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Chang Y, Sui J, Fu Q, Lu Z, Piao Z, Jin T, Zhang M. Mortalin promotes the evolution of androgen-independent prostate cancer through Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Cancer Cell Int 2024; 24:203. [PMID: 38849851 PMCID: PMC11162088 DOI: 10.1186/s12935-024-03345-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Prostate cancer (PC) is a major global health concern affecting male individuals. Among its variants, androgen-independent prostate cancer exhibits slow progression and lacks effective treatment targets, rendering it insensitive to hormone therapy. Recent reports have highlighted the significance of Mortalin, an important oncogene, in tumor migration and invasion through various signaling pathways. Experimental evidence from in-vivo and in-vitro studies indicate upregulated expression of Mortalin in prostate cancer tissues. Moreover, it has been shown to regulate the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process via the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, thereby promoting prostate cancer proliferation and metastasis. These findings suggest that Mortalin may serve as a promising novel immunotherapeutic target for prostate cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Chang
- Department of Health Examination Centre, Affiliated Yanbian University Hospital, Yanji, China
- Department of Pathology and Cancer Research Center, Yanbian University Medical College, Gong Yuan Road No.977, Yanji, 133000, China
- Key Laboratory of the Science and Technology, Department of Jilin Province, Yanji, China
| | - Jinyuan Sui
- Department of Pathology and Cancer Research Center, Yanbian University Medical College, Gong Yuan Road No.977, Yanji, 133000, China
- Key Laboratory of the Science and Technology, Department of Jilin Province, Yanji, China
| | - Qiang Fu
- Department of Ultrasound Medicine, Affiliated Yanbian University Hospital, Yanji, 133000, China
- Department of Pathology and Cancer Research Center, Yanbian University Medical College, Gong Yuan Road No.977, Yanji, 133000, China
- Key Laboratory of the Science and Technology, Department of Jilin Province, Yanji, China
| | - Zhongqi Lu
- Department of Ultrasound Medicine, Affiliated Yanbian University Hospital, Yanji, 133000, China
- Department of Pathology and Cancer Research Center, Yanbian University Medical College, Gong Yuan Road No.977, Yanji, 133000, China
- Key Laboratory of the Science and Technology, Department of Jilin Province, Yanji, China
| | - Zhengri Piao
- Department of Radiology, Affiliated Yanbian University Hospital, Yanji, 133000, China.
| | - Tiefeng Jin
- Department of Pathology and Cancer Research Center, Yanbian University Medical College, Gong Yuan Road No.977, Yanji, 133000, China.
- Key Laboratory of the Science and Technology, Department of Jilin Province, Yanji, China.
| | - Meihua Zhang
- Department of Health Examination Centre, Affiliated Yanbian University Hospital, Yanji, China.
- Department of Ultrasound Medicine, Affiliated Yanbian University Hospital, Yanji, 133000, China.
- Department of Pathology and Cancer Research Center, Yanbian University Medical College, Gong Yuan Road No.977, Yanji, 133000, China.
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Kurtović M, Piteša N, Čonkaš J, Hajpek H, Vučić M, Musani V, Ozretić P, Sabol M. GLI Transcriptional Targets S100A7 and KRT16 Show Upregulated Expression Patterns in Epidermis Overlying the Tumor Mass in Melanoma Samples. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:6084. [PMID: 38892279 PMCID: PMC11172526 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25116084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2024] [Revised: 05/27/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Although not completely understood, the role of the Hedgehog-GLI (HH-GLI) signaling pathway in melanoma and epithelial skin tumors has been reported before. In this study, we confirmed in various melanoma cell line models that keratin 16 (KRT16) and S100 Calcium-Binding Protein A7 (S100A7) are transcriptional targets of GLI Family Zinc Finger (GLI) proteins. Besides their important role in protecting and maintaining the epidermal barrier, keratins are somehow tightly connected with the S100 family of proteins. We found that stronger expression of KRT16 indeed corresponds to stronger expression of S100A7 in our clinical melanoma samples. We also report a trend regarding staining of GLI1, which corresponds to stronger staining of GLI3, KRT16, and S100A7 proteins. The most interesting of our findings is that all the proteins are detected specifically in the epidermis overlying the tumor, but rarely in the tumor itself. The examined proteins were also not detected in the healthy epidermis at the edges of the sample, suggesting that the staining is specific to the epidermis overlaying the tumor mass. Of all proteins, only S100A7 demonstrated a statistically significant trend regarding tumor staging and staining intensity. Results from our clinical samples prove that immune infiltration is an important feature of melanoma. Pigmentophages and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) demonstrate a significant association with tumor stage, while mononuclear cells are equally present in all stages. For S100A7, we found an association between the number of TILs and staining intensity. Considering these new findings presented in our study, we suggest a more detailed examination of the possible role of the S100A7 protein as a biomarker in melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matea Kurtović
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Bijenička cesta 54, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (M.K.); (N.P.); (J.Č.); (H.H.); (V.M.); (P.O.)
| | - Nikolina Piteša
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Bijenička cesta 54, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (M.K.); (N.P.); (J.Č.); (H.H.); (V.M.); (P.O.)
| | - Josipa Čonkaš
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Bijenička cesta 54, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (M.K.); (N.P.); (J.Č.); (H.H.); (V.M.); (P.O.)
| | - Helena Hajpek
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Bijenička cesta 54, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (M.K.); (N.P.); (J.Č.); (H.H.); (V.M.); (P.O.)
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Horvatovac 102a, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Majda Vučić
- Ljudevit Jurak Clinical Department of Pathology and Cytology, Sestre Milosrdnice University Hospital Center, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia;
- Department of Pathology, School of Dental Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Vesna Musani
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Bijenička cesta 54, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (M.K.); (N.P.); (J.Č.); (H.H.); (V.M.); (P.O.)
| | - Petar Ozretić
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Bijenička cesta 54, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (M.K.); (N.P.); (J.Č.); (H.H.); (V.M.); (P.O.)
| | - Maja Sabol
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Bijenička cesta 54, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (M.K.); (N.P.); (J.Č.); (H.H.); (V.M.); (P.O.)
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Tomić A, Čonkaš J, Ozretić P. Let’s Talk about Sex Hormone Receptors and Their Physical Interaction with Sonic Hedgehog Protein: A Computational Study with Emphasis on Progesterone Receptor. APPLIED SCIENCES 2024; 14:562. [DOI: 10.3390/app14020562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
The mature form of the sonic hedgehog protein (SHH-N) is the main canonical activator of the Hedgehog-GLI signaling pathway whose aberrant activity can lead to the development of hormone-dependent cancers like breast or prostate cancer. In this study, we employed computational methods to explore the potential binding of SHH-N with the progesterone receptor (PR), the sole member of the nuclear sex hormone receptor (SHRs) subfamily not previously linked to SHH-N. Through a combination of molecular docking, robust molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, and free energy calculations, we predicted a stable binding between SHH-N-cholesterol and PR. To validate our findings, we extended our in silico investigation to encompass the complexes between SHH-N-cholesterol and estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) and androgen receptor (AR)—complexes that have been experimentally confirmed in our prior studies. The calculations not only confirmed the stable binding of SHH-N-cholesterol with both ERα and AR but also revealed the strongest binding occurred with ERα, followed by AR and PR, suggesting a non-canonical interaction with potential biological significance. Microsecond-long MD simulations unveiled tight cholesterol binding in the SHRs’ binding sites, and we gained insights into sub-molecular interactions contributing to protein-protein stabilization in complexes involving PR and ERα for the first time. The MM/PBSA calculations indicated comparable binding affinities of PR for progesterone and SHH-N-cholesterol, with ERα exhibiting a more favorable enthalpy of binding with SHH-N-cholesterol than with estradiol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonija Tomić
- Division of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Ruder Bošković Institute, Bijenička 54, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Josipa Čonkaš
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Ruder Bošković Institute, Bijenička 54, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Petar Ozretić
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Ruder Bošković Institute, Bijenička 54, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
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Čonkaš J, Sabol M, Ozretić P. 'Toxic Masculinity': What Is Known about the Role of Androgen Receptors in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24043766. [PMID: 36835177 PMCID: PMC9965076 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24043766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Revised: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), the most prevalent cancer in the head and neck region, develops from the mucosal epithelium of the upper aerodigestive tract. Its development directly correlates with alcohol and/or tobacco consumption and infection with human papillomavirus. Interestingly, the relative risk for HNSCC is up to five times higher in males, so it is considered that the endocrine microenvironment is another risk factor. A gender-specific risk for HNSCC suggests either the existence of specific risk factors that affect only males or that females have defensive hormonal and metabolic features. In this review, we summarized the current knowledge about the role of both nuclear and membrane androgen receptors (nAR and mARs, respectively) in HNSCC. As expected, the significance of nAR is much better known; it was shown that increased nAR expression was observed in HNSCC, while treatment with dihydrotestosterone increased proliferation, migration, and invasion of HNSCC cells. For only three out of five currently known mARs-TRPM8, CaV1.2, and OXER1-it was shown either their increased expression in various types of HNSCC or that their increased activity enhanced the migration and invasion of HNSCC cells. The primary treatments for HNSCC are surgery and radiotherapy, but targeted immunotherapies are on the rise. On the other hand, given the evidence of elevated nAR expression in HNSCC, this receptor represents a potential target for antiandrogen therapy. Moreover, there is still plenty of room for further examination of mARs' role in HNSCC diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment.
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Budimir I, Tomasović-Lončarić Č, Kralik K, Čonkaš J, Eljuga D, Žic R, Gorjanc B, Tucaković H, Caktaš D, Jaman J, Lisek V, Vlajčić Z, Martić K, Ozretić P. Higher Expressions of SHH and AR Are Associated with a Positive Receptor Status and Have Impact on Survival in a Cohort of Croatian Breast Cancer Patients. Life (Basel) 2022; 12:life12101559. [PMID: 36294994 PMCID: PMC9605052 DOI: 10.3390/life12101559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2022] [Revised: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Breast cancers (BC) are usually classified into four molecular subtypes according to the expression of estrogen (ER), progesterone (PR), and human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2) receptors and proliferation marker Ki-67. Despite available anti-hormonal therapies and due to the inherent propensity of some subtypes to develop metastasis, there is a permanent need to discover new prognostic and predictive biomarkers, as well as therapeutic targets for BC. In this study, we used immunohistochemical staining to determine the expression of androgen receptor (AR) and sonic hedgehog protein (SHH), the main ligand of the Hedgehog-GLI (HH-GLI) signaling pathway, in 185 archival primary BC tissue samples and correlated it with clinicopathological characteristics, molecular subtypes, receptors statuses, and survival in a cohort of Croatian BC patients. Results showed that higher SHH and AR expressions were associated with positive receptor status, but increased SHH expression had a negative impact on survival in receptor-negative BCs. On the contrary, higher AR expression was mostly protective. However, multivariate analysis showed that only higher AR expression could be considered as an independent prognostic biomarker for poorer overall survival in triple-negative breast cancer patients (TNBC) (HR 10.9, 95% CI 1.43-83.67; p = 0.021), what could be Croatian population-related. SHH could be a potential target for treating TNBCs and HER2-enriched BCs, in cases where HH-GLI signaling is canonical (SHH-dependent).
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Budimir
- Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Dubrava University Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
- Faculty of Medicine Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
| | - Čedna Tomasović-Lončarić
- Clinical Department of Pathology and Cytology, Dubrava University Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Kristina Kralik
- Department of Medical Statistics and Medical Informatics, Faculty of Medicine Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
| | - Josipa Čonkaš
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Ruđer Bošković Institute, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Domagoj Eljuga
- Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Dubrava University Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Libertas International University, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Rado Žic
- Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Dubrava University Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Božo Gorjanc
- Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Dubrava University Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Hrvoje Tucaković
- Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Dubrava University Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Doroteja Caktaš
- Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Dubrava University Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Josip Jaman
- Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Dubrava University Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Valentino Lisek
- Department of Abdominal Surgery, Dubrava University Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Zlatko Vlajčić
- Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Dubrava University Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
- Faculty of Medicine Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
| | - Krešimir Martić
- Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Dubrava University Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
- Correspondence: (K.M.); (P.O.); Tel.: +385-98-752-178 (K.M.); +385-98-659-083 (P.O.)
| | - Petar Ozretić
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Ruđer Bošković Institute, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
- Correspondence: (K.M.); (P.O.); Tel.: +385-98-752-178 (K.M.); +385-98-659-083 (P.O.)
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