyosthsna K, Rani G, Purnachandra Nagaraju G. CD44/PD-L1-mediated networks in drug resistance and immune evasion of breast cancer stem cells: Promising targets of natural compounds. Int Immunopharmacol 2024; 138:112613. [PMID: 38959542 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2024.112613] [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: 01/29/2024] [Revised: 06/28/2024] [Accepted: 06/30/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024]
Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) significantly interfere with immunotherapy, leading to challenges such as low response rates and acquired resistance. PD-L1 expression is associated with the CSC population's overexpression of CD44. Mounting evidence suggests that the breast cancer stem cell (BCSC) marker CD44 and the immune checkpoint PD-L1 contribute to treatment failure through their networks. Natural compounds can overcome therapy resistance in breast cancer by targeting mechanisms underlying resistance in BCSCs. This review provides an updated insight into the CD44 and PD-L1 networks of BCSCs in mediating metastasis and immune evasion. The review critically examines existing literature, providing a comprehensive understanding of the topic and emphasizing the impact of natural flavones on the signaling pathways of BCSCs. Additionally, the review discusses the potential of natural compounds in targeting CD44 and PD-L1 in breast cancer (BC). Natural compounds consistently show potential in targeting regulatory mechanisms of BCSCs, inducing loss of stemness, and promoting differentiation. They offer a promising approach for developing alternative therapeutic strategies to manage breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- RamaRao Malla
- Cancer Biology Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry and Bioinformatics, School of Science, GITAM (Deemed to be University), Visakhapatnam 530045, Andhra Pradesh, India; Department of Biochemistry and Bioinformatics, School of Science, GITAM (Deemed to be University), Visakhapatnam 530045, Andhra Pradesh, India.
| | - Kattula Jyosthsna
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Science, GITAM (Deemed to be University), Visakhapatnam 530045, Andhra Pradesh, India
| | - G Rani
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Science, GITAM (Deemed to be University), Visakhapatnam 530045, Andhra Pradesh, India
| | - Ganji Purnachandra Nagaraju
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Heersink School of Medicine, University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA
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3
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Liu Y, Okesola BO, Osuna de la Peña D, Li W, Lin ML, Trabulo S, Tatari M, Lawlor RT, Scarpa A, Wang W, Knight M, Loessner D, Heeschen C, Mata A, Pearce OMT. A Self-Assembled 3D Model Demonstrates How Stiffness Educates Tumor Cell Phenotypes and Therapy Resistance in Pancreatic Cancer. Adv Healthc Mater 2024; 13:e2301941. [PMID: 38471128 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202301941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Revised: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024]
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is characterized by a dense and stiff extracellular matrix (ECM) associated with tumor progression and therapy resistance. To further the understanding of how stiffening of the tumor microenvironment (TME) contributes to aggressiveness, a three-dimensional (3D) self-assembling hydrogel disease model is developed based on peptide amphiphiles (PAs, PA-E3Y) designed to tailor stiffness. The model displays nanofibrous architectures reminiscent of native TME and enables the study of the invasive behavior of PDAC cells. Enhanced tuneability of stiffness is demonstrated by interacting thermally annealed aqueous solutions of PA-E3Y (PA-E3Yh) with divalent cations to create hydrogels with mechanical properties and ultrastructure similar to native tumor ECM. It is shown that stiffening of PA-E3Yh hydrogels to levels found in PDAC induces ECM deposition, promotes epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), enriches CD133+/CXCR4+ cancer stem cells (CSCs), and subsequently enhances drug resistance. The findings reveal how a stiff 3D environment renders PDAC cells more aggressive and therefore more faithfully recapitulates in vivo tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Liu
- Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, EC1M 6BQ, UK
- School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London, London, E1 4NS, UK
| | - Babatunde O Okesola
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
| | - David Osuna de la Peña
- Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, EC1M 6BQ, UK
- School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London, London, E1 4NS, UK
| | - Weiqi Li
- School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London, London, E1 4NS, UK
| | - Meng-Lay Lin
- Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, EC1M 6BQ, UK
| | - Sara Trabulo
- Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, EC1M 6BQ, UK
| | - Marianthi Tatari
- Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, EC1M 6BQ, UK
| | - Rita T Lawlor
- Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, Section of Pathology, University of Verona, Verona, 37134, Italy
- ARC-Net, Applied Research on Cancer Centre, University of Verona, Verona, 37134, Italy
| | - Aldo Scarpa
- Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, Section of Pathology, University of Verona, Verona, 37134, Italy
- ARC-Net, Applied Research on Cancer Centre, University of Verona, Verona, 37134, Italy
| | - Wen Wang
- School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London, London, E1 4NS, UK
| | - Martin Knight
- Centre for Bioengineering, School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London, London, E1 4NS, UK
- Centre for Predictive in vitro Models, Queen Mary University of London, London, E1 4NS, UK
| | - Daniela Loessner
- Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, EC1M 6BQ, UK
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia
- Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Christopher Heeschen
- Pancreatic Cancer Heterogeneity, Candiolo Cancer Institute - FPO - IRCCS, Candiolo (TO), 10060, Italy
| | - Alvaro Mata
- School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
- Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Oliver M T Pearce
- Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, EC1M 6BQ, UK
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4
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Yan W, Wang X, Wang W, Guo Q, Huang N, Chen H, Liang XJ, Han Y, Liu D, Zhang J. The p38/MAPK pathway as a therapeutic target to prevent therapeutic escape of breast cancer stem cells. SCIENCE CHINA. LIFE SCIENCES 2024:10.1007/s11427-023-2585-5. [PMID: 38951428 DOI: 10.1007/s11427-023-2585-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2024] [Accepted: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 07/03/2024]
Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) play an important role in metastasis development, tumor recurrence, and treatment resistance, and are essential for the eradication of cancer. Currently, therapies fail to eradicate CSCs due to their therapeutic stress-induced cellular escape, which leads to enhanced aggressive behaviors compared with CSCs that have never been treated. However, the underlying mechanisms regulating the therapeutic escape remain unknown. To this end, we established a model to isolate the therapeutic escaped CSCs (TSCSCs) from breast CSCs and performed the transcription profile to reveal the mechanism. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that the behavior of therapeutic escape was regulated through the p38/MAPK signaling pathway, resulting in TSCSCs exhibiting enhanced motility and metastasis. Notably, blocking the p38/MAPK signaling pathway effectively reduced motility and metastasis ability both in vitro and in vivo, which were further supported by downregulated motility-related genes and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related proteins vimentin and N-cadherin. The obtained findings reveal the p38/MAPK pathway as a potential therapeutic target for TSCSCs and would provide profound implications for cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weixiao Yan
- State Key Laboratory of New Pharmaceutical Preparations and Excipients; Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Diagnosis of the Ministry of Education; College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Chemical Biology Key Laboratory of Hebei Province, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, China
| | - Xiaotong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of New Pharmaceutical Preparations and Excipients; Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Diagnosis of the Ministry of Education; College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Chemical Biology Key Laboratory of Hebei Province, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, China
| | - Wenjing Wang
- State Key Laboratory of New Pharmaceutical Preparations and Excipients; Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Diagnosis of the Ministry of Education; College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Chemical Biology Key Laboratory of Hebei Province, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, China
| | - Qi Guo
- State Key Laboratory of New Pharmaceutical Preparations and Excipients; Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Diagnosis of the Ministry of Education; College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Chemical Biology Key Laboratory of Hebei Province, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, China
| | - Na Huang
- State Key Laboratory of New Pharmaceutical Preparations and Excipients; Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Diagnosis of the Ministry of Education; College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Chemical Biology Key Laboratory of Hebei Province, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, China
| | - Hao Chen
- State Key Laboratory of New Pharmaceutical Preparations and Excipients; Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Diagnosis of the Ministry of Education; College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Chemical Biology Key Laboratory of Hebei Province, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, China
| | - Xing-Jie Liang
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biological Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Yu Han
- State Key Laboratory of New Pharmaceutical Preparations and Excipients; Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Diagnosis of the Ministry of Education; College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Chemical Biology Key Laboratory of Hebei Province, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, China
| | - Dandan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of New Pharmaceutical Preparations and Excipients; Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Diagnosis of the Ministry of Education; College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Chemical Biology Key Laboratory of Hebei Province, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, China.
| | - Jinchao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of New Pharmaceutical Preparations and Excipients; Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Diagnosis of the Ministry of Education; College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Chemical Biology Key Laboratory of Hebei Province, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, China.
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5
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Li X, Zhang C, Yue W, Jiang Y. Modulatory effects of cancer stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles on the tumor immune microenvironment. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1362120. [PMID: 38962016 PMCID: PMC11219812 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1362120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2023] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSCs), accounting for only a minor cell proportion (< 1%) within tumors, have profound implications in tumor initiation, metastasis, recurrence, and treatment resistance due to their inherent ability of self-renewal, multi-lineage differentiation, and tumor-initiating potential. In recent years, accumulating studies indicate that CSCs and tumor immune microenvironment act reciprocally in driving tumor progression and diminishing the efficacy of cancer therapies. Extracellular vesicles (EVs), pivotal mediators of intercellular communications, build indispensable biological connections between CSCs and immune cells. By transferring bioactive molecules, including proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids, EVs can exert mutual influence on both CSCs and immune cells. This interaction plays a significant role in reshaping the tumor immune microenvironment, creating conditions favorable for the sustenance and propagation of CSCs. Deciphering the intricate interplay between CSCs and immune cells would provide valuable insights into the mechanisms of CSCs being more susceptible to immune escape. This review will highlight the EV-mediated communications between CSCs and each immune cell lineage in the tumor microenvironment and explore potential therapeutic opportunities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyu Li
- Department of Animal Science, College of Animal Science, Hebei North University, Zhangjiakou, Hebei, China
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Key Laboratory for Major Obstetric Diseases of Guangdong Province, Key Laboratory of Reproduction and Genetics of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Cuilian Zhang
- Reproductive Medicine Center, Henan Provincial People’s Hospital, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Wei Yue
- State Key Laboratory of Female Fertility Promotion, Center for Reproductive Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Assisted Reproduction, Peking University, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China
| | - Yuening Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Female Fertility Promotion, Center for Reproductive Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Assisted Reproduction, Peking University, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China
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6
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Baldasici O, Soritau O, Roman A, Lisencu C, Visan S, Maja L, Pop B, Fetica B, Cismaru A, Vlase L, Balacescu L, Balacescu O, Russom A, Tudoran O. The transcriptional landscape of cancer stem-like cell functionality in breast cancer. J Transl Med 2024; 22:530. [PMID: 38831317 PMCID: PMC11149333 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-024-05281-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) have been extensively researched as the primary drivers of therapy resistance and tumor relapse in patients with breast cancer. However, due to lack of specific molecular markers, increased phenotypic plasticity and no clear clinicopathological features, the assessment of CSCs presence and functionality in solid tumors is challenging. While several potential markers, such as CD24/CD44, have been proposed, the extent to which they truly represent the stem cell potential of tumors or merely provide static snapshots is still a subject of controversy. Recent studies have highlighted the crucial role of the tumor microenvironment (TME) in influencing the CSC phenotype in breast cancer. The interplay between the tumor and TME induces significant changes in the cancer cell phenotype, leading to the acquisition of CSC characteristics, therapeutic resistance, and metastatic spread. Simultaneously, CSCs actively shape their microenvironment by evading immune surveillance and attracting stromal cells that support tumor progression. METHODS In this study, we associated in vitro mammosphere formation assays with bulk tumor microarray profiling and deconvolution algorithms to map CSC functionality and the microenvironmental landscape in a large cohort of 125 breast tumors. RESULTS We found that the TME score was a significant factor associated with CSC functionality. CSC-rich tumors were characterized by an immune-suppressed TME, while tumors devoid of CSC potential exhibited high immune infiltration and activation of pathways involved in the immune response. Gene expression analysis revealed IFNG, CXCR5, CD40LG, TBX21 and IL2RG to be associated with the CSC phenotype and also displayed prognostic value for patients with breast cancer. CONCLUSION These results suggest that the characterization of CSCs content and functionality in tumors can be used as an attractive strategy to fine-tune treatments and guide clinical decisions to improve patients therapy response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oana Baldasici
- Department of Genetics, Genomics and Experimental Pathology, The Oncology Institute "Prof. Dr. Ion Chiricuță", Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmaceutics, University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Iuliu Hatieganu" , Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Olga Soritau
- Department of Genetics, Genomics and Experimental Pathology, The Oncology Institute "Prof. Dr. Ion Chiricuță", Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Andrei Roman
- Department of Radiology, The Oncology Institute "Prof. Dr. Ion Chiricuță", Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Carmen Lisencu
- Department of Radiology, The Oncology Institute "Prof. Dr. Ion Chiricuță", Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Simona Visan
- Department of Genetics, Genomics and Experimental Pathology, The Oncology Institute "Prof. Dr. Ion Chiricuță", Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Laura Maja
- Department of Pathology, The Oncology Institute "Prof. Dr. Ion Chiricuță", Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Bogdan Pop
- Department of Pathology, The Oncology Institute "Prof. Dr. Ion Chiricuță", Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Bogdan Fetica
- Department of Pathology, The Oncology Institute "Prof. Dr. Ion Chiricuță", Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Andrei Cismaru
- Research Center for Functional Genomics, Biomedicine and Translational Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Iuliu Hatieganu", Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Laurian Vlase
- Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmaceutics, University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Iuliu Hatieganu" , Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Loredana Balacescu
- Department of Genetics, Genomics and Experimental Pathology, The Oncology Institute "Prof. Dr. Ion Chiricuță", Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Ovidiu Balacescu
- Department of Genetics, Genomics and Experimental Pathology, The Oncology Institute "Prof. Dr. Ion Chiricuță", Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Aman Russom
- Division of Nanobiotechnology, Department of Protein Science, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Oana Tudoran
- Department of Genetics, Genomics and Experimental Pathology, The Oncology Institute "Prof. Dr. Ion Chiricuță", Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
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7
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Zheng J, Wu YC, Phillips EH, Cai X, Wang X, Seung-Young Lee S. Increased Multiplexity in Optical Tissue Clearing-Based Three-Dimensional Immunofluorescence Microscopy of the Tumor Microenvironment by Light-Emitting Diode Photobleaching. J Transl Med 2024; 104:102072. [PMID: 38679160 PMCID: PMC11240282 DOI: 10.1016/j.labinv.2024.102072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2024] [Revised: 03/29/2024] [Accepted: 04/19/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Optical tissue clearing and three-dimensional (3D) immunofluorescence (IF) microscopy is transforming imaging of the complex tumor microenvironment (TME). However, current 3D IF microscopy has restricted multiplexity; only 3 or 4 cellular and noncellular TME components can be localized in cleared tumor tissue. Here we report a light-emitting diode (LED) photobleaching method and its application for 3D multiplexed optical mapping of the TME. We built a high-power LED light irradiation device and temperature-controlled chamber for completely bleaching fluorescent signals throughout optically cleared tumor tissues without compromise of tissue and protein antigen integrity. With newly developed tissue mounting and selected region-tracking methods, we established a cyclic workflow involving IF staining, tissue clearing, 3D confocal microscopy, and LED photobleaching. By registering microscope channel images generated through 3 work cycles, we produced 8-plex image data from individual 400 μm-thick tumor macrosections that visualize various vascular, immune, and cancer cells in the same TME at tissue-wide and cellular levels in 3D. Our method was also validated for quantitative 3D spatial analysis of cellular remodeling in the TME after immunotherapy. These results demonstrate that our LED photobleaching system and its workflow offer a novel approach to increase the multiplexing power of 3D IF microscopy for studying tumor heterogeneity and response to therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingtian Zheng
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Illinois, Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Yi-Chien Wu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Illinois, Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Evan H Phillips
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Illinois, Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Xiaoying Cai
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Illinois, Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Xu Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Illinois, Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Steve Seung-Young Lee
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Illinois, Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; University of Illinois Cancer Center, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.
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8
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Li D, Wang X, Chen K, Shan D, Cui G, Yuan W, Lin Q, Gimple RC, Dixit D, Lu C, Gu D, You H, Gao J, Li Y, Kang T, Yang J, Yu H, Song K, Shi Z, Fan X, Wu Q, Gao W, Zhu Z, Man J, Wang Q, Lin F, Tao W, Mack SC, Chen Y, Zhang J, Li C, Zhang N, You Y, Qian X, Yang K, Rich JN, Zhang Q, Wang X. IFI35 regulates non-canonical NF-κB signaling to maintain glioblastoma stem cells and recruit tumor-associated macrophages. Cell Death Differ 2024; 31:738-752. [PMID: 38594444 PMCID: PMC11165006 DOI: 10.1038/s41418-024-01292-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive malignant primary brain tumor characterized by a highly heterogeneous and immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). The symbiotic interactions between glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs) and tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) in the TME are critical for tumor progression. Here, we identified that IFI35, a transcriptional regulatory factor, plays both cell-intrinsic and cell-extrinsic roles in maintaining GSCs and the immunosuppressive TME. IFI35 induced non-canonical NF-kB signaling through proteasomal processing of p105 to the DNA-binding transcription factor p50, which heterodimerizes with RELB (RELB/p50), and activated cell chemotaxis in a cell-autonomous manner. Further, IFI35 induced recruitment and maintenance of M2-like TAMs in TME in a paracrine manner. Targeting IFI35 effectively suppressed in vivo tumor growth and prolonged survival of orthotopic xenograft-bearing mice. Collectively, these findings reveal the tumor-promoting functions of IFI35 and suggest that targeting IFI35 or its downstream effectors may provide effective approaches to improve GBM treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daqi Li
- National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Antibody Techniques, Department of Cell Biology, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Human Functional Genomics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211166, China
- Institute for Brain Tumors, Jiangsu Key Lab of Cancer Biomarkers, Prevention and Treatment, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Personalized Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Xiefeng Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211100, China
| | - Kexin Chen
- National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Antibody Techniques, Department of Cell Biology, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Human Functional Genomics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211166, China
| | - Danyang Shan
- National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Antibody Techniques, Department of Cell Biology, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Human Functional Genomics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211166, China
| | - Gaoyuan Cui
- National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Antibody Techniques, Department of Cell Biology, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Human Functional Genomics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211166, China
| | - Wei Yuan
- Department of Pathology, The Yancheng Clinical College of Xuzhou Medical University, The First People's Hospital of Yancheng, Yancheng, Jiangsu, 224005, China
- Department of Central Laboratory, Yancheng Medical Research Center of Nanjing University Medical School, Yancheng, Jiangsu, 224005, China
| | - Qiankun Lin
- National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Antibody Techniques, Department of Cell Biology, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Human Functional Genomics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211166, China
| | - Ryan C Gimple
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Taussig Cancer Center, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA
| | - Deobrat Dixit
- Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Chenfei Lu
- National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Antibody Techniques, Department of Cell Biology, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Human Functional Genomics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211166, China
- Institute for Brain Tumors, Jiangsu Key Lab of Cancer Biomarkers, Prevention and Treatment, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Personalized Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211100, China
| | - Danling Gu
- National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Antibody Techniques, Department of Cell Biology, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Human Functional Genomics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211166, China
| | - Hao You
- National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Antibody Techniques, Department of Cell Biology, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Human Functional Genomics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211166, China
| | - Jiancheng Gao
- National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Antibody Techniques, Department of Cell Biology, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Human Functional Genomics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211166, China
| | - Yangqing Li
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Model Animals for Disease Study, Model Animal Research Center and School of Medicine, Nanjing University, National Resource Center for Mutant Mice, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210093, China
| | - Tao Kang
- National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Antibody Techniques, Department of Cell Biology, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Human Functional Genomics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211166, China
| | - Junlei Yang
- National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Antibody Techniques, Department of Cell Biology, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Human Functional Genomics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211166, China
| | - Hang Yu
- National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Antibody Techniques, Department of Cell Biology, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Human Functional Genomics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211166, China
| | - Kefan Song
- National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Antibody Techniques, Department of Cell Biology, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Human Functional Genomics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211166, China
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211100, China
| | - Zhumei Shi
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211100, China
| | - Xiao Fan
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211100, China
| | - Qiulian Wu
- Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Wei Gao
- National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Antibody Techniques, Department of Cell Biology, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Human Functional Genomics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211166, China
| | - Zhe Zhu
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Jianghong Man
- State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, National Center of Biomedical Analysis, Beijing, 100850, China
| | - Qianghu Wang
- Institute for Brain Tumors, Jiangsu Key Lab of Cancer Biomarkers, Prevention and Treatment, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Personalized Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Fan Lin
- National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Antibody Techniques, Department of Cell Biology, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Human Functional Genomics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211166, China
| | - Weiwei Tao
- College of Biomedicine and Health & College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China
| | - Stephen C Mack
- Division of Brain Tumor Research, Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
| | - Yun Chen
- Institute for Brain Tumors, Jiangsu Key Lab of Cancer Biomarkers, Prevention and Treatment, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Personalized Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Junxia Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211100, China
| | - Chaojun Li
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Model Animals for Disease Study, Model Animal Research Center and School of Medicine, Nanjing University, National Resource Center for Mutant Mice, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210093, China
| | - Nu Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Guangdong Translational Medicine Innovation Platform, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510080, China
| | - Yongping You
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211100, China
| | - Xu Qian
- Institute for Brain Tumors, Jiangsu Key Lab of Cancer Biomarkers, Prevention and Treatment, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Personalized Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
- Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211166, China
| | - Kailin Yang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Taussig Cancer Center, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA.
| | - Jeremy N Rich
- Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA.
| | - Qian Zhang
- National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Antibody Techniques, Department of Cell Biology, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Human Functional Genomics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211166, China.
- Institute for Brain Tumors, Jiangsu Key Lab of Cancer Biomarkers, Prevention and Treatment, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Personalized Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
| | - Xiuxing Wang
- National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Antibody Techniques, Department of Cell Biology, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Human Functional Genomics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211166, China.
- Institute for Brain Tumors, Jiangsu Key Lab of Cancer Biomarkers, Prevention and Treatment, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Personalized Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211100, China.
- The Affiliated Wuxi People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi People's Hospital, Wuxi Medical Center, Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214000, China.
- Jiangsu Cancer Hospital, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210009, China.
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9
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Taylor MA, Kandyba E, Halliwill K, Delrosario R, Khoroshkin M, Goodarzi H, Quigley D, Li YR, Wu D, Bollam SR, Mirzoeva OK, Akhurst RJ, Balmain A. Stem-cell states converge in multistage cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma development. Science 2024; 384:eadi7453. [PMID: 38815020 DOI: 10.1126/science.adi7453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024]
Abstract
Stem cells play a critical role in cancer development by contributing to cell heterogeneity, lineage plasticity, and drug resistance. We created gene expression networks from hundreds of mouse tissue samples (both normal and tumor) and integrated these with lineage tracing and single-cell RNA-seq, to identify convergence of cell states in premalignant tumor cells expressing markers of lineage plasticity and drug resistance. Two of these cell states representing multilineage plasticity or proliferation were inversely correlated, suggesting a mutually exclusive relationship. Treatment of carcinomas in vivo with chemotherapy repressed the proliferative state and activated multilineage plasticity whereas inhibition of differentiation repressed plasticity and potentiated responses to cell cycle inhibitors. Manipulation of this cell state transition point may provide a source of potential combinatorial targets for cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A Taylor
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Clinical Research Centre, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok 15-089, Poland
| | - Eve Kandyba
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Kyle Halliwill
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- AbbVie, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Reyno Delrosario
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Matvei Khoroshkin
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Hani Goodarzi
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94518, USA
- Department of Urology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94518, USA
- Arc Institute, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - David Quigley
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Department of Urology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94518, USA
- Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94518, USA
| | - Yun Rose Li
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Department of Radiation Oncology, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
- Department of Cancer Genetics & Epigenetics, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
- Division of Quantitative Medicine & Systems Biology, Translational Genomics Research Institute, Phoenix, CA 85004, USA
| | - Di Wu
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Saumya R Bollam
- Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94518, USA
| | - Olga K Mirzoeva
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Rosemary J Akhurst
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Department of Anatomy, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94518, USA
| | - Allan Balmain
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94518, USA
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10
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Qin Z, Zhong Y, Li P, Ma Z, Kang H, Huang Y, Zhong Y, Wang L. Vasorin promotes endothelial differentiation of glioma stem cells via stimulating the transcription of VEGFR2. FASEB J 2024; 38:e23682. [PMID: 38780524 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202400159r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2024] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Gliomas are highly vascularized malignancies, but current anti-angiogenic treatments have not demonstrated practical improvements in patient survival. Studies have suggested that glioma-derived endothelial cell (GdEC) formed by glioma stem cell (GSC) differentiation may contribute to the failure of this treatment. However, the molecular mechanisms involved in GSC endothelial differentiation remain poorly understood. We previously reported that vasorin (VASN) is highly expressed in glioma and promotes angiogenesis. Here, we show that VASN expression positively correlates with GdEC signatures in glioma patients. VASN promotes the endothelial differentiation capacity of GSC in vitro and participates in the formation of GSC-derived vessels in vivo. Mechanistically, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) is a critical factor that mediates the regulation of VASN on GSC endothelial differentiation. Separation of cell chromatin fractionation and chromatin immunoprecipitation-sequencing analysis show that VASN interacts with Notch1 and co-translocates into the cell nuclei, where VASN binds to the VEGFR2 gene promoter to stimulate its transcription during the progression of GSC differentiation into GdEC. Together, these findings elucidate the role and mechanisms of VASN in promoting the endothelial differentiation of GSC and suggest VASN as a potential target for anti-angiogenic therapy based on intervention in GdEC formation in gliomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zixi Qin
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ying Zhong
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Peiwen Li
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ziqing Ma
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hui Kang
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Youwei Huang
- Zhuhai Institute of Translational Medicine, Zhuhai People's Hospital Affiliated with Jinan University, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ying Zhong
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lihui Wang
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
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11
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Fan C, Wu H, Du X, Li C, Zeng W, Qu L, Cang C. Inhibition of lysosomal TRPML1 channel eliminates breast cancer stem cells by triggering ferroptosis. Cell Death Discov 2024; 10:256. [PMID: 38802335 PMCID: PMC11130215 DOI: 10.1038/s41420-024-02026-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2024] [Revised: 05/09/2024] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a sub-population of cells possessing high tumorigenic potential, which contribute to therapeutic resistance, metastasis and recurrence. Eradication of CSCs is widely recognized as a crucial factor in improving patient prognosis, yet the effective targeting of these cells remains a major challenge. Here, we show that the lysosomal cation channel TRPML1 represents a promising target for CSCs. TRPML1 is highly expressed in breast cancer cells and exhibits sensitivity to salinomycin, a drug known to selectively eliminate CSCs. Pharmacological inhibition and genetic depletion of TRPML1 promote ferroptosis in breast CSCs, reduce their stemness, and enhance the sensitivity of breast cancer cells to chemotherapy drug doxorubicin. The inhibition and knockout of TRPML1 also demonstrate significant suppression of tumor formation and growth in the mouse xenograft model. These findings suggest that targeting TRPML1 to eliminate CSCs may be an effective strategy for the treatment of breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunhong Fan
- Key Laboratory of Immune Response and Immunotherapy, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, Anhui, China
| | - Haotian Wu
- Key Laboratory of Immune Response and Immunotherapy, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, Anhui, China
| | - Xin Du
- Key Laboratory of Immune Response and Immunotherapy, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, Anhui, China
| | - Canjun Li
- Institute of Health and Medicine, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Hefei, 230061, Anhui, China
| | - Wenping Zeng
- Key Laboratory of Immune Response and Immunotherapy, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, Anhui, China
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, Anhui, China
| | - Lili Qu
- Key Laboratory of Immune Response and Immunotherapy, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, Anhui, China.
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, Anhui, China.
| | - Chunlei Cang
- Key Laboratory of Immune Response and Immunotherapy, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, Anhui, China.
- Institute of Health and Medicine, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Hefei, 230061, Anhui, China.
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230001, Anhui, China.
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12
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Liu D, Zhu H, Cheng L, Li R, Ma X, Wang J, Wang J, Zhang S, Li Y, Shu K, Yu X, Li C. Hypoxia-induced galectin-8 maintains stemness in glioma stem cells via autophagy regulation. Neuro Oncol 2024; 26:872-888. [PMID: 38158714 PMCID: PMC11066898 DOI: 10.1093/neuonc/noad264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Glioma stem cells (GSCs) are the root cause of relapse and treatment resistance in glioblastoma (GBM). In GSCs, hypoxia in the microenvironment is known to facilitate the maintenance of stem cells, and evolutionally conserved autophagy regulates cell homeostasis to control cell population. The precise involvement of autophagy regulation in hypoxic conditions in maintaining the stemness of GSCs remains unclear. METHODS The association of autophagy regulation and hypoxia was first assessed by in silico analysis and validation in vitro. Glioma databases and clinical specimens were used to determine galectin-8 (Gal-8) expression in GSCs and human GBMs, and the regulation and function of Gal-8 in stemness maintenance were evaluated by genetic manipulation in vitro and in vivo. How autophagy was stimulated by Gal-8 under hypoxia was systematically investigated. RESULTS Hypoxia enhances autophagy in GSCs to facilitate self-renewal, and Gal-8 in the galectin family is specifically involved and expressed in GSCs within the hypoxic niche. Gal-8 is highly expressed in GBM and predicts poor survival in patients. Suppression of Gal-8 prevents tumor growth and prolongs survival in mouse models of GBM. Gal-8 binds to the Ragulator-Rag complex at the lysosome membrane and inactivates mTORC1, leading to the nuclear translocation of downstream TFEB and initiation of autophagic lysosomal biogenesis. Consequently, the survival and proliferative activity of GSCs are maintained. CONCLUSIONS Our findings reveal a novel Gal-8-mTOR-TFEB axis induced by hypoxia in the maintenance of GSC stemness via autophagy reinforcement, highlighting Gal-8 as a candidate for GSCs-targeted GBM therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Liu
- Department of Medical Genetics, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Hongtao Zhu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Lidong Cheng
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Ran Li
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Xiaoyu Ma
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Jing Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Junwen Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Suojun Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Yingjie Li
- Department of Medical Genetics, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Kai Shu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Xingjiang Yu
- Department of Histology and Embryology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Chuanzhou Li
- Department of Medical Genetics, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
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13
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Loh JJ, Ma S. Hallmarks of cancer stemness. Cell Stem Cell 2024; 31:617-639. [PMID: 38701757 DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2024.04.004] [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: 12/31/2023] [Revised: 03/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024]
Abstract
Cancer stemness is recognized as a key component of tumor development. Previously coined "cancer stem cells" (CSCs) and believed to be a rare population with rigid hierarchical organization, there is good evidence to suggest that these cells exhibit a plastic cellular state influenced by dynamic CSC-niche interplay. This revelation underscores the need to reevaluate the hallmarks of cancer stemness. Herein, we summarize the techniques used to identify and characterize the state of these cells and discuss their defining and emerging hallmarks, along with their enabling and associated features. We also highlight potential future directions in this field of research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia-Jian Loh
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Stephanie Ma
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China; State Key Laboratory of Liver Research, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China; Laboratory of Synthetic Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong SAR, China; Centre for Translational and Stem Cell Biology, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong SAR, China.
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14
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Zhang K, Hu W, Li F, Wen C, Zhou L, Zhang L, Lian J, Liu S, Wang S, Zhang Y. IL-24 improves efficacy of CAR-T cell therapy by targeting stemness of tumor cells. Br J Cancer 2024; 130:1337-1347. [PMID: 38347092 PMCID: PMC11015030 DOI: 10.1038/s41416-024-02601-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Revised: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cancer stem cells (CSCs) induce therapeutic resistance and may be an important barrier to cancer immunotherapy. Chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cell therapy has demonstrated remarkable efficacy in clinical settings. However, CAR-T cell therapy fails in a large proportion of patients, especially in those with solid tumors. It is unclear how CSCs mediate resistance to CAR-T cells, and whether CAR-T cells can more effectively eradicate CSCs. METHODS In this study, the effect of CSCs on CAR-T cell therapy was determined using in vitro and in vivo assays. Subsequently, Interleukin-24 (IL-24) was expressed along with CAR in T cells. Further in vitro and in vivo tests were performed to determine the effects of IL-24 on CSCs and CAR-T cell therapy. RESULTS IL-24 induced apoptosis in CSCs and contributed to T cell activation, differentiation, and proliferation. CAR.IL-24-T cells inhibited CSC enrichment and exhibited stronger antitumor activity in vitro and in vivo. CONCLUSIONS IL-24 helps eliminate CSCs and endows CAR-T cells with improved antitumor reactivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Zhang
- Biotherapy Center & Cancer Center, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Wenhao Hu
- Biotherapy Center & Cancer Center, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Feng Li
- Biotherapy Center & Cancer Center, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Chunli Wen
- Biotherapy Center & Cancer Center, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Lingxiao Zhou
- Biotherapy Center & Cancer Center, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Lei Zhang
- Biotherapy Center & Cancer Center, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Jingyao Lian
- Biotherapy Center & Cancer Center, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Shasha Liu
- Biotherapy Center & Cancer Center, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Shumin Wang
- Biotherapy Center & Cancer Center, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Yi Zhang
- Biotherapy Center & Cancer Center, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Esophageal Cancer Prevention & Treatment, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
- School of Life Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
- Henan Key Laboratory for Tumor Immunology and Biotherapy, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
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15
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Zhao R, Guo X, Zhang G, Liu S, Ma R, Wang M, Chen S, Zhu W, Liu Y, Gao P, Liu H. CMYC-initiated HNF1A-AS1 overexpression maintains the stemness of gastric cancer cells. Cell Death Dis 2024; 15:288. [PMID: 38654006 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-024-06673-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 04/07/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are believed to be responsible for cancer metastasis and recurrence due to their self-renewal ability and resistance to treatment. However, the mechanisms that regulate the stemness of CSCs remain poorly understood. Recently, evidence has emerged suggesting that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a crucial role in regulating cancer cell function in different types of malignancies, including gastric cancer (GC). However, the specific means by which lncRNAs regulate the function of gastric cancer stem cells (GCSCs) are yet to be fully understood. In this study, we investigated a lncRNA known as HNF1A-AS1, which is highly expressed in GCSC s and serves as a critical regulator of GCSC stemness and tumorigenesis. Our experiments, both in vitro and in vivo, demonstrated that HNF1A-AS1 maintained the stemness of GC cells. Further analysis revealed that HNF1A-AS1, transcriptionally activated by CMYC, functioned as a competing endogenous RNA by binding to miR-150-5p to upregulate β-catenin expression. This in turn facilitated the entry of β-catenin into the nucleus to activate the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and promote CMYC expression, thereby forming a positive feedback loop that sustained the stemness of GCSCs. We also found that blocking the Wnt/β-catenin pathway effectively inhibited the function of HNF1A-AS1, ultimately resulting in the inhibition of GCSC stemness. Taken together, our results demonstrated that HNF1A-AS1 is a regulator of the stemness of GCSCs and could serve as a potential marker for targeted GC therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruinan Zhao
- Department of Pathology, Qilu Hospital and School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Xiangyu Guo
- Department of Pathology, Qilu Hospital and School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Guohao Zhang
- Department of Pathology, Qilu Hospital and School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Sen Liu
- Department of Pathology, Qilu Hospital and School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Ranran Ma
- Department of Pathology, Qilu Hospital and School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Mengqi Wang
- Department of Pathology, Qilu Hospital and School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Shiming Chen
- Department of Pathology, Qilu Hospital and School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Wenjie Zhu
- Department of Pathology, Qilu Hospital and School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Yuan Liu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China.
| | - Peng Gao
- Department of Pathology, Qilu Hospital and School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan, China.
| | - Haiting Liu
- Department of Pathology, Qilu Hospital and School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan, China.
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16
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Chen E, Zou Z, Wang R, Liu J, Peng Z, Gan Z, Lin Z, Liu J. Predictive value of a stemness-based classifier for prognosis and immunotherapy response of hepatocellular carcinoma based on bioinformatics and machine-learning strategies. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1244392. [PMID: 38694506 PMCID: PMC11061862 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1244392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Objective Significant advancements have been made in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) therapeutics, such as immunotherapy for treating patients with HCC. However, there is a lack of reliable biomarkers for predicting the response of patients to therapy, which continues to be challenging. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are involved in the oncogenesis, drug resistance, and invasion, as well as metastasis of HCC cells. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to create an mRNA expression-based stemness index (mRNAsi) model to predict the response of patients with HCC to immunotherapy. Methods We retrieved gene expression and clinical data of patients with HCC from the GSE14520 dataset and the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Next, we used the "one-class logistic regression (OCLR)" algorithm to obtain the mRNAsi of patients with HCC. We performed "unsupervised consensus clustering" to classify patients with HCC based on the mRNAsi scores and stemness subtypes. The relationships between the mRNAsi model, clinicopathological features, and genetic profiles of patients were compared using various bioinformatic methods. We screened for differentially expressed genes to establish a stemness-based classifier for predicting the patient's prognosis. Next, we determined the effect of risk scores on the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) and the response of patients to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB). Finally, we used qRT-PCR to investigate gene expression in patients with HCC. Results We screened CSC-related genes using various bioinformatics tools in patients from the TCGA-LIHC cohort. We constructed a stemness classifier based on a nine-gene (PPARGC1A, FTCD, CFHR3, MAGEA6, CXCL8, CABYR, EPO, HMMR, and UCK2) signature for predicting the patient's prognosis and response to ICBs. Further, the model was validated in an independent GSE14520 dataset and performed well. Our model could predict the status of TIME, immunogenomic expressions, congenic pathway, and response to chemotherapy drugs. Furthermore, a significant increase in the proportion of infiltrating macrophages, Treg cells, and immune checkpoints was observed in patients in the high-risk group. In addition, tumor cells in patients with high mRNAsi scores could escape immune surveillance. Finally, we observed that the constructed model had a good expression in the clinical samples. The HCC tumor size and UCK2 genes expression were significantly alleviated and decreased, respectively, by treatments of anti-PD1 antibody. We also found knockdown UCK2 changed expressions of immune genes in HCC cell lines. Conclusion The novel stemness-related model could predict the prognosis of patients and aid in creating personalized immuno- and targeted therapy for patients in HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erbao Chen
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Zhilin Zou
- Department of Ophthalmology, Affiliated Eye Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Rongyue Wang
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Jie Liu
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Zhen Peng
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Zhe Gan
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Zewei Lin
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Jikui Liu
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
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17
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Zhang Z, Zhang Y. Transcriptional regulation of cancer stem cell: regulatory factors elucidation and cancer treatment strategies. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2024; 43:99. [PMID: 38561775 PMCID: PMC10986082 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-024-03021-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) were first discovered in the 1990s, revealing the mysteries of cancer origin, migration, recurrence and drug-resistance from a new perspective. The expression of pluripotent genes and complex signal regulatory networks are significant features of CSC, also act as core factors to affect the characteristics of CSC. Transcription is a necessary link to regulate the phenotype and potential of CSC, involving chromatin environment, nucleosome occupancy, histone modification, transcription factor (TF) availability and cis-regulatory elements, which suffer from ambient pressure. Especially, the expression and activity of pluripotent TFs are deeply affected by both internal and external factors, which is the foundation of CSC transcriptional regulation in the current research framework. Growing evidence indicates that regulating epigenetic modifications to alter cancer stemness is effective, and some special promoters and enhancers can serve as targets to influence the properties of CSC. Clarifying the factors that regulate CSC transcription will assist us directly target key stem genes and TFs, or hinder CSC transcription through environmental and other related factors, in order to achieve the goal of inhibiting CSC and tumors. This paper comprehensively reviews the traditional aspects of transcriptional regulation, and explores the progress and insights of the impact on CSC transcription and status through tumor microenvironment (TME), hypoxia, metabolism and new meaningful regulatory factors in conjunction with the latest research. Finally, we present opinions on omnidirectional targeting CSCs transcription to eliminate CSCs and address tumor resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengyue Zhang
- Department of Oncology, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 201900, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Institute of Precision Medicine, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200125, People's Republic of China
| | - Yanjie Zhang
- Department of Oncology, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 201900, People's Republic of China.
- Shanghai Institute of Precision Medicine, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200125, People's Republic of China.
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18
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Yi SY, Wei MZ, Zhao L. Targeted immunotherapy to cancer stem cells: A novel strategy of anticancer immunotherapy. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol 2024; 196:104313. [PMID: 38428702 DOI: 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2024.104313] [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: 10/14/2023] [Revised: 02/04/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancer is a major disease that endangers human health. Cancer drug resistance and relapse are the two main causes contributing to cancer treatment failure. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a small fraction of tumor cells that are responsible for tumorigenesis, metastasis, relapse, and resistance to conventional anticancer therapies. Therefore, CSCs are considered to be the root of cancer recurrence, metastasis, and drug resistance. Novel anticancer strategies need to face this new challenge and explore their efficacy against CSCs. Recently, immunotherapy has made rapid advances in cancer treatment, and its potential against CSCs is also an interesting area of research. Meanwhile, immunotherapy strategies are novel therapeutic modalities with promising results in targeting CSCs. In this review, we summarize the targeting of CSCs by various immunotherapy strategies such as monoclonal antibodies(mAb), tumor vaccines, immune checkpoint inhibitors, and chimeric antigen receptor-T cells(CAR-T) in pre-clinical and clinical studies. This review provides new insights into the application of these immunotherapeutic approaches to potential anti-tumor therapies in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shan-Yong Yi
- Department of Oncology of the Zhengzhou Central Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Zheng Zhou, Henan Province 450007, China.
| | - Mei-Zhuo Wei
- Department of Oncology of the Zhengzhou Central Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Zheng Zhou, Henan Province 450007, China
| | - Ling Zhao
- Department of Oncology of the Zhengzhou Central Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Zheng Zhou, Henan Province 450007, China.
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19
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Kang M, Armenteros JJA, Gulati GS, Gleyzer R, Avagyan S, Brown EL, Zhang W, Usmani A, Earland N, Wu Z, Zou J, Fields RC, Chen DY, Chaudhuri AA, Newman AM. Mapping single-cell developmental potential in health and disease with interpretable deep learning. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.19.585637. [PMID: 38562882 PMCID: PMC10983880 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.19.585637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) has transformed our understanding of cell fate in developmental systems. However, identifying the molecular hallmarks of potency - the capacity of a cell to differentiate into other cell types - has remained challenging. Here, we introduce CytoTRACE 2, an interpretable deep learning framework for characterizing potency and differentiation states on an absolute scale from scRNA-seq data. Across 31 human and mouse scRNA-seq datasets encompassing 28 tissue types, CytoTRACE 2 outperformed existing methods for recovering experimentally determined potency levels and differentiation states covering the entire range of cellular ontogeny. Moreover, it reconstructed the temporal hierarchy of mouse embryogenesis across 62 timepoints; identified pan-tissue expression programs that discriminate major potency levels; and facilitated discovery of cellular phenotypes in cancer linked to survival and immunotherapy resistance. Our results illuminate a fundamental feature of cell biology and provide a broadly applicable platform for delineating single-cell differentiation landscapes in health and disease.
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20
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Ruan S, Wang H, Zhang Z, Yan Q, Chen Y, Cui J, Huang S, Zhou Q, Zhang C, Hou B. Identification and validation of stemness-based and ferroptosis-related molecular clusters in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Transl Oncol 2024; 41:101877. [PMID: 38262107 PMCID: PMC10832490 DOI: 10.1016/j.tranon.2024.101877] [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: 09/07/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly lethal malignancy with an extremely poor prognosis. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are considered to be responsible for the poor survival, recurrence and therapy resistance of PDAC. Ferroptosis plays a crucial role in the sustain and survival of CSCs. Here, we employed a rigorous evaluation of multiple datasets to identify a novel stemness-based and ferroptosis-related genes (SFRGs) signature to access the potential prognostic application. This work we retrieved RNA-sequencing and clinical annotation data from the TCGA, ICGC, GTEx and GEO database, and acquired 26 stem cell gene sets and 259 ferroptosis genes from StemChecker database and FerrDb database, respectively. Based on consensus clustering and ssGSEA analysis, we identified two expression patterns of CSCs traits (C1 and C2). Then, WGCNA analysis was implemented to screen out hub module genes correlated with stemness. Furthermore, differential expression analysis, Pearson correlation analysis, and the Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and Cox regression were performed to identify the SFRGs and to construct model. In addition, the differences in prognosis, tumor microenvironment (TME) components and therapy responses were evaluated between two risk groups. Finally, we verified the most influential marker ARNTL2 experimentally by western blot, qRT-PCR, sphere formation assay, mitoscreen assay, intracellular iron concentration determination and MDA determination assays. In conclusion, we developed a stemness-based and ferroptosis-related prognostic model, which could help predict overall survival for PDAC patients. Targeting ferroptosis may be a promising therapeutic strategy to inhibit PDAC progression by suppressing CSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiye Ruan
- Department of General Surgery, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Hailiang Wang
- Department of General Surgery, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510080, China; Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Weihai Central Hospital Affiliated to Qingdao University, Weihai 264400, China
| | - Zhongyan Zhang
- Department of General Surgery, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Qian Yan
- Department of General Surgery, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510080, China; School of Medicine South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 51000, China
| | - Yubin Chen
- Department of General Surgery, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510080, China; School of Medicine South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 51000, China
| | - Jinwei Cui
- Department of General Surgery, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510080, China; School of Medicine South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 51000, China
| | - Shanzhou Huang
- Department of General Surgery, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Qi Zhou
- Department of Liver Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China; Department of General Surgery, Hui Ya Hospital of The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Huizhou, Guangdong 516081, China.
| | - Chuanzhao Zhang
- Department of General Surgery, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510080, China.
| | - Baohua Hou
- Department of General Surgery, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510080, China; School of Medicine South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 51000, China; Heyuan People's Hospital, Heyuan 517000, China.
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21
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Dai Y, Li J, Huang R, Yao Q, Shi Y, Guo S, Wang Y, Cheng J. Development of a novel head and neck squamous cell carcinoma prognostic signature by bulk/single-cell sequencing data integration. Oral Dis 2024; 30:128-139. [PMID: 36398480 DOI: 10.1111/odi.14443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Revised: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Identifying cell subpopulations conferring unfavorable prognosis in cancer holds clinical significance. Here, we sought to identify prognostic cell subsets and develop a novel, prognostic signature for head neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). METHODS Highly prognostic cell subpopulations in HNSCC were identified by integrating single-cell and bulk transcriptomic datasets. The prognostic signature and nomogram were developed by least absolute shrinkage and selection operator and multivariate Cox regression analyses based on significantly upregulated genes in this specific cell subpopulation, respectively. The qRT-PCR experiments were utilized for independent validation in our patient cohort. RESULTS A specific cancer cell subset associated with unfavorable prognoses was identified. Functional dissections revealed that its transcriptional programs were significantly enriched in E2F, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, and glycolysis. A novel prognostic signature comprising six genes was developed and further validated. Risk scores based on qRT-PCR data robustly stratified patients into subgroups with distinct prognoses. A nomogram integrated from this signature and clinical stage had superior performance. CONCLUSION Our model derived from integrative analyses of single-cell and bulk RNA-sequencing is a novel, robust prognostic biomarker for HNSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yibin Dai
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The Affiliated Stomatological Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Oral Disease, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
- Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Stomatological Translational Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jin Li
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The Affiliated Stomatological Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Oral Disease, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
- Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Stomatological Translational Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Rong Huang
- School of Medical Technology, Taizhou Polytechnic College, Taizhou, China
| | - Qin Yao
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The Affiliated Stomatological Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yawei Shi
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The Affiliated Stomatological Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Songsong Guo
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The Affiliated Stomatological Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yanling Wang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Oral Disease, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
- Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Stomatological Translational Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jie Cheng
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The Affiliated Stomatological Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Oral Disease, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
- Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Stomatological Translational Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
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22
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Katsikis PD, Ishii KJ, Schliehe C. Challenges in developing personalized neoantigen cancer vaccines. Nat Rev Immunol 2024; 24:213-227. [PMID: 37783860 DOI: 10.1038/s41577-023-00937-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023]
Abstract
The recent success of cancer immunotherapies has highlighted the benefit of harnessing the immune system for cancer treatment. Vaccines have a long history of promoting immunity to pathogens and, consequently, vaccines targeting cancer neoantigens have been championed as a tool to direct and amplify immune responses against tumours while sparing healthy tissue. In recent years, extensive preclinical research and more than one hundred clinical trials have tested different strategies of neoantigen discovery and vaccine formulations. However, despite the enthusiasm for neoantigen vaccines, proof of unequivocal efficacy has remained beyond reach for the majority of clinical trials. In this Review, we focus on the key obstacles pertaining to vaccine design and tumour environment that remain to be overcome in order to unleash the true potential of neoantigen vaccines in cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter D Katsikis
- Department of Immunology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
| | - Ken J Ishii
- Division of Vaccine Science, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo (IMSUT), Tokyo, Japan
- International Vaccine Design Center (vDesC), The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo (IMSUT), Tokyo, Japan
| | - Christopher Schliehe
- Department of Immunology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
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23
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Geng D, Zhou Y, Wang M. Advances in the role of GPX3 in ovarian cancer (Review). Int J Oncol 2024; 64:31. [PMID: 38299269 PMCID: PMC10836493 DOI: 10.3892/ijo.2024.5619] [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: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Ovarian cancer (OC) is the 5th most common malignancy in women, and the leading cause of death from gynecologic malignancies. Owing to tumor heterogeneity, lack of reliable early diagnostic methods and high incidence of chemotherapy resistance, the 5‑year survival rate of patients with advanced OC remains low despite considerable advances in detection and therapeutic approaches. Therefore, identifying novel therapeutic targets to improve the prognosis of patients with OC is crucial. The expression of glutathione peroxidase 3 (GPX3) plays a crucial role in the growth, proliferation and differentiation of various malignant tumors. In OC, GPX3 is the only antioxidant enzyme the high expression of which is negatively correlated with the overall survival of patients. GPX3 may affect lipid metabolism in tumor stem cells by influencing redox homeostasis in the tumor microenvironment. The maintenance of stemness in OC stem cells (OCSCs) is strongly associated with poor prognosis and recurrence in patients. The aim of the present study was to review the role of GPX3 in OC and investigate the potential factors and effects of GPX3 on OCSCs. The findings of the current study offer novel potential targets for drug therapy in OC, enhance the theoretical foundation of OC drug therapy and provide valuable references for clinical treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danbo Geng
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110000, P.R. China
| | - Yingying Zhou
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110000, P.R. China
| | - Min Wang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110000, P.R. China
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Yang S, Zheng B, Raza F, Zhang S, Yuan WE, Su J, Qiu M. Tumor-derived microvesicles for cancer therapy. Biomater Sci 2024; 12:1131-1150. [PMID: 38284828 DOI: 10.1039/d3bm01980b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2024]
Abstract
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are vesicles with lipid bilayer structures shed from the plasma membrane of cells. Microvesicles (MVs) are a subset of EVs containing proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, and other metabolites. MVs can be produced under specific cell stimulation conditions and isolated by modern separation technology. Due to their tumor homing and large volume, tumor cell-derived microvesicles (TMVs) have attracted interest recently and become excellent delivery carriers for therapeutic vaccines, imaging agents or antitumor drugs. However, preparing sufficient and high-purity TMVs and conducting clinical transformation has become a challenge in this field. In this review, the recent research achievements in the generation, isolation, characterization, modification, and application of TMVs in cancer therapy are reviewed, and the challenges facing therapeutic applications are also highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiqi Yang
- School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, 200240, Shanghai, China.
| | - Bo Zheng
- School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, 200240, Shanghai, China.
| | - Faisal Raza
- School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, 200240, Shanghai, China.
| | - Shulei Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, 200240, Shanghai, China.
| | - Wei-En Yuan
- School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, 200240, Shanghai, China.
- Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeuti c Antibody, Ministry of Education, and School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Jing Su
- School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, 200240, Shanghai, China.
| | - Mingfeng Qiu
- School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, 200240, Shanghai, China.
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武 若, 刘 睿, 张 一, 李 晓. [Parecoxib sodium down-regulates CXCL8-CXCR1/2 to improve inflammatory microenvironment and promote patient recovery following laparoscopic radical resection of rectal cancer]. NAN FANG YI KE DA XUE XUE BAO = JOURNAL OF SOUTHERN MEDICAL UNIVERSITY 2024; 44:363-369. [PMID: 38501422 PMCID: PMC10954531 DOI: 10.12122/j.issn.1673-4254.2024.02.19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/20/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To study the effect of parecoxib sodium on tumor microenvironment in patients undergoing laparoscopic radical resection of rectal cancer. METHODS Sixty patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery for radical rectal cancer resection were randomized into test group and control group (n=30). The patients in test control group received intravenous injections of 40 mg parecoxib sodium at the time of anesthesia induction, immediately after and at 12 h after the surgery, and those in the control group were injected with an equal volume of physiological saline at the same time points. Plasma levels of IL-6, TNF-α, and CXCL8 of the patients were measured using ELISA, and expressions of CXCL8, CXCR1, and CXCR2 in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were detected with Western blotting. Postoperative VAS scores and gastrointestinal reactions and disease regression at 6 months after the operation were recorded. RESULTS Compared with the control patients, the patients in the test group showed significantly reduced plasma levels of IL-6, TNF-α, and CXCL8 (P < 0.05) and milder elevations of CXCL8, CXCR1, and CXCR2 proteins in PBMCs (P < 0.05) with significantly lower VAS scores at 12 h and 24 h after the operation (P < 0.05) and lower postoperative incidence of adverse gastrointestinal reactions (P < 0.05). At 6 months after the operation, the number of patients with metastasis or tumor recurrence was significantly smaller in the test group than in the control group (P>0.05). CONCLUSION Parecoxib sodium can improve the inflammatory microenvironment to promote patient recovery after laparoscopic radical resection of rectal cancer possibly through a mechanism that down-regulates CXCL8-CXCR1/2 expressions in the PBMCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- 若杰 武
- />蚌埠医学院第一附属医院麻醉科,安徽 蚌埠 233000Department of Anesthesiology, First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu 233000, China
| | - 睿 刘
- />蚌埠医学院第一附属医院麻醉科,安徽 蚌埠 233000Department of Anesthesiology, First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu 233000, China
| | - 一粟 张
- />蚌埠医学院第一附属医院麻醉科,安徽 蚌埠 233000Department of Anesthesiology, First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu 233000, China
| | - 晓红 李
- />蚌埠医学院第一附属医院麻醉科,安徽 蚌埠 233000Department of Anesthesiology, First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu 233000, China
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26
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Alcalá S, Villarino L, Ruiz-Cañas L, Couceiro JR, Martínez-Calvo M, Palencia-Campos A, Navarro D, Cabezas-Sainz P, Rodriguez-Arabaolaza I, Cordero-Barreal A, Trilla-Fuertes L, Rubiolo JA, Batres-Ramos S, Vallespinos M, González-Páramos C, Rodríguez J, Gámez-Pozo A, Vara JÁF, Fernández SF, Berlinches AB, Moreno-Mata N, Redondo AMT, Carrato A, Hermann PC, Sánchez L, Torrente S, Fernández-Moreno MÁ, Mascareñas JL, Sainz B. Targeting cancer stem cell OXPHOS with tailored ruthenium complexes as a new anti-cancer strategy. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2024; 43:33. [PMID: 38281027 PMCID: PMC10821268 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-023-02931-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/29/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous studies by our group have shown that oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) is the main pathway by which pancreatic cancer stem cells (CSCs) meet their energetic requirements; therefore, OXPHOS represents an Achille's heel of these highly tumorigenic cells. Unfortunately, therapies that target OXPHOS in CSCs are lacking. METHODS The safety and anti-CSC activity of a ruthenium complex featuring bipyridine and terpyridine ligands and one coordination labile position (Ru1) were evaluated across primary pancreatic cancer cultures and in vivo, using 8 patient-derived xenografts (PDXs). RNAseq analysis followed by mitochondria-specific molecular assays were used to determine the mechanism of action. RESULTS We show that Ru1 is capable of inhibiting CSC OXPHOS function in vitro, and more importantly, it presents excellent anti-cancer activity, with low toxicity, across a large panel of human pancreatic PDXs, as well as in colorectal cancer and osteosarcoma PDXs. Mechanistic studies suggest that this activity stems from Ru1 binding to the D-loop region of the mitochondrial DNA of CSCs, inhibiting OXPHOS complex-associated transcription, leading to reduced mitochondrial oxygen consumption, membrane potential, and ATP production, all of which are necessary for CSCs, which heavily depend on mitochondrial respiration. CONCLUSIONS Overall, the coordination complex Ru1 represents not only an exciting new anti-cancer agent, but also a molecular tool to dissect the role of OXPHOS in CSCs. Results indicating that the compound is safe, non-toxic and highly effective in vivo are extremely exciting, and have allowed us to uncover unprecedented mechanistic possibilities to fight different cancer types based on targeting CSC OXPHOS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonia Alcalá
- Department of Biochemistry, Autónoma University of Madrid, School of Medicine and Department of Cancer, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas (IIBm) Sols-Morreale (CSIC-UAM), Madrid, Spain
- Biomarkers and Personalized Approach to Cancer (BIOPAC) Group, Area 3 Cancer, Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria (IRYCIS), Madrid, Spain
| | - Lara Villarino
- Centro Singular de Investigación en Química Biolóxica e Materiais Moleculares (CIQUS), and Departamento de Química Orgánica, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (USC), Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Laura Ruiz-Cañas
- Department of Biochemistry, Autónoma University of Madrid, School of Medicine and Department of Cancer, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas (IIBm) Sols-Morreale (CSIC-UAM), Madrid, Spain
- Biomarkers and Personalized Approach to Cancer (BIOPAC) Group, Area 3 Cancer, Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria (IRYCIS), Madrid, Spain
| | - José R Couceiro
- Centro Singular de Investigación en Química Biolóxica e Materiais Moleculares (CIQUS), and Departamento de Química Orgánica, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (USC), Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Miguel Martínez-Calvo
- Centro Singular de Investigación en Química Biolóxica e Materiais Moleculares (CIQUS), and Departamento de Química Orgánica, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (USC), Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Adrián Palencia-Campos
- Department of Biochemistry, Autónoma University of Madrid, School of Medicine and Department of Cancer, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas (IIBm) Sols-Morreale (CSIC-UAM), Madrid, Spain
- Biomarkers and Personalized Approach to Cancer (BIOPAC) Group, Area 3 Cancer, Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria (IRYCIS), Madrid, Spain
| | - Diego Navarro
- Department of Biochemistry, Autónoma University of Madrid, School of Medicine and Department of Cancer, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas (IIBm) Sols-Morreale (CSIC-UAM), Madrid, Spain
- Biomarkers and Personalized Approach to Cancer (BIOPAC) Group, Area 3 Cancer, Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria (IRYCIS), Madrid, Spain
| | - Pablo Cabezas-Sainz
- Department of Zoology, Genetics and Physical Anthropology, Veterinary Faculty, USC, Lugo, Spain
| | - Iker Rodriguez-Arabaolaza
- Department of Biochemistry, Autónoma University of Madrid, School of Medicine and Department of Cancer, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas (IIBm) Sols-Morreale (CSIC-UAM), Madrid, Spain
- Facultad de Ciencia y Técnología, Universidad del País Vasco, 48940, Leioa (Bizkaia), Spain
| | - Alfonso Cordero-Barreal
- Department of Biochemistry, Autónoma University of Madrid, School of Medicine and Department of Cancer, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas (IIBm) Sols-Morreale (CSIC-UAM), Madrid, Spain
- Biomarkers and Personalized Approach to Cancer (BIOPAC) Group, Area 3 Cancer, Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria (IRYCIS), Madrid, Spain
| | - Lucia Trilla-Fuertes
- Molecular Oncology and Pathology Lab, Instituto de Genética Médica y Molecular-INGEMM, Instituto de Investigación Hospital Universitario La Paz-IdiPAZ, Madrid, Spain
- Biomedica Molecular Medicine SL, Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan A Rubiolo
- Department of Zoology, Genetics and Physical Anthropology, Veterinary Faculty, USC, Lugo, Spain
| | - Sandra Batres-Ramos
- Department of Biochemistry, Autónoma University of Madrid, School of Medicine and Department of Cancer, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas (IIBm) Sols-Morreale (CSIC-UAM), Madrid, Spain
- Biomarkers and Personalized Approach to Cancer (BIOPAC) Group, Area 3 Cancer, Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria (IRYCIS), Madrid, Spain
| | - Mireia Vallespinos
- Department of Biochemistry, Autónoma University of Madrid, School of Medicine and Department of Cancer, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas (IIBm) Sols-Morreale (CSIC-UAM), Madrid, Spain
- Biomarkers and Personalized Approach to Cancer (BIOPAC) Group, Area 3 Cancer, Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria (IRYCIS), Madrid, Spain
| | - Cristina González-Páramos
- Department of Biochemistry, Autónoma University of Madrid, School of Medicine and Department of Cancer, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas (IIBm) Sols-Morreale (CSIC-UAM), Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital 12 de Octubre (imas12), Madrid, Spain
| | - Jéssica Rodríguez
- Centro Singular de Investigación en Química Biolóxica e Materiais Moleculares (CIQUS), and Departamento de Química Orgánica, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (USC), Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Angelo Gámez-Pozo
- Molecular Oncology and Pathology Lab, Instituto de Genética Médica y Molecular-INGEMM, Instituto de Investigación Hospital Universitario La Paz-IdiPAZ, Madrid, Spain
- Biomedica Molecular Medicine SL, Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan Ángel Fresno Vara
- Molecular Oncology and Pathology Lab, Instituto de Genética Médica y Molecular-INGEMM, Instituto de Investigación Hospital Universitario La Paz-IdiPAZ, Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red, Área Cáncer, CIBERONC, ISCIII, Madrid, Spain
| | - Sara Fra Fernández
- Servicio de Cirugía Torácica, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, Spain
| | - Amparo Benito Berlinches
- Biomarkers and Personalized Approach to Cancer (BIOPAC) Group, Area 3 Cancer, Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria (IRYCIS), Madrid, Spain
- Servicio de Anatomía Patológica, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, Spain
| | - Nicolás Moreno-Mata
- Servicio de Cirugía Torácica, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Alfredo Carrato
- Biomarkers and Personalized Approach to Cancer (BIOPAC) Group, Area 3 Cancer, Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria (IRYCIS), Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red, Área Cáncer, CIBERONC, ISCIII, Madrid, Spain
- Pancreatic Cancer Europe (PCE) Chairperson, Brussels, Belgium
| | | | - Laura Sánchez
- Department of Zoology, Genetics and Physical Anthropology, Veterinary Faculty, USC, Lugo, Spain
| | - Susana Torrente
- Valuation, Transfer and Entrepreneurship Area, USC, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Miguel Ángel Fernández-Moreno
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital 12 de Octubre (imas12), Madrid, Spain
- Department of Biochemistry, Autónoma University of Madrid, School of Medicine and Department of Rare Diseases, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas (IIBm) Sols-Morreale (CSIC-UAM), Madrid, Spain
| | - José L Mascareñas
- Centro Singular de Investigación en Química Biolóxica e Materiais Moleculares (CIQUS), and Departamento de Química Orgánica, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (USC), Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
| | - Bruno Sainz
- Department of Biochemistry, Autónoma University of Madrid, School of Medicine and Department of Cancer, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas (IIBm) Sols-Morreale (CSIC-UAM), Madrid, Spain.
- Biomarkers and Personalized Approach to Cancer (BIOPAC) Group, Area 3 Cancer, Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria (IRYCIS), Madrid, Spain.
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red, Área Cáncer, CIBERONC, ISCIII, Madrid, Spain.
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Alsadi N, Yahfoufi N, Nessim C, Matar C. Role of a Polyphenol-Enriched Blueberry Preparation on Inhibition of Melanoma Cancer Stem Cells and Modulation of MicroRNAs. Biomedicines 2024; 12:193. [PMID: 38255297 PMCID: PMC10813708 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12010193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Revised: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Melanoma is a type of skin cancer known for its high mortality rate. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a subpopulation of cancer cells that significantly contribute to tumour recurrence and differentiation. Epigenetic-specific changes involving miRNAs maintain CSCs. Plant polyphenols have been reported to be involved in cancer chemoprevention and chemotherapy, with miRNAs being the novel effectors in their biological activities. A polyphenol-enriched blueberry preparation (PEBP) derived from fermented blueberries has demonstrated promising chemopreventative properties on breast cancer stem cells by influencing inflammatory pathways and miRNAs. In our current investigation, we seek to unveil the impact of PEBP on inhibiting melanoma development and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. Our study employs various human cell lines, including an ex vivo cell line derived from a patient's metastatic tumour. We found that it elevates miR-200c, increasing E-cadherin expression and inhibiting miR-210-3p through NF-κB signalling, impacting Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT), a critical process in cancer progression. PEBP increases the SOCS1 expression, potentially contributing to miR-210-3p inhibition. Experiments involving miRNA manipulation confirm their functional roles. The study suggests that PEBP's anti-inflammatory effects involve regulating miR-200c and miR-210 expression and their targets in EMT-related pathways. The overall aim is to provide evidence-based supportive care and preclinical evaluation of PEBP, offering a promising strategy for skin cancer chemoprevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nawal Alsadi
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada; (N.A.); (N.Y.)
| | - Nour Yahfoufi
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada; (N.A.); (N.Y.)
| | - Carolyn Nessim
- Department of Surgery, University of Ottawa, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada;
| | - Chantal Matar
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada; (N.A.); (N.Y.)
- School of Nutrition Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
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28
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Musella M, Manduca N, Maccafeo E, Ruggiero E, Sistigu A. In Vitro Evaluation of Cancer Cell Immunogenicity and Antigen-Specific T-Cell Cytotoxicity by Flow Cytometry. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2748:13-28. [PMID: 38070104 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3593-3_2] [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: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
A cardinal principle of oncoimmunology is that cancer cells can be eliminated by tumor-infiltrating cytotoxic CD8 T lymphocytes. This has been widely demonstrated during the last 20 years and also recently harnessed for therapy. However, emerging evidence indicates that even neoplasms showing striking initial responses to conventional and targeted (immuno)therapies often acquire resistance, resulting in tumor relapse, increased aggressiveness, and metastatization. Indeed, tumors are complex ecosystems whose malignant and nonmalignant cells, constituting the tumor microenvironment, constantly interact and evolve in space and time. Together with patient's own genetic factors, such environmental interplays may curtail antitumor immune responses leading to cancer immune evasion and natural/acquired (immuno)therapy resistance. In this context, cancer stem cells (CSCs) are thought to be the roots of therapy failure. Flow cytometry is a powerful technology that finds extensive applications in cancer biology. It offers several unique advantages as it allows the rapid, quantitative, and multiparametric analysis of cell populations or functions at the single-cell level. In this chapter, we discuss a two-color flow cytometric protocol to evaluate cancer cell immunogenicity by analyzing the proliferative and tumor-killing potential of ovalbumin (OVA)-specific CD8 OT-1 T cells exposed to OVA-expressing MCA205 sarcoma cells and their CSC counterparts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Musella
- Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia Traslazionale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy.
| | - Nicoletta Manduca
- Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia Traslazionale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
| | - Ester Maccafeo
- Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia Traslazionale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
| | - Eliana Ruggiero
- Experimental Hematology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Antonella Sistigu
- Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia Traslazionale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy.
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29
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Peng X, Zheng J, Liu T, Zhou Z, Song C, Geng Y, Wang Z, Huang Y. Tumor Microenvironment Heterogeneity, Potential Therapeutic Avenues, and Emerging Therapies. Curr Cancer Drug Targets 2024; 24:288-307. [PMID: 37537777 DOI: 10.2174/1568009623666230712095021] [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: 04/17/2023] [Revised: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This review describes the comprehensive portrait of tumor microenvironment (TME). Additionally, we provided a panoramic perspective on the transformation and functions of the diverse constituents in TME, and the underlying mechanisms of drug resistance, beginning with the immune cells and metabolic dynamics within TME. Lastly, we summarized the most auspicious potential therapeutic strategies. RESULTS TME is a unique realm crafted by malignant cells to withstand the onslaught of endogenous and exogenous therapies. Recent research has revealed many small-molecule immunotherapies exhibiting auspicious outcomes in preclinical investigations. Furthermore, some pro-immune mechanisms have emerged as a potential avenue. With the advent of nanosystems and precision targeting, targeted therapy has now transcended the "comfort zone" erected by cancer cells within TME. CONCLUSION The ceaseless metamorphosis of TME fosters the intransigent resilience and proliferation of tumors. However, existing therapies have yet to surmount the formidable obstacles posed by TME. Therefore, scientists should investigate potential avenues for therapeutic intervention and design innovative pharmacological and clinical technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xintong Peng
- Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, School of Clinical Medicine, Weifang Medical University, Weifang, China
| | - Jingfan Zheng
- Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, School of Clinical Medicine, Weifang Medical University, Weifang, China
| | - Tianzi Liu
- Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, School of Clinical Medicine, Weifang Medical University, Weifang, China
| | - Ziwen Zhou
- Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, School of Clinical Medicine, Weifang Medical University, Weifang, China
| | - Chen Song
- Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, School of Clinical Medicine, Weifang Medical University, Weifang, China
| | - Yan Geng
- Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, School of Clinical Medicine, Weifang Medical University, Weifang, China
| | - Zichuan Wang
- Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, School of Clinical Medicine, Weifang Medical University, Weifang, China
| | - Yan Huang
- Department of Oncology, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, Weifang, China
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30
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Liu S, Qin Z, Mao Y, Wang N, Zhang W, Wang Y, Chen Y, Jia L, Peng X. Pharmacological inhibition of MYC to mitigate chemoresistance in preclinical models of squamous cell carcinoma. Theranostics 2024; 14:622-639. [PMID: 38169606 PMCID: PMC10758066 DOI: 10.7150/thno.88759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Rationale: Cisplatin-based chemotherapy is the first-line treatment for late-stage head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). However, resistance to cisplatin has become a major obstacle for effective therapy. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are critical for tumor initiation, growth, metastasis, and chemoresistance. How to effectively eliminate CSCs and overcome chemoresistance remains a key challenge. Herein, we confirmed that MYC plays critical roles in chemoresistance, and explored targeting MYC to overcome cisplatin resistance in preclinical models. Methods: The roles of MYC in HNSCC cisplatin resistance and cancer stemness were tested in vitro and in vivo. The combined therapeutic efficiency of MYC targeting using the small molecule MYC inhibitor MYCi975 and cisplatin was assessed in a 4‑nitroquinoline 1-oxide-induced model and in a patient-derived xenograft model. Results: MYC was highly-expressed in cisplatin-resistant HNSCC. Targeting MYC using MYCi975 eliminated CSCs, prevented metastasis, and overcame cisplatin resistance. MYCi975 also induced tumor cell-intrinsic immune responses, and promoted CD8+ T cell infiltration. Mechanistically, MYCi975 induced the DNA damage response and activated the cGAS-STING-IRF3 signaling pathway to increase CD8+ T cell-recruiting chemokines. Conclusions: Our findings suggested that targeting MYC might eliminate CSCs, prevent metastasis, and activate antitumor immunity to overcome cisplatin resistance in HNSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Lingfei Jia
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing 100081, China. National Center of Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & National Engineering Laboratory for Digital and Material Technology of Stomatology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Xin Peng
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing 100081, China. National Center of Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & National Engineering Laboratory for Digital and Material Technology of Stomatology, Beijing 100081, China
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31
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Staffeldt L, Mattert G, Riecken K, Rövenstrunk G, Volkmar A, Heumann A, Moustafa M, Jücker M, Fehse B, Schumacher U, Lüth S, Kah J. Generating Patient-Derived HCC Cell Lines Suitable for Predictive In Vitro and In Vivo Drug Screening by Orthotopic Transplantation. Cells 2023; 13:82. [PMID: 38201286 PMCID: PMC10778205 DOI: 10.3390/cells13010082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/25/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) results in high mortality due to ineffective systemic therapy. Human immortalized cell lines are commonly used to study anti-tumor effects in the context of new anti-tumor therapies and tumor biology. As immortalized cell lines have limited biological relevance and heterogeneity compared to primary cells, patient-derived tumor tissues, and corresponding immune cells are the gold standards for studying the complexity of individual tumor entities. However, culturing primary HCC cells has a low success rate. Here, we aimed to establish a reproducible approach to preserve the patient-derived liver cancer cells for in vitro and in vivo studies. The underlying study aimed to establish an in vitro pre-screening platform to test treatment options' effectivity and dosage, e.g., for new substances, autologous modified immune cells, or combined therapies in HCC. We initially employed 15 surgical resection specimens from patients with different HCC entities for isolation and preservation. The isolated liver cancer cells from four HCC-diagnosed patients were used for orthotopic transplantation into the healthy liver of immunodeficient mice, allowing them to grow for six months before human liver cancer cells were isolated and cultured. As a result, we generated and characterized four new primary-like liver cancer cell lines. Compared to immortalized HCC cell lines, freshly generated liver cancer cells displayed individual morphologies and heterogeneous protein-level characteristics. We assessed their ability to proliferate, migrate, form spheroids, and react to common medications compared to immortalized HCC cell lines. All four liver cancer cell lines exhibit strong migration and colony-forming characteristics in vitro, comparable to extensively investigated immortalized HCC cell lines. Moreover, the four etiological different liver cancer cell lines displayed differences in the response to 5-FU, Sorafenib, Axitinib, and interferon-alpha treatment, ranking from non-responders to responders depending on the applicated medication. In sum, we generated individual patient-derived liver cancer cell lines suitable for predictive in vitro drug screenings and for xenograft transplantations to realize the in vivo investigation of drug candidates. We overcame the low cultivation success rate of liver cancer cells derived from patients and analyzed their potential to serve a pre-clinical model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Staffeldt
- Institute of Anatomy and Experimental Morphology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany (U.S.)
| | - Gregor Mattert
- Brandenburg Medical School, Center for Translational Medicine, 14770 Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany; (G.M.); (G.R.)
| | - Kristoffer Riecken
- Research Department Cell and Gene Therapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Götz Rövenstrunk
- Brandenburg Medical School, Center for Translational Medicine, 14770 Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany; (G.M.); (G.R.)
| | - Anika Volkmar
- Brandenburg Medical School, Center for Translational Medicine, 14770 Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany; (G.M.); (G.R.)
| | - Asmus Heumann
- Department of General, Visceral and Thoracic Surgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Mohamed Moustafa
- Department of Visceral Transplantation, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Manfred Jücker
- Center for Experimental Medicine, Institute of Biochemistry and Signal Transduction, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany;
| | - Boris Fehse
- Research Department Cell and Gene Therapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research, Hamburg-Lübeck-Borstel Partner Site, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Udo Schumacher
- Institute of Anatomy and Experimental Morphology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany (U.S.)
- Medical School Berlin, Mecklenburgische Straße 57, 14197 Berlin, Germany
| | - Stefan Lüth
- Brandenburg Medical School, Center for Translational Medicine, 14770 Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany; (G.M.); (G.R.)
- Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospital Brandenburg, 14770 Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany
| | - Janine Kah
- Institute of Anatomy and Experimental Morphology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany (U.S.)
- Brandenburg Medical School, Center for Translational Medicine, 14770 Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany; (G.M.); (G.R.)
- Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospital Brandenburg, 14770 Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany
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McCune A, Kornbluth J. NK3.3-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Penetrate and Selectively Kill Treatment-Resistant Tumor Cells. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 16:90. [PMID: 38201518 PMCID: PMC10778188 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16010090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Revised: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancer treatments often become ineffective due to the development of tumor resistance, leading to metastasis and relapse. Treatments may also fail because of their inability to access cells deep within the tumor tissue. When this occurs, new therapeutic agents are needed. We previously reported that NK3.3EVs, extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from the normal human natural killer (NK) cell line, NK3.3, have strong cytotoxic activity against leukemia and breast cancer cell lines, without harming normal cells. Here, we used a three-dimensional (3D) MCF7 breast cancer mammosphere model to reproduce a more physiological environment that NK3.3EVs would encounter in vivo. NK3.3EVs penetrated MCF7 mammospheres, inducing death by apoptosis. We generated an imatinib-resistant K562 chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) cell line to investigate whether NK3.3EVs were able to kill tumor cells resistant to front-line chemotherapy. NK3.3EVs were even more cytotoxic to imatinib-resistant cells than parental cells, inducing apoptosis via caspase-3/-7 activation. The small population of cancer stem cells (CSCs) within tumors also contributes to therapeutic resistance. NK3.3EVs reduced the CSC-like CD34+/CD38- subpopulation in imatinib-resistant and parental K562 cultures and decreased CSC-associated expression of tumor-promoting genes. Our results provide strong evidence that NK3.3EVs may be a potential new immunotherapeutic agent for difficult-to-treat cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allyson McCune
- Department of Pathology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63104, USA;
| | - Jacki Kornbluth
- Department of Pathology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63104, USA;
- St. Louis VA Medical Center, St. Louis, MO 63106, USA
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33
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Wang WD, Guo YY, Yang ZL, Su GL, Sun ZJ. Sniping Cancer Stem Cells with Nanomaterials. ACS NANO 2023; 17:23262-23298. [PMID: 38010076 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.3c07828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) drive tumor initiation, progression, and therapeutic resistance due to their self-renewal and differentiation capabilities. Despite encouraging progress in cancer treatment, conventional approaches often fail to eliminate CSCs, necessitating the development of precise targeted strategies. Recent advances in materials science and nanotechnology have enabled promising CSC-targeted approaches, harnessing the power of tailoring nanomaterials in diverse therapeutic applications. This review provides an update on the current landscape of nanobased precision targeting approaches against CSCs. We elucidate the nuanced application of organic, inorganic, and bioinspired nanomaterials across a spectrum of therapeutic paradigms, encompassing targeted therapy, immunotherapy, and multimodal synergistic therapies. By examining the accomplishments and challenges in this potential field, we aim to inform future efforts to advance nanomaterial-based therapies toward more effective "sniping" of CSCs and tumor clearance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Da Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, China
| | - Yan-Yu Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, China
| | - Zhong-Lu Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, China
| | - Guang-Liang Su
- State Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, China
| | - Zhi-Jun Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, China
- Department of Oral Maxillofacial-Head Neck Oncology, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, China
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Zheng J, Wu YC, Phillips EH, Wang X, Lee SSY. Increased multiplexity in optical tissue clearing-based 3D immunofluorescence microscopy of the tumor microenvironment by LED photobleaching. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.11.29.569277. [PMID: 38076864 PMCID: PMC10705380 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.29.569277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2024]
Abstract
Optical tissue clearing and three-dimensional (3D) immunofluorescence (IF) microscopy have been transforming imaging of the complex tumor microenvironment (TME). However, current 3D IF microscopy has restricted multiplexity; only three or four cellular and non-cellular TME components can be localized in a cleared tumor tissue. Here we report a LED photobleaching method and its application for 3D multiplexed optical mapping of the TME. We built a high-power LED light irradiation device and temperature-controlled chamber for completely bleaching fluorescent signals throughout optically cleared tumor tissues without compromise of tissue and protein antigen integrity. With newly developed tissue mounting and selected region-tracking methods, we established a cyclic workflow involving IF staining, tissue clearing, 3D confocal microscopy, and LED photobleaching. By registering microscope channel images generated through three work cycles, we produced 8-plex image data from individual 400 μm-thick tumor macrosections that visualize various vascular, immune, and cancer cells in the same TME at tissue-wide and cellular levels in 3D. Our method was also validated for quantitative 3D spatial analysis of cellular remodeling in the TME after immunotherapy. These results demonstrate that our LED photobleaching system and its workflow offer a novel approach to increase the multiplexing power of 3D IF microscopy for studying tumor heterogeneity and response to therapy.
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Zhang X, Yu C, Zhao S, Wang M, Shang L, Zhou J, Ma Y. The role of tumor-associated macrophages in hepatocellular carcinoma progression: A narrative review. Cancer Med 2023; 12:22109-22129. [PMID: 38098217 PMCID: PMC10757104 DOI: 10.1002/cam4.6717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Revised: 11/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors in the world, with complex etiology and mechanism, and a high mortality rate. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are an important part of the HCC tumor microenvironment. Studies in recent years have shown that TAMs are involved in multiple stages of HCC and are related to treatment and prognosis in HCC. The specific mechanisms between TAMs and HCC are gradually being revealed. This paper reviews recent advances in the mechanisms associated with TAMs in HCC, concentrating on an overview of effects of TAMs on drug resistance in HCC and the signaling pathways linked with HCC, providing clues for the treatment and prognosis determination of HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyi Zhang
- Department of General Surgery, Nanjing First HospitalNanjing Medical UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Chao Yu
- Department of General Surgery, Nanjing First HospitalNanjing Medical UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Siqi Zhao
- Department of General Surgery, Nanjing First HospitalNanjing Medical UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Min Wang
- Department of General Surgery, Nanjing First HospitalNanjing Medical UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Longcheng Shang
- Department of General Surgery, Nanjing First HospitalNanjing Medical UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Jin Zhou
- Department of General Surgery, Nanjing First HospitalNanjing Medical UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Yong Ma
- Department of General Surgery, Nanjing First HospitalNanjing Medical UniversityNanjingChina
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Jenkins H, MacLean L, McClean S, Cooke G, Devereux M, Howe O, Pereira MD, May NV, Enyedy ÉA, Creaven BS. Structural and solution speciation studies on selected [Cu(NN)(OO)] complexes and an investigation of their biomimetic activity, ROS generation and their cytotoxicity in normoxic, hypoxic and anoxic environments in MCF-7 breast cancer-derived cells. J Inorg Biochem 2023; 249:112383. [PMID: 37804698 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2023.112383] [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: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/09/2023]
Abstract
Reactive oxygen species(ROS) generation with subsequent DNA damage is one of the principle mechanisms of action assigned to copper-based anticancer complexes. The efficacy of this type of chemotherapeutic may be reduced in the low oxygen environment of tumours. In this study the cytotoxicity of three complexes, [Cu(dips)(phen)] (1), [Cu(ph)(phen)]·2H2O (2) and [Cu(ph)(bpy)]·H2O (3) (disp: 3,5-diisopropylsalicylate, phen: 1,10- phenanthroline, ph: phthalate, bpy: 2,2'-bipyridyl) were assessed for anticancer activity in the breast-cancer derived MCF-7 line under normoxic, hypoxic and anoxic conditions. In an immortalised keratinocyte HaCaT cell line, the cytotoxicity of complexes 2 and 3 was significantly reduced under both normoxic and hypoxic conditions, whilst the cytotoxicity of complex 1 was increased under hypoxic conditions. The ability of the complexes to generate ROS in the MCF-7 cell line was evaluated as was their ability to act as superoxide dismutase(SOD) and catalase mimics using a yeast cell assay. ROS generation was significant for complexes 2 and 3, less so for complex 1 though all three complexes had SOD mimetic ability. Given the ternary nature of the complexes, solution speciation studies were undertaken but were only successful for complex 3, due to solubility issues with the other two complexes. The concentration distribution of various species, formed in aqueous solution, was evaluated as a function of pH and confirmed that complex 3 is the dominant species at physiological pH in the mM concentration range. However, as its concentration diminishes, it experiences a progressive dissociation, leading to the formation of binary complexes of bpy alongside unbound phthalate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hollie Jenkins
- Centre of Applied Science for Health, TU Dublin, Tallaght Campus, D24 FKT9, Ireland
| | - Louise MacLean
- Centre of Applied Science for Health, TU Dublin, Tallaght Campus, D24 FKT9, Ireland
| | - Siobhán McClean
- School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, University College Dublin, Belfield Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Gordon Cooke
- Centre of Applied Science for Health, TU Dublin, Tallaght Campus, D24 FKT9, Ireland; School of Chemical and BioPharmaceutical Sciences, Technological University Dublin, Central Quad Building, Grangegorman, Dublin D07 ADY7, Ireland
| | - Michael Devereux
- Centre for Biomimetic and Therapeutic Research, Focas Research Institute, TU Dublin, Camden Row, Dublin 8, Ireland
| | - Orla Howe
- Centre for Biomimetic and Therapeutic Research, Focas Research Institute, TU Dublin, Camden Row, Dublin 8, Ireland; School of Biological, Health and Sport Sciences, TU Dublin, City Campus, D07 XT95, Ireland
| | - Marcos D Pereira
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Rede de Micrologia - FAPERJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Nóra V May
- Centre for Structural Sciences, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Magyar tudósok körútja 2, Budapest H-1117, Hungary
| | - Éva A Enyedy
- Departmen of Molecular and Analytical Chemistry, Interdisciplinary Excellence Centre and MTA-SZTE Lendület Functional Metal Complexes Research Group, University of Szeged, Dóm tér 7, Szeged H-6720, Hungary
| | - Bernadette S Creaven
- Centre of Applied Science for Health, TU Dublin, Tallaght Campus, D24 FKT9, Ireland; School of Chemical and BioPharmaceutical Sciences, Technological University Dublin, Central Quad Building, Grangegorman, Dublin D07 ADY7, Ireland.
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Hekmatirad S, Moloudizargari M, Fallah M, Rahimi A, Poortahmasebi V, Asghari MH. Cancer-associated immune cells and their modulation by melatonin. Immunopharmacol Immunotoxicol 2023; 45:788-801. [PMID: 37489565 DOI: 10.1080/08923973.2023.2239489] [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: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Rapidly growing evidence suggests that immune cells play a key role in determining tumor progression. Tumor cells are surrounded by a microenvironment composed of different cell populations including immune cells. The cross talk between tumor cells and the neighboring microenvironment is an important factor to take into account while designing tumor therapies. Despite significant advances in immunotherapy strategies, a relatively small proportion of patients have successfully responded to them. Therefore, the search for safe and efficient drugs, which could be used alongside conventional therapies to boost the immune system against tumors, is an ongoing need. In the present work, the modulatory effects of melatonin on different components of tumor immune microenvironment are reviewed. METHODS A thorough literature review was performed in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. All published papers in English on tumor immune microenvironment and the relevant modulatory effects of melatonin were scrutinized. RESULTS Melatonin modulates macrophage polarization and prevents M2 induction. Moreover, it prevents the conversion of fibroblasts into cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and prevents cancer cell stemness. In addition, it can affect the payload composition of tumor-derived exosomes (TEXs) and their secretion levels to favor a more effective anti-tumor immune response. Melatonin is a safe molecule that affects almost all components of the tumor immune microenvironment and prevents them from being negatively affected by the tumor. CONCLUSION Based on the effects of melatonin on normal cells, tumor cells and microenvironment components, it could be an efficient compound to be used in combination with conventional immune-targeted therapies to increase their efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shirin Hekmatirad
- Department of Toxicology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Marjan Fallah
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medicinal Plant Research Centre, Islamic Azad University, Amol, Iran
| | - Atena Rahimi
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Medicine, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran
| | - Vahdat Poortahmasebi
- Department of Bacteriology and Virology, School of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Mohammad Hossein Asghari
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Medicine, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran
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Roisman LC, Kian W, Anoze A, Fuchs V, Spector M, Steiner R, Kassel L, Rechnitzer G, Fried I, Peled N, Bogot NR. Radiological artificial intelligence - predicting personalized immunotherapy outcomes in lung cancer. NPJ Precis Oncol 2023; 7:125. [PMID: 37990050 PMCID: PMC10663598 DOI: 10.1038/s41698-023-00473-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Personalized medicine has revolutionized approaches to treatment in the field of lung cancer by enabling therapies to be specific to each patient. However, physicians encounter an immense number of challenges in providing the optimal treatment regimen for the individual given the sheer complexity of clinical aspects such as tumor molecular profile, tumor microenvironment, expected adverse events, acquired or inherent resistance mechanisms, the development of brain metastases, the limited availability of biomarkers and the choice of combination therapy. The integration of innovative next-generation technologies such as deep learning-a subset of machine learning-and radiomics has the potential to transform the field by supporting clinical decision making in cancer treatment and the delivery of precision therapies while integrating numerous clinical considerations. In this review, we present a brief explanation of the available technologies, the benefits of using these technologies in predicting immunotherapy response in lung cancer, and the expected future challenges in the context of precision medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laila C Roisman
- The Hebrew University, Helmsley Cancer Center, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel.
- Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be'er Sheva, Israel.
| | - Waleed Kian
- The Hebrew University, Helmsley Cancer Center, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
- The Institute of Oncology, Assuta Ashdod, Ashdod, Israel
| | - Alaa Anoze
- The Hebrew University, Helmsley Cancer Center, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Vered Fuchs
- Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be'er Sheva, Israel
| | - Maria Spector
- The Department of Radiology, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Roee Steiner
- The Institute for Nuclear Medicine, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Levi Kassel
- The Hebrew University, Helmsley Cancer Center, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Gilad Rechnitzer
- The Hebrew University, Helmsley Cancer Center, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Iris Fried
- The Hebrew University, Helmsley Cancer Center, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Nir Peled
- The Hebrew University, Helmsley Cancer Center, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel.
| | - Naama R Bogot
- The Department of Radiology, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
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Li M, Nishimura T, Takeuchi Y, Hongu T, Wang Y, Shiokawa D, Wang K, Hirose H, Sasahara A, Yano M, Ishikawa S, Inokuchi M, Ota T, Tanabe M, Tada KI, Akiyama T, Cheng X, Liu CC, Yamashita T, Sugano S, Uchida Y, Chiba T, Asahara H, Nakagawa M, Sato S, Miyagi Y, Shimamura T, Nagai LAE, Kanai A, Katoh M, Nomura S, Nakato R, Suzuki Y, Tojo A, Voon DC, Ogawa S, Okamoto K, Foukakis T, Gotoh N. FXYD3 functionally demarcates an ancestral breast cancer stem cell subpopulation with features of drug-tolerant persisters. J Clin Invest 2023; 133:e166666. [PMID: 37966117 PMCID: PMC10645391 DOI: 10.1172/jci166666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The heterogeneity of cancer stem cells (CSCs) within tumors presents a challenge in therapeutic targeting. To decipher the cellular plasticity that fuels phenotypic heterogeneity, we undertook single-cell transcriptomics analysis in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) to identify subpopulations in CSCs. We found a subpopulation of CSCs with ancestral features that is marked by FXYD domain-containing ion transport regulator 3 (FXYD3), a component of the Na+/K+ pump. Accordingly, FXYD3+ CSCs evolve and proliferate, while displaying traits of alveolar progenitors that are normally induced during pregnancy. Clinically, FXYD3+ CSCs were persistent during neoadjuvant chemotherapy, hence linking them to drug-tolerant persisters (DTPs) and identifying them as crucial therapeutic targets. Importantly, FXYD3+ CSCs were sensitive to senolytic Na+/K+ pump inhibitors, such as cardiac glycosides. Together, our data indicate that FXYD3+ CSCs with ancestral features are drivers of plasticity and chemoresistance in TNBC. Targeting the Na+/K+ pump could be an effective strategy to eliminate CSCs with ancestral and DTP features that could improve TNBC prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengjiao Li
- Division of Cancer Cell Biology, Cancer Research Institute, and
| | | | - Yasuto Takeuchi
- Division of Cancer Cell Biology, Cancer Research Institute, and
- Institute for Frontier Science Initiative, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa City, Japan
| | - Tsunaki Hongu
- Division of Cancer Cell Biology, Cancer Research Institute, and
| | - Yuming Wang
- Division of Cancer Cell Biology, Cancer Research Institute, and
| | - Daisuke Shiokawa
- Division of Cancer Differentiation, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kang Wang
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institute, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Haruka Hirose
- Division of Systems Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya City, Japan
| | - Asako Sasahara
- Department of Breast and Endocrine Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masao Yano
- Department of Surgery, Minami-machida Hospital, Machida City, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Satoko Ishikawa
- Department of Breast Oncology, Kanazawa University Hospital, Kanazawa City, Japan
| | - Masafumi Inokuchi
- Department of Breast Oncology, Kanazawa University Hospital, Kanazawa City, Japan
| | - Tetsuo Ota
- Department of Breast Oncology, Kanazawa University Hospital, Kanazawa City, Japan
| | - Masahiko Tanabe
- Department of Breast and Endocrine Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kei-ichiro Tada
- Department of Breast and Endocrine Surgery, Nihon University, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tetsu Akiyama
- Laboratory of Molecular and Genetic Information, Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Xi Cheng
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Chia-Chi Liu
- North Shore Heart Research Group, Kolling Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Toshinari Yamashita
- Department of Breast and Endocrine Surgery, Kanagawa Cancer Center, Yokohama City, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Sumio Sugano
- Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yutaro Uchida
- Department of Systems Biomedicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tomoki Chiba
- Department of Systems Biomedicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Asahara
- Department of Systems Biomedicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masahiro Nakagawa
- Department of Pathology and Tumor Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Shinya Sato
- Molecular Pathology and Genetics Division, Kanagawa Cancer Center Research Institute, Yokohama City, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Yohei Miyagi
- Molecular Pathology and Genetics Division, Kanagawa Cancer Center Research Institute, Yokohama City, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Teppei Shimamura
- Division of Systems Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya City, Japan
| | | | - Akinori Kanai
- Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences
| | - Manami Katoh
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine
- Genome Science Division, Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology
| | - Seitaro Nomura
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine
- Genome Science Division, Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology
- Department of Frontier Cardiovascular Science, Graduate School of Medicine, and
| | - Ryuichiro Nakato
- Laboratory of Computational Genomics, Institute for Quantitative Biosciences
| | - Yutaka Suzuki
- Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences
| | - Arinobu Tojo
- Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
- Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Dominic C. Voon
- Institute for Frontier Science Initiative, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa City, Japan
- Inflammation and Epithelial Plasticity Unit, Cancer Research Institute, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa City, Japan
| | - Seishi Ogawa
- Department of Pathology and Tumor Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Koji Okamoto
- Division of Cancer Differentiation, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
- Advanced Comprehensive Research Organization, Teikyo University, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Theodoros Foukakis
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institute, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Noriko Gotoh
- Division of Cancer Cell Biology, Cancer Research Institute, and
- Institute for Frontier Science Initiative, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa City, Japan
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Limbu S, McCloskey KE. Stemness genes and miR-1247-3p expression associate with clinicopathological parameters and prognosis in lung adenocarcinoma. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0294171. [PMID: 37948380 PMCID: PMC10637681 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0294171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Lung cancer makes up one-fourth of all cancer-related mortality with the highest mortality rate among all cancers. Despite recent scientific advancements in cancer therapeutics, the 5-year survival rate of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) cancer patients remains below 15 percent. It has been suggested that the high mortality rate of LUAD is linked to the acquisition of progenitor-like cells with stem-like characteristics that assist the whole tumor in regulating immune cell infiltration. To examine this hypothesis further, this study mined several databases to explore the presence of stemness-related genes and miRNAs in LUAD cancers. We examine their association with immune and accessory cell infiltration rates and patient survival. We found 3 stem cell-related genes, ORC1L, KIF20A, and DLGAP5, present in LUAD that also correlate with changes in immune infiltration rates and reduced patient survival rates. Additionally, the modulation in myeloid-derived suppressor cell (MDSC) infiltration and miRNA hsa-mir-1247-3p mediated targeting of tumor suppressor SLC24A4 and oncogenes RAB3B and HJURP appears to primarily regulate LUAD patient survival. Given these findings, hsa-mir-1247-3p and/or its associated gene targets may offer a promising avenue to enhance patient survivability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiwani Limbu
- Quantitative and System Biology Program, University of California, Merced, Merced, CA, United States of America
| | - Kara E. McCloskey
- Quantitative and System Biology Program, University of California, Merced, Merced, CA, United States of America
- Materials Science and Engineering Department, University of California, Merced, Merced, CA, United States of America
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41
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Tatar C, Avci CB, Acikgoz E, Oktem G. Doxorubicin-induced senescence promotes resistance to cell death by modulating genes associated with apoptotic and necrotic pathways in prostate cancer DU145 CD133 +/CD44 + cells. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2023; 680:194-210. [PMID: 37748252 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2023.09.032] [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: 06/16/2023] [Revised: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023]
Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are the most important cause of cancer treatment failure. Traditional cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, damage healthy cells alongside malignant cells, leading to severe adverse effects. Therefore, inducing cellular senescence without triggering apoptosis, which further damages healthy cells, may be an alternative strategy. However, there is insufficient knowledge regarding senescence induction in CSCs that show resistance to treatment and stemness properties. The present study aims to elucidate the effects of senescence induction on proliferation, cell cycle, and apoptosis in prostate CSCs and non-CSCs. Prostate CSCs were isolated from DU145 cancer cells using the FACS method. Subsequently, senescence induction was performed in RWPE-1, DU145, prostate CSCs, and non-CSCs by using different concentrations of Doxorubicin (DOX). Cellular senescence was detected using the senescence markers SA-β-gal, Ki67, and senescence-associated heterochromatin foci (SAHF). The effects of senescence on cell cycle and apoptosis were evaluated using the Muse Cell Analyzer, and genes in signaling pathways associated with the apoptotic/necrotic pathway were analyzed by real-time PCR. Prostate CSCs were isolated with 95.6 ± 1.4% purity according to CD133+/CD44+ characteristics, and spheroid formation belonging to stem cells was observed. After DOX-induced senescence, we observed morphological changes, SA-β-gal positivity, SAHF, and the lack of Ki67 in senescent cells. Furthermore; we detected G2/M cell cycle arrest and downregulation of various apoptosis-related genes in senescent prostate CSCs. Our results showed that DOX is a potent inducer of senescence for prostate CSCs, inhibits proliferation by arresting the cell cycle, and senescent prostate CSCs develop resistance to apoptosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cansu Tatar
- Department of Stem Cell, Institute of Health Science, Ege University, 35100, Izmir, Turkey.
| | - Cigir Biray Avci
- Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Ege University, 35100, Izmir, Turkey.
| | - Eda Acikgoz
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Van Yuzuncu Yil University, Van, 65080, Turkey.
| | - Gulperi Oktem
- Department of Stem Cell, Institute of Health Science, Ege University, 35100, Izmir, Turkey; Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Ege University, 35100, Izmir, Turkey.
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Doustmihan A, Fathi M, Mazloomi M, Salemi A, Hamblin MR, Jahanban-Esfahlan R. Molecular targets, therapeutic agents and multitasking nanoparticles to deal with cancer stem cells: A narrative review. J Control Release 2023; 363:57-83. [PMID: 37739017 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2023.09.029] [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: 06/24/2023] [Revised: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/24/2023]
Abstract
There is increasing evidence that malignant tumors are initiated and maintained by a sub-population of tumor cells that have similar biological properties to normal adult stem cells. This very small population of Cancer Stem Cells (CSC) comprises tumor initiating cells responsible for cancer recurrence, drug resistance and metastasis. Conventional treatments such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery, in addition to being potentially toxic and non-specific, may paradoxically increase the population, spread and survival of CSCs. Next-generation sequencing and omics technologies are increasing our understanding of the pathways and factors involved in the development of CSCs, and can help to discover new therapeutic targets against CSCs. In addition, recent advances in nanomedicine have provided hope for the development of optimal specific therapies to eradicate CSCs. Moreover, the use of artificial intelligence and nano-informatics can elucidate new drug targets, and help to design drugs and nanoparticles (NPs) to deal with CSCs. In this review, we first summarize the properties of CSCs and describe the signaling pathways and molecular characteristics responsible for the emergence and survival of CSCs. Also, the location of CSCs within the tumor and the effect of host factors on the creation and maintenance of CSCs are discussed. Newly discovered molecular targets involved in cancer stemness and some novel therapeutic compounds to combat CSCs are highlighted. The optimum properties of anti-CSC NPs, including blood circulation and stability, tumor accumulation and penetration, cellular internalization, drug release, endosomal escape, and aptamers designed for specific targeting of CSCs are covered. Finally, some recent smart NPs designed for therapeutic and theranostic purposes to overcome CSCs are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abolfazl Doustmihan
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Advanced Medical Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Marziyeh Fathi
- Research Center for Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology, Biomedicine Institute, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - MirAhmad Mazloomi
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Advanced Medical Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Aysan Salemi
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Advanced Medical Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; Research Center for Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology, Biomedicine Institute, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Michael R Hamblin
- Laser Research Centre, Faculty of Health Science, University of Johannesburg, Doornfontein, 2028, South Africa.
| | - Rana Jahanban-Esfahlan
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Advanced Medical Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
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43
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Monzo HJ, Kalander K, Hyytiäinen MM, Elbasani E, Wall J, Moyano-Galceran L, Tanjore Ramanathan J, Jukonen J, Laakkonen P, Ristimäki A, Carlson JW, Lehti K, Salehi S, Puolakkainen P, Haglund C, Seppänen H, Leppä S, Ojala PM. Efficacy and Safety of Glycosphingolipid SSEA-4 Targeting CAR-T Cells in an Ovarian Carcinoma Model. Mol Cancer Ther 2023; 22:1319-1331. [PMID: 37486980 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-23-0008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Revised: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023]
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell immunotherapies for solid tumors face critical challenges such as heterogeneous antigen expression. We characterized stage-specific embryonic antigen-4 (SSEA-4) cell-surface glycolipid as a target for CAR T-cell therapy. SSEA-4 is mainly expressed during embryogenesis but is also found in several cancer types making it an attractive tumor-associated antigen. Anti-SSEA-4 CAR-T cells were generated and assessed preclinically in vitro and in vivo for antitumor response and safety. SSEA-4 CAR-T cells effectively eliminated SSEA-4-positive cells in all the tested cancer cell lines, whereas SSEA-4-negative cells lines were not targeted. In vivo efficacy and safety studies using NSG mice and the high-grade serous ovarian cancer cell line OVCAR4 demonstrated a remarkable and specific antitumor response at all the CAR T-cell doses used. At high T-cell doses, CAR T cell-treated mice showed signs of health deterioration after a follow-up period. However, the severity of toxicity was reduced with a delayed onset when lower CAR T-cell doses were used. Our data demonstrate the efficacy of anti-SSEA-4 CAR T-cell therapy; however, safety strategies, such as dose-limiting and/or equipping CAR-T cells with combinatorial antigen recognition should be implemented for its potential clinical translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hector J Monzo
- Translational Cancer Medicine Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Kerttu Kalander
- Translational Cancer Medicine Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Applied Tumor Genomics Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Marko M Hyytiäinen
- Translational Cancer Medicine Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Endrit Elbasani
- Translational Cancer Medicine Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Johanna Wall
- Applied Tumor Genomics Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Lidia Moyano-Galceran
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Joonas Jukonen
- Translational Cancer Medicine Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Pirjo Laakkonen
- Translational Cancer Medicine Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Laboratory Animal Center, Helsinki Institute of Life Science-HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Ari Ristimäki
- Applied Tumor Genomics Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Pathology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinli, Finland
| | - Joseph W Carlson
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Kaisa Lehti
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Biomedical Laboratory Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Sahar Salehi
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Pelvic Cancer, Theme Cancer, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Pauli Puolakkainen
- Translational Cancer Medicine Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Caj Haglund
- Translational Cancer Medicine Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Surgery, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Hanna Seppänen
- Translational Cancer Medicine Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Sirpa Leppä
- Applied Tumor Genomics Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Oncology, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
- iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Päivi M Ojala
- Translational Cancer Medicine Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland
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Spano A, Sciola L. Polyploid cell dynamics and death before and after PEG-treatment of a NIH/3T3 derived culture: vinblastine effects on the regulation of cell subpopulations heterogeneity. Cell Div 2023; 18:18. [PMID: 37904245 PMCID: PMC10614354 DOI: 10.1186/s13008-023-00100-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/14/2023] [Indexed: 11/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neoplastic subpopulations can include polyploid cells that can be involved in tumor evolution and recurrence. Their origin can be traced back to the tumor microenvironment or chemotherapeutic treatment, which can alter cell division or favor cell fusion, generating multinucleated cells. Their progeny, frequently genetically unstable, can result in new aggressive and more resistant to chemotherapy subpopulations. In our work, we used NIHs cells, previously derived from the NIH/3T3 line after serum deprivation, that induced a polyploidization increase with the appearance of cells with DNA content ranging from 4 to 24c. This study aimed to analyze the cellular dynamics of NIHs culture subpopulations before and after treatment with the fusogenic agent polyethylene glycol (PEG), which allowed us to obtain new giant polyploid cells. Successively, PEG-untreated and PEG-treated cultures were incubated with the antimicrotubular poison vinblastine. The dynamics of appearance, decrease and loss of cell subpopulations were evaluated by correlating cell DNA content to mono-multinuclearity resulting from cell fusion and division process alteration and to the peculiarities of cell death events. RESULTS DNA microfluorimetry and morphological techniques (phase contrast, fluorescence and TEM microscopies) indicated that PEG treatment induced a 4-24c cell increase and the appearance of new giant elements (64-140c DNA content). Ultrastructural analysis and autophagosomal-lysosomal compartment fluorochromization, which allowed us to correlate cytoplasmic changes to death events, indicated that cell depletion occurred through distinct mechanisms: apoptotic death involved 2c, 4c and 8c cells, while autophagic-like death involved intermediate 12-24c cells, showing nuclear (lobulation/micronucleation) and autophagic cytoplasm alterations. Death, spontaneously occurring, especially in intermediate-sized cells, was increased after vinblastine treatment. No evident cell loss by death events was detected in the 64-140c range. CONCLUSIONS PEG-treated NIHs cultures can represent a model of heterogeneous subpopulations originating from cell fusion and division process anomalies. Altogether, our results suggest that the different cell dynamics of NIHs subpopulations can affect the variability of responses to stimuli able to induce cell degeneration and death. Apoptptic, autophagic or hybrid forms of cell death can also depend on the DNA content and ability to progress through the cell cycle, which may influence the persistence and fate of polyploid cell descendants, also concerning chemotherapeutic agent action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Spano
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Sassari - University of Sassari, Via Muroni 25, 07100, Sassari, Italy
| | - Luigi Sciola
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Sassari - University of Sassari, Via Muroni 25, 07100, Sassari, Italy.
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Cui B, He B, Huang Y, Wang C, Luo H, Lu J, Su K, Zhang X, Luo Y, Zhao Z, Yang Y, Zhang Y, An F, Wang H, Lam EWF, Kelley KW, Wang L, Liu Q, Peng F. Pyrroline-5-carboxylate reductase 1 reprograms proline metabolism to drive breast cancer stemness under psychological stress. Cell Death Dis 2023; 14:682. [PMID: 37845207 PMCID: PMC10579265 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-023-06200-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2023] [Revised: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/18/2023]
Abstract
Cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) contribute to cancer metastasis, drug resistance and tumor relapse, yet how amino acid metabolism promotes CSC maintenance remains exclusive. Here, we identify that proline synthetase PYCR1 is critical for breast cancer stemness and tumor growth. Mechanistically, PYCR1-synthesized proline activates cGMP-PKG signaling to enhance cancer stem-like traits. Importantly, cGMP-PKG signaling mediates psychological stress-induced cancer stem-like phenotypes and tumorigenesis. Ablation of PYCR1 markedly reverses psychological stress-induced proline synthesis, cGMP-PKG signaling activation and cancer progression. Clinically, PYCR1 and cGMP-PKG signaling components are highly expressed in breast tumor specimens, conferring poor survival in breast cancer patients. Targeting proline metabolism or cGMP-PKG signaling pathway provides a potential therapeutic strategy for breast patients undergoing psychological stress. Collectively, our findings unveil that PYCR1-enhanced proline synthesis displays a critical role in maintaining breast cancer stemness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bai Cui
- Institute of Cancer Stem Cell, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Bin He
- Institute of Cancer Stem Cell, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Cancer Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yanping Huang
- Department of Oncology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Cenxin Wang
- Institute of Cancer Stem Cell, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Huandong Luo
- Institute of Cancer Stem Cell, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Jinxin Lu
- Institute of Cancer Stem Cell, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Keyu Su
- Institute of Cancer Stem Cell, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Xiaoyu Zhang
- Institute of Cancer Stem Cell, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Yuanyuan Luo
- CAS Key Laboratory of Separation Science for Analytical Chemistry, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian, China
| | - Zhuoran Zhao
- Institute of Cancer Stem Cell, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Yuqing Yang
- Institute of Cancer Stem Cell, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Yunkun Zhang
- Department of Pathology, The Second Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Fan An
- Institute of Cancer Stem Cell, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Hong Wang
- Department of Orthopaedics, The Central Hospital of Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, China
| | - Eric W-F Lam
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Keith W Kelley
- Department of Pathology, College of Medicine and Department of Animal Sciences, College of ACES, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Ling Wang
- Department of Oncology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China.
| | - Quentin Liu
- Institute of Cancer Stem Cell, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Cancer Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
| | - Fei Peng
- Institute of Cancer Stem Cell, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China.
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Nayak V, Patra S, Singh KR, Ganguly B, Kumar DN, Panda D, Maurya GK, Singh J, Majhi S, Sharma R, Pandey SS, Singh RP, Kerry RG. Advancement in precision diagnosis and therapeutic for triple-negative breast cancer: Harnessing diagnostic potential of CRISPR-cas & engineered CAR T-cells mediated therapeutics. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 235:116573. [PMID: 37437865 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Revised: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/14/2023]
Abstract
Cancer is characterized by uncontrolled cell growth, disrupted regulatory pathways, and the accumulation of genetic mutations. These mutations across different types of cancer lead to disruptions in signaling pathways and alterations in protein expression related to cellular growth and proliferation. This review highlights the AKT signaling cascade and the retinoblastoma protein (pRb) regulating cascade as promising for novel nanotheranostic interventions. Through synergizing state-of-the-art gene editing tools like the Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)-Cas system with nanomaterials and targeting AKT, there is potential to enhance cancer diagnostics significantly. Furthermore, the integration of modified CAR-T cells into multifunctional nanodelivery systems offers a promising approach for targeted cancer inhibition, including the eradication of cancer stem cells (CSCs). Within the context of highly aggressive and metastatic Triple-negative Breast Cancer (TNBC), this review specifically focuses on devising innovative nanotheranostics. For both pre-clinical and post-clinical TNBC detection, the utilization of the CRISPR-Cas system, guided by RNA (gRNA) and coupled with a fluorescent reporter specifically designed to detect TNBC's mutated sequence, could be promising. Additionally, a cutting-edge approach involving the engineering of TNBC-specific iCAR and syn-Notch CAR T-cells, combined with the co-delivery of a hybrid polymeric nano-liposome encapsulating a conditionally replicative adenoviral vector (CRAdV) against CSCs, could present an intriguing intervention strategy. This review thus paves the way for exciting advancements in the field of nanotheranostics for the treatment of TNBC and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinayak Nayak
- Indian Council of Agricultural Research- National Institute on Foot and Mouth Disease- International Center for Foot and Mouth Disease, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
| | - Sushmita Patra
- Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer, Tata Memorial Centre, Navi-Mumbai 410210, India
| | - Kshitij Rb Singh
- Graduate School of Life Science and Systems Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology, 2-4 Hibikino, Wakamatsu, Kitakyushu, Japan.
| | - Bristy Ganguly
- Fish Health Management Division, ICAR-Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
| | - Das Nishant Kumar
- PG Department of Biotechnology, Utkal University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
| | - Deepak Panda
- PG Department of Biotechnology, Utkal University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
| | - Ganesh Kumar Maurya
- Zoology Section, Mahila Mahavidyalaya, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Jay Singh
- Department of Chemistry, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Sanatan Majhi
- PG Department of Biotechnology, Utkal University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
| | - Rohit Sharma
- Department of Rasa Shastra and Bhaishajya Kalpana, Faculty of Ayurveda, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Shyam S Pandey
- Graduate School of Life Science and Systems Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology, 2-4 Hibikino, Wakamatsu, Kitakyushu, Japan.
| | - Ravindra Pratap Singh
- Department of Biotechnology, Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh, India.
| | - Rout George Kerry
- PG Department of Biotechnology, Utkal University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India.
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Ramadan WS, Alkarim S, Moulay M, Alrefeai G, Alkudsy F, Hakeem KR, Iskander A. Modulation of the Tumor Microenvironment by Ellagic Acid in Rat Model for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Potential Target against Hepatic Cancer Stem Cells. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:4891. [PMID: 37835585 PMCID: PMC10571579 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15194891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 09/17/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The resistance to therapy and relapse in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is highly attributed to hepatic cancer stem cells (HCSCs). HCSCs are under microenvironment control. This work aimed to assess the systemic effect of ellagic acid (EA) on the HCC microenvironment to decline HCSCs. Fifty Wistar rats were divided into six groups: negative control (CON), groups 2 and 3 for solvents (DMSO), and (OVO). Group 4 was administered EA only. The (HCC-M) group, utilized as an HCC model, administered CCL4 (0.5 mL/kg in OVO) 1:1 v/v, i.p) for 16 weeks. HCC-M rats were treated orally with EA (EA + HCC) 50 mg/kg bw for five weeks. Biochemical, morphological, histopathological, and immunohistochemical studies, and gene analysis using qRT-PCR were applied. Results revealed elevated liver injury biomarkers ALT, AST, ALP, and tumor biomarkers AFP and GGT, and marked nodularity of livers of HCC-M. EA effectively reduced the biomarkers and restored the altered structure of the livers. At the mRNA level, EA downregulated the expression of TGF-α, TGF-β, and VEGF, and restored p53 expression. This induced an increase in apoptotic cells immunostained with caspase3 and decreased the CD44 immunostained HCSCs. EA could modulate the tumor microenvironment in the HCC rat model and ultimately target the HCSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wafaa S. Ramadan
- Department of Clinical Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 22384, Saudi Arabia;
- Embryonic Stem Cell Research Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Embryonic and Cancer Stem Cell Research Group, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Saleh Alkarim
- Embryonic Stem Cell Research Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Embryonic and Cancer Stem Cell Research Group, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Biological Science, Faculty of Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammed Moulay
- Embryonic Stem Cell Research Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Embryonic and Cancer Stem Cell Research Group, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Biology, Abdelhamid ibn Badis University, Mostaganem 27000, Algeria
| | - Ghadeer Alrefeai
- Embryonic Stem Cell Research Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Embryonic and Cancer Stem Cell Research Group, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Jeddah, Jeddah 23218, Saudi Arabia
| | - Fatma Alkudsy
- Embryonic Stem Cell Research Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Embryonic and Cancer Stem Cell Research Group, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Biological Science, Faculty of Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Khalid Rehman Hakeem
- Department of Biological Science, Faculty of Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Princess Dr. Najla Bint Saud Al-Saud Center for Excellence Research in Biotechnology, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Public Health, Daffodil International University, Dhaka 1341, Bangladesh
| | - Ashwaq Iskander
- Department of Biological Science, Faculty of Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
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48
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Zhou L, Wu J, Ruan M, Xiao Y, Lan H, Wu Q, Yu CW, Zhang Q. The loss of B7-H4 expression in breast cancer cells escaping from T cell cytotoxicity contributes to epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. Breast Cancer Res 2023; 25:115. [PMID: 37794509 PMCID: PMC10548745 DOI: 10.1186/s13058-023-01721-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND B7 homology 4 (B7-H4), a potential target for cancer therapy, has been demonstrated to inhibit T cell cytotoxicity in the early stages of breast cancer. However, B7-H4 manipulating breast tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) in the tumor progression remains unknown. METHODS We engineered T cells with B7-H4-specific chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) and performed a T cell co-culture assay to characterize B7-H4 expression level in breast cancer cells escaping from T cell cytotoxicity. We generated B7-H4 knockout (KO) and overexpression (OE) breast cancer cells to determine the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and stemness characteristics in vitro and in vivo, including tumor proliferation, migration, metastasis and chemoresistance. The Cancer Genome Atlas breast cancer database was accessed to investigate the correlation between B7-H4 expression levels and EMT characteristics in patients with breast cancer. RESULTS Our result found that B7-H4 expression level was significantly reduced in a subset of breast cancer cells that escaped from the cytotoxicity of B7-H4 CAR-T cells. Compared with wild type cells, B7-H4 KO cells prompt EMT and stemness characteristics, including migration, invasion and metastasis, and OE cells vice versa. The increase in H3K27me3 in KO cells confirmed the epigenetic reprogramming of cancer stem cells. The IC50 of doxorubicin or oxaliplatin significantly increased in KO cells, which was in agreement with a decrease in OE cells. Moreover, a trend of downregulated B7-H4 from stage I to stage II breast cancer patients indicates that the low-expressing B7-H4 breast cancer cells escaping from TIME have spread to nearby breast lymph nodes in the cancer progression. CONCLUSIONS Our study illuminates the novel role of renouncing B7-H4 in breast cancer cells through immune escape, which contributes to EMT processes and provides new insights for breast cancer treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linlin Zhou
- Institute of Immunotherapy, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Jichun Wu
- Institute of Immunotherapy, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Mei Ruan
- Institute of Immunotherapy, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Yonglei Xiao
- Institute of Immunotherapy, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Hailin Lan
- Institute of Immunotherapy, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Qiongwen Wu
- Institute of Immunotherapy, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Chen-Wei Yu
- Institute of Immunotherapy, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China.
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China.
- Department of Statistics and Information Science, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City, Taiwan.
| | - Qiuyu Zhang
- Institute of Immunotherapy, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China.
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China.
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49
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Tan XY, Li YT, Li HH, Ma LX, Zeng CM, Zhang TT, Huang TX, Zhao XD, Fu L. WNT2-SOX4 positive feedback loop promotes chemoresistance and tumorigenesis by inducing stem-cell like properties in gastric cancer. Oncogene 2023; 42:3062-3074. [PMID: 37634009 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-023-02816-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/28/2023]
Abstract
Gastric cancer (GC) is characterized by its vigorous chemoresistance to current therapies, which is attributed to the highly heterogeneous and immature phenotype of cancer stem cells (CSCs) during tumor initiation and progression. The secretory WNT2 ligand regulates multiple cancer pathways and has been demonstrated to be a potential therapeutic target for gastrointestinal tumors; however, its role involved in gastric CSCs (GCSCs) remains unclear. Here, we found that overexpression of WNT2 enhanced stemness properties to promote chemoresistance and tumorigenicity in GCSCs. Mechanistically, WNT2 was positively regulated by its transcription factor SOX4, and in turn, SOX4 was upregulated by the canonical WNT2/FZD8/β-catenin signaling pathway to form an auto-regulatory positive feedback loop, resulting in the maintenance of GCSCs self-renewal and tumorigenicity. Furthermore, simultaneous overexpression of both WNT2 and SOX4 was correlated with poor survival and reduced responsiveness to chemotherapy in clinical GC specimens. Blocking WNT2 using a specific monoclonal antibody significantly disrupted the WNT2-SOX4 positive feedback loop in GCSCs and enhanced the chemotherapeutic efficacy when synergized with the chemo-drugs 5-fluorouracil and oxaliplatin in a GCSC-derived mouse xenograft model. Overall, this study identified a novel WNT2-SOX4 positive feedback loop as a mechanism for GCSCs-induced chemo-drugs resistance and suggested that the WNT2-SOX4 axis may be a potential therapeutic target for gastric cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiang-Yu Tan
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Regional Immunity and Diseases, Department of Pharmacology and International Cancer Center, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518055, Guangdong, China
| | - Yu-Ting Li
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Regional Immunity and Diseases, Department of Pharmacology and International Cancer Center, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518055, Guangdong, China
- Shenzhen University-Friedrich Schiller Universität Jena Joint PhD Program in Biomedical Sciences, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518055, Guangdong, China
| | - Hua-Hui Li
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Regional Immunity and Diseases, Department of Pharmacology and International Cancer Center, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518055, Guangdong, China
- Shenzhen University-Friedrich Schiller Universität Jena Joint PhD Program in Biomedical Sciences, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518055, Guangdong, China
| | - Li-Xiang Ma
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Regional Immunity and Diseases, Department of Pharmacology and International Cancer Center, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518055, Guangdong, China
| | - Chui-Mian Zeng
- Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, Guangdong, China
| | - Tian-Tian Zhang
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Regional Immunity and Diseases, Department of Pharmacology and International Cancer Center, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518055, Guangdong, China
| | - Tu-Xiong Huang
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Regional Immunity and Diseases, Department of Pharmacology and International Cancer Center, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518055, Guangdong, China
| | - Xiao-Di Zhao
- Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, Shaanxi, China
| | - Li Fu
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Regional Immunity and Diseases, Department of Pharmacology and International Cancer Center, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518055, Guangdong, China.
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50
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Pasqualetti F, Miniati M, Gonnelli A, Gadducci G, Giannini N, Palagini L, Mancino M, Fuentes T, Paiar F. Cancer Stem Cells and Glioblastoma: Time for Innovative Biomarkers of Radio-Resistance? BIOLOGY 2023; 12:1295. [PMID: 37887005 PMCID: PMC10604498 DOI: 10.3390/biology12101295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
Despite countless papers in the field of radioresistance, researchers are still far from clearly understanding the mechanisms triggered in glioblastoma. Cancer stem cells (CSC) are important to the growth and spread of cancer, according to many studies. In addition, more recently, it has been suggested that CSCs have an impact on glioblastoma patients' prognosis, tumor aggressiveness, and treatment outcomes. In reviewing this new area of biology, we will provide a summary of the most recent research on CSCs and their role in the response to radio-chemotherapy in GB. In this review, we will examine the radiosensitivity of stem cells. Moreover, we summarize the current knowledge of the biomarkers of stemness and evaluate their potential function in the study of radiosensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Pasqualetti
- Radiation Oncology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana, Via Roma 67, 56100 Pisa, Italy; (F.P.); (A.G.); (G.G.); (N.G.); (M.M.); (T.F.); (F.P.)
| | - Mario Miniati
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Italy, Via Roma 67, 56100 Pisa, Italy;
| | - Alessandra Gonnelli
- Radiation Oncology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana, Via Roma 67, 56100 Pisa, Italy; (F.P.); (A.G.); (G.G.); (N.G.); (M.M.); (T.F.); (F.P.)
| | - Giovanni Gadducci
- Radiation Oncology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana, Via Roma 67, 56100 Pisa, Italy; (F.P.); (A.G.); (G.G.); (N.G.); (M.M.); (T.F.); (F.P.)
| | - Noemi Giannini
- Radiation Oncology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana, Via Roma 67, 56100 Pisa, Italy; (F.P.); (A.G.); (G.G.); (N.G.); (M.M.); (T.F.); (F.P.)
| | - Laura Palagini
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Italy, Via Roma 67, 56100 Pisa, Italy;
| | - Maricia Mancino
- Radiation Oncology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana, Via Roma 67, 56100 Pisa, Italy; (F.P.); (A.G.); (G.G.); (N.G.); (M.M.); (T.F.); (F.P.)
| | - Taiusha Fuentes
- Radiation Oncology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana, Via Roma 67, 56100 Pisa, Italy; (F.P.); (A.G.); (G.G.); (N.G.); (M.M.); (T.F.); (F.P.)
| | - Fabiola Paiar
- Radiation Oncology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana, Via Roma 67, 56100 Pisa, Italy; (F.P.); (A.G.); (G.G.); (N.G.); (M.M.); (T.F.); (F.P.)
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