Impact of oncogenic driver mutations on feedback between the PI3K and MEK pathways in cancer cells

Development and validation of Ran as a prognostic marker in stage I and stage II primary breast cancer

PURPOSE

Existing prognostic biomarkers are inadequate for stratifying breast cancer patients with the highest risk of tumor progression at the time of diagnosis. Here, we demonstrate that the small GTPase Ran has predictive value for breast cancer (BC) patients as a whole, and for specific BC subtypes.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Ran expression was quantified by immunohistochemistry in 263 patients with primary breast cancer diagnosed at the Breast Unit, Royal Liverpool Hospital. Additionally as an independent validation, we also analyzed the mRNA expressions of Ran, ER, PR, and Cerb-2, the triple-negative endocrine receptors, and their associations with patient survival in a combined patient cohorts of multiple public datasets (n = 1079). We analyzed the data with Spearman's rank correlation and Kaplan-Meier plots coupled with Wilcoxon-Gehan tests, respectively. All statistical tests were two-sided.

RESULTS

Ran nuclear, cytoplasmic, and total staining are substantially associated with poor survival, independent of conventional prognostic markers such as estrogen receptor (ER), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), and lymph node status. According to the datasets, Ran was significantly correlated with distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) and relapse-free survival (RFS).

CONCLUSION

We found that Ran expression is a unique predictive biomarker for patient survival, metastasis, and tumor relapse. This biomarker could be used for diagnostic purposes, using formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumor biopsy samples from breast cancer patients in the early stages.

Crosstalk between protein kinases AKT and ERK1/2 in human lung tumor-derived cell models

There is no doubt that cell signaling manipulation is a key strategy for anticancer therapy. Furthermore, cell state determines drug response. Thus, establishing the relationship between cell state and therapeutic sensitivity is essential for the development of cancer therapies. In the era of personalized medicine, the use of patient-derived ex vivo cell models is a promising approach in the translation of key research findings into clinics. Here, we were focused on the non-oncogene dependencies of cell resistance to anticancer treatments. Signaling-related mechanisms of response to inhibitors of MEK/ERK and PI3K/AKT pathways (regulators of key cellular functions) were investigated using a panel of patients' lung tumor-derived cell lines with various stemness- and EMT-related markers, varying degrees of ERK1/2 and AKT phosphorylation, and response to anticancer treatment. The study of interactions between kinases was the goal of our research. Although MEK/ERK and PI3K/AKT interactions are thought to be cell line-specific, where oncogenic mutations have a decisive role, we demonstrated negative feedback loops between MEK/ERK and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways in all cell lines studied, regardless of genotype and phenotype differences. Our work showed that various and distinct inhibitors of ERK signaling - selumetinib, trametinib, and SCH772984 - increased AKT phosphorylation, and conversely, inhibitors of AKT - capivasertib, idelalisib, and AKT inhibitor VIII - increased ERK phosphorylation in both control and cisplatin-treated cells. Interaction between kinases, however, was dependent on cellular state. The feedback between ERK and AKT was attenuated by the focal adhesion kinase inhibitor PF573228, and in cells grown in suspension, showing the possible role of extracellular contacts in the regulation of crosstalk between kinases. Moreover, studies have shown that the interplay between MEK/ERK and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways may be dependent on the strength of the chemotherapeutic stimulus. The study highlights the importance of spatial location of the cells and the strength of the treatment during anticancer therapy.

Chemopreventive and Anti-tumor Potential of Natural Products in Oral Cancer

Oral cancer (OC) is a multifactorial disease caused by isolated or combined risk factors related to tobacco, alcohol consumption, and human papillomavirus infection. It is an aggressive pathology with a low five-year survival rate after surgery, chemotherapy, and/or radiotherapy, frequently associated with severe side effects. Drugs with the highest anti-tumor effect are obtained from natural products with diverse biological and molecular activities and potential chemopreventive and anticancer properties. This review summarizes the natural products reported to have the chemopreventive and anti-tumor potential for OC treatment, showing that several of these compounds are promising candidates as chemopreventive agents, and those with the highest anti-tumor potential induce apoptosis and inhibit proliferation and metastasis-related processes. For this reason, natural products have the potential to be important preventive and therapeutic options for OC in the future.

Quantitative Proteomics Reveals Knockdown of CD44 Promotes Proliferation and Migration in Claudin-Low MDA-MB-231 and Hs 578T Breast Cancer Cell Lines

CD44 is a transmembrane glycoprotein that can regulate the oncogenic process. This is known to be a marker of the claudin-low subtype of breast cancer, as well as a cancer stem cell marker. However, its functional regulatory roles are poorly understood in claudin-low breast cancer. To gain comprehensive insight into the function of CD44, we performed an in-depth tandem mass tag-based proteomic analysis of two claudin-low breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231 and Hs 578T) transfected with CD44 siRNA. As a result, we observed that 2736 proteins were upregulated and 2172 proteins were downregulated in CD44-knockdown MDA-MB-231 cells. For Hs 578T CD44-knockdown cells, 412 proteins were upregulated and 443 were downregulated. Gene ontology and network analyses demonstrated that the suppression of this marker mediates significant functional alterations related to oncogenic cellular processes, including proliferation, metabolism, adhesion, and gene expression regulation. A functional study confirmed that CD44 knockdown inhibited proliferation by regulating the expression of genes related to cell cycle, translation, and transcription. Moreover, this promoted the expression of multiple cell adhesion-associated proteins and attenuated cancer cell migration. Finally, our proteomic study defines the landscape of the CD44-regulated proteome of claudin-low breast cancer cells, revealing changes that mediate cell proliferation and migration. Our proteomics data set has been deposited to the ProteomeXchange Consortium via the PRIDE repository with the data set identifier PXD015171.

Transcriptomic Analysis of Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) Identifies a Targetable ALDH-Positive Subset of Highly Tumorigenic Cancer Stem-like Cells

Understanding the cancer stem cell (CSC) landscape in diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is desperately needed to address treatment resistance and identify novel therapeutic approaches. Patient-derived DIPG cells demonstrated heterogeneous expression of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) and CD133 by flow cytometry. Transcriptome-level characterization identified elevated mRNA levels of MYC, E2F, DNA damage repair (DDR) genes, glycolytic metabolism, and mTOR signaling in ALDH⁺ compared with ALDH^-, supporting a stem-like phenotype and indicating a druggable target. ALDH⁺ cells demonstrated increased proliferation, neurosphere formation, and initiated tumors that resulted in decreased survival when orthotopically implanted. Pharmacologic MAPK/PI3K/mTOR targeting downregulated MYC, E2F, and DDR mRNAs and reduced glycolytic metabolism. In vivo PI3K/mTOR targeting inhibited tumor growth in both flank and an ALDH⁺ orthotopic tumor model likely by reducing cancer stemness. In summary, we describe existence of ALDH⁺ DIPGs with proliferative properties due to increased metabolism, which may be regulated by the microenvironment and likely contributing to drug resistance and tumor recurrence. IMPLICATIONS: Characterization of ALDH⁺ DIPGs coupled with targeting MAPK/PI3K/mTOR signaling provides an impetus for molecularly targeted therapy aimed at addressing the CSC phenotype in DIPG.

The Premature Senescence in Breast Cancer Treatment Strategy

Cellular senescence is a permanent blockade of cell proliferation. In response to therapy-induced stress, cancer cells undergo apoptosis or premature senescence. In apoptosis-resistant cancer cells or at lower doses of anticancer drugs, therapy-induced stress leads to premature senescence. The role of this senescence in cancer treatment is discussable. First of all, the senescent cells lose the ability to proliferate, migrate, and invade. In addition, the senescent cells secrete a set of proteins (inflammatory cytokines, chemokines, growth factors) known as the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), which influences non-senescent normal cells and non-senescent cancer cells in the tumor microenvironment and triggers tumor promotion and recurrence. Recently, many studies have examined senescence induction through breast cancer therapy and potentially using this phenomenon to treat this cancer. This review summarizes the recent in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies investigating senescence in breast cancer treatments. Senescence inductors, senolytics, as well as their action mechanism are discussed herein. Potential SASP-modulating treatment strategies are also described.

Combined Treatment with MEK and mTOR Inhibitors is Effective in In Vitro and In Vivo Models of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver cancer histotype, characterized by high biological aggressiveness and scarce treatment options. Recently, we have established a clinically relevant murine HCC model by co-expressing activated forms of v-akt murine thymoma viral oncogene homolog (AKT) and oncogene c-mesenchymal-epithelial transition (c-Met) proto-oncogenes in the mouse liver via hydrodynamic tail vein injection (AKT/c-MET mice). Tumor cells from these mice demonstrated high activity of the AKT/ mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and Ras/ Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling cascades, two pathways frequently co-induced in human HCC. Methods: Here, we investigated the therapeutic efficacy of sorafenib, regorafenib, the MEK inhibitor PD901 as well as the pan-mTOR inhibitor MLN0128 in the AKT/c-Met preclinical HCC model. Results: In these mice, neither sorafenib nor regorafenib demonstrated any efficacy. In contrast, administration of PD901 inhibited cell cycle progression of HCC cells in vitro. Combined PD901 and MLN0128 administration resulted in a pronounced growth constraint of HCC cell lines. In vivo, treatment with PD901 or MLN0128 alone moderately slowed HCC growth in AKT/c-MET mice. Importantly, the simultaneous administration of the two drugs led to a stable disease with limited tumor progression in mice. Mechanistically, combined mitogen-activated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (MEK) and mTOR inhibition resulted in a stronger cell cycle inhibition and growth arrest both in vitro and in vivo. Conclusions: Our study indicates that combination of MEK and mTOR inhibitors might represent an effective therapeutic approach against human HCC.

The Dual PI3K/mTOR Pathway Inhibitor GDC-0084 Achieves Antitumor Activity in PIK3CA-Mutant Breast Cancer Brain Metastases

PURPOSE

Previous studies have shown that the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway is activated in up to 70% of breast cancer brain metastases, but there are no approved agents for affected patients. GDC-0084 is a brain penetrant, dual PI3K/mTOR inhibitor that has shown promising activity in a preclinical model of glioblastoma. The aim of this study was to analyze the efficacy of PI3K/mTOR blockade in breast cancer brain metastases models.Experimental Design: The efficacy of GDC-0084 was evaluated in PIK3CA-mutant and PIK3CA wild-type breast cancer cell lines and the isogenic pairs of PIK3CA wild-type and mutant (H1047R/+) MCF10A cells in vitro. In vitro studies included cell viability and apoptosis assays, cell-cycle analysis, and Western blots. In vivo, the effect of GDC-0084 was investigated in breast cancer brain metastasis xenograft mouse models and assessed by bioluminescent imaging and IHC.

RESULTS

In vitro, GDC-0084 considerably decreased cell viability, induced apoptosis, and inhibited phosphorylation of Akt and p70 S6 kinase in a dose-dependent manner in PIK3CA-mutant breast cancer brain metastatic cell lines. In contrast, GDC-0084 led only to growth inhibition in PIK3CA wild-type cell lines in vitro. In vivo, treatment with GDC-0084 markedly inhibited the growth of PIK3CA-mutant, with accompanying signaling changes, and not PIK3CA wild-type brain tumors.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study suggest that the brain-penetrant PI3K/mTOR targeting GDC-0084 is a promising treatment option for breast cancer brain metastases with dysregulated PI3K/mTOR signaling pathway conferred by activating PIK3CA mutations. A national clinical trial is planned to further investigate the role of this compound in patients with brain metastases.

Quercetin preferentially induces apoptosis in KRAS-mutant colorectal cancer cells via JNK signaling pathways

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common type of cancer, and its incidence and mortality are markedly increasing worldwide. Oncogenic mutations of KRAS occur in up to 40% of CRC cases and pose a great challenge in the treatment of the disease. Quercetin is a dietary flavonoid that exerts anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties. The current study investigated the anti-proliferative effect of quercetin on CRC cells harboring mutant or wild-type KRAS. The effect of quercetin on cell viability was investigated by MTT and colony formation assays, and apoptosis was detected using flow cytometry by labeling cells with Annexin V-FITC. The expression of the relevant proteins was examined by Western blotting. The data revealed that KRAS-mutant cells were more sensitive to quercetin-induced apoptosis than wild-type cells. Caspase activation was involved in quercetin-induced apoptosis. In addition, quercetin selectively activated the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway in KRAS-mutant cells, while inhibition of phospho-JNK by SP600125 blocked quercetin-induced apoptosis. The results of the present study suggest that treatment with quercetin, a common flavonoid in plants, is potentially a useful strategy for the treatment of CRCs carrying KRAS mutations.

Pan-RAF and MEK vertical inhibition enhances therapeutic response in non-V600 BRAF mutant cells

BACKGROUND

Currently, there are no available targeted therapy options for non-V600 BRAF mutated tumors. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of RAF and MEK concurrent inhibition on tumor growth, migration, signaling and apoptosis induction in preclinical models of non-V600 BRAF mutant tumor cell lines.

METHODS

Six BRAF mutated human tumor cell lines CRL5885 (G466 V), WM3629 (D594G), WM3670 (G469E), MDAMB231 (G464 V), CRL5922 (L597 V) and A375 (V600E as control) were investigated. Pan-RAF inhibitor (sorafenib or AZ628) and MEK inhibitor (selumetinib) or their combination were used in in vitro viability, video microscopy, immunoblot, cell cycle and TUNEL assays. The in vivo effects of the drugs were assessed in an orthotopic NSG mouse breast cancer model.

RESULTS

All cell lines showed a significant growth inhibition with synergism in the sorafenib/AZ628 and selumetinib combination. Combination treatment resulted in higher Erk1/2 inhibition and in increased induction of apoptosis when compared to single agent treatments. However, single selumetinib treatment could cause adverse therapeutic effects, like increased cell migration in certain cells, selumetinib and sorafenib combination treatment lowered migratory capacity in all the cell lines. Importantly, combination resulted in significantly increased tumor growth inhibition in orthotropic xenografts of MDAMB231 cells when compared to sorafenib - but not to selumetinib - treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data suggests that combined blocking of RAF and MEK may achieve increased therapeutic response in non-V600 BRAF mutant tumors.

Blocking downstream signaling pathways in the context of HDAC inhibition promotes apoptosis preferentially in cells harboring mutant Ras

We previously demonstrated activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway in a series of romidepsin-selected T-cell lymphoma cell lines as a mechanism of resistance to the histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDI), romidepsin. As Ras mutation leads to activation of both the MAPK and the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway, we examined whether combining romidepsin with small molecule pathway inhibitors would lead to increased apoptosis in cancers harboring Ras mutations. We treated 18 Ras mutant or wild-type cell lines with romidepsin in the presence of a MEK inhibitor (PD-0325901) and/or an AKT inhibitor (MK-2206) and examined apoptosis by flow cytometry. A short-term treatment schedule of romidepsin (25 ng/ml for 6 h) was used to more closely model clinical administration. Romidepsin in combination with a MEK and an AKT inhibitor induced apoptosis preferentially in cells harboring mutant versus wild-type Ras (69.1% vs. 21.1%, p < 0.0001). Similar results were found in a subset of cell lines when belinostat was combined with the MEK and AKT inhibitors and when romidepsin was combined with the dual extracellular signaling-related kinase (ERK)/PI3K inhibitor, D-87503, which inhibited both the MAPK and PI3K pathways at 5–10 μM. The observed apoptosis was caspase-dependent and required Bak and Bax expression. Cells with wild-type or mutant Ras treated with romidepsin alone or in combination with the MEK inhibitor displayed increased expression of proapoptotic Bim. We thus conclude that cancers bearing Ras mutations, such as pancreatic cancer, can be targeted by the combination of an HDI and a dual inhibitor of the MAPK and PI3K pathways.

An engineered protein antagonist of K-Ras/B-Raf interaction

Ras is at the hub of signal transduction pathways controlling cell proliferation and survival. Its mutants, present in about 30% of human cancers, are major drivers of oncogenesis and render tumors unresponsive to standard therapies. Here we report the engineering of a protein scaffold for preferential binding to K-Ras G12D. This is the first reported inhibitor to achieve nanomolar affinity while exhibiting specificity for mutant over wild type (WT) K-Ras. Crystal structures of the protein R11.1.6 in complex with K-Ras WT and K-Ras G12D offer insight into the structural basis for specificity, highlighting differences in the switch I conformation as the major defining element in the higher affinity interaction. R11.1.6 directly blocks interaction with Raf and reduces signaling through the Raf/MEK/ERK pathway. Our results support greater consideration of the state of switch I and provide a novel tool to study Ras biology. Most importantly, this work makes an unprecedented contribution to Ras research in inhibitor development strategy by revealing details of a targetable binding surface. Unlike the polar interfaces found for Ras/effector interactions, the K-Ras/R11.1.6 complex reveals an extensive hydrophobic interface that can serve as a template to advance the development of high affinity, non-covalent inhibitors of K-Ras oncogenic mutants.

Overexpression of miR-31-5p inhibits human chordoma cells proliferation and invasion by targeting the oncogene c-Met through suppression of AKT/PI3K signaling pathway

Altered microRNA (miRNAs) expression has been reported in chordoma which has been considered as an important and complex disease. The study aims to explore the mechanism of miR-31-5p in chordoma in vitro. We firstly verified miR-31-5p level after mimics transfection using real-time PCR and found over-expressed miR-31-5p could inhibit cell growth and invasive ability, while induce cell apoptosis in vitro as detected by CCK8 assay, flow cytometry assay and transwell assay, respectively. Based on prediction result in silico, we validated the target gene C-met using dual-luciferase assay and detected the alternation of miR-31-5p as evidence. Using recombinant plasmid, we also found over-expressed c-Met could reduce the effect of over-expressed miR-31-5p on cell growth, cell cycle change, cell apoptosis and invasive ability as detected by CCK8 assay, flow cytometry assay and transwell assay respectively. Meanwhile, it was also appeared that the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway relevant proteins had alternation through WB assays in U-CH1 cells with treatment of miR-31-5p and c-met recombinant plasmid. miR-31-5p may play a protective role in chordoma patients by targeting c-met and then activating PI3K/AKT signaling pathway which suggested that alterations of miR-31-5p might be a useful biomarker and a potential therapy for early detection of chordoma as disease-related molecular and genetic changes.

Inhibition of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway activates autophagy and compensatory Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK signalling in prostate cancer

The PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway is frequently activated in advanced prostate cancer, due to loss of the tumour suppressor PTEN, and is an important axis for drug development. We have assessed the molecular and functional consequences of pathway blockade by inhibiting AKT and mTOR kinases either in combination or as individual drug treatments. In established prostate cancer cell lines, a decrease in cell viability and in phospho-biomarker expression was observed. Although apoptosis was not induced, a G1 growth arrest was observed in PTEN null LNCaP cells, but not in BPH1 or PC3 cells. In contrast, when the AKT inhibitor AZD7328 was applied to patient-derived prostate cultures that retained expression of PTEN, activation of a compensatory Ras/MEK/ERK pathway was observed. Moreover, whilst autophagy was induced following treatment with AZD7328, cell viability was less affected in the patient-derived cultures than in cell lines. Surprisingly, treatment with a combination of both AZD7328 and two separate MEK1/2 inhibitors further enhanced phosphorylation of ERK1/2 in primary prostate cultures. However, it also induced irreversible growth arrest and senescence.

Ex vivo treatment of a patient-derived xenograft (PDX) of prostate cancer with a combination of AZD7328 and the mTOR inhibitor KU-0063794, significantly reduced tumour frequency upon re-engraftment of tumour cells.

The results demonstrate that single agent targeting of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway triggers activation of the Ras/MEK/ERK compensatory pathway in near-patient samples. Therefore, blockade of one pathway is insufficient to treat prostate cancer in man.

Towards targeted combinatorial therapy design for the treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer

BACKGROUND

Prostate cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers in males in the United States and amongst the leading causes of cancer related deaths. A particularly virulent form of this disease is castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), where patients no longer respond to medical or surgical castration. CRPC is a complex, multifaceted and heterogeneous malady with limited standard treatment options.

RESULTS

The growth and progression of prostate cancer is a complicated process that involves multiple pathways. The signaling network comprising the integral constituents of the signature pathways involved in the development and progression of prostate cancer is modeled as a combinatorial circuit. The failures in the gene regulatory network that lead to cancer are abstracted as faults in the equivalent circuit and the Boolean circuit model is then used to design therapies tailored to counteract the effect of each molecular abnormality and to propose potentially efficacious combinatorial therapy regimens. Furthermore, stochastic computational modeling is utilized to identify potentially vulnerable components in the network that may serve as viable candidates for drug development.

CONCLUSION

The results presented herein can aid in the design of scientifically well-grounded targeted therapies that can be employed for the treatment of prostate cancer patients.

MCPIP1 mediates silica-induced cell migration in human pulmonary fibroblasts

Silicosis is a systemic disease caused by inhaling silicon dioxide (SiO2). Phagocytosis of SiO2 in the lungs initiates an inflammatory cascade that results in fibroblast proliferation and migration followed by fibrosis. According to previous data from our laboratory, monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) plays a critical role in fibroblast proliferation and migration in conventional two-dimensional (2D) monolayer cultures. The present study aimed to explore the downstream cascade of MCP-1 in both 2D and three-dimensional (3D) cell culture models of silicosis. Experiments using primary cultured adult human pulmonary fibroblasts (HPF-a) demonstrated the following: 1) SiO2 treatment induces expression of MCP-1-induced protein (MCPIP1) in a time- and dose-dependent manner in both 2D and 3D cultures; 2) the MAPK and phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathways are involved in SiO2-induced MCPIP1 expression; and 3) MCPIP1 induction mediates the SiO2-induced increase in cell migration in both 2D and 3D cultures. The effect of MCP-1 in silicosis occurs mainly through MCPIP1, which, in turn, mediates the observed SiO2-induced increase in pulmonary fibroblast migration. However, the time frame for MCPIP1 induction differed between 2D and 3D cultures, indicating that, compared with conventional 2D cell culture systems, 3D culture may be useful for analyses of fibroblast physiology under conditions that more closely resemble in vivo environments. Our study determined the link between fibroblast-derived MCPIP1 and SiO2-induced cell migration, and this finding provides novel evidence of the potential of MCPIP1 in the development of novel therapeutic strategies for silicosis.

All-Trans Retinoic Acid Induces Proliferation, Survival, and Migration in A549 Lung Cancer Cells by Activating the ERK Signaling Pathway through a Transcription-Independent Mechanism

All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) has been used as an antineoplastic because of its ability to promote proliferation, inhibition, and differentiation, primarily in leukemia; however, in other types of cancer, such as lung cancer, treatment with ATRA is restricted because not all the patients experience the same results. The ERK signaling pathway is dysregulated in cancer cells, including lung cancer, and this dysregulation promotes proliferation and cell invasion. In this study, we demonstrate that treatment with ATRA can activate the ERK signaling pathway by a transcription-independent mechanism through a signaling cascade that involves RARα and PI3K, promoting growth, survival, and migration in lung cancer cells. Until now, this mechanism was unknown in lung cancer cells. The inhibition of the ERK signaling pathway restores the beneficial effects of ATRA, reduces proliferation, increases apoptosis, and blocks the cell migration process in lung cancer cells. In conclusion, our results suggest that the combination of ATRA with ERK inhibitor in clinical trials for lung cancer is warranted.

Probing a 3,4'-bis-guanidinium diaryl derivative as an allosteric inhibitor of the Ras pathway

Mutations in the Ras-pathway occur in 40-45% of colorectal cancer patients and these are refractory to treatment with anti-EGFR-targeted therapies. With this in mind, we have studied novel guanidinium-based compounds with demonstrated ability to inhibit protein kinases. We have performed docking studies with several proteins involved in the Ras-pathway and evaluated 3,4'-bis-guanidinium derivatives as inhibitors of B-Raf. Compound 3, the most potent in this series, demonstrated strong cytotoxicity in (WT)B-Raf colorectal cancer cells and also cells with (V600E)B-Raf mutations. Cell death was induced by apoptosis, detected by cleavage of PARP. Compound 3 also potently inhibited ERK1/2 signalling, inhibited EGFR activation, as well as Src, STAT3 and AKT phosphorylation. Mechanistically, compound 3 did not inhibit ATP binding to B-Raf, but direct assay of B-Raf activity was inhibited in vitro. Summarizing, we have identified a novel B-Raf type-III inhibitor that exhibits potent cellular cytotoxicity.

EGF-Induced Acetylation of Heterogeneous Nuclear Ribonucleoproteins Is Dependent on KRAS Mutational Status in Colorectal Cancer Cells

KRAS mutational status is considered a negative predictive marker of the response to anti-EGFR therapies in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. However, conflicting data exist regarding the variable response to EGFR-targeted therapy. The effects of oncogenic KRAS on downstream targets were studied in cell lines with different KRAS mutations. Cells harboring a single KRASG13D allele showed the most tumorigenic profile, with constitutive activation of the downstream pathway, rendering them EGF-unresponsive. Conversely, KRASA146T cells showed a full EGF-response in terms of signal transduction pathways, cell proliferation, migration or adhesion. Moreover, the global acetylome of CRC cells was also dependent on KRAS mutational status. Several hnRNP family members were identified within the 36 acetylated-proteins. Acetylation status is known to be involved in the modulation of EGF-response. In agreement with results presented herein, hnRNPA1 and L acetylation was induced in response to EGF in KRASA146T cells, whereas acetyl-hnRNPA1 and L levels remained unchanged after growth factor treatment in KRASG13D unresponsive cells. Our results showed that hnRNPs induced-acetylation is dependent on KRAS mutational status. Nevertheless hnRNPs acetylation might also be the point where different oncogenic pathways converge.

Deguelin induces apoptosis by targeting both EGFR-Akt and IGF1R-Akt pathways in head and neck squamous cell cancer cell lines

Deguelin, a rotenoid compound from the African plant Mundulea sericea (Leguminosae), has been shown to possess antitumor activities but the exact role for the growth factor receptor mediated signaling pathway in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is currently still unclear. In the present study, we investigated the effect of deguelin on epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF1R) pathways in HNSCC cell lines. Flowcytometric analysis revealed accumulation of annexin V positivity in deguelin-treated cells, showing that deguelin induced apoptosis. The deguelin-induced apoptosis was accompanied by the reduction of constitutive phosphorylated levels of IGF1R, Akt, and extracellular signal-regulated kinase1/2 (ERK1/2). LY294002-mediated inhibition of phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase, which is an upstream effector for Akt activation, increased cleavage of poly(ADP-ribosyl) polymerase (PARP) but ERK inhibition by U0126 did not. Deguelin inhibited both IGF-1- and EGF-induced Akt activation. These results showed that deguelin possessed antitumor effect by targeting Akt in dual axis such as EGFR and IGF1R signaling pathways and suggested that it provides an applicable therapeutic strategy for HNSCC patients.

Expression and activity of EGFR in human cutaneous melanoma cell lines and influence of vemurafenib on the EGFR pathway

Data regarding the expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in melanoma and its role in the tumor biology are conflicting. In BRAF V600-mutant melanomas, the expression of EGFR has been associated with acquired resistance to BRAF inhibitors. In this study, we assessed EGFR expression and downstream signaling activity in a panel of melanoma cell lines and we investigated the effects of the BRAF inhibitor vemurafenib on expression of EGFR and its downstream effectors in a subgroup of BRAF-mutant melanoma cells. Three out of 10 melanoma cell lines expressed EGFR. Downstream signaling via ERK and AKT was responsive to either stimulation by EGF or inhibition by erlotinib. Constitutive activation of ERK occurred in all the cell lines investigated whereas constitutive activation of AKT only in three cell lines. Constitutive activation of ERK and AKT was independent from EGFR expression. Vemurafenib did not affect EGFR expression in general, but it increased EGFR phosphorylation in the cell line SkMel5. Induced EGFR phosphorylation was sensitive to treatment with erlotinib. Vemurafenib efficiently blocked ERK activation in all the BRAF-mutant cell lines tested, whereas its effects on AKT activation were dissimilar in the different cell lines. Our data suggest that EGFR is functional but usually inactive in EGFR high-expressing cell lines. Basal EGFR expression unlikely represents a biomarker for predicting the sensitivity to vemurafenib in melanoma, but EGFR activation might represent a mechanism of vemurafenib resistance in a subset of melanoma cells.

Deguelin action involves c-Met and EGFR signaling pathways in triple negative breast cancer cells

Background

Treatment of breast cancer patients with antiestrogens and aromatase inhibitor(s) or Herceptin have shown significant success in steroid receptor positive or Her-2+ breast cancers respectively. However, choice of treatments for breast cancer patients with negative status for estrogen, progesterone receptors and HER2/neu is limited. As a result, search for appropriate therapy regimen for these triple negative breast cancers (TNBC) has become a major focus of investigations for many laboratories. Recently, Deguelin, a natural product isolated from African plant Mundulea sericea (Leguminossae) has shown both antiproliferative actions in various cancers including breast as well as chemoprenventive activity against carcinogen induced experimental cancers. In this report we evaluated efficacy and mechanism of action of Deguelin in triple negative breast cancer cell lines.

Methods/Findings

In vitro, Deguelin in a dose and time dependent manner inhibited the growth of MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-468, BT-549 and BT-20 cells. Deguelin (2 or 4 mg/kg body weight), when injected intraperitoneally, reduced the in vivo tumor growth of MDA-MB-231 cells transplanted subcutaneously in athymic mice. Moreover it was nontoxic as evident from daily observations on mobility, food and water consumption and comparison of bodyweight and other visceral organ weights with those in control animals at the termination of the study. The western blot analyses and immunostaining studies indicated that the deguelin effects may be mediated through EGFR-PAKT/c-Met p-ERK and NF-κB by down regulating their downstream targets such as p-STAT3, c-Myc, Survivin.

Conclusion/Significance

These results suggest that Deguelin may have a significant therapeutic value for the treatment of TNBC patients.