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Bahar ME, Kim HJ, Kim DR. Targeting the RAS/RAF/MAPK pathway for cancer therapy: from mechanism to clinical studies. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2023; 8:455. [PMID: 38105263 PMCID: PMC10725898 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-023-01705-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2023] [Revised: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Metastatic dissemination of solid tumors, a leading cause of cancer-related mortality, underscores the urgent need for enhanced insights into the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying metastasis, chemoresistance, and the mechanistic backgrounds of individuals whose cancers are prone to migration. The most prevalent signaling cascade governed by multi-kinase inhibitors is the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, encompassing the RAS-RAF-MAPK kinase (MEK)-extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK) pathway. RAF kinase is a primary mediator of the MAPK pathway, responsible for the sequential activation of downstream targets, such as MEK and the transcription factor ERK, which control numerous cellular and physiological processes, including organism development, cell cycle control, cell proliferation and differentiation, cell survival, and death. Defects in this signaling cascade are associated with diseases such as cancer. RAF inhibitors (RAFi) combined with MEK blockers represent an FDA-approved therapeutic strategy for numerous RAF-mutant cancers, including melanoma, non-small cell lung carcinoma, and thyroid cancer. However, the development of therapy resistance by cancer cells remains an important barrier. Autophagy, an intracellular lysosome-dependent catabolic recycling process, plays a critical role in the development of RAFi resistance in cancer. Thus, targeting RAF and autophagy could be novel treatment strategies for RAF-mutant cancers. In this review, we delve deeper into the mechanistic insights surrounding RAF kinase signaling in tumorigenesis and RAFi-resistance. Furthermore, we explore and discuss the ongoing development of next-generation RAF inhibitors with enhanced therapeutic profiles. Additionally, this review sheds light on the functional interplay between RAF-targeted therapies and autophagy in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Entaz Bahar
- Department of Biochemistry and Convergence Medical Sciences and Institute of Medical Science, Gyeongsang National University, College of Medicine, Jinju, South Korea
| | - Hyun Joon Kim
- Department of Anatomy and Convergence Medical Sciences and Institute of Medical Science, Gyeongsang National University, College of Medicine, Jinju, South Korea
| | - Deok Ryong Kim
- Department of Biochemistry and Convergence Medical Sciences and Institute of Medical Science, Gyeongsang National University, College of Medicine, Jinju, South Korea.
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2
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Effect of the topical administration of N-(2-(4-bromophenylamino)-5-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)nicotinamide compound in a murine subcutaneous melanoma model. Anticancer Drugs 2021; 31:718-727. [PMID: 32568827 DOI: 10.1097/cad.0000000000000944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Conventional treatments for metastatic melanomas are still ineffective and generate numerous side effects, justifying the search for new therapies. The antimetastatic effect of the named N-(2-(4-bromophenylamino)-5-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)nicotinamide (SRVIC30) compound has been previously demonstrated in murine melanoma. Herein, we aimed to evaluate its effect when topically administrated in a murine subcutaneous melanoma model. For that, mice C57BL/6 were injected subcutaneously with 2 × 10 B16-F10 cells. Topical treatment began when tumors became visible on animal's back. Therefore, tumor volume was measured three times a week until it reaches 12 mm approximately. At this point, 40 mg oil-in-water cream (Lanette) without (control mice; n = 10) or with SRVIC30 compound (SRVIC30 group; n = 10 animals) were spread daily over the tumor external surface using a small brush for 14 days. The treatments increased the percentage of peroxidase antioxidant enzyme and dead cells via caspase-3 activation, with a consequent deposit of collagen fibers in the tumors. In addition, the skin of treated animals showed the presence of inflammatory infiltrate. Finally, SRVIC30 did not show signs of toxicity. Thus, we concluded that the topic administration of SRVIC30 was able to influence crucial anticancer processes such as tumor cells apoptosis and surrounding microenvironment.
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3
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Low expression of pro-apoptotic proteins Bax, Bak and Smac indicates prolonged progression-free survival in chemotherapy-treated metastatic melanoma. Cell Death Dis 2020; 11:124. [PMID: 32054850 PMCID: PMC7018795 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-020-2309-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2019] [Revised: 01/29/2020] [Accepted: 01/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Despite the introduction of novel targeted therapies, chemotherapy still remains the primary treatment for metastatic melanoma in poorly funded healthcare environments or in case of disease relapse, with no reliable molecular markers for progression-free survival (PFS) available. As chemotherapy primarily eliminates cancer cells by apoptosis, we here evaluated if the expression of key apoptosis regulators (Bax, Bak, Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, Smac, Procaspase-9, Apaf-1, Procaspase-3 and XIAP) allows prognosticating PFS in stage III/IV melanoma patients. Following antibody validation, marker expression was determined by automated and manual scoring of immunohistochemically stained tissue microarrays (TMAs) constructed from treatment-naive metastatic melanoma biopsies. Interestingly and counter-intuitively, low expression of the pro-apoptotic proteins Bax, Bak and Smac indicated better prognosis (log-rank p < 0.0001, p = 0.0301 and p = 0.0227 for automated and p = 0.0422, p = 0.0410 and p = 0.0073 for manual scoring). These findings were independently validated in the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) metastatic melanoma cohort (TCGA-SKCM) at transcript level (log-rank p = 0.0004, p = 0.0104 and p = 0.0377). Taking expression heterogeneity between the markers in individual tumour samples into account allowed defining combinatorial Bax, Bak, Smac signatures that were associated with significantly increased PFS (p = 0.0002 and p = 0.0028 at protein and transcript level, respectively). Furthermore, combined low expression of Bax, Bak and Smac allowed predicting prolonged PFS (> 12 months) on a case-by-case basis (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC AUC) = 0.79). Taken together, our results therefore suggest that Bax, Bak and Smac jointly define a signature with potential clinical utility in chemotherapy-treated metastatic melanoma.
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4
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Banerjee I, De M, Dey G, Bharti R, Chattopadhyay S, Ali N, Chakrabarti P, Reis RL, Kundu SC, Mandal M. A peptide-modified solid lipid nanoparticle formulation of paclitaxel modulates immunity and outperforms dacarbazine in a murine melanoma model. Biomater Sci 2019; 7:1161-1178. [PMID: 30652182 DOI: 10.1039/c8bm01403e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Melanoma is a highly aggressive skin cancer. A paclitaxel formulation of solid lipid nanoparticles modified with Tyr-3-octreotide (PSM) is employed to treat melanoma that highly expresses somatostatin receptors (SSTRs). PSM exerts more apoptotic and anti-invasive effects in B16F10 mice melanoma cells as compared to dacarbazine (DTIC), an approved chemotherapeutic drug for treating aggressive melanoma. Besides, PSM induces one of the biomarkers of immunogenic cell death in vitro and in vivo as confirmed by calreticulin exposure on the B16F10 cell surface. We observed a significant number of CD8 positive T cells in the tumor bed of the PSM treated group. As a result, PSM effectively reduces tumor volume in vivo as compared to DTIC. PSM also induces a favorable systemic immune response as determined in the spleen and sera of the treated animals. Importantly, PSM can reduce the number of nodule formations in the experimental lung metastasis model. Our experimentations indicate that the metronomic PSM exhibits remarkable anti-melanoma activities without any observable toxicity. This immune modulation behavior of PSM can be exploited for the therapy of melanoma and probably for other malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Indranil Banerjee
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (CSIR-IICB), 4 Raja S C Mullick Road, Kolkata - 700032, West Bengal, India.
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5
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Kao FH, Akhtar N, Chen CC, Chen HY, Thakur MK, Chen YY, Chen CL, Chattopadhyay S. In Vivo and in Vitro Demonstration of Gold Nanorod Aided Photothermal Presoftening of B16F10 Melanoma for Efficient Chemotherapy Using Doxorubicin Loaded Graphene Oxide. ACS APPLIED BIO MATERIALS 2018; 2:533-543. [DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.8b00701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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6
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Antimetastatic effect of the pharmacological inhibition of serine/arginine-rich protein kinases (SRPK) in murine melanoma. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 2018; 356:214-223. [DOI: 10.1016/j.taap.2018.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2018] [Revised: 08/14/2018] [Accepted: 08/17/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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7
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Han Y, Cho U, Kim S, Park IS, Cho JH, Dhanasekaran DN, Song YS. Tumour microenvironment on mitochondrial dynamics and chemoresistance in cancer. Free Radic Res 2018; 52:1271-1287. [PMID: 29607684 DOI: 10.1080/10715762.2018.1459594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Mitochondria, evolutionally acquired symbionts of eukaryotic cells, are essential cytoplasmic organelles. They are structurally dynamic organelles that continually go through fission and fusion processes in response to various stimuli. Tumour tissue is composed of not just cancer cells but also various cell types like fibroblasts, mesenchymal stem and immune cells. Mitochondrial dynamics of cancer cells has been shown to be significantly affected by features of tumour microenvironment such as hypoxia, inflammation and energy deprivation. The interactions of cancer cells with tumour microenvironment like hypoxia give rise to the inter- and intratumoural heterogeneity, causing chemoresistance. In this review, we will focus on the chemoresistance by tumoural heterogeneity in relation to mitochondrial dynamics of cancer cells. Recent findings in molecular mechanisms involved in the control of mitochondrial dynamics as well as the impact of mitochondrial dynamics on drug sensitivity in cancer are highlighted in the current review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youngjin Han
- a Biomodulation, Department of Agricultural Biotechnology , Seoul National University , Seoul , Republic of Korea.,b Cancer Research Institute , Seoul National University College of Medicine , Seoul , Republic of Korea
| | - Untack Cho
- b Cancer Research Institute , Seoul National University College of Medicine , Seoul , Republic of Korea.,c Interdisciplinary Program in Cancer Biology , Seoul National University College of Medicine , Seoul , Republic of Korea
| | - Soochi Kim
- b Cancer Research Institute , Seoul National University College of Medicine , Seoul , Republic of Korea.,d Seoul National University Hospital Biomedical Research Institute , Seoul , Republic of Korea
| | - In Sil Park
- b Cancer Research Institute , Seoul National University College of Medicine , Seoul , Republic of Korea.,e Department of Agricultural Biotechnology , Seoul National University , Seoul , Republic of Korea
| | - Jae Hyun Cho
- f Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Seoul National University College of Medicine , Seoul , Republic of Korea
| | - Danny N Dhanasekaran
- g Stephenson Cancer Center , University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center , Oklahoma City , OK , USA
| | - Yong Sang Song
- a Biomodulation, Department of Agricultural Biotechnology , Seoul National University , Seoul , Republic of Korea.,b Cancer Research Institute , Seoul National University College of Medicine , Seoul , Republic of Korea.,c Interdisciplinary Program in Cancer Biology , Seoul National University College of Medicine , Seoul , Republic of Korea.,f Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Seoul National University College of Medicine , Seoul , Republic of Korea
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8
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Kokhaei P, Hojjat-Farsangi M, Mozaffari F, Moshfegh A, Pak F, Rashidy-Pour A, Palma M, Hansson L, Österborg A, Mellstedt H. Autologous T cells expressing the oncogenic transcription factor KLF6-SV1 prevent apoptosis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0192839. [PMID: 29432497 PMCID: PMC5809069 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0192839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2017] [Accepted: 01/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Crosstalk between leukemic cells and the tumor microenvironment is of importance in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). T cells seem to sustain the survival of CLL cells by various mechanisms. The Krüppel-like family of transcription factors (KLFs) are identified as regulators of proliferation and cell death. In the present study, we analyzed the expression of the wild type (WT) gene KLF6 and the oncogenic splice variant 1 (KLF6-SV1) at the mRNA level in subsets of T cells from CLL patients (n = 29), multiple myeloma patients (n = 6) and normal donors (n = 10). RNA Silencing was used for wtKLF6 and KLF6-SV1. Tumor cell apoptosis was measured. A significant overexpression of wtKLF6 and KLF6-SV1 in T cells of CLL patients compared to normal donors and myeloma patients was noted (p<0.002). Western blot showed that both wtKLF6 and KLF6-SV1 were expressed in purified T cells from CLL patients. KLF6-SV1 siRNA transfection induced a significant down-regulation of KLF6-SV1 in CLL T cells, which lost the capability to sustain the growth of leukemic cells. However, no such a significant effect was seen after wtKLF6 transfection of the autologous T cells. The results suggest that KLF6-SV1 may play a role in the regulation of survival CLL cells.
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MESH Headings
- Aged
- Aged, 80 and over
- Apoptosis/genetics
- Female
- Gene Expression
- Humans
- Kruppel-Like Factor 6/antagonists & inhibitors
- Kruppel-Like Factor 6/genetics
- Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell/genetics
- Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell/pathology
- Male
- Middle Aged
- Multiple Myeloma/genetics
- Multiple Myeloma/pathology
- Oncogenes
- Protein Isoforms/antagonists & inhibitors
- Protein Isoforms/genetics
- RNA Interference
- RNA, Messenger/genetics
- RNA, Neoplasm/genetics
- RNA, Small Interfering/genetics
- T-Lymphocytes/metabolism
- Transfection
- Tumor Microenvironment/genetics
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Affiliation(s)
- Parviz Kokhaei
- Immune and Gene Therapy Laboratory, Cancer Centre Karolinska, Department of Oncology and Pathology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
- Cancer Research Center and Department of Immunology, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
| | - Mohammad Hojjat-Farsangi
- Immune and Gene Therapy Laboratory, Cancer Centre Karolinska, Department of Oncology and Pathology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
- The Persian Gulf Marine Biotechnology Medicine Research Center and Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran
| | - Fariba Mozaffari
- Immune and Gene Therapy Laboratory, Cancer Centre Karolinska, Department of Oncology and Pathology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ali Moshfegh
- Immune and Gene Therapy Laboratory, Cancer Centre Karolinska, Department of Oncology and Pathology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Fatemeh Pak
- Cancer Research Center and Department of Immunology, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
| | - Ali Rashidy-Pour
- Physiology Research Center and Department of Physiology, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
| | - Marzia Palma
- Immune and Gene Therapy Laboratory, Cancer Centre Karolinska, Department of Oncology and Pathology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Hematology, Karolinska University Hospital Solna, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Lotta Hansson
- Immune and Gene Therapy Laboratory, Cancer Centre Karolinska, Department of Oncology and Pathology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Hematology, Karolinska University Hospital Solna, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Anders Österborg
- Immune and Gene Therapy Laboratory, Cancer Centre Karolinska, Department of Oncology and Pathology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Hematology, Karolinska University Hospital Solna, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Håkan Mellstedt
- Immune and Gene Therapy Laboratory, Cancer Centre Karolinska, Department of Oncology and Pathology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
- * E-mail:
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9
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Serasinghe MN, Gelles JD, Li K, Zhao L, Abbate F, Syku M, Mohammed JN, Badal B, Rangel CA, Hoehn KL, Celebi JT, Chipuk JE. Dual suppression of inner and outer mitochondrial membrane functions augments apoptotic responses to oncogenic MAPK inhibition. Cell Death Dis 2018; 9:29. [PMID: 29348439 PMCID: PMC5833689 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-017-0044-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2017] [Revised: 09/29/2017] [Accepted: 10/09/2017] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway inhibitors show promise in treating melanoma, but are unsuccessful in achieving long-term remission. Concordant with clinical data, BRAFV600E melanoma cells eliminate glycolysis upon inhibition of BRAFV600E or MEK with the targeted therapies Vemurafenib or Trametinib, respectively. Consequently, exposure to these therapies reprograms cellular metabolism to increase mitochondrial respiration and restrain cell death commitment. As the inner mitochondrial membrane (IMM) is sub-organellar site of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), and the outer mitochondrial membrane (OMM) is the major site of anti-apoptotic BCL-2 protein function, we hypothesized that suppressing these critical mitochondrial membrane functions would be a rational approach to maximize the pro-apoptotic effect of MAPK inhibition. Here, we demonstrate that disruption of OXPHOS with the mitochondria-specific protonophore BAM15 promotes the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis only when oncogenic MAPK signaling is inhibited. Based on RNA-sequencing analyses of nevi and primary melanoma samples, increased pro-apoptotic BCL-2 family expression positively correlates with high-risk disease suggesting a highly active anti-apoptotic BCL-2 protein repertoire likely contributes to worse outcome. Indeed, combined inhibition of the anti-apoptotic BCL-2 repertoire with BH3-mimetics, OXPHOS, and oncogenic MAPK signaling induces fulminant apoptosis and eliminates clonogenic survival. Altogether, these data suggest that dual suppression of IMM and OMM functions may unleash the normally inadequate pro-apoptotic effects of oncogenic MAPK inhibition to eradicate cancer cells, thus preventing the development of resistant disease, and ultimately, supporting long-term remission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madhavika N Serasinghe
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, NY, 10029, USA.,The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, NY, 10029, USA.,Department of Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Jesse D Gelles
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, NY, 10029, USA.,The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, NY, 10029, USA.,The Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Kent Li
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Lauren Zhao
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Franco Abbate
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, NY, 10029, USA.,Department of Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, NY, 10029, USA.,Department of Pathology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Marie Syku
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Jarvier N Mohammed
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, NY, 10029, USA.,The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Brateil Badal
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, NY, 10029, USA.,The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, NY, 10029, USA.,Department of Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, NY, 10029, USA.,The Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Cuahutlehuanitzin A Rangel
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Kyle L Hoehn
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Julide Tok Celebi
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, NY, 10029, USA.,The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, NY, 10029, USA.,Department of Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, NY, 10029, USA.,Department of Pathology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Jerry Edward Chipuk
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, NY, 10029, USA. .,The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, NY, 10029, USA. .,Department of Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, NY, 10029, USA. .,The Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, NY, 10029, USA. .,The Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
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10
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Al-Qatati A, Aliwaini S. Combined pitavastatin and dacarbazine treatment activates apoptosis and autophagy resulting in synergistic cytotoxicity in melanoma cells. Oncol Lett 2017; 14:7993-7999. [PMID: 29344241 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2017.7189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2016] [Accepted: 09/01/2017] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Melanoma is an aggressive skin cancer and its incidence is increasing faster than any other type of cancer. Whilst dacarbazine (DTIC) is the standard chemotherapy for metastatic melanoma, it has limited success. Statins, including pitavastatin, have been demonstrated to have a range of anti-cancer effects in a number of human cancer cell lines. The present study therefore explored the anti-cancer activity of combined DTIC and pitavastatin in A375 and WM115 human melanoma cells. Cell survival assays demonstrated that combined DTIC and pitavastatin treatment resulted in synergistic cell death. Cell cycle analyses further revealed that this combined treatment resulted in a G1 cell cycle arrest, as well as a sub-G1 population, indicative of apoptosis. Activation of apoptosis was confirmed by Annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate/propidium iodide double-staining and an increase in the levels of active caspase 3 and cleaved poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that apoptosis occurs through the intrinsic pathway, evident from the release of cytochrome c. Finally, combined DTIC and pitavastatin treatment was demonstrated to also activate autophagy as part of a cell death mechanism. The present study provides novel evidence to suggest that the combined treatment of DTIC and pitavastatin may be effective in the treatment of melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abeer Al-Qatati
- Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Al-Azhar University, Gaza 1277, Palestine
| | - Saeb Aliwaini
- Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Faculty of Sciences, Islamic University of Gaza, Gaza 108, Palestine
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11
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Mahmoud F, Shields B, Makhoul I, Avaritt N, Wong HK, Hutchins LF, Shalin S, Tackett AJ. Immune surveillance in melanoma: From immune attack to melanoma escape and even counterattack. Cancer Biol Ther 2017; 18:451-469. [PMID: 28513269 DOI: 10.1080/15384047.2017.1323596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Pharmacologic inhibition of the cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA4) and the programmed death receptor-1 (PD1) has resulted in unprecedented durable responses in metastatic melanoma. However, resistance to immunotherapy remains a major challenge. Effective immune surveillance against melanoma requires 4 essential steps: activation of the T lymphocytes, homing of the activated T lymphocytes to the melanoma microenvironment, identification and episode of melanoma cells by activated T lymphocytes, and the sensitivity of melanoma cells to apoptosis. At each of these steps, there are multiple factors that may interfere with the immune surveillance machinery, thus allowing melanoma cells to escape immune attack and develop resistance to immunotherapy. We provide a comprehensive review of the complex immune surveillance mechanisms at play in melanoma, and a detailed discussion of how these mechanisms may allow for the development of intrinsic or acquired resistance to immunotherapeutic modalities, and potential avenues for overcoming this resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fade Mahmoud
- a Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology , University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences , Little Rock , Arkansas , USA
| | - Bradley Shields
- b Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology , University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences , Little Rock , Arkansas , USA
| | - Issam Makhoul
- a Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology , University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences , Little Rock , Arkansas , USA
| | - Nathan Avaritt
- b Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology , University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences , Little Rock , Arkansas , USA
| | - Henry K Wong
- c Department of Dermatology , University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences , Little Rock , Arkansas , USA
| | - Laura F Hutchins
- a Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology , University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences , Little Rock , Arkansas , USA
| | - Sara Shalin
- d Departments of Pathology and Dermatology , University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences , Little Rock , Arkansas , USA
| | - Alan J Tackett
- b Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology , University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences , Little Rock , Arkansas , USA
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12
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Werthmöller N, Frey B, Rückert M, Lotter M, Fietkau R, Gaipl US. Combination of ionising radiation with hyperthermia increases the immunogenic potential of B16-F10 melanoma cells in vitro and in vivo. Int J Hyperthermia 2016; 32:23-30. [DOI: 10.3109/02656736.2015.1106011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
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13
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Chipuk JE. BCL-2 proteins: melanoma lives on the edge. Oncoscience 2015; 2:729-30. [PMID: 26501069 PMCID: PMC4605997 DOI: 10.18632/oncoscience.193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2015] [Accepted: 08/02/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jerry Edward Chipuk
- Department of Oncological Sciences, The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
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14
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Wang Q, Sun Y, Zhang Z, Duan Y. Targeted polymeric therapeutic nanoparticles: Design and interactions with hepatocellular carcinoma. Biomaterials 2015; 56:229-40. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2015.03.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2014] [Revised: 03/26/2015] [Accepted: 03/27/2015] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
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15
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Modulation of radiochemoimmunotherapy-induced B16 melanoma cell death by the pan-caspase inhibitor zVAD-fmk induces anti-tumor immunity in a HMGB1-, nucleotide- and T-cell-dependent manner. Cell Death Dis 2015; 6:e1761. [PMID: 25973681 PMCID: PMC4669707 DOI: 10.1038/cddis.2015.129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2014] [Revised: 03/17/2015] [Accepted: 04/06/2015] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
One prerequisite that radiotherapy (RT) and chemotherapy (CT) result in anti-tumor immune responses is triggering of immunogenic cell death forms such as necroptosis. The latter is inducible by inhibition of apoptosis with the pan-caspase inhibitor zVAD-fmk. The design of multimodal therapies that overcome melanoma's resistance to apoptosis is a big challenge of oncoimmunology. As hints exist that immune stimulation by hyperthermia (HT) augments the efficacy of melanoma therapies and that tumors can be sensitized for RT with zVAD-fmk, we asked whether combinations of RT with dacarbazine (DTIC) and/or HT induce immunogenic melanoma cell death and how this is especially influenced by zVAD-fmk. Necroptosis was inducible in poorly immunogenic B16-F10 melanoma cells and zVAD-fmk generally increased melanoma cell necrosis concomitantly with the release of HMGB1. Supernatants (SNs) of melanoma cells whose cell death was modulated with zVAD-fmk induced an upregulation of the activation markers CD86 and MHCII on macrophages. The same was seen on dendritic cells (DCs), but only when zVAD-fmk was added to multimodal tumor treatments including DTIC. DCs of MyD88 KO mice and DCs incubated with SNs containing apyrase did not increase the expression of these activation markers on their surface. The in vivo experiments revealed that zVAD-fmk decreases the tumor growth significantly and results in a significantly reduced tumor infiltration of Tregs when added to multimodal treatment of the tumor with RT, DTIC and HT. Further, a significantly increased DC and CD8+ T-cell infiltration into the tumor and in the draining lymph nodes was induced, as well as an increased expression of IFNγ by CD8+ T cells. However, zVAD-fmk did not further reduce tumor growth in MyD88 KO mice, mice treated with apyrase or RAG KO mice. We conclude that HMGB1, nucleotides and CD8+ T cells mediate zVAD-fmk induced anti-melanoma immune reactions in multimodal therapy settings.
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16
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Hardy KM, Strizzi L, Margaryan NV, Gupta K, Murphy GF, Scolyer RA, Hendrix MJC. Targeting nodal in conjunction with dacarbazine induces synergistic anticancer effects in metastatic melanoma. Mol Cancer Res 2015; 13:670-80. [PMID: 25767211 DOI: 10.1158/1541-7786.mcr-14-0077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2014] [Accepted: 01/05/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Metastatic melanoma is a highly aggressive skin cancer with a poor prognosis. Despite a complete response in fewer than 5% of patients, the chemotherapeutic agent dacarbazine (DTIC) remains the reference drug after almost 40 years. More recently, FDA-approved drugs have shown promise but patient outcome remains modest, predominantly due to drug resistance. As such, combinatorial targeting has received increased attention, and will advance with the identification of new molecular targets. One attractive target for improving melanoma therapy is the growth factor Nodal, whose normal expression is largely restricted to embryonic development, but is reactivated in metastatic melanoma. In this study, we sought to determine how Nodal-positive human melanoma cells respond to DTIC treatment and to ascertain whether targeting Nodal in combination with DTIC would be more effective than monotherapy. A single treatment with DTIC inhibited cell growth but did not induce apoptosis. Rather than reducing Nodal expression, DTIC increased the size of the Nodal-positive subpopulation, an observation coincident with increased cellular invasion. Importantly, clinical tissue specimens from patients with melanomas refractory to DTIC therapy stained positive for Nodal expression, both in pre- and post-DTIC tumors, underscoring the value of targeting Nodal. In vitro, anti-Nodal antibodies alone had some adverse effects on proliferation and apoptosis, but combining DTIC treatment with anti-Nodal antibodies decreased cell growth and increased apoptosis synergistically, at concentrations incapable of producing meaningful effects as monotherapy. IMPLICATIONS Targeting Nodal in combination with DTIC therapy holds promise for the treatment of metastatic melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharine M Hardy
- Program in Cancer Biology and Epigenomics, Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Luigi Strizzi
- Program in Cancer Biology and Epigenomics, Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Naira V Margaryan
- Program in Cancer Biology and Epigenomics, Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Kanika Gupta
- Program in Cancer Biology and Epigenomics, Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois. Howard Hughes Medical Institute NU Bioscientist Program, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
| | - George F Murphy
- Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Richard A Scolyer
- Melanoma Institute Australia; Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney; and Department of Tissue Pathology and Diagnostic Oncology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Mary J C Hendrix
- Program in Cancer Biology and Epigenomics, Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois.
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17
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Serasinghe MN, Missert DJ, Asciolla JJ, Wieder SY, Podgrabinska S, Izadmehr S, Belbin G, Skobe M, Chipuk JE. Anti-apoptotic BCL-2 proteins govern cellular outcome following B-RAF(V600E) inhibition and can be targeted to reduce resistance. Oncogene 2015; 34:857-67. [PMID: 24608435 PMCID: PMC4160434 DOI: 10.1038/onc.2014.21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2013] [Revised: 01/08/2014] [Accepted: 01/23/2014] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
In theory, pharmacological inhibition of oncogenic signaling is an effective strategy to halt cellular proliferation, induce apoptosis and eliminate cancer cells. In practice, drugs (for example, PLX-4032) that inhibit oncogenes like B-RAFV600E provide relatively short-term success in patients, owing to a combination of incomplete cellular responses and the development of resistance. To define the relationship between PLX-4032-induced responses and resistance, we interrogated the contributions of anti-apoptotic BCL-2 proteins in determining the fate of B-RAFV600E-inhibited melanoma cells. Although PLX-4032 eliminated B-RAFV600E signaling leading to marked cell cycle arrest, only a fraction of cells eventually underwent apoptosis. These data proposed two hypotheses regarding B-RAFV600E inhibition: (1) only a few cells generate a pro-apoptotic signal, or (2) all the cells generate a pro-apoptotic signal but the majority silences this pathway to ensure survival. Indeed, the latter hypothesis is supported by our observations as the addition of ABT-737, an inhibitor to anti-apoptotic BCL-2 proteins, revealed massive apoptosis following PLX-4032 exposure. B-RAFV600E inhibition alone sensitized cells to the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis characterized by the rapid accumulation of BIM on the outer mitochondrial membrane, which could be functionally revealed by ABT-737 to promote apoptosis and loss of clonogenic survival. Furthermore, PLX-4032-resistant cells demonstrated collateral resistance to conventional chemotherapy, yet could be re-sensitized to PLX-4032 by BCL-2 family inhibition in vivo and conventional chemotherapies in vitro. Our data suggest that inhibiting anti-apoptotic BCL-2 proteins will enhance primary responses to PLX-4032, along with reducing the development of resistance to both targeted and conventional therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madhavika N. Serasinghe
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Department of Oncological Sciences, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, New York 10029 USA
- Department of Dermatology, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, New York 10029 USA
- The Tisch Cancer Institute, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, New York 10029 USA
| | - Derek J. Missert
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Department of Oncological Sciences, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, New York 10029 USA
- Department of Dermatology, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, New York 10029 USA
- The Tisch Cancer Institute, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, New York 10029 USA
- The Graduate School of Biological Sciences, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, New York 10029 USA
| | - James J. Asciolla
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Department of Oncological Sciences, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, New York 10029 USA
- Department of Dermatology, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, New York 10029 USA
- The Tisch Cancer Institute, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, New York 10029 USA
| | - Shira Y. Wieder
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Department of Oncological Sciences, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, New York 10029 USA
- Department of Dermatology, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, New York 10029 USA
- The Tisch Cancer Institute, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, New York 10029 USA
| | - Simona Podgrabinska
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Department of Oncological Sciences, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, New York 10029 USA
- The Tisch Cancer Institute, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, New York 10029 USA
| | - Sudeh Izadmehr
- The Graduate School of Biological Sciences, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, New York 10029 USA
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, New York 10029 USA
| | - Gillian Belbin
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Department of Oncological Sciences, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, New York 10029 USA
- The Graduate School of Biological Sciences, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, New York 10029 USA
| | - Mihaela Skobe
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Department of Oncological Sciences, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, New York 10029 USA
- The Tisch Cancer Institute, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, New York 10029 USA
- The Graduate School of Biological Sciences, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, New York 10029 USA
| | - Jerry E. Chipuk
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Department of Oncological Sciences, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, New York 10029 USA
- Department of Dermatology, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, New York 10029 USA
- The Tisch Cancer Institute, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, New York 10029 USA
- The Graduate School of Biological Sciences, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, New York 10029 USA
- The Metabolism Institute, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1130, New York, New York 10029 USA
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Sun M, Zhao W, Xie Q, Zhan Y, Wu B. Lentinan reduces tumor progression by enhancing gemcitabine chemotherapy in urothelial bladder cancer. Surg Oncol 2014; 24:28-34. [PMID: 25434982 DOI: 10.1016/j.suronc.2014.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2014] [Revised: 10/30/2014] [Accepted: 11/12/2014] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
It has been shown that chemotherapy has limited antitumor activity against advanced urothelial bladder cancer (UBC). Consequently, there is an urgent need to develop effective therapeutic methods for patients with advanced UBC. In the present study, the inhibitory effects of lentinan alone, gemcitabine alone, or lentinan combined with gemcitabine on the proliferation of the UBC cell line, T24, were investigated. The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay, annexin V fluorescein isothiocyanate/propidium iodide staining, and flow cytometry were used to determine the proliferation and apoptosis of T24 cells in each treatment group. Survival-related protein expression was analyzed by western blotting. Increased concentrations of lentinan, or lentinan combined with gemcitabine, positively correlated with decreased T24 cell proliferation. Lentinan combined with gemcitabine chemotherapy significantly inhibited UBC cell proliferation. Gemcitabine has the ability to induce T24 cell apoptosis, and this effect is enhanced when it is combined with lentinan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Sun
- Department of Urology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, 110004, Liaoning Province, PR China
| | - Wenyan Zhao
- Department of General Surgery, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, 110004, Liaoning Province, PR China
| | - Qingpeng Xie
- Department of Urology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, 110004, Liaoning Province, PR China
| | - Yunhong Zhan
- Department of Urology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, 110004, Liaoning Province, PR China
| | - Bin Wu
- Department of Urology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, 110004, Liaoning Province, PR China.
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Shtivelman E, Davies MA, Hwu P, Yang J, Lotem M, Oren M, Flaherty KT, Fisher DE. Pathways and therapeutic targets in melanoma. Oncotarget 2014; 5:1701-52. [PMID: 24743024 PMCID: PMC4039128 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.1892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 164] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2014] [Accepted: 04/07/2014] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
This review aims to summarize the current knowledge of molecular pathways and their clinical relevance in melanoma. Metastatic melanoma was a grim diagnosis, but in recent years tremendous advances have been made in treatments. Chemotherapy provided little benefit in these patients, but development of targeted and new immune approaches made radical changes in prognosis. This would not have happened without remarkable advances in understanding the biology of disease and tremendous progress in the genomic (and other "omics") scale analyses of tumors. The big problems facing the field are no longer focused exclusively on the development of new treatment modalities, though this is a very busy area of clinical research. The focus shifted now to understanding and overcoming resistance to targeted therapies, and understanding the underlying causes of the heterogeneous responses to immune therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Patrick Hwu
- University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - James Yang
- National Cancer Institute, NIH, Washington DC, USA
| | - Michal Lotem
- Hadassah Hebrew University Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Moshe Oren
- The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | | | - David E. Fisher
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, MA, USA
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20
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Mohana-Kumaran N, Hill DS, Allen JD, Haass NK. Targeting the intrinsic apoptosis pathway as a strategy for melanoma therapy. Pigment Cell Melanoma Res 2014; 27:525-39. [PMID: 24655414 DOI: 10.1111/pcmr.12242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2014] [Accepted: 03/17/2014] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Melanoma drug resistance is often attributed to abrogation of the intrinsic apoptosis pathway. Targeting regulators of apoptosis is thus considered a promising approach to sensitizing melanomas to treatment. The development of small-molecule inhibitors that mimic natural antagonists of either antiapoptotic members of the BCL-2 family or the inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs), known as BH3- or SMAC-mimetics, respectively, are helping us to understand the mechanisms behind apoptotic resistance. Studies using BH3-mimetics indicate that the antiapoptotic BCL-2 protein MCL-1 and its antagonist NOXA are particularly important regulators of BCL-2 family signaling, while SMAC-mimetic studies show that both XIAP and the cIAPs must be targeted to effectively induce apoptosis of cancer cells. Although most solid tumors, including melanoma, are insensitive to these mimetic drugs as single agents, combinations with other therapeutics have yielded promising results, and tests combining them with BRAF-inhibitors, which have already revolutionized melanoma treatment, are a clear priority.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nethia Mohana-Kumaran
- The Centenary Institute, Newtown, NSW, Australia; School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia
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21
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Hartman ML, Czyz M. Anti-apoptotic proteins on guard of melanoma cell survival. Cancer Lett 2013; 331:24-34. [PMID: 23340174 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2013.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2012] [Revised: 12/18/2012] [Accepted: 01/07/2013] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Apoptosis plays a pivotal role in sustaining proper tissue development and homeostasis. Evading apoptosis by cancer cells is a part of their adaption to microenvironment and therapies. Cellular integrity is predominantly maintained by pro-survival members of Bcl-2 family and IAPs. Melanoma cells are characterized by a labile and stage-dependent phenotype. Pro-survival molecules can protect melanoma cells from apoptosis and mediate other processes, thus enhancing aggressive phenotype. The essential role of Bcl-2, Mcl-1, Bcl-X(L), livin, survivin and XIAP was implicated for melanoma, often in a tumor stage-dependent fashion. In this review, the current knowledge of pro-survival machinery in melanoma is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariusz L Hartman
- Department of Molecular Biology of Cancer, Medical University of Lodz, Poland
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