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Li J, Wu Z, Pan Y, Chen Y, Chu J, Cong Y, Fang Q. GNL3L exhibits pro-tumor activities via NF-κB pathway as a poor prognostic factor in acute myeloid leukemia. J Cancer 2024; 15:4072-4080. [PMID: 38947394 PMCID: PMC11212074 DOI: 10.7150/jca.95339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the leukemia with the worst prognosis, and current knowledge of AML pathogenesis and available therapies for AML remain limited. 40% of AML patients exhibit elevated nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) activity, which provides a compelling rationale for targeting the NF-κB pathway in AML. Guanine nucleotide-binding protein-like 3-like protein (GNL3L) is a recently identified pro-oncogene that promotes NF-κB activation in a variety of malignancies. For the first time, we comprehensively examined GNL3L expression in AML, reporting GNL3L as a poor prognostic factor in three independent AML cohorts. GNL3L enhanced RELA activity, activated NF-κB, promoted AML cell proliferation, resisted apoptosis, and encouraged cytarabine resistance in AML. In conclusion, these data suggest a role for GNL3L in the malignant process of AML and as a promising therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji Li
- Department of Hematology, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, China
| | - Zhimin Wu
- Guiyang maternal and child health care hospital, Guiyang Children's Hospital, Guiyang, Guizhou, 550003, China
| | - Yipeng Pan
- Department of Gastroenterology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310020, China
| | - Yi Chen
- Department of Hematology, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, China
- Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, the Clinical Medical Research Center of Breast and Thyroid Tumor in Xinjiang, the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, 830011, China
| | - Junfeng Chu
- Department of Internal Medicine, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University & Henan Cancer Hospital, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450008, China
| | - Yun Cong
- Department of Oncology II, Seventh People's Hospital of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200137, China
| | - Qingliang Fang
- Radiation Oncology Department, Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200032, China
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2
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Alaa Eldeen M, Mamdouh F, Abdulsahib WK, Eid RA, Alhanshani AA, Shati AA, Alqahtani YA, Alshehri MA, Samir A. Zaki M, Soltan MA, Noreldin AE. Oncogenic Potential of Replication Factor C Subunit 4: Correlations with Tumor Progression and Assessment of Potential Inhibitors. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2024; 17:152. [PMID: 38399367 PMCID: PMC10891693 DOI: 10.3390/ph17020152] [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: 12/10/2023] [Revised: 01/01/2024] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Replication Factor C Subunit 4 (RFC4), an oncogene implicated in many human cancers, has yet to be extensively studied in many cancer types to determine its expression patterns and tumor tissue function. Various bioinformatics tools were used to analyze RFC4 as a potential oncogene and therapeutic target across many cancers. We first examined RFC4 expression levels in several human tumor types to determine relationships with tumor grade, stage, metastasis, and patient survival. We also examined RFC4's genetic changes, epigenetic methylation, and effect on tumor microenvironment (TME) immune cell infiltration. We also analyzed RFC4's connections with immunological checkpoints to identify potential molecular pathways involved in carcinogenesis. Our findings show that RFC4 is upregulated in several tumor types and associated with poor prognoses in many human cancers. This study shows that RFC4 significantly affects the tumor immunological microenvironment, specifically immune cell populations. Finally, we screened for RFC4-inhibiting pharmacological compounds with anti-cancer potential. This study fully elucidates RFC4's carcinogenic activities, emphasizing its potential as a prognostic biomarker and a target for anti-cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Alaa Eldeen
- Cell Biology, Histology & Genetics Division, Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44519, Egypt
| | - Farag Mamdouh
- Biotechnology Division, Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Benha University, Al Qalyubia Governorate, Banha 13511, Egypt;
| | - Waleed K. Abdulsahib
- Pharmacology and Toxicology Department, College of Pharmacy, Al Farahidi University, Baghdad 00965, Iraq
| | - Refaat A. Eid
- Pathology Department, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha P.O. Box 62529, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Ahmad A. Alhanshani
- Department of Child Health, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha P.O. Box 62529, Saudi Arabia (A.A.S.); (Y.A.A.); (M.A.A.)
| | - Ayed A. Shati
- Department of Child Health, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha P.O. Box 62529, Saudi Arabia (A.A.S.); (Y.A.A.); (M.A.A.)
| | - Youssef A. Alqahtani
- Department of Child Health, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha P.O. Box 62529, Saudi Arabia (A.A.S.); (Y.A.A.); (M.A.A.)
| | - Mohammed A. Alshehri
- Department of Child Health, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha P.O. Box 62529, Saudi Arabia (A.A.S.); (Y.A.A.); (M.A.A.)
| | - Mohamed Samir A. Zaki
- Anatomy Department, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha P.O. Box 62529, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohamed A. Soltan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Sinai University, Ismailia 41611, Egypt;
| | - Ahmed E. Noreldin
- Department of Histology and Cytology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Damanhour University, Damanhour 22511, Egypt
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Damiani D, Tiribelli M. ATP-Binding Cassette Subfamily G Member 2 in Acute Myeloid Leukemia: A New Molecular Target? Biomedicines 2024; 12:111. [PMID: 38255216 PMCID: PMC10813371 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12010111] [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: 11/20/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Despite the progress in the knowledge of disease pathogenesis and the identification of many molecular markers as potential targets of new therapies, the cure of acute myeloid leukemia remains challenging. Disease recurrence after an initial response and the development of resistance to old and new therapies account for the poor survival rate and still make allogeneic stem cell transplantation the only curative option. Multidrug resistance (MDR) is a multifactorial phenomenon resulting from host-related characteristics and leukemia factors. Among these, the overexpression of membrane drug transporter proteins belonging to the ABC (ATP-Binding Cassette)-protein superfamily, which diverts drugs from their cellular targets, plays an important role. Moreover, a better understanding of leukemia biology has highlighted that, at least in cancer, ABC protein's role goes beyond simple drug transport and affects many other cell functions. In this paper, we summarized the current knowledge of ABCG2 (formerly Breast Cancer Resistance Protein, BCRP) in acute myeloid leukemia and discuss the potential ways to overcome its efflux function and to revert its ability to confer stemness to leukemia cells, favoring the persistence of leukemia progenitors in the bone marrow niche and justifying relapse also after therapy intensification with allogeneic stem cell transplantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Damiani
- Division of Hematology and Stem Cell Transplantation, Udine Hospital, 33100 Udine, Italy;
- Department of Medicine, Udine University, 33100 Udine, Italy
| | - Mario Tiribelli
- Division of Hematology and Stem Cell Transplantation, Udine Hospital, 33100 Udine, Italy;
- Department of Medicine, Udine University, 33100 Udine, Italy
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4
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Zhang H, Sun C, Sun Q, Li Y, Zhou C, Sun C. Susceptibility of acute myeloid leukemia cells to ferroptosis and evasion strategies. Front Mol Biosci 2023; 10:1275774. [PMID: 37818101 PMCID: PMC10561097 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2023.1275774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a highly aggressive hematologic malignancy with a 5-year survival rate of less than 30%. Continuous updating of diagnostic and therapeutic strategies has not been effective in improving the clinical benefit of AML. AML cells are prone to iron metabolism imbalance due to their unique pathological characteristics, and ferroptosis is a novel cell death mode that is dominated by three cellular biological processes: iron metabolism, oxidative stress and lipid metabolism. An in-depth exploration of the unique ferroptosis mechanism in AML can provide new insights for the diagnosis and treatment of this disease. This study summarizes recent studies on ferroptosis in AML cells and suggests that the metabolic characteristics, gene mutation patterns, and dependence on mitochondria of AML cells greatly increase their susceptibility to ferroptosis. In addition, this study suggests that AML cells can establish a variety of strategies to evade ferroptosis to maintain their survival during the process of occurrence and development, and summarizes the related drugs targeting ferroptosis pathway in AML treatment, which provides development directions for the subsequent mechanism research and clinical treatment of AML.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanyun Zhang
- College of First Clinical Medicine, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
| | - Chunjie Sun
- College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
| | - Qi Sun
- College of First Clinical Medicine, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
| | - Ye Li
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine and Faculty of Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau, China
| | - Chao Zhou
- Department of Oncology, Weifang Traditional Chinese Hospital, Weifang, China
| | - Changgang Sun
- Department of Oncology, Weifang Traditional Chinese Hospital, Weifang, China
- College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Weifang Medical University, Weifang, China
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Lin L, Wu Q, Lu F, Lei J, Zhou Y, Liu Y, Zhu N, Yu Y, Ning Z, She T, Hu M. Nrf2 signaling pathway: current status and potential therapeutic targetable role in human cancers. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1184079. [PMID: 37810967 PMCID: PMC10559910 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1184079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer is a borderless global health challenge that continues to threaten human health. Studies have found that oxidative stress (OS) is often associated with the etiology of many diseases, especially the aging process and cancer. Involved in the OS reaction as a key transcription factor, Nrf2 is a pivotal regulator of cellular redox state and detoxification. Nrf2 can prevent oxidative damage by regulating gene expression with antioxidant response elements (ARE) to promote the antioxidant response process. OS is generated with an imbalance in the redox state and promotes the accumulation of mutations and genome instability, thus associated with the establishment and development of different cancers. Nrf2 activation regulates a plethora of processes inducing cellular proliferation, differentiation and death, and is strongly associated with OS-mediated cancer. What's more, Nrf2 activation is also involved in anti-inflammatory effects and metabolic disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, and multidrug resistance. Nrf2 is highly expressed in multiple human body parts of digestive system, respiratory system, reproductive system and nervous system. In oncology research, Nrf2 has emerged as a promising therapeutic target. Therefore, certain natural compounds and drugs can exert anti-cancer effects through the Nrf2 signaling pathway, and blocking the Nrf2 signaling pathway can reduce some types of tumor recurrence rates and increase sensitivity to chemotherapy. However, Nrf2's dual role and controversial impact in cancer are inevitable consideration factors when treating Nrf2 as a therapeutic target. In this review, we summarized the current state of biological characteristics of Nrf2 and its dual role and development mechanism in different tumor cells, discussed Keap1/Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway and its downstream genes, elaborated the expression of related signaling pathways such as AMPK/mTOR and NF-κB. Besides, the main mechanism of Nrf2 as a cancer therapeutic target and the therapeutic strategies using Nrf2 inhibitors or activators, as well as the possible positive and negative effects of Nrf2 activation were also reviewed. It can be concluded that Nrf2 is related to OS and serves as an important factor in cancer formation and development, thus provides a basis for targeted therapy in human cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Lin
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Related Diseases and One Health, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xianning Medical College, Hubei University of Science and Technology, Xianning, China
| | - Qing Wu
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Related Diseases and One Health, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xianning Medical College, Hubei University of Science and Technology, Xianning, China
| | - Feifei Lu
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Related Diseases and One Health, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xianning Medical College, Hubei University of Science and Technology, Xianning, China
| | - Jiaming Lei
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Related Diseases and One Health, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xianning Medical College, Hubei University of Science and Technology, Xianning, China
| | - Yanhong Zhou
- Department of Medical School of Facial Features, Xianning Medical College, Hubei University of Science and Technology, Xianning, China
| | - Yifei Liu
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Xianning Medical College, Hubei University of Science and Technology, Xianning, China
| | - Ni Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Related Diseases and One Health, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xianning Medical College, Hubei University of Science and Technology, Xianning, China
| | - You Yu
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Related Diseases and One Health, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xianning Medical College, Hubei University of Science and Technology, Xianning, China
| | - Zhifeng Ning
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Related Diseases and One Health, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xianning Medical College, Hubei University of Science and Technology, Xianning, China
| | - Tonghui She
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Related Diseases and One Health, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xianning Medical College, Hubei University of Science and Technology, Xianning, China
| | - Meichun Hu
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Related Diseases and One Health, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xianning Medical College, Hubei University of Science and Technology, Xianning, China
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Jiang H, Zuo J, Li B, Chen R, Luo K, Xiang X, Lu S, Huang C, Liu L, Tang J, Gao F. Drug-induced oxidative stress in cancer treatments: Angel or devil? Redox Biol 2023; 63:102754. [PMID: 37224697 DOI: 10.1016/j.redox.2023.102754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Revised: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Oxidative stress (OS), defined as redox imbalance in favor of oxidant burden, is one of the most significant biological events in cancer progression. Cancer cells generally represent a higher oxidant level, which suggests a dual therapeutic strategy by regulating redox status (i.e., pro-oxidant therapy and/or antioxidant therapy). Indeed, pro-oxidant therapy exhibits a great anti-cancer capability, attributing to a higher oxidant accumulation within cancer cells, whereas antioxidant therapy to restore redox homeostasis has been claimed to fail in several clinical practices. Targeting the redox vulnerability of cancer cells by pro-oxidants capable of generating excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) has surfaced as an important anti-cancer strategy. However, multiple adverse effects caused by the indiscriminate attacks of uncontrolled drug-induced OS on normal tissues and the drug-tolerant capacity of some certain cancer cells greatly limit their further applications. Herein, we review several representative oxidative anti-cancer drugs and summarize their side effects on normal tissues and organs, emphasizing that seeking a balance between pro-oxidant therapy and oxidative damage is of great value in exploiting next-generation OS-based anti-cancer chemotherapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Jiang
- The First Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315020, China
| | - Jing Zuo
- Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Bowen Li
- Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Rui Chen
- The First Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315020, China
| | - Kangjia Luo
- The First Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315020, China
| | - Xionghua Xiang
- The First Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315020, China
| | - Shuaijun Lu
- The First Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315020, China
| | - Canhua Huang
- Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Lin Liu
- Ningbo Women & Children's Hospital, Ningbo, 315012, China.
| | - Jing Tang
- Department of Radiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
| | - Feng Gao
- The First Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315020, China.
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