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Solta A, Ernhofer B, Boettiger K, Megyesfalvi Z, Heeke S, Hoda MA, Lang C, Aigner C, Hirsch FR, Schelch K, Döme B. Small cells - big issues: biological implications and preclinical advancements in small cell lung cancer. Mol Cancer 2024; 23:41. [PMID: 38395864 PMCID: PMC10893629 DOI: 10.1186/s12943-024-01953-9] [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] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Current treatment guidelines refer to small cell lung cancer (SCLC), one of the deadliest human malignancies, as a homogeneous disease. Accordingly, SCLC therapy comprises chemoradiation with or without immunotherapy. Meanwhile, recent studies have made significant advances in subclassifying SCLC based on the elevated expression of the transcription factors ASCL1, NEUROD1, and POU2F3, as well as on certain inflammatory characteristics. The role of the transcription regulator YAP1 in defining a unique SCLC subset remains to be established. Although preclinical analyses have described numerous subtype-specific characteristics and vulnerabilities, the so far non-existing clinical subtype distinction may be a contributor to negative clinical trial outcomes. This comprehensive review aims to provide a framework for the development of novel personalized therapeutic approaches by compiling the most recent discoveries achieved by preclinical SCLC research. We highlight the challenges faced due to limited access to patient material as well as the advances accomplished by implementing state-of-the-art models and methodologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Solta
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Büsra Ernhofer
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Kristiina Boettiger
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Zsolt Megyesfalvi
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Semmelweis University and National Institute of Oncology, Budapest, Hungary
- National Koranyi Institute of Pulmonology, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Simon Heeke
- Department of Thoracic Head and Neck Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Mir Alireza Hoda
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Christian Lang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria
- Division of Pulmonology, Department of Medicine II, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Clemens Aigner
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Fred R Hirsch
- Division of Medical Oncology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.
- Center for Thoracic Oncology, Mount Sinai Health System, Tisch Cancer Institute, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Karin Schelch
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria
- Center for Cancer Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Balazs Döme
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria.
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Semmelweis University and National Institute of Oncology, Budapest, Hungary.
- National Koranyi Institute of Pulmonology, Budapest, Hungary.
- Department of Translational Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
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Pham AC, Holstein SA, Borgstahl GE. Structural Insight into Geranylgeranyl Diphosphate Synthase (GGDPS) for Cancer Therapy. Mol Cancer Ther 2024; 23:14-23. [PMID: 37756579 PMCID: PMC10762340 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-23-0358] [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: 06/12/2023] [Revised: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
Geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase (GGDPS), the source of the isoprenoid donor in protein geranylgeranylation reactions, has become an attractive target for anticancer therapy due to the reliance of cancers on geranylgeranylated proteins. Current GGDPS inhibitor development focuses on optimizing the drug-target enzyme interactions of nitrogen-containing bisphosphonate-based drugs. To advance GGDPS inhibitor development, understanding the enzyme structure, active site, and ligand/product interactions is essential. Here we provide a comprehensive structure-focused review of GGDPS. We reviewed available yeast and human GGDPS structures and then used AlphaFold modeling to complete unsolved structural aspects of these models. We delineate the elements of higher-order structure formation, product-substrate binding, the electrostatic surface, and small-molecule inhibitor binding. With the rise of structure-based drug design, the information provided here will serve as a valuable tool for rationally optimizing inhibitor selectivity and effectiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew C. Pham
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska
| | - Sarah A. Holstein
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska
| | - Gloria E.O. Borgstahl
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska
- The Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska
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MicroRNA-874 targets phosphomevalonate kinase and inhibits cancer cell growth via the mevalonate pathway. Sci Rep 2022; 12:18443. [PMID: 36323841 PMCID: PMC9630378 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-23205-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The microRNA (miR) miR-874, a potential tumour suppressor, causes cell death via target gene suppression in various cancer types. Mevalonate pathway inhibition also causes cell death in breast cancer. However, the relationship between the mevalonate pathway and miR-874-induced apoptosis or its association with the tumour suppressor p53 has not been elucidated. We identified phosphomevalonate kinase (PMVK), a key mevalonate pathway enzyme, and sterol regulatory element-binding factor 2 (SREBF2), the master cholesterol biosynthesis regulator, as direct miR‑874 targets. Next-generation sequencing analysis revealed a significant miR-874-mediated downregulation of PMVK and SREBF2 gene expression and p53 pathway enrichment. Luciferase reporter assays showed that miR-874 directly regulated PMVK and SREBF2. miR-874-induced apoptosis was p53 dependent, and single-cell RNA sequencing analysis demonstrated that miR-874 transfection resulted in apoptosis and p53 pathway activation. Downregulation of PMVK expression also caused cell cycle arrest and p53 pathway activation, which was rescued by geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate (GGPP) supplementation. Analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database indicated a negative correlation between miR-874 and PMVK expression and between miR-874 and SREBF2 expression. These findings suggest that miR-874 suppresses the mevalonate pathway by targeting SREBF2 and PMVK, resulting in GGPP depletion, which activates the p53 pathway and promotes cycle arrest or apoptosis.
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Xu B, Muramatsu T, Inazawa J. Suppression of MET Signaling Mediated by Pitavastatin and Capmatinib Inhibits Oral and Esophageal Cancer Cell Growth. Mol Cancer Res 2020; 19:585-597. [PMID: 33443139 DOI: 10.1158/1541-7786.mcr-20-0688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2020] [Revised: 10/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Despite increasing knowledge on oral and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC and ESCC), specific medicines against both have not yet been developed. Here, we aimed to find novel anticancer drugs through functional cell-based screening of an FDA-approved drug library against OSCC and ESCC. Pitavastatin, an HMGCR inhibitor, emerged as an anticancer drug that inhibits tumor growth by downregulating AKT and ERK signals in OSCC and ESCC cells. One of the mechanisms by which pitavastatin inhibits cell growth might be the suppression of MET signaling through immature MET due to dysfunction of the Golgi apparatus. Moreover, the sensitivity of tumor growth to pitavastatin might be correlated with GGPS1 expression levels. In vivo therapeutic models revealed that the combination of pitavastatin with capmatinib, a MET-specific inhibitor, dramatically reduced tumor growth. Our findings suggest that GGPS1 expression could be a biomarker in cancer therapy with pitavastatin, and the combination of pitavastatin with capmatinib might be a promising therapeutic strategy in OSCC and ESCC. IMPLICATIONS: This study provides new insight into the mechanism of pitavastatin as an anticancer drug and suggests that the combination of pitavastatin with capmatinib is a useful therapeutic strategy in OSCC and ESCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Xu
- Department of Molecular Cytogenetics, Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tomoki Muramatsu
- Department of Molecular Cytogenetics, Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), Tokyo, Japan. .,Laboratory for Integrated Research Projects on Intractable Diseases, Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), Tokyo, Japan
| | - Johji Inazawa
- Department of Molecular Cytogenetics, Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), Tokyo, Japan. .,Bioresource Research Center, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), Tokyo, Japan
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Zheng R, Li M, Wang S, Liu Y. Advances of target therapy on NOTCH1 signaling pathway in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Exp Hematol Oncol 2020; 9:31. [PMID: 33292596 PMCID: PMC7664086 DOI: 10.1186/s40164-020-00187-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2020] [Accepted: 11/03/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is one of the hematological malignancies. With the applications of chemotherapy regimens and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, the cure rate of T-ALL has been significantly improved. However, patients with relapsed and refractory T-ALL still lack effective treatment options. Gene mutations play an important role in T-ALL. The NOTCH1 gene mutation is the important one among these genetic mutations. Since the mutation of NOTCH1 gene is considered as a driving oncogene in T-ALL, targeting the NOTCH1 signaling patheway may be an effective option to overcome relapsed and refractory T-ALL. This review mainly summarizes the recent research advances of targeting on NOTCH1 signaling pathway in T-ALL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruyue Zheng
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, China
| | - Menglin Li
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, China
| | - Shujuan Wang
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, China.
| | - Yanfang Liu
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, China.
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