HGFK1 inhibits bone metastasis in breast cancer through the TAK1/p38 MAPK signaling pathway

Combination of Peglated-H1/HGFK1 Nanoparticles and TAE in the Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Transarterial embolization (TAE) constitutes the gold standard for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. The effect of combination of TAE and peglated-H1/HGFK1 nanoparticles was explored on hepatocellular carcinoma. MTT and Annexin V-FITC were used to determine the cell viability and apoptosis of HepG2, ml-1, LO2, and VX2 cells after the treatment of HGFK1. Next, the orthotopic rabbit was selected to establish the in situ models of VX2 hepatocellular carcinoma. Nanoparticles were synthesized with peglated-PH1 and used to deliver HGFK1 overexpressing plasmids. MRI was performed to monitor tumor volume after being treated with TAE. The protein expression levels of CD31, CD90, and Ki67 were determined by immunohistochemistry. H&E and TUNEL staining were used to determine the necrosis and apoptosis in vivo. HGFK1 significantly inhibited the proliferation and increased the apoptosis of HepG2 and ml-1 cells (P < 0.05). MRI on 14 days after modeling suggested that the tumor showed ring enhancement. MRI on 7 days and 14 days after interventional therapy showed that tumor volume was significantly inhibited after the treatment with TAE and HGFK1 (P < 0.05). The immunohistochemical results 7 days after interventional therapy indicated that the expressions of CD31, CD90, and Ki67 were significantly lower after treatment with TAE and HGFK1 (P < 0.05). TAE and HGFK1 all extended the survival period of rabbits (P < 0.05). PH1/HGFK1 nanoparticle is an innovative and effective embolic agent, which could limit angiogenesis post-TAE treatment. The combination of TAE with PH1/HGFK1 is a promising strategy and might alter the way that surgeons manage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Adding recombinant AAVs to the cancer therapeutics mix

Gene therapy is a powerful biological tool that is reshaping therapeutic landscapes for several diseases. Researchers are using both non-viral and viral-based gene therapy methods with success in the lab and the clinic. In the cancer biology field, gene therapies are expanding treatment options and the possibility of favorable outcomes for patients. While cellular immunotherapies and oncolytic virotherapies have paved the way in cancer treatments based on genetic engineering, recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV), a viral-based module, is also emerging as a potential cancer therapeutic through its malleability, specificity, and broad application to common as well as rare tumor types, tumor microenvironments, and metastatic disease. A wide range of AAV serotypes, promoters, and transgenes have been successful at reducing tumor growth and burden in preclinical studies, suggesting more groundbreaking advances using rAAVs in cancer are on the horizon.

Demethoxycucumin protects MDA-MB-231 cells induced bone destruction through JNK and ERK pathways inhibition

Bone is the most common late metastasis of breast cancer. Bone metastasis causes not only severe bone pain, but also bone-related diseases such as pathological fractures, which are closely related to osteoclasts. The effects of demethoxycurcumin (DMC) on osteoclast biology has not been investigated. In this study, we explored the effects of DMC on MDA-MB-231 cells, MCF-7 cells, and osteoclasts induced by RANKL in vitro, as well as the protective effect on bone destruction of tumor bone metastasis in vivo. DMC showed inhibitory effect on the migration and promotes the apoptosis of MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cells. At the same time, DMC inhibited osteoclast maturation and mature osteoclast bone resorption in a dose-dependent manner, and suppressed the expression of osteoclast marker genes TRAP, CTSK, MMP9, V-ATPase-d2 and DC-STAMP significantly. Biochemical data showed that DMC inhibited tumor cells and osteoclasts by inhibiting the early activation of ERK and JNK MAPK pathway. Consistent with the results in vitro, we confirmed that DMC protects bone destruction caused by tumor metastasis in vivo. In short, our study confirmed that DMC could be used as a potential drug for the treatment of tumor bone destruction.

Targeting MAPK Signaling in Cancer: Mechanisms of Drug Resistance and Sensitivity

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways represent ubiquitous signal transduction pathways that regulate all aspects of life and are frequently altered in disease. Here, we focus on the role of MAPK pathways in modulating drug sensitivity and resistance in cancer. We briefly discuss new findings in the extracellular signaling-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway, but mainly focus on the mechanisms how stress activated MAPK pathways, such as p38 MAPK and the Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK), impact the response of cancer cells to chemotherapies and targeted therapies. In this context, we also discuss the role of metabolic and epigenetic aberrations and new therapeutic opportunities arising from these changes.

Peglated-H1/pHGFK1 nanoparticles enhance anti-tumor effects of sorafenib by inhibition of drug-induced autophagy and stemness in renal cell carcinoma

Background

Tumor targeting small molecular inhibitors are the most popular treatments for many malignant diseases, including cancer. However, the lower clinical response and drug resistance still limit their clinical efficacies. HGFK1, the first kringle domain of hepatocyte growth factor, has been defined as a potent anti-angiogenic factor. Here, we aimed to develop and identify novel nanoparticles—PH1/pHGFK1 as potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

Methods

We produced a novel cationic polymer—PH1 and investigated the anti-tumor activity of PH1/pHGFK1 nanoparticle alone and its combination therapy with sorafenib in RCC cell line xenografted mice model. Then, we figured out its molecular mechanisms in human RCC cell lines in vitro.

Results

We firstly demonstrated that intravenous injection of PH1/pHGFK1 nanoparticles significantly inhibited tumor growth and prolonged the survival time of tumor-bearing mice, as well as synergistically enhanced anti-tumor activities of sorafenib. Furthermore, we elucidated that recombinant HGFK1 improved sorafenib-induced cell apoptosis and arrested cell cycle. In addition, HGFK1 could also decrease sorafenib-induced autophagy and stemness via blockading NF-κB signaling pathway in RCC both in vitro and in vivo.

Conclusions

HGFK1 could inhibit tumor growth, synergistically enhance anti-tumor activities of sorafenib and reverse its drug resistance evolution in RCC. Our results provide rational basis for clinical application of sorafenib and HGFK1 combination therapy in RCC patients.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s13046-019-1348-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Prediction of Bone Metastasis in Breast Cancer Based on Minimal Driver Gene Set in Gene Dependency Network

Bone is the most frequent organ for breast cancer metastasis, and thus it is essential to predict the bone metastasis of breast cancer. In our work, we constructed a gene dependency network based on the hypothesis that the relation between one gene and the risk of bone metastasis might be affected by another gene. Then, based on the structure controllability theory, we mined the driver gene set which can control the whole network in the gene dependency network, and the signature genes were selected from them. Survival analysis showed that the signature could distinguish the bone metastasis risks of cancer patients in the test data set and independent data set. Besides, we used the signature genes to construct a centroid classifier. The results showed that our method is effective and performed better than published methods.

TAK1 mediates microenvironment-triggered autocrine signals and promotes triple-negative breast cancer lung metastasis

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly metastatic subtype of breast cancer that has limited therapeutic options. Thus, developing novel treatments for metastatic TNBC is an urgent need. Here, we show that nanoparticle-mediated delivery of transforming growth factor-β1-activated kinase-1 (TAK1) inhibitor 5Z-7-Oxozeaenol can inhibit TNBC lung metastasis in most animals tested. P38 is a central signal downstream of TAK1 in TNBC cells in TAK1-mediated response to multiple cytokines. Following co-culturing with macrophages or fibroblasts, TNBC cells express interleukin-1 (IL1) or tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα), respectively. Compared to TAK1 inhibition, suppressing IL1 signaling with recombinant IL1 receptor antagonist (IL1RA) is less efficient in reducing lung metastasis, possibly due to the additional TAK1 signals coming from distinct stromal cells. Together, these observations suggest that TAK1 may play a central role in promoting TNBC cell adaptation to the lung microenvironment by facilitating positive feedback signaling mediated by P38. Approaches targeting the key TAK1-P38 signal could offer a novel means for suppressing TNBC lung metastasis.

Therapeutic options for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) metastasis are limited. Here they show nanoparticle-mediated delivery of TAK1 inhibitor 5Z-7-Oxozeaenol to inhibit TNBC lung metastasis in mice, and that TAK1 might promote TNBC cell adaptation in lung microenvironment by positive feedback mediated by P38 signaling.

The Stress Kinase p38α as a Target for Cancer Therapy

p38α is a ubiquitous protein kinase strongly activated by stress signals, inflammatory cytokines, and many other stimuli, which has been implicated in the modulation of multiple cellular processes. There is good evidence in the literature that p38α plays an important tumor-suppressor role by interfering with malignant cell transformation. This is mainly based on the ability of the p38α pathway to regulate tissue homeostasis by integrating signals that balance cell proliferation and differentiation or induce apoptosis. However, recent reports have also illustrated protumorigenic functions for p38α. Thus, p38α signaling may facilitate the survival and proliferation of tumor cells contributing to the progression of some tumor types. In addition, p38α activation helps tumor cells to survive chemotherapeutic treatments. In all these cases, the inhibition of p38α has a potential therapeutic interest. Further elucidation of the context-dependent functions of p38α signaling in tumoral processes is of obvious importance for the use of inhibitors of this pathway in cancer therapy.

Ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme Ubc13 controls breast cancer metastasis through a TAK1-p38 MAP kinase cascade

Metastatic spread is the leading cause of cancer mortality. Breast cancer (BCa) metastatic recurrence can happen years after removal of the primary tumor. Here we show that Ubc13, an E2 enzyme that catalyzes K63-linked protein polyubiquitination, is largely dispensable for primary mammary tumor growth but is required for metastatic spread and lung colonization by BCa cells. Loss of Ubc13 inhibited BCa growth and survival only at metastatic sites. Ubc13 was dispensable for transforming growth factor β (TGFβ)-induced SMAD activation but was required for activation of non-SMAD signaling via TGFβ-activating kinase 1 (TAK1) and p38, whose activity controls expression of numerous metastasis promoting genes. p38 activation restored metastatic activity to Ubc13-deficient cells, and its pharmacological inhibition attenuated BCa metastasis in mice, suggesting it is a therapeutic option for metastatic BCa.

Prevalence and risk factors of bone metastasis and skeletal related events in patients with primary breast cancer in Japan

BACKGROUND

Bone metastasis (BM) is important for studying systemic spread of breast cancer. It often causes skeletal-related events (SREs) that worsen quality of life. We investigated the prevalence and risk factors for BM and SRE using a dataset from the Breast Oncology Research Network (BORN) in Japan.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We collected data on primary breast cancer patients with node-positive or node-negative disease at intermediate to high risk of recurrence. The risk factors affecting the BM-free rate, SRE-free rate and overall survival were analyzed by using the Cox proportional hazard model.

RESULTS

Data of 1,779 patients who were diagnosed with breast cancer during 2003-2005 were collected from the BORN and 1,708 cases were used for analysis. The median follow-up duration was 5.71 years. BM developed in 193 cases (11.3 %) and the BM-free rate at 5 years was 89.2 %. The annual hazard ratio of BM development differs remarkably according to the tumor subtype. SREs occurred in 133 (68.9 %) out of 193 patients and the SRE-free rate at 5 years was 92.6 %. In the multivariate analysis, clinical stage (P < 0.0001), number of lymph node (LN) metastases (P = 0.0029), tumor subtype (P = 0.034) and progesterone receptor status (P = 0.038) were independently significant risk factors for BM-free rate, but only clinical stage (P < 0.0001) and number of LN metastases (P = 0.0004) significantly correlated with SRE-free rate.

CONCLUSIONS

This retrospective study clarifies the prevalence and risk factors for BM and SRE in Japanese breast cancer patients. Our results show the importance of considering subtype in the care of BM and SRE.