1
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Wu CY, Yang YH, Lin YS, Shu LH, Liu HT, Wu YH, Wu YH. Induction of ferroptosis and apoptosis in endometrial cancer cells by dihydroisotanshinone I. Heliyon 2023; 9:e21652. [PMID: 38027826 PMCID: PMC10660028 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e21652] [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: 06/28/2023] [Revised: 08/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Danshen, also known as Salvia miltiorrhiza, is a medicinal herb used in traditional Chinese medicine. Its potential impact on endometrial cancer has not been thoroughly investigated. This study aimed to examine the effect of dihydroisotanshinone I (DT), a compound found in Danshen, on the viability of ARK1 and ARK2 endometrial cancer cells and its mechanisms. The results showed that 10 μM DT inhibited cell viability of ARK1 and ARK2 cells by inducing apoptosis and ferroptosis, which was achieved by blocking the expression of GPX4. In vivo experiments using a xenograft nude mouse model indicated that DT treatment significantly reduced tumor volume without causing any adverse effects. These findings suggest that DT may be a potential therapeutic agent for inhibiting endometrial cancer cell viability, but further research is needed to confirm these results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ching-Yuan Wu
- Department of Chinese Medicine, Chiayi Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan
- School of Chinese Medicine, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan
- Research Center for Chinese Herbal Medicine, College of Human Ecology, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Yao-Hsu Yang
- Department of Chinese Medicine, Chiayi Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan
- School of Chinese Medicine, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Shih Lin
- Department of Pharmacy, Chiayi Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan
| | - Li-Hsin Shu
- Department of Chinese Medicine, Chiayi Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan
| | - Hung-Te Liu
- Department of Chinese Medicine, Chiayi Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Huei Wu
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Chang Gung University, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Heng Wu
- Department of Electrical Engineering, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
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2
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Towards the routine use of in silico screenings for drug discovery using metabolic modelling. Biochem Soc Trans 2021; 48:955-969. [PMID: 32369553 PMCID: PMC7329353 DOI: 10.1042/bst20190867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2020] [Revised: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 04/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Currently, the development of new effective drugs for cancer therapy is not only hindered by development costs, drug efficacy, and drug safety but also by the rapid occurrence of drug resistance in cancer. Hence, new tools are needed to study the underlying mechanisms in cancer. Here, we discuss the current use of metabolic modelling approaches to identify cancer-specific metabolism and find possible new drug targets and drugs for repurposing. Furthermore, we list valuable resources that are needed for the reconstruction of cancer-specific models by integrating various available datasets with genome-scale metabolic reconstructions using model-building algorithms. We also discuss how new drug targets can be determined by using gene essentiality analysis, an in silico method to predict essential genes in a given condition such as cancer and how synthetic lethality studies could greatly benefit cancer patients by suggesting drug combinations with reduced side effects.
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3
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Mikalayeva V, Ceslevičienė I, Sarapinienė I, Žvikas V, Skeberdis VA, Jakštas V, Bordel S. Fatty Acid Synthesis and Degradation Interplay to Regulate the Oxidative Stress in Cancer Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20061348. [PMID: 30889783 PMCID: PMC6471536 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20061348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2019] [Revised: 03/01/2019] [Accepted: 03/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Both cytosolic fatty acid synthesis (FAS) and mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation (FAO) have been shown to play a role in the survival and proliferation of cancer cells. This study aimed to confirm experimentally whether FAS and FAO coexist in breast cancer cells (BCC). By feeding cells with 13C-labeled glutamine and measuring labeling patterns of TCA intermediates, it was possible to show that part of the cytosolic acetyl-CoA used in lipid synthesis is also fed back into the mitochondrion via fatty acid degradation. This results in the transfer of reductive potential from the cytosol (in the form of NADPH) to the mitochondrion (in the form of NADH and FADH2). The hypothesized mechanism was further confirmed by blocking FAS and FAO with siRNAs. Exposure to staurosporine (which induces ROS production) resulted in the disruption of simultaneous FAS and FAO, which could be explained by NADPH depletion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeryia Mikalayeva
- Institute of Cardiology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, LT 44307 Kaunas, Lithuania.
| | - Ieva Ceslevičienė
- Institute of Cardiology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, LT 44307 Kaunas, Lithuania.
| | - Ieva Sarapinienė
- Institute of Cardiology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, LT 44307 Kaunas, Lithuania.
| | - Vaidotas Žvikas
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Technologies, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, LT 44307 Kaunas, Lithuania.
| | | | - Valdas Jakštas
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Technologies, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, LT 44307 Kaunas, Lithuania.
| | - Sergio Bordel
- Institute of Cardiology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, LT 44307 Kaunas, Lithuania.
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4
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Bordel S. Constraint based modeling of metabolism allows finding metabolic cancer hallmarks and identifying personalized therapeutic windows. Oncotarget 2018; 9:19716-19729. [PMID: 29731977 PMCID: PMC5929420 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.24805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2017] [Accepted: 02/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
In order to choose optimal personalized anticancer treatments, transcriptomic data should be analyzed within the frame of biological networks. The best known human biological network (in terms of the interactions between its different components) is metabolism. Cancer cells have been known to have specific metabolic features for a long time and currently there is a growing interest in characterizing new cancer specific metabolic hallmarks. In this article it is presented a method to find personalized therapeutic windows using RNA-seq data and Genome Scale Metabolic Models. This method is implemented in the python library, pyTARG. Our predictions showed that the most anticancer selective (affecting 27 out of 34 considered cancer cell lines and only 1 out of 6 healthy mesenchymal stem cell lines) single metabolic reactions are those involved in cholesterol biosynthesis. Excluding cholesterol biosynthesis, all the considered cell lines can be selectively affected by targeting different combinations (from 1 to 5 reactions) of only 18 metabolic reactions, which suggests that a small subset of drugs or siRNAs combined in patient specific manners could be at the core of metabolism based personalized treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio Bordel
- Institute of Cardiology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, LT- 50162, Kaunas, Lithuania
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5
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Raškevičius V, Mikalayeva V, Antanavičiūtė I, Ceslevičienė I, Skeberdis VA, Kairys V, Bordel S. Genome scale metabolic models as tools for drug design and personalized medicine. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0190636. [PMID: 29304175 PMCID: PMC5755790 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0190636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2017] [Accepted: 12/18/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
In this work we aim to show how Genome Scale Metabolic Models (GSMMs) can be used as tools for drug design. By comparing the chemical structures of human metabolites (obtained using their KEGG indexes) and the compounds contained in the DrugBank database, we have observed that compounds showing Tanimoto scores higher than 0.9 with a metabolite, are 29.5 times more likely to bind the enzymes metabolizing the considered metabolite, than ligands chosen randomly. By using RNA-seq data to constrain a human GSMM it is possible to obtain an estimation of its distribution of metabolic fluxes and to quantify the effects of restraining the rate of chosen metabolic reactions (for example using a drug that inhibits the enzymes catalyzing the mentioned reactions). This method allowed us to predict the differential effects of lipoamide analogs on the proliferation of MCF7 (a breast cancer cell line) and ASM (airway smooth muscle) cells respectively. These differential effects were confirmed experimentally, which provides a proof of concept of how human GSMMs could be used to find therapeutic windows against cancer. By using RNA-seq data of 34 different cancer cell lines and 26 healthy tissues, we assessed the putative anticancer effects of the compounds in DrugBank which are structurally similar to human metabolites. Among other results it was predicted that the mevalonate pathway might constitute a good therapeutic window against cancer proliferation, due to the fact that most cancer cell lines do not express the cholesterol transporter NPC1L1 and the lipoprotein lipase LPL, which makes them rely on the mevalonate pathway to obtain cholesterol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vytautas Raškevičius
- Institute of Cardiology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania
- Department of Bioinformatics, Institute of Biotechnology, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
- * E-mail:
| | - Valeryia Mikalayeva
- Institute of Cardiology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Ieva Antanavičiūtė
- Institute of Cardiology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Ieva Ceslevičienė
- Institute of Cardiology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania
| | | | - Visvaldas Kairys
- Department of Bioinformatics, Institute of Biotechnology, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Sergio Bordel
- Institute of Cardiology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania
- Department Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technology, University of Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain
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6
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Transcriptional hallmarks of cancer cell lines reveal an emerging role of branched chain amino acid catabolism. Sci Rep 2017; 7:7820. [PMID: 28798381 PMCID: PMC5552680 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-08329-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2017] [Accepted: 07/07/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
A comparative analysis between cancer cell lines and healthy dividing cells was performed using data (289 microarrays and 50 RNA-seq samples) from 100 different cancer cell lines and 6 types of healthy stem cells. The analysis revealed two large-scale transcriptional events that characterize cancer cell lines. The first event was a large-scale up-regulation pattern associated to epithelial-mesenchymal transition, putatively driven by the interplay of the SP1 transcription factor and the canonical Wnt signaling pathway; the second event was the failure to overexpress a diverse set of genes coding membrane and extracellular proteins. This failure is putatively caused by a lack of activity of the AP-1 complex. It was also shown that the epithelial-mesenchymal transition was associated with the up-regulation of 5 enzymes involved in the degradation of branched chain amino acids. The suitability of silencing one of this enzymes (branched chain amino acid transaminase 2; BCAT2) with therapeutic effects was tested experimentally on the breast cancer cell line MCF-7 and primary cell culture of breast tumor (BCC), leading to lower cell proliferation. The silencing of BCAT2 did not have any significant effect on ASM and MCF10A cells, which were used as models of healthy dividing cells.
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7
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Wu CY, Cherng JY, Yang YH, Lin CL, Kuan FC, Lin YY, Lin YS, Shu LH, Cheng YC, Liu HT, Lu MC, Lung J, Chen PC, Lin HK, Lee KD, Tsai YH. Danshen improves survival of patients with advanced lung cancer and targeting the relationship between macrophages and lung cancer cells. Oncotarget 2017; 8:90925-90947. [PMID: 29207614 PMCID: PMC5710895 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.18767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2017] [Accepted: 06/10/2017] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
In traditional Chinese medicine, Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge (danshen) is widely used in the treatment of numerous cancers. However, its clinical effort and mechanism in the treatment of advanced lung cancer are unclear. In our study, the in vivo protective effort of danshen in patients with advanced lung cancer were validated using data from the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan. We observed in vitro that dihydroisotanshinone I (DT), a bioactive compound in danshen, exerts anticancer effects through many pathways. First, 10 μM DT substantially inhibited the migration ability of lung cancer cells in both macrophage and macrophage/lung cancer direct mixed coculture media. Second, 10 μM DT repressed the phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), the protein expression of S-phase kinase associated protein-2 (Skp2), and the mRNA levels of STAT3-related genes, including chemokine (C–C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2). In addition, 10 μM DT suppressed the macrophage recruitment ability of lung cancer cells by reducing CCL2 secretion from both macrophages and lung cancer cells. Third, 20 μM DT induced apoptosis in lung cancer cells. Furthermore, DT treatment significantly inhibited the final tumor volume in a xenograft nude mouse model. In conclusion, danshen exerts protective efforts in patients with advanced lung cancer. These effects can be attributed to DT-mediated interruption of the cross talk between lung cancer cells and macrophages and blocking of lung cancer cell proliferation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ching-Yuan Wu
- Department of Chinese Medicine, Chiayi Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan.,School of Chinese medicine, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan
| | - Jong-Yuh Cherng
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, National Chung Cheng University, Taiwan
| | - Yao-Hsu Yang
- Department of Chinese Medicine, Chiayi Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan.,School of Chinese medicine, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan
| | - Chun-Liang Lin
- Departments of Nephrology, Chiayi Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan.,Kidney and Diabetic Complications Research Team (KDCRT), Chiayi Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan
| | - Feng-Che Kuan
- Department of Hematology and oncology, Chiayi Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan
| | - Yin-Yin Lin
- Department of Chinese Medicine, Chiayi Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Shih Lin
- Department of Pharmacy, Chiayi Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan
| | - Li-Hsin Shu
- Department of Chinese Medicine, Chiayi Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Ching Cheng
- Department of Chinese Medicine, Chiayi Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan
| | - Hung Te Liu
- Department of Chinese Medicine, Chiayi Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Chu Lu
- Department of Hematology and oncology, Chiayi Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan
| | - Jthau Lung
- Department of Medical Research and Development, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chiayi branch, Taiwan
| | - Pau-Chung Chen
- Institute of Occupational Medicine and Industrial Hygiene, National Taiwan University College of Public Health, Taipei, Taiwan.,Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Hui Kuan Lin
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.,Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.,Graduate Institute of Basic Medical Science, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.,Department of Biotechnology, Asia University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Kuan-Der Lee
- Department of Hematology and oncology, Chiayi Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan.,Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taiwan
| | - Ying-Huang Tsai
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan, Department of Respiratory Therapy, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.,Chang-Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan
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8
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Sánchez-Martínez R, Cruz-Gil S, Gómez de Cedrón M, Álvarez-Fernández M, Vargas T, Molina S, García B, Herranz J, Moreno-Rubio J, Reglero G, Pérez-Moreno M, Feliu J, Malumbres M, Ramírez de Molina A. A link between lipid metabolism and epithelial-mesenchymal transition provides a target for colon cancer therapy. Oncotarget 2016; 6:38719-36. [PMID: 26451612 PMCID: PMC4770732 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.5340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2015] [Accepted: 09/24/2015] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The alterations in carbohydrate metabolism that fuel tumor growth have been extensively studied. However, other metabolic pathways involved in malignant progression, demand further understanding. Here we describe a metabolic acyl-CoA synthetase/stearoyl-CoA desaturase ACSL/SCD network causing an epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) program that promotes migration and invasion of colon cancer cells. The mesenchymal phenotype produced upon overexpression of these enzymes is reverted through reactivation of AMPK signaling. Furthermore, this network expression correlates with poorer clinical outcome of stage-II colon cancer patients. Finally, combined treatment with chemical inhibitors of ACSL/SCD selectively decreases cancer cell viability without reducing normal cells viability. Thus, ACSL/SCD network stimulates colon cancer progression through conferring increased energetic capacity and invasive and migratory properties to cancer cells, and might represent a new therapeutic opportunity for colon cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth Sánchez-Martínez
- Molecular Oncology and Nutritional Genomics of Cancer Group, IMDEA Food Institute, CEI UAM + CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Silvia Cruz-Gil
- Molecular Oncology and Nutritional Genomics of Cancer Group, IMDEA Food Institute, CEI UAM + CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Marta Gómez de Cedrón
- Molecular Oncology and Nutritional Genomics of Cancer Group, IMDEA Food Institute, CEI UAM + CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Teodoro Vargas
- Molecular Oncology and Nutritional Genomics of Cancer Group, IMDEA Food Institute, CEI UAM + CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Susana Molina
- Molecular Oncology and Nutritional Genomics of Cancer Group, IMDEA Food Institute, CEI UAM + CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Belén García
- Molecular Oncology and Nutritional Genomics of Cancer Group, IMDEA Food Institute, CEI UAM + CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jesús Herranz
- Biostatistics Unit, IMDEA Food Institute, CEI UAM+CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan Moreno-Rubio
- Medical Oncology, La Paz University Hospital (IdiPAZ-UAM), Madrid, Spain.,Precision Oncology Laboratory (POL), Infanta Sofía University Hospital, Madrid, Spain
| | - Guillermo Reglero
- Molecular Oncology and Nutritional Genomics of Cancer Group, IMDEA Food Institute, CEI UAM + CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Mirna Pérez-Moreno
- Epithelial Cell Biology Group, Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Madrid, Spain
| | - Jaime Feliu
- Medical Oncology, La Paz University Hospital (IdiPAZ-UAM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Marcos Malumbres
- Cell Division and Cancer Group, Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Madrid, Spain
| | - Ana Ramírez de Molina
- Molecular Oncology and Nutritional Genomics of Cancer Group, IMDEA Food Institute, CEI UAM + CSIC, Madrid, Spain
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9
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Utilizing Regulatory Networks for Pluripotency Assessment in Stem Cells. CURRENT STEM CELL REPORTS 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s40778-016-0054-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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10
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Bhuvaneshwar K, Belouali A, Singh V, Johnson RM, Song L, Alaoui A, Harris MA, Clarke R, Weiner LM, Gusev Y, Madhavan S. G-DOC Plus - an integrative bioinformatics platform for precision medicine. BMC Bioinformatics 2016; 17:193. [PMID: 27130330 PMCID: PMC4851789 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-016-1010-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2015] [Accepted: 04/04/2016] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND G-DOC Plus is a data integration and bioinformatics platform that uses cloud computing and other advanced computational tools to handle a variety of biomedical BIG DATA including gene expression arrays, NGS and medical images so that they can be analyzed in the full context of other omics and clinical information. RESULTS G-DOC Plus currently holds data from over 10,000 patients selected from private and public resources including Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the recently added datasets from REpository for Molecular BRAin Neoplasia DaTa (REMBRANDT), caArray studies of lung and colon cancer, ImmPort and the 1000 genomes data sets. The system allows researchers to explore clinical-omic data one sample at a time, as a cohort of samples; or at the level of population, providing the user with a comprehensive view of the data. G-DOC Plus tools have been leveraged in cancer and non-cancer studies for hypothesis generation and validation; biomarker discovery and multi-omics analysis, to explore somatic mutations and cancer MRI images; as well as for training and graduate education in bioinformatics, data and computational sciences. Several of these use cases are described in this paper to demonstrate its multifaceted usability. CONCLUSION G-DOC Plus can be used to support a variety of user groups in multiple domains to enable hypothesis generation for precision medicine research. The long-term vision of G-DOC Plus is to extend this translational bioinformatics platform to stay current with emerging omics technologies and analysis methods to continue supporting novel hypothesis generation, analysis and validation for integrative biomedical research. By integrating several aspects of the disease and exposing various data elements, such as outpatient lab workup, pathology, radiology, current treatments, molecular signatures and expected outcomes over a web interface, G-DOC Plus will continue to strengthen precision medicine research. G-DOC Plus is available at: https://gdoc.georgetown.edu .
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Affiliation(s)
- Krithika Bhuvaneshwar
- />Innovation Center for Biomedical Informatics, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC USA
| | - Anas Belouali
- />Innovation Center for Biomedical Informatics, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC USA
| | - Varun Singh
- />Innovation Center for Biomedical Informatics, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC USA
| | - Robert M. Johnson
- />Innovation Center for Biomedical Informatics, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC USA
| | - Lei Song
- />Innovation Center for Biomedical Informatics, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC USA
| | - Adil Alaoui
- />Innovation Center for Biomedical Informatics, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC USA
| | - Michael A. Harris
- />Innovation Center for Biomedical Informatics, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC USA
| | - Robert Clarke
- />Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC USA
| | - Louis M. Weiner
- />Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC USA
| | - Yuriy Gusev
- />Innovation Center for Biomedical Informatics, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC USA
- />Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC USA
| | - Subha Madhavan
- />Innovation Center for Biomedical Informatics, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC USA
- />Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC USA
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11
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Ghaffari P, Mardinoglu A, Nielsen J. Cancer Metabolism: A Modeling Perspective. Front Physiol 2015; 6:382. [PMID: 26733270 PMCID: PMC4679931 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2015.00382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2015] [Accepted: 11/24/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Tumor cells alter their metabolism to maintain unregulated cellular proliferation and survival, but this transformation leaves them reliant on constant supply of nutrients and energy. In addition to the widely studied dysregulated glucose metabolism to fuel tumor cell growth, accumulating evidences suggest that utilization of amino acids and lipids contributes significantly to cancer cell metabolism. Also recent progresses in our understanding of carcinogenesis have revealed that cancer is a complex disease and cannot be understood through simple investigation of genetic mutations of cancerous cells. Cancer cells present in complex tumor tissues communicate with the surrounding microenvironment and develop traits which promote their growth, survival, and metastasis. Decoding the full scope and targeting dysregulated metabolic pathways that support neoplastic transformations and their preservation requires both the advancement of experimental technologies for more comprehensive measurement of omics as well as the advancement of robust computational methods for accurate analysis of the generated data. Here, we review cancer-associated reprogramming of metabolism and highlight the capability of genome-scale metabolic modeling approaches in perceiving a system-level perspective of cancer metabolism and in detecting novel selective drug targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pouyan Ghaffari
- Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Adil Mardinoglu
- Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of TechnologyGothenburg, Sweden; Science for Life Laboratory, KTH - Royal Institute of TechnologyStockholm, Sweden
| | - Jens Nielsen
- Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of TechnologyGothenburg, Sweden; Science for Life Laboratory, KTH - Royal Institute of TechnologyStockholm, Sweden; Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of DenmarkHørsholm, Denmark
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12
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Rak S, De Zan T, Stefulj J, Kosović M, Gamulin O, Osmak M. FTIR spectroscopy reveals lipid droplets in drug resistant laryngeal carcinoma cells through detection of increased ester vibrational bands intensity. Analyst 2015; 139:3407-15. [PMID: 24834449 DOI: 10.1039/c4an00412d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The major obstacle to successful chemotherapy of cancer patients is drug resistance. Previously we explored the molecular mechanisms of curcumin cross-resistance in carboplatin resistant human laryngeal carcinoma 7T cells. Following curcumin treatment we found a reduction in curcumin accumulation, and reduced induction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and their downstream effects, compared to parental HEp-2 cells. In order to shed more light on mechanisms involved in drug resistance of 7T cells, in the present study we applied Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, a technique that provides information about the nature and quantities of all molecules present in the cell. By comparing the spectra from parental HEp-2 cells and their 7T subline, we found an increase in the intensity of ester vibrational bands in 7T cells. This implied an increase in the amount of cholesteryl esters in resistant cells, which we confirmed by an enzymatic assay. Since cholesteryl esters are localized in lipid droplets, we confirmed their higher quantity and serum dependency in 7T cells compared to HEp-2 cells. Moreover, treatment with oleic acid induced more lipid droplets in 7T when compared to HEp-2 cells, as shown by flow cytometry. We can conclude that along with previously determined molecular mechanisms of curcumin resistance in 7T cells, these cells exhibit an increased content of cholesteryl esters and lipid droplets, suggesting an alteration in cellular lipid metabolism as a possible additional mechanism of drug resistance. Furthermore, our results suggest the use of FTIR spectroscopy as a promising technique in drug resistance research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanjica Rak
- Division of Molecular Biology, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Bijenička cesta 54, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
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13
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Yizhak K, Chaneton B, Gottlieb E, Ruppin E. Modeling cancer metabolism on a genome scale. Mol Syst Biol 2015; 11:817. [PMID: 26130389 PMCID: PMC4501850 DOI: 10.15252/msb.20145307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 136] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2014] [Revised: 04/04/2015] [Accepted: 05/26/2015] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer cells have fundamentally altered cellular metabolism that is associated with their tumorigenicity and malignancy. In addition to the widely studied Warburg effect, several new key metabolic alterations in cancer have been established over the last decade, leading to the recognition that altered tumor metabolism is one of the hallmarks of cancer. Deciphering the full scope and functional implications of the dysregulated metabolism in cancer requires both the advancement of a variety of omics measurements and the advancement of computational approaches for the analysis and contextualization of the accumulated data. Encouragingly, while the metabolic network is highly interconnected and complex, it is at the same time probably the best characterized cellular network. Following, this review discusses the challenges that genome-scale modeling of cancer metabolism has been facing. We survey several recent studies demonstrating the first strides that have been done, testifying to the value of this approach in portraying a network-level view of the cancer metabolism and in identifying novel drug targets and biomarkers. Finally, we outline a few new steps that may further advance this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keren Yizhak
- The Blavatnik School of Computer Science, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | | | | | - Eytan Ruppin
- The Blavatnik School of Computer Science, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel The Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
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