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Liao Y, Wei F, He Z, He J, Ai Y, Guo C, Zhou L, Luo D, Li C, Wen Y, Zeng J, Ma X. Animal-derived natural products for hepatocellular carcinoma therapy: current evidence and future perspectives. Front Pharmacol 2024; 15:1399882. [PMID: 38803433 PMCID: PMC11129636 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1399882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has a high morbidity and mortality rate, and the survival rate of HCC patients remains low. Animal medicines have been used as potential therapeutic tools throughout the long history due to their different structures of biologically active substances with high affinity to the human body. Here, we focus on the effects and the mechanism of action of animal-derived natural products against HCC, which were searched in databases encompassing Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, Science Direct, Springer Link, and EBSCO. A total of 24 natural products from 12 animals were summarized. Our study found that these natural products have potent anti-hepatocellular carcinoma effects. The mechanism of action involving apoptosis induction, autophagy induction, anti-proliferation, anti-migration, and anti-drug resistance via phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), Ras/extracellular signal regulated kinases (ERK)/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), Wnt/β-catenin, and Janus kinase (JAK)/signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) pathways. Huachansu injection and sodium cantharidate have been used in clinical applications with good efficacy. We review the potential of animal-derived natural products and their derivatives in the treatment of HCC to date and summarize their application prospect and toxic side effects, hoping to provide a reference for drug development for HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yichao Liao
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
- School of Clinical Medicine, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Feng Wei
- School of Clinical Medicine, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
- TCM Regulating Metabolic Diseases Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Zhelin He
- Endoscopy Center, Guang’an Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guang’an, China
| | - Jingxue He
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
- School of Clinical Medicine, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Yanlin Ai
- TCM Regulating Metabolic Diseases Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Cui Guo
- TCM Regulating Metabolic Diseases Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Li Zhou
- School of Basic Medicine, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Dan Luo
- School of Basic Medicine, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Chengen Li
- TCM Regulating Metabolic Diseases Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Yueqiang Wen
- School of Basic Medicine, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Jinhao Zeng
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
- TCM Regulating Metabolic Diseases Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Xiao Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
- School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
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2
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Kurokawa GA, Hamamoto Filho PT, Delafiori J, Galvani AF, de Oliveira AN, Dias-Audibert FL, Catharino RR, Pardini MIMC, Zanini MA, Lima EDO, Ferrasi AC. Differential Plasma Metabolites between High- and Low-Grade Meningioma Cases. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 24:ijms24010394. [PMID: 36613836 PMCID: PMC9820229 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24010394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2022] [Revised: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Meningiomas (MGMs) are currently classified into grades I, II, and III. High-grade tumors are correlated with decreased survival rates and increased recurrence rates. The current grading classification is based on histological criteria and determined only after surgical tumor sampling. This study aimed to identify plasma metabolic alterations in meningiomas of different grades, which would aid surgeons in predefining the ideal surgical strategy. Plasma samples were collected from 51 patients with meningioma and classified into low-grade (LG) (grade I; n = 43), and high-grade (HG) samples (grade II, n = 5; grade III, n = 3). An untargeted metabolomic approach was used to analyze plasma metabolites. Statistical analyses were performed to select differential biomarkers among HG and LG groups. Metabolites were identified using tandem mass spectrometry along with database verification. Five and four differential biomarkers were identified for HG and LG meningiomas, respectively. To evaluate the potential of HG MGM metabolites to differentiate between HG and LG tumors, a receiving operating characteristic curve was constructed, which revealed an area under the curve of 95.7%. This indicates that the five HG MGM metabolites represent metabolic alterations that can differentiate between LG and HG meningiomas. These metabolites may indicate tumor grade even before the appearance of histological features.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel A. Kurokawa
- Laboratory of Molecular Analysis and Neuro-oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Botucatu Medical School, São Paulo State University, Botucatu 18618-970, Brazil
| | - Pedro T. Hamamoto Filho
- Laboratory of Molecular Analysis and Neuro-oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Botucatu Medical School, São Paulo State University, Botucatu 18618-970, Brazil
- Department of Neurology, Psychology and Psychiatry, Botucatu Medical School, São Paulo State University, Botucatu 18618-970, Brazil
| | - Jeany Delafiori
- Innovare Biomarkers Laboratory, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Campinas, Campinas 13083-877, Brazil
| | - Aline F. Galvani
- Laboratory of Molecular Analysis and Neuro-oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Botucatu Medical School, São Paulo State University, Botucatu 18618-970, Brazil
| | - Arthur N. de Oliveira
- Innovare Biomarkers Laboratory, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Campinas, Campinas 13083-877, Brazil
| | - Flávia L. Dias-Audibert
- Innovare Biomarkers Laboratory, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Campinas, Campinas 13083-877, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo R. Catharino
- Innovare Biomarkers Laboratory, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Campinas, Campinas 13083-877, Brazil
| | - Maria Inês M. C. Pardini
- Laboratory of Molecular Analysis and Neuro-oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Botucatu Medical School, São Paulo State University, Botucatu 18618-970, Brazil
| | - Marco A. Zanini
- Department of Neurology, Psychology and Psychiatry, Botucatu Medical School, São Paulo State University, Botucatu 18618-970, Brazil
| | - Estela de O. Lima
- Laboratory of Molecular Analysis and Neuro-oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Botucatu Medical School, São Paulo State University, Botucatu 18618-970, Brazil
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +55-14-3880-1453
| | - Adriana C. Ferrasi
- Laboratory of Molecular Analysis and Neuro-oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Botucatu Medical School, São Paulo State University, Botucatu 18618-970, Brazil
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Uranbileg B, Kurano M, Kano K, Sakai E, Arita J, Hasegawa K, Nishikawa T, Ishihara S, Yamashita H, Seto Y, Ikeda H, Aoki J, Yatomi Y. Sphingosine 1-phosphate lyase facilitates cancer progression through converting sphingolipids to glycerophospholipids. Clin Transl Med 2022; 12:e1056. [PMID: 36125914 PMCID: PMC9488530 DOI: 10.1002/ctm2.1056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Revised: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In addition to potent agonist properties for sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) receptors, intracellularly, S1P is an intermediate in metabolic conversion pathway from sphingolipids to glycerolysophospholipids (glyceroLPLs). We hypothesized that this S1P metabolism and its products might possess some novel roles in the pathogenesis of cancer, where S1P lyase (SPL) is a key enzyme. METHODS The mRNA levels of sphingolipid-related and other cancer-related factors were measured in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), colorectal cancer, and esophageal cancer patients' tumours and in their adjacent non-tumour tissues. Phospholipids (PL) and glyceroLPLs were measured by using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). In-vitro experiments were performed in Colon 26 cell line with modulation of the SPL and GPR55 expressions. Xenograft model was used for determination of the cancer progression and for pharmacological influence. RESULTS Besides high SPL levels in human HCC and colon cancer, SPL levels were specifically and positively linked with levels of glyceroLPLs, including lysophosphatidylinositol (LPI). Overexpression of SPL in Colon 26 cells resulted in elevated levels of LPI and lysophosphatidylglycerol (LPG), which are agonists of GPR55. SPL overexpression-enhanced cell proliferation was inhibited by GPR55 silencing. Conversely, inhibition of SPL led to the opposite outcome and reversed by adding LPI, LPG, and metabolites generated during S1P degradation, which is regulated by SPL. The xenograft model results suggested the contribution of SPL and glyceroLPLs to tumour progression depending on levels of SPL and GPR55. Moreover, the pharmacological inhibition of SPL prevented the progression of cancer. The underlying mechanisms for the SPL-mediated cancer progression are the activation of p38 and mitochondrial function through the LPI, LPG-GPR55 axis and the suppression of autophagy in a GPR55-independent manner. CONCLUSION A new metabolic pathway has been proposed here in HCC and colon cancer, SPL converts S1P to glyceroLPLs, mainly to LPI and LPG, and facilitates cancer development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baasanjav Uranbileg
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Makoto Kurano
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kuniyuki Kano
- Department of Health Chemistry, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Eri Sakai
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Junichi Arita
- Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery Division, Department of Surgery, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kiyoshi Hasegawa
- Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery Division, Department of Surgery, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takeshi Nishikawa
- Surgical Oncology and Vascular Surgery Division, Department of Surgery, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Soichiro Ishihara
- Surgical Oncology and Vascular Surgery Division, Department of Surgery, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hiroharu Yamashita
- Gastrointestinal Surgery Division, Department of Surgery, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.,Division of Digestive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yasuyuki Seto
- Gastrointestinal Surgery Division, Department of Surgery, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hitoshi Ikeda
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Junken Aoki
- Department of Health Chemistry, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yutaka Yatomi
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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4
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Chabowski DS, Cohen KE, Abu-Hatoum O, Gutterman DD, Freed JK. Crossing signals: bioactive lipids in the microvasculature. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2020; 318:H1185-H1197. [PMID: 32243770 PMCID: PMC7541955 DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00706.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
The primary function of the arterial microvasculature is to ensure that regional perfusion of blood flow is matched to the needs of the tissue bed. This critical physiological mechanism is tightly controlled and regulated by a variety of vasoactive compounds that are generated and released from the vascular endothelium. Although these substances are required for modulating vascular tone, they also influence the surrounding tissue and have an overall effect on vascular, as well as parenchymal, homeostasis. Bioactive lipids, fatty acid derivatives that exert their effects through signaling pathways, are included in the list of vasoactive compounds that modulate the microvasculature. Although lipids were identified as important vascular messengers over three decades ago, their specific role within the microvascular system is not well defined. Thorough understanding of these pathways and their regulation is not only essential to gain insight into their role in cardiovascular disease but is also important for preventing vascular dysfunction following cancer treatment, a rapidly growing problem in medical oncology. The purpose of this review is to discuss how biologically active lipids, specifically prostanoids, epoxyeicosatrienoic acids, sphingolipids, and lysophospholipids, contribute to vascular function and signaling within the endothelium. Methods for quantifying lipids will be briefly discussed, followed by an overview of the various lipid families. The cross talk in signaling between classes of lipids will be discussed in the context of vascular disease. Finally, the potential clinical implications of these lipid families will be highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dawid S. Chabowski
- 1Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin,2Cardiovascular Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| | - Katie E. Cohen
- 1Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin,2Cardiovascular Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| | - Ossama Abu-Hatoum
- 4Department of Surgery, HaEmek Medical Center, Technion Medical School, Haifa, Israel
| | - David D. Gutterman
- 1Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin,2Cardiovascular Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| | - Julie K. Freed
- 2Cardiovascular Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin,3Department of Anesthesiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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5
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Qiu L, Liu Z, Wu C, Chen W, Chen Y, Zhang B, Li J, Liu H, Huang N, Jiang Z, Wu Y, Li L. C6-ceramide induces salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma cell apoptosis via IP3R-activated UPR and UPR-independent pathways. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2020; 525:997-1003. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2020.02.164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2020] [Accepted: 02/26/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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6
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Links between cancer metabolism and cisplatin resistance. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2020; 354:107-164. [PMID: 32475471 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ircmb.2020.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Cisplatin is one of the most potent and widely used chemotherapeutic agent in the treatment of several solid tumors, despite the high toxicity and the frequent relapse of patients due to the onset of drug resistance. Resistance to chemotherapeutic agents, either intrinsic or acquired, is currently one of the major problems in oncology. Thus, understanding the biology of chemoresistance is fundamental in order to overcome this challenge and to improve the survival rate of patients. Studies over the last 30 decades have underlined how resistance is a multifactorial phenomenon not yet completely understood. Recently, tumor metabolism has gained a lot of interest in the context of chemoresistance; accumulating evidence suggests that the rearrangements of the principal metabolic pathways within cells, contributes to the sensitivity of tumor to the drug treatment. In this review, the principal metabolic alterations associated with cisplatin resistance are highlighted. Improving the knowledge of the influence of metabolism on cisplatin response is fundamental to identify new possible metabolic targets useful for combinatory treatments, in order to overcome cisplatin resistance.
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7
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Schulz ME, Katunaric B, Hockenberry JC, Gutterman DD, Freed JK. Manipulation of the Sphingolipid Rheostat Influences the Mediator of Flow-Induced Dilation in the Human Microvasculature. J Am Heart Assoc 2019; 8:e013153. [PMID: 31462128 PMCID: PMC6755855 DOI: 10.1161/jaha.119.013153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2019] [Accepted: 07/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Background Elevated levels of ceramide, a sphingolipid known to cause a transition from nitric oxide (NO)- to hydrogen peroxide-dependent flow-induced dilation (FID) in human arterioles, correlate with adverse cardiac events. However, elevations of ceramide are associated with changed concentrations of other sphingolipid metabolites. The effects of sphingolipid metabolites generated through manipulation of this lipid pathway on microvascular function are unknown. We examined the hypothesis that inhibition or activation of the ceramide pathway would determine the mediator of FID. Methods and Results Using videomicroscopy, internal diameter changes were measured in human arterioles collected from discarded adipose tissue during surgery. Inhibition of neutral ceramidase, an enzyme responsible for the hydrolysis of ceramide, favored hydrogen peroxide-dependent FID in arterioles from healthy patients. Using adenoviral technology, overexpression of neutral ceramidase in microvessels from diseased patients resulted in restoration of NO-dependent FID. Exogenous sphingosine-1-phosphate, a sphingolipid with opposing effects of ceramide, also restored NO as the mediator of FID in diseased arterioles. Likewise, exogenous adiponectin, a known activator of neutral ceramidase, or, activation of adiponectin receptors, favored NO-dependent dilation in arterioles collected from patients with coronary artery disease. Conclusions Sphingolipid metabolites play a critical role in determining the mediator of FID in human resistance arterioles. Manipulating the sphingolipid balance towards ceramide versus sphingosine-1-phosphate favors microvascular dysfunction versus restoration of NO-mediated FID, respectively. Multiple targets exist within this biolipid pathway to treat microvascular dysfunction and potentially improve patient outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary E. Schulz
- Department of AnesthesiologyMedical College of WisconsinMilwaukeeWI
- Cardiovascular CenterMedical College of WisconsinMilwaukeeWI
| | - Boran Katunaric
- Department of AnesthesiologyMedical College of WisconsinMilwaukeeWI
- Cardiovascular CenterMedical College of WisconsinMilwaukeeWI
| | - Joseph C. Hockenberry
- Cardiovascular CenterMedical College of WisconsinMilwaukeeWI
- Division of CardiologyDepartment of MedicineMedical College of WisconsinMilwaukeeWI
| | - David D. Gutterman
- Cardiovascular CenterMedical College of WisconsinMilwaukeeWI
- Division of CardiologyDepartment of MedicineMedical College of WisconsinMilwaukeeWI
| | - Julie K. Freed
- Department of AnesthesiologyMedical College of WisconsinMilwaukeeWI
- Cardiovascular CenterMedical College of WisconsinMilwaukeeWI
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8
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Mortezaee K, Najafi M, Farhood B, Ahmadi A, Potes Y, Shabeeb D, Musa AE. Modulation of apoptosis by melatonin for improving cancer treatment efficiency: An updated review. Life Sci 2019; 228:228-241. [DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2019.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2019] [Revised: 04/29/2019] [Accepted: 05/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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9
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Finicle BT, Ramirez MU, Liu G, Selwan EM, McCracken AN, Yu J, Joo Y, Nguyen J, Ou K, Roy SG, Mendoza VD, Corrales DV, Edinger AL. Sphingolipids inhibit endosomal recycling of nutrient transporters by inactivating ARF6. J Cell Sci 2018; 131:jcs.213314. [PMID: 29848659 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.213314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2017] [Accepted: 05/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Endogenous sphingolipids (ceramide) and related synthetic molecules (FTY720, SH-BC-893) reduce nutrient access by decreasing cell surface expression of a subset of nutrient transporter proteins. Here, we report that these sphingolipids disrupt endocytic recycling by inactivating the small GTPase ARF6. Consistent with reported roles for ARF6 in maintaining the tubular recycling endosome, MICAL-L1-positive tubules were lost from sphingolipid-treated cells. We propose that ARF6 inactivation may occur downstream of PP2A activation since: (1) sphingolipids that fail to activate PP2A did not reduce ARF6-GTP levels; (2) a structurally unrelated PP2A activator disrupted tubular recycling endosome morphology and transporter localization; and (3) overexpression of a phosphomimetic mutant of the ARF6 GEF GRP1 prevented nutrient transporter loss. ARF6 inhibition alone was not toxic; however, the ARF6 inhibitors SecinH3 and NAV2729 dramatically enhanced the killing of cancer cells by SH-BC-893 without increasing toxicity to peripheral blood mononuclear cells, suggesting that ARF6 inactivation contributes to the anti-neoplastic actions of sphingolipids. Taken together, these studies provide mechanistic insight into how ceramide and sphingolipid-like molecules limit nutrient access and suppress tumor cell growth and survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brendan T Finicle
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Manuel U Ramirez
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Gang Liu
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Elizabeth M Selwan
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Alison N McCracken
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Jingwen Yu
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Yoosun Joo
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Jannett Nguyen
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Kevin Ou
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Saurabh Ghosh Roy
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Victor D Mendoza
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Dania Virginia Corrales
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Aimee L Edinger
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
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Moro K, Kawaguchi T, Tsuchida J, Gabriel E, Qi Q, Yan L, Wakai T, Takabe K, Nagahashi M. Ceramide species are elevated in human breast cancer and are associated with less aggressiveness. Oncotarget 2018; 9:19874-19890. [PMID: 29731990 PMCID: PMC5929433 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.24903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2017] [Accepted: 03/12/2018] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Sphingolipids have emerged as key regulatory molecules in cancer cell survival and death. Although important roles of sphingolipids in breast cancer progression have been reported in experimental models, their roles in human patients are yet to be revealed. The aim of this study was to investigate the ceramide levels and its biosynthesis pathways in human breast cancer patients. Breast cancer, peri-tumor and normal breast tissue samples were collected from surgical specimens from a series of 44 patients with breast cancer. The amount of sphingolipid metabolites in the tissue were determined by mass spectrometry. The Cancer Genome Atlas was used to analyze gene expression related to the sphingolipid metabolism. Ceramide levels were higher in breast cancer tissue compared to both normal and peri-tumor breast tissue. Substrates and enzymes that generate ceramide were significantly increased in all three ceramide biosynthesis pathways in cancer. Further, higher levels of ceramide in breast cancer were associated with less aggressive cancer biology presented by Ki-67 index and nuclear grade of the cancer. Interestingly, patients with higher gene expressions of enzymes in the three major ceramide synthesis pathways showed significantly worse prognosis. This is the first study to reveal the clinical relevance of ceramide metabolism in breast cancer patients. We demonstrated that ceramide levels in breast cancer tissue were significantly higher than those in normal tissue, with activation of the three ceramide biosynthesis pathways. We also identified that ceramide levels have a significant association with aggressive phenotype and its enzymes have prognostic impact on breast cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuki Moro
- Division of Digestive and General Surgery, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata City 951-8510, Japan
| | - Tsutomu Kawaguchi
- Breast Surgery, Department of Surgical Oncology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York 14263, USA
| | - Junko Tsuchida
- Division of Digestive and General Surgery, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata City 951-8510, Japan
| | - Emmanuel Gabriel
- Breast Surgery, Department of Surgical Oncology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York 14263, USA
| | - Qianya Qi
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York 14263, USA
| | - Li Yan
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York 14263, USA
| | - Toshifumi Wakai
- Division of Digestive and General Surgery, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata City 951-8510, Japan
| | - Kazuaki Takabe
- Division of Digestive and General Surgery, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata City 951-8510, Japan.,Breast Surgery, Department of Surgical Oncology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York 14263, USA.,Department of Surgery, University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The State University of New York, Buffalo, New York 14203, USA.,Department of Breast Surgery and Oncology, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo 160-8402, Japan.,Department of Surgery, Yokohama City University, Yokohama 236-0004, Japan
| | - Masayuki Nagahashi
- Division of Digestive and General Surgery, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata City 951-8510, Japan
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11
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Cárcel-Trullols J, Kovács AD, Pearce DA. Role of the Lysosomal Membrane Protein, CLN3, in the Regulation of Cathepsin D Activity. J Cell Biochem 2017; 118:3883-3890. [PMID: 28390177 PMCID: PMC5603378 DOI: 10.1002/jcb.26039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2017] [Accepted: 04/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Among Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinoses (NCLs), which are childhood fatal neurodegenerative disorders, the juvenile onset form (JNCL) is the most common. JNCL is caused by recessive mutations in the CLN3 gene. CLN3 encodes a lysosomal/endosomal transmembrane protein but its precise function is not completely known. We have previously reported that in baby hamster kidney (BHK) cells stably expressing myc-tagged human CLN3 (myc-CLN3), hyperosmotic conditions drastically increased myc-CLN3 mRNA and protein expression. In the present study, we analyzed the consequences of hyperosmolarity, and increased CLN3 expression on cathepsin D (CTSD) activity and prosaposin processing using BHK cells transiently or stably expressing myc-CLN3. We found that hyperosmolarity increased lysotracker staining of lysosomes, and elevated the levels of myc-CLN3 and lysosome-associated membrane protein-1 (LAMP1). Hyperosmolarity, independently of the expression level of myc-CLN3, decreased the levels of PSAP and saposin D, which are protein cofactors in sphingolipid metabolism. The lysosomal enzyme cathepsin D (CTSD) mediates the proteolytic cleavage of PSAP precursor into saposins A-D. Myc-CLN3 colocalized with CTSD and activity of CTSD decreased as myc-CLN3 expression increased, and clearly decreased under hyperosmotic conditions. Nevertheless, levels of CTSD measured by Western blotting were not altered under any studied condition. Our results suggest a direct involvement of CLN3 in the regulation of CTSD activity. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 3883-3890, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaime Cárcel-Trullols
- Sanford Children’s Health Research Center, Sanford Research, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, 57104 USA
| | - Attila D. Kovács
- Sanford Children’s Health Research Center, Sanford Research, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, 57104 USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota Sioux Falls, South Dakota, 57104 USA
| | - David A. Pearce
- Sanford Children’s Health Research Center, Sanford Research, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, 57104 USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota Sioux Falls, South Dakota, 57104 USA
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12
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Incorporation of Fluorescence Ceramide-Based HPLC Assay for Rapidly and Efficiently Assessing Glucosylceramide Synthase In Vivo. Sci Rep 2017; 7:2976. [PMID: 28592871 PMCID: PMC5462733 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-03320-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2016] [Accepted: 04/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Glucosylceramide synthase (GCS) is a rate-limiting enzyme catalyzing ceramide glycosylation, thereby regulating cellular ceramide levels and the synthesis of glycosphingolipids (GSLs) in cellular membranes. Alterations of GCS not only affect membrane integrity, but also closely correlate with stem cell pluripotency, cancer drug resistance, GSL storage disorders and other diseases. Enzyme activities measured conventionally with currently available ex-vivo methods do not enable reliable assessment of the roles played by GCS in vivo. We report herein a substrate-incorporation method enabling rapid and efficient assessment of GCS in-vivo activity. Upon nanoparticle-based delivery, fluorescent NBD C6-ceramide was efficiently converted to NBD C6-glucosylceramide in live cells or in mouse tissues, whereupon an HPLC assay enabled detection and quantification of NBD C6-glucosylceramide in the low-femtomolar range. The enzyme kinetics of GCS in live cells and mouse liver were well-described by the Michaelis-Menten model. GCS activities were significantly higher in drug-resistant cancer cells and in tumors overexpressing GCS, but reduced after silencing GCS expression or inhibiting this enzyme. Our studies indicate that this rapid and efficient method provides a valuable means for accurately assessing the roles played by GCS in normal vs. pathological states, including ones involving cancer drug resistance.
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13
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Yun SH, Shin SW, Stonik VA, Park JI. Ceramide as a Target of Marine Triterpene Glycosides for Treatment of Human Myeloid Leukemia. Mar Drugs 2016; 14:md14110205. [PMID: 27827870 PMCID: PMC5128748 DOI: 10.3390/md14110205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2016] [Revised: 10/19/2016] [Accepted: 10/28/2016] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous myeloid clonal disorder exhibiting the accumulation of immature myeloid progenitors in the bone marrow and peripheral blood. Standard AML therapy requires intensive combination chemotherapy, which leads to significant treatment-related toxicity. The search for new, low toxic marine agents, inducing the generation of ceramide in leukemic cells is a new approach to improve the therapy of leukemia. This review focuses on the metabolism of sphingolipids, the role of ceramide in treating leukemia, and the antitumor activity, related to ceramide metabolism, of some marine metabolites, particularly stichoposides, triterpene glycosides extracted from sea cucumbers of the family Stichopodiidae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seong-Hoon Yun
- Department of Biochemistry, Dong-A University College of Medicine, 32 Daesingongwon-ro, Seo-Gu, Busan 49201, Korea.
| | - Sung-Won Shin
- Department of Biochemistry, Dong-A University College of Medicine, 32 Daesingongwon-ro, Seo-Gu, Busan 49201, Korea.
| | - Valentin A Stonik
- G.B. Elyakov Pacific Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Far-Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Science, Vladivostok 690022, Russia.
- Department of Bioorganic Chemistry and Biotechnology, School of Natural Sciences, Far East Federal University, Vladivostok 690091, Russia.
| | - Joo-In Park
- Department of Biochemistry, Dong-A University College of Medicine, 32 Daesingongwon-ro, Seo-Gu, Busan 49201, Korea.
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14
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Vogt D, Stark H. Therapeutic Strategies and Pharmacological Tools Influencing S1P Signaling and Metabolism. Med Res Rev 2016; 37:3-51. [PMID: 27480072 DOI: 10.1002/med.21402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2016] [Revised: 06/01/2016] [Accepted: 06/28/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
During the last two decades the study of the sphingolipid anabolic, catabolic, and signaling pathways has attracted enormous interest. Especially the introduction of fingolimod into market as first p.o. therapeutic for the treatment of multiple sclerosis has boosted this effect. Although the complex regulation of sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) and other catabolic and anabolic sphingosine-related compounds is not fully understood, the influence on different (patho)physiological states from inflammation to cytotoxicity as well as the availability of versatile pharmacological tools that represent new approaches to study these states are described. Here, we have summarized various aspects concerning the many faces of sphingolipid function modulation by different pharmacological tools up to clinical candidates. Due to the immense heterogeneity of physiological or pharmacological actions and complex cross regulations, it is difficult to predict their role in upcoming therapeutic approaches. Currently, inflammatory, immunological, and/or antitumor aspects are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominik Vogt
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Straße 9, D-60438, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Holger Stark
- Institute of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Universitätsstraße 1, D-40225, Düsseldorf, Germany
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15
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Rossi MJ, Sundararaj K, Koybasi S, Phillips MS, Szulc ZM, Bielawska A, Day TA, Obeid LM, Hannun YA, Ogretmen B. Inhibition of growth and telomerase activity by novel cationic ceramide analogs with high solubility in human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cells. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2016; 132:55-62. [PMID: 15632910 DOI: 10.1016/j.otohns.2004.08.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is notoriously resistant to chemotherapy. The sphingolipid ceramide and its analogs have been demonstrated to exert antitumor activity in many cell types; however, the effectiveness of these analogs has been limited by potency and solubility. This study focuses on the effects of novel highly soluble cationic pyridinium-ceramides, alone and in combination with various chemotherapeutic agents, on cell survival, telomerase activity, and cell cycle arrest in HNSCC cell lines in vitro. METHODS: The concentration of pyridinium-ceramides and chemotherapeutic agents that inhibited cell growth by 50% (IC50) was determined by MTT cell survival assays. The cell cycle profiles were determined by flow cytometry. Telomerase activity was determined by telomerase repeat amplification protocol (TRAP) assay. RESULTS: Treatment of the human UM-SCC-22A (SCC of the hypopharynx) cells, as well as various other HNSCC cell lines, with C6-Pyr-Cer resulted in the inhibition of cell survival with an IC50 concentration of approximately 250 to 300 nM at 96 hours, whereas its IC50 was greater than 1000 nM in noncancerous Wi-38 human lung fibroblasts, and adult human epidermal keratinocytes. Moreover, treatment with C6-Pyr-Cer also resulted in cell cycle arrest in G0/G1, which correlated with a significant inhibition of telomerase activity in UM-SCC-22A cells. Additional results demonstrated that the combination of C6-Pyr-Cer with gemcitabine (GMZ) or doxorubicin (DOX), which have the lowest IC50 concentrations among various chemotherapeutic drugs in these cells, enhances the effects of these drugs in the inhibition of telomerase and cell growth. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that the novel C6-Pyr-Cer with high solubility and bioavailability may lead to the development of new therapeutic strategies that target telomerase for the treatment of HNSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Rossi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, USA
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16
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Zhang Y, Pan Y, Bian Z, Chen P, Zhu S, Gu H, Guo L, Hu C. Ceramide Production Mediates Aldosterone-Induced Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cell (HUVEC) Damages. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0146944. [PMID: 26788916 PMCID: PMC4720365 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0146944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2015] [Accepted: 12/23/2015] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Here, we studied the underlying mechanism of aldosterone (Aldo)-induced vascular endothelial cell damages by focusing on ceramide. We confirmed that Aldo (at nmol/L) inhibited human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) survival, and induced considerable cell apoptosis. We propose that ceramide (mainly C18) production might be responsible for Aldo-mediated damages in HUVECs. Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), an anti-ceramide lipid, attenuated Aldo-induced ceramide production and following HUVEC damages. On the other hand, the glucosylceramide synthase (GCS) inhibitor PDMP or the ceramide (C6) potentiated Aldo-induced HUVEC apoptosis. Eplerenone, a mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) antagonist, almost completely blocked Aldo-induced C18 ceramide production and HUVEC damages. Molecularly, ceramide synthase 1 (CerS-1) is required for C18 ceramide production by Aldo. Knockdown of CerS-1 by targeted-shRNA inhibited Aldo-induced C18 ceramide production, and protected HUVECs from Aldo. Reversely, CerS-1 overexpression facilitated Aldo-induced C18 ceramide production, and potentiated HUVEC damages. Together, these results suggest that C18 ceramide production mediates Aldo-mediated HUVEC damages. MR and CerS-1 could be the two signaling molecule regulating C18 ceramide production by Aldo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yumei Zhang
- Division of Nephrology, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 201999, China
| | - Yu Pan
- Division of Nephrology, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 201999, China
| | - Zhixiang Bian
- Division of Nephrology, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 201999, China
| | - Peihua Chen
- Division of Nephrology, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 201999, China
| | - Shijian Zhu
- Division of Nephrology, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 201999, China
| | - Huiyi Gu
- Division of Nephrology, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 201999, China
| | - Liping Guo
- Division of Nephrology, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 201999, China
| | - Chun Hu
- Division of Nephrology, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 201999, China
- * E-mail:
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17
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Makoukji J, Raad M, Genadry K, El-Sitt S, Makhoul NJ, Saad Aldin E, Nohra E, Jabbour M, Sangaralingam A, Chelala C, Habib RH, Boulos F, Tfayli A, Boustany RM. Association between CLN3 (Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis, CLN3 Type) Gene Expression and Clinical Characteristics of Breast Cancer Patients. Front Oncol 2015; 5:215. [PMID: 26528430 PMCID: PMC4601263 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2015.00215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2015] [Accepted: 09/22/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide. Elucidation of underlying biology and molecular pathways is necessary for improving therapeutic options and clinical outcomes. CLN3 protein (CLN3p), deficient in neurodegenerative CLN3 disease is anti-apoptotic, and defects in the CLN3 gene cause accelerated apoptosis of neurons in CLN3 disease and up-regulation of ceramide. Dysregulated apoptotic pathways are often implicated in the development of the oncogenic phenotype. Predictably, CLN3 mRNA expression and CLN3 protein were up-regulated in a number of human and murine breast cancer-cell lines. Here, we determine CLN3 expression in non-tumor vs. tumor samples from fresh and formalin-fixed/paraffin-embedded (FFPE) breast tissue and analyze the association between CLN3 overexpression and different clinicopathological characteristics of breast cancer patients. Additionally, gene expression of 28 enzymes involved in sphingolipid metabolism was determined. CLN3 mRNA is overexpressed in tumor vs. non-tumor breast tissue from FFPE and fresh samples, as well as in mouse MCF7 breast cancer compared to MCF10A normal cells. Of the clinicopathological characteristics of tumor grade, age, menopause status, estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), only absence of HER2 expression correlated with CLN3 overexpression. Sphingolipid genes for ceramide synthases 2 and 6 (CerS2; CerS6), delta(4)-desaturase sphingolipid 2 (DEGS2), and acidic sphingomyelinase (SMPD1) displayed higher expression levels in breast cancer vs. control tissue, whereas ceramide galactosyltransferase (UGT8) was underexpressed in breast cancer samples. CLN3 may be a novel molecular target for cancer drug discovery with the goal of modulation of ceramide pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joelle Makoukji
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, American University of Beirut Medical Center , Beirut , Lebanon
| | - Mohamad Raad
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, American University of Beirut Medical Center , Beirut , Lebanon
| | - Katia Genadry
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, American University of Beirut Medical Center , Beirut , Lebanon
| | - Sally El-Sitt
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, American University of Beirut Medical Center , Beirut , Lebanon
| | - Nadine J Makhoul
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, American University of Beirut Medical Center , Beirut , Lebanon
| | - Ehab Saad Aldin
- Department of Radiology, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics , Iowa City, IA , USA
| | - Eden Nohra
- Department of Internal Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center , Beirut , Lebanon
| | - Mark Jabbour
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center , Beirut , Lebanon
| | - Ajanthah Sangaralingam
- Centre for Molecular Oncology, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London , London , UK
| | - Claude Chelala
- Centre for Molecular Oncology, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London , London , UK
| | - Robert H Habib
- Outcomes Research Unit, American University of Beirut Medical Center , Beirut , Lebanon
| | - Fouad Boulos
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center , Beirut , Lebanon
| | - Arafat Tfayli
- Department of Internal Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center , Beirut , Lebanon
| | - Rose-Mary Boustany
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, American University of Beirut Medical Center , Beirut , Lebanon ; Neurogenetics Program, Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center , Beirut , Lebanon
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18
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Cheng L, Chen YZ, Peng Y, Yi N, Gu XS, Jin Y, Bai XM. Ceramide production mediates cinobufotalin-induced growth inhibition and apoptosis in cultured hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Tumour Biol 2015; 36:5763-71. [PMID: 25724183 DOI: 10.1007/s13277-015-3245-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2014] [Accepted: 02/10/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly aggressive and lethal neoplasm with poor prognosis. The aim of this study is to investigate the anticancer activity of cinobufotalin, a bufadienolide isolated from toad venom, in cultured HCC cells, and to study the underlying mechanisms. We found that cinobufotalin (at nmol/L) significantly inhibited HCC cell growth and survival while inducing considerable cell apoptosis. Further, cinobufotalin inhibited sphingosine kinase 1 (SphK1) activity and induced pro-apoptotic ceramide production. Ceramide synthase-1 small hairpin RNA (shRNA)-depletion inhibited cinobufotalin-induced ceramide production and HCC cell apoptosis. On the other hand, the glucosylceramide synthase (GCS) inhibitor 1-phenyl-2-decanoylamino-3-morpholino-1-propanol (PDMP) facilitated cinobufotalin-induced ceramide production and cell apoptosis. SphK1 inhibitor II (SKI-II), similar to cinobufotalin, increased cellular ceramide level and promoted HCC cell apoptosis. Finally, we observed that cinobufotalin inactivated Akt-S6K1 signaling in HepG2 cells, which was again inhibited by ceramide synthase-1 shRNA-depletion. In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that cinobufotalin induces growth inhibition and apoptosis in cultured HCC cells through ceramide production. Cinobufotalin may be investigated as a novel anti-HCC agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Long Cheng
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215001, China
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19
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Gutiérrez-Iglesias G, Hurtado Y, Palma-Lara I, López-Marure R. Resistance to the antiproliferative effect induced by a short-chain ceramide is associated with an increase of glucosylceramide synthase, P-glycoprotein, and multidrug-resistance gene-1 in cervical cancer cells. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 2014; 74:809-17. [DOI: 10.1007/s00280-014-2552-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2014] [Accepted: 07/25/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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20
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Boustany RM. Ceramide center stage in progressive myoclonus epilepsies. Ann Neurol 2014; 76:162-4. [PMID: 25041902 DOI: 10.1002/ana.24228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2014] [Revised: 07/04/2014] [Accepted: 07/11/2014] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rose-Mary Boustany
- Departments of Pediatrics, Adolescent Medicine, and Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon
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21
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Owczarek TB, Suchanski J, Pula B, Kmiecik AM, Chadalski M, Jethon A, Dziegiel P, Ugorski M. Galactosylceramide affects tumorigenic and metastatic properties of breast cancer cells as an anti-apoptotic molecule. PLoS One 2013; 8:e84191. [PMID: 24391908 PMCID: PMC3877204 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0084191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2013] [Accepted: 11/13/2013] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
It was recently proposed that UDP-galactose:ceramide galactosyltransferase (UGT8), enzyme responsible for synthesis of galactosylceramide (GalCer), is a significant index of tumor aggressiveness and a potential marker for the prognostic evaluation of lung metastases in breast cancer. To further reveal the role of UGT8 and GalCer in breast cancer progression, tumorigenicity and metastatic potential of control MDA-MB-231 cells (MDA/LUC) and MDA-MB-231 cells (MDA/LUC-shUGT8) with highly decreased expression of UGT8 and GalCer after stable expression of shRNA directed against UGT8 mRNA was studied in vivo in athymic nu/nu mice. Control MDA/LUC cells formed tumors and metastatic colonies much more efficiently in comparison to MDA/LUC-shUGT8 cells with suppressed synthesis of GalCer after their, respectively, orthotopic and intracardiac transplantation. These findings indicate that UGT8 and GalCer have a profound effect on tumorigenic and metastatic properties of breast cancer cells. In accordance with this finding, immunohistochemical staining of tumor specimens revealed that high expression of UGT8 accompanied by accumulation of GalCer in MDA-MB-231 cells is associated with a much higher proliferative index and a lower number of apoptotic cells in comparison to the MDA/LUC-shUGT8 cells. In addition, it was found that expression of UGT8 in MDA-MB-231 cells increased their resistance to apoptosis induced by doxorubicin in vitro. Therefore, these data suggest that accumulation of GalCer in tumor cells inhibits apoptosis, which would facilitates metastatic cells to survive in the hostile microenvironment of tumor in target organ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomasz B Owczarek
- Laboratory of Glycobiology and Cell Interactions, Ludwik Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland ; Department of Biochemistry, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Jarosław Suchanski
- Department of Biochemistry, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Bartosz Pula
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Alicja M Kmiecik
- Laboratory of Glycobiology and Cell Interactions, Ludwik Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Marek Chadalski
- Laboratory of Glycobiology and Cell Interactions, Ludwik Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Aleksandra Jethon
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Piotr Dziegiel
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland ; Department of Physiotherapy, Wroclaw University School of Physical Education, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Maciej Ugorski
- Laboratory of Glycobiology and Cell Interactions, Ludwik Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland ; Department of Biochemistry, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland
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22
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Abstract
Non-surgical therapies for human malignancies must negotiate complex cell signaling pathways to impede cancer cell growth, ideally promoting death of cancer cells while sparing healthy tissue. For most of the past half century, medical approaches for treating cancer have relied primarily on cytotoxic chemotherapeutics that interfere with DNA replication and cell division, susceptibilities of rapidly dividing cancer cells. As a consequence, these therapies exert considerable cell stress, promoting the generation of ceramide through de novo synthesis and recycling of complex glycosphingolipids and sphingomyelin into apoptotic ceramide. Radiotherapy of cancer exerts similar geno- and cytotoxic cell stresses, and generation of ceramide following ionizing radiation therapy is a well-described feature of radiation-induced cell death. Emerging evidence now describes sphingolipids as mediators of death in response to newer targeted therapies, cementing ceramide generation as a common mechanism of cell death in response to cancer therapy. Many studies have now shown that dysregulation of ceramide accumulation-whether by reduced generation or accelerated metabolism-is a common mechanism of resistance to standard cancer therapies. The aims of this chapter will be to discuss described mechanisms of cancer resistance to therapy related to dysregulation of sphingolipid metabolism and to explore clinical and preclinical approaches to interdict sphingolipid metabolism to improve outcomes of standard cancer therapies.
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Abstract
Ceramide, a bioactive sphingolipid, is now at the forefront of cancer research. Classically, ceramide is thought to induce death, growth inhibition, and senescence in cancer cells. However, it is now clear that this simple picture of ceramide no longer holds true. Recent studies suggest that there are diverse functions of endogenously generated ceramides, which seem to be context dependent, regulated by subcellular/membrane localization and presence/absence of direct targets of these lipid molecules. For example, different fatty-acid chain lengths of ceramide, such as C(16)-ceramide that can be generated by ceramide synthase 6 (CerS6), have been implicated in cancer cell proliferation, whereas CerS1-generated C(18)-ceramide mediates cell death. The dichotomy of ceramides' function in cancer cells makes some of the metabolic enzymes of ceramide synthesis potential drug targets (such as Cers6) to prevent cancer growth in breast and head and neck cancers. Conversely, activation of CerS1 could be a new therapeutic option for the development of novel strategies against lung and head and neck cancers. This chapter focuses on recent discoveries about the mechanistic details of mainly de novo-generated ceramides and their signaling functions in cancer pathogenesis, and about how these mechanistic information can be translated into clinically relevant therapeutic options for the treatment of cancer.
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Liu YY, Hill RA, Li YT. Ceramide glycosylation catalyzed by glucosylceramide synthase and cancer drug resistance. Adv Cancer Res 2013; 117:59-89. [PMID: 23290777 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-394274-6.00003-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Glucosylceramide synthase (GCS), converting ceramide to glucosylceramide, catalyzes the first reaction of ceramide glycosylation in sphingolipid metabolism. This glycosylation by GCS is a critical step regulating the modulation of cellular activities by controlling ceramide and glycosphingolipids (GSLs). An increase of ceramide in response to stresses, such as chemotherapy, drives cells to proliferation arrest and apoptosis or autophagy; however, ceramide glycosylation promptly eliminates ceramide and consequently, these induced processes, thus protecting cancer cells. Further, persistently enhanced ceramide glycosylation can increase GSLs, participating in selecting cancer cells to drug resistance. GCS is overexpressed in diverse drug-resistant cancer cells and in tumors of breast, colon, and leukemia that display poor response to chemotherapy. As ceramide glycosylation by GCS is a rate-limiting step in GSL synthesis, inhibition of GCS sensitizes cancer cells to anticancer drugs and eradicates cancer stem cells. Mechanistic studies indicate that uncoupling ceramide glycosylation can modulate gene expression, decreasing MDR1 through the cSrc/β-catenin pathway and restoring p53 expression via RNA splicing. These studies not only expand our knowledge in understanding how ceramide glycosylation affects cancer cells but also provide novel therapeutic approaches for targeting refractory tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong-Yu Liu
- Department of Basic Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Louisiana at Monroe, Monroe, LA, USA.
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25
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Acid ceramidase induces sphingosine kinase 1/S1P receptor 2-mediated activation of oncogenic Akt signaling. Oncogenesis 2013; 2:e49. [PMID: 23732709 PMCID: PMC3740300 DOI: 10.1038/oncsis.2013.14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Acid ceramidase (AC) is overexpressed in most prostate tumors and confers oncogenic phenotypes to prostate cancer cells. AC modulates the cellular balance between ceramide, sphingosine and sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P). These bioactive sphingolipids have diverse, powerful and often oppositional impacts on cell signaling, including the activation status of the oncogenic kinase Akt. Our studies show that AC expression correlates with phosphorylation of Akt in human prostate tumors, and elevation of phosphorylated Akt in tumor versus patient-matched benign tissue is contingent upon AC elevation. Investigation of the mechanism for AC-induced Akt activation revealed that AC activates Akt through sphingosine kinase 1 (SphK1)-derived generation of S1P. This signaling pathway proceeds through S1P receptor 2 (S1PR2)-dependent stimulation of PI3K. Functionally, AC-overexpressing cells are insensitive to cytotoxic chemotherapy, however, these cells are more susceptible to targeted inhibition of Akt. AC-overexpressing cells proliferate more rapidly than control cells and form more colonies in soft agar; however, these effects are profoundly sensitive to Akt inhibition, demonstrating increased dependence on Akt signaling for the oncogenic phenotypes of AC-overexpressing cells. These observations may have clinical implications for targeted therapy as PI3K and Akt inhibitors emerge from clinical trials.
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26
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Nowak R, Tarasiuk J. Retaining cytotoxic activity of anthrapyridone CO1 against multidrug resistant cells is related to the ability to induce concomitantly apoptosis and lysosomal death of leukaemia HL60/VINC and HL60/DOX cells. J Pharm Pharmacol 2013; 65:855-67. [DOI: 10.1111/jphp.12042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2012] [Accepted: 01/15/2013] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Objectives
The effect of anthrapyridone compound CO1 retaining cytotoxic activity against multidrug resistant (MDR) tumour cells on inducing cell death of the sensitive leukaemia HL60 cell line and its MDR sublines (HL60/VINC and HL60/DOX) was examined.
Methods
The effects of CO1 and the reference compound doxorubicin (DOX) on examined cells were analysed by studying their cytotoxicity, drug intracellular accumulation, cell cycle distribution, caspase-3 and caspase-8 activity, Fas expression and lysosomal integrity.
Key findings
CO1 was much less effective at influencing the cell cycle of examined cells than DOX a well-known antitumour drug targeting cellular DNA and causing G2/M checkpoint arrest. CO1 caused much less pronounced appearance of the sub-G1 population and oligonucleosomal DNA fragmentation, characteristic of apoptosis, compared with DOX. Significantly lower caspase-3 and caspase-8 activity was also observed in the response of these cells to CO1 compared with DOX treatment. CO1 did not change the expression of the Fas death receptor, characteristic of apoptotic pathways, on the surface of studied cells. Interestingly, the results showed that CO1 caused lysosomal membrane permeability (LMP) of the cells, whereas DOX did not perturb the lysosomal integrity of the studied cells.
Conclusions
The results suggest that CO1 could induce LMP-mediated cell death as a main lethal effect in a caspase-independent fashion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Nowak
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland
| | - Jolanta Tarasiuk
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland
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27
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Abstract
Acid sphingomyelinase (ASM) is a lipid hydrolase that cleaves the sphingolipid, sphingomyelin, into ceramide. Mutations in the ASM gene (SMPD1) result in the rare lysosomal storage disorder, Niemann-Pick disease (NPD). In addition to its role in NPD, over the past two decades, the importance of sphingolipids, and ASM in particular, in normal physiology and the pathophysiology of numerous common diseases also has become known. For example, altered sphingolipid metabolism occurs in many cancers, generally reducing the levels of the pro-apoptotic lipid, ceramide, and/or elevating the levels of the proliferative lipid, sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P). These changes likely contribute to the tumorigenicity and/or metastatic capacity of the cancer. In addition, many cancer therapies induce ceramide-mediated death, and cancer cells have evolved novel mechanisms to overcome this effect. In the present review, we discuss sphingolipid metabolism in cancer, and specifically the potential for pharmacological modulation using ASM. Of note, recombinant human ASM (rhASM) has been produced for human use and is being evaluated as a treatment for NPD. Thus, its use for cancer therapy could be rapidly evaluated in the clinic after appropriate animal model studies have been completed. As this enzyme was initially studied in the context of NPD, we start with a brief overview of the history of ASM and NPD, followed by a discussion of the role of ASM in cancer biology, and then summarize emerging preclinical efficacy studies using rhASM as an adjunct in the treatment of solid tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Radoslav Savić
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, USA
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28
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Delgado A, Fabriàs G, Casas J, Abad JL. Natural products as platforms for the design of sphingolipid-related anticancer agents. Adv Cancer Res 2013; 117:237-81. [PMID: 23290782 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-394274-6.00008-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Modulation of sphingolipid metabolism is a promising strategy for cancer therapy that has already opened innovative approaches for the development of pharmacological tools and rationally designed new drugs. On the other hand, natural products represent a classical and well-established source of chemical diversity that has guided medicinal chemists on the development of new chemical entities with potential therapeutic use. Based on these premises, the aim of this chapter is to provide the reader with a general overview of some of the most representative families of sphingolipid-related natural products that have been described in the recent literature as lead compounds for the design of new modulators of sphingolipid metabolism. Special emphasis is placed on the structural aspects of natural sphingoids and synthetic analogs that have found application as anticancer agents. In addition, their cellular targets and/or their mode of action are also considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Delgado
- Spanish National Research Council, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Research Unit on Bioactive Molecules, Jordi Girona 18-26, Barcelona, Spain.
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29
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Ginkel C, Hartmann D, vom Dorp K, Zlomuzica A, Farwanah H, Eckhardt M, Sandhoff R, Degen J, Rabionet M, Dere E, Dörmann P, Sandhoff K, Willecke K. Ablation of neuronal ceramide synthase 1 in mice decreases ganglioside levels and expression of myelin-associated glycoprotein in oligodendrocytes. J Biol Chem 2012; 287:41888-902. [PMID: 23074226 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m112.413500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Ceramide synthase 1 (CerS1) catalyzes the synthesis of C18 ceramide and is mainly expressed in the brain. Custom-made antibodies to a peptide from the C-terminal region of the mouse CerS1 protein yielded specific immunosignals in neurons but no other cell types of wild type brain, but the CerS1 protein was not detected in CerS1-deficient mouse brains. To elucidate the biological function of CerS1-derived sphingolipids in the brain, we generated CerS1-deficient mice by introducing a targeted mutation into the coding region of the cers1 gene. General deficiency of CerS1 in mice caused a foliation defect, progressive shrinkage, and neuronal apoptosis in the cerebellum. Mass spectrometric analyses revealed up to 60% decreased levels of gangliosides in cerebellum and forebrain. Expression of myelin-associated glycoprotein was also decreased by about 60% in cerebellum and forebrain, suggesting that interaction and stabilization of oligodendrocytic myelin-associated glycoprotein by neuronal gangliosides is due to the C18 acyl membrane anchor of CerS1-derived precursor ceramides. A behavioral analysis of CerS1-deficient mice yielded functional deficits including impaired exploration of novel objects, locomotion, and motor coordination. Our results reveal an essential function of CerS1-derived ceramide in the regulation of cerebellar development and neurodevelopmentally regulated behavior.
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30
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Anthraquinone antitumour agents, doxorubicin, pirarubicin and benzoperimidine BP1, trigger caspase-3/caspase-8-dependent apoptosis of leukaemia sensitive HL60 and resistant HL60/VINC and HL60/DOX cells. Anticancer Drugs 2012; 23:380-92. [PMID: 22198116 DOI: 10.1097/cad.0b013e32834f8ab4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
We examined the effect of selected anthraquinone antitumour agents - doxorubicin (DOX), pirarubicin (PIRA) and benzoperimidine BP1 - on inducing apoptosis of the sensitive leukaemia HL60 cell line and its multidrug resistance sublines overexpressing P-glycoprotein (HL60/VINC) and multidrug resistance-associated protein 1 (HL60/DOX). All agents used at IC50 and IC90 were able to influence the cell cycle of sensitive HL60 and resistant cells and induce apoptosis. Interestingly, it was seen that HL60/VINC cells were more susceptible to undergo caspase-3/caspase-8-dependent apoptosis induced by the studied anthraquinone compounds compared with HL60 and HL60/DOX cells. However, the examined agents did not change the expression of Fas receptors on the surface of HL60-sensitive and-resistant cells.
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31
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Yao C, Wu S, Li D, Ding H, Wang Z, Yang Y, Yan S, Gu Z. Co-administration phenoxodiol with doxorubicin synergistically inhibit the activity of sphingosine kinase-1 (SphK1), a potential oncogene of osteosarcoma, to suppress osteosarcoma cell growth both in vivo and in vitro. Mol Oncol 2012; 6:392-404. [PMID: 22583777 DOI: 10.1016/j.molonc.2012.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2012] [Revised: 04/23/2012] [Accepted: 04/27/2012] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Elucidation of the mechanisms of chemo-resistance and implementation of strategies to overcome it will be pivotal to improve the survival for osteosarcoma (OS) patients. We here suggest that sphingosine kinase-1 (SphK1) might be the key factor contributing to chemo-resistance in OS. Our Western-blots and immunohistochemistry results showed that SphK1 is over-expressed in multiple clinical OS tissues. Over-expression of SphK1 in OS cell line U2OS promoted its growth and endorsed its resistance against doxorubicin, while knocking-down of SphK1 by shRNA inhibited U2OS cell growth and increased its sensitivity to doxorubicin. Co-administration phenoxodiol with doxorubicin synergistically inhibited SphK1 activity to trigger cellular ceramide accumulation, and achieved synergistic anti-OS growth effect, accompanied with a significant increased of apoptosis and cytotoxicity. Increased cellular level of ceramide by the co-administration induced the association between Akt and Protein Phosphatase 1 (PP1) to dephosphorylate Akt, and to introduce a constitutively active Akt (CA-Akt) restored Akt activation and diminished cell growth inhibition. Further, phenoxodiol and doxorubicin synergistically activated apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1(ASK1)/c-jun-NH2-kinase (JNK) signaling, which also contributed to cell growth inhibition. Significantly, the role of SphK1 in OS cell growth and the synergistic anti-OS effect of phenoxodiol and doxorubicin were also seen in a mice OS xenograft model. In conclusion, our data suggest that SphK1 might be a critical oncogene of OS and co-administration phenoxodiol with doxorubicin synergistically inhibited the activity of SphK1 to suppress osteosarcoma cell growth both in vivo and in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Yao
- Department of Orthopedics, BenQ Medical Center, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210019, China
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32
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Palma CD, Perrotta C. Ceramide as a target of chemotherapy: its role in apoptosis and autophagy. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012. [DOI: 10.2217/clp.11.71] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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33
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Antoon JW, Beckman BS. Anti-proliferative effects of the novel ceramide analog (S)-2-(benzylideneamino)-3-hydroxy-N-tetrade-cylpropanamide in chemoresistant cancer. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2012; 22:2624-8. [PMID: 22366655 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2012.01.087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2011] [Revised: 01/20/2012] [Accepted: 01/23/2012] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The ceramide-sphingosine-1-phosphate rheostat is a promising therapeutic target. Here, the novel ceramide analog (S)-2-(benzylideneamino)-3-hydroxy-N-tetrade-cylpropanamide is shown to block proliferation and enhance the efficacy of the clinical chemotherapeutics, etoposide and doxorubicin. These results demonstrate the therapeutic potential of this compound in treating both endocrine resistant and chemoresistant breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- James W Antoon
- Department of Pharmacology, Tulane University School of Medicine, 1430 Tulane Ave. SL-83, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
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34
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Liu YY, Patwardhan GA, Xie P, Gu X, Giuliano AE, Cabot MC. Glucosylceramide synthase, a factor in modulating drug resistance, is overexpressed in metastatic breast carcinoma. Int J Oncol 2011; 39:425-31. [PMID: 21617856 DOI: 10.3892/ijo.2011.1052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2011] [Accepted: 04/27/2011] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Drug resistance causes treatment failure in approximately 50% of breast cancer patients with chemotherapy. Overexpression of glucosylceramide synthase (GCS) confers drug resistance in cancer cells, and suppression of GCS sensitizes cancers to chemotherapy in preclinical studies. Thus, GCS becomes a potential target to reverse drug resistance; however, little is known about GCS expression levels in normal tissues and whether GCS overexpression is associated with metastatic cancers. Herewith, we report our studies in GCS expression levels and breast cancer from patients. GCS levels were analyzed using cancer profiling arrays, breast cancer histo-arrays and quantitative RT-PCR in tumor tissues. We found that breast (18 exp. index) and other hormone-dependent organs (testis, cervix, ovary, prostate) displayed the lowest levels of GCS mRNA, whereas liver (52 exp. index) and other organs (kidney, bladder, stomach) displayed the highest levels of GCS. GCS mRNA levels were significantly elevated in tumors of breast, cervix, rectum and small intestine, as compared to each paired normal tissue. In mammary tissue, GCS overexpression was detected in breast cancers with metastasis, but not in benign fibroadenoma or primary tumors. GCS overexpression was coincident with HER2 expression (γ2=0.84) in ER-negative breast adenocarcinoma. In tumor specimens, GCS mRNA was elevated by 4-fold and significantly associated with stage III (5/7), lymph node-positive (7/8) and estrogen receptor-positive breast cancers (7/9). GCS expression was significantly and selectively elevated in breast cancer, in particular in metastatic disease. GCS overexpression was highly associated with ER-positive and HER2-positive breast cancer with metastasis. Although a small study, these data suggest that GCS may be a prognostic indicator and potential target for the treatment of chemotherapy-refractory breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong-Yu Liu
- Department of Basic Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Louisiana at Monroe, 700 University Avenue, Monroe, LA 71209, USA.
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35
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Ponnusamy S, Meyers-Needham M, Senkal CE, Saddoughi SA, Sentelle D, Selvam SP, Salas A, Ogretmen B. Sphingolipids and cancer: ceramide and sphingosine-1-phosphate in the regulation of cell death and drug resistance. Future Oncol 2011; 6:1603-24. [PMID: 21062159 DOI: 10.2217/fon.10.116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 226] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Sphingolipids have emerged as bioeffector molecules, controlling various aspects of cell growth and proliferation in cancer, which is becoming the deadliest disease in the world. These lipid molecules have also been implicated in the mechanism of action of cancer chemotherapeutics. Ceramide, the central molecule of sphingolipid metabolism, generally mediates antiproliferative responses, such as cell growth inhibition, apoptosis induction, senescence modulation, endoplasmic reticulum stress responses and/or autophagy. Interestingly, recent studies suggest de novo-generated ceramides may have distinct and opposing roles in the promotion/suppression of tumors, and that these activities are based on their fatty acid chain lengths, subcellular localization and/or direct downstream targets. For example, in head and neck cancer cells, ceramide synthase 6/C(16)-ceramide addiction was revealed, and this was associated with increased tumor growth, whereas downregulation of its synthesis resulted in ER stress-induced apoptosis. By contrast, ceramide synthase 1-generated C(18)-ceramide has been shown to suppress tumor growth in various cancer models, both in situ and in vivo. In addition, ceramide metabolism to generate sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) by sphingosine kinases 1 and 2 mediates, with or without the involvement of G-protein-coupled S1P receptor signaling, prosurvival, angiogenesis, metastasis and/or resistance to drug-induced apoptosis. Importantly, recent findings regarding the mechanisms by which sphingolipid metabolism and signaling regulate tumor growth and progression, such as identifying direct intracellular protein targets of sphingolipids, have been key for the development of new chemotherapeutic strategies. Thus, in this article, we will present conclusions of recent studies that describe opposing roles of de novo-generated ceramides by ceramide synthases and/or S1P in the regulation of cancer pathogenesis, as well as the development of sphingolipid-based cancer therapeutics and drug resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suriyan Ponnusamy
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
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36
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Lee SH. Platform Technologies for Research on the G Protein Coupled Receptor: Applications to Drug Discovery Research. Biomol Ther (Seoul) 2011. [DOI: 10.4062/biomolther.2011.19.1.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
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37
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Jin YX, Shin KO, Park MY, Lee SH, Park BD, Oh SK, Yoo HS, Lee YM. Effects of Synthetic Pseudoceramides on Sphingosine Kinase Activity in F9-12 Cells. Biomol Ther (Seoul) 2011. [DOI: 10.4062/biomolther.2011.19.1.134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
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38
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Kavun Ozbayraktar FB, Ulgen KO. Stoichiometric network reconstruction and analysis of yeast sphingolipid metabolism incorporating different states of hydroxylation. Biosystems 2011; 104:63-75. [PMID: 21215790 DOI: 10.1016/j.biosystems.2011.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2010] [Revised: 11/09/2010] [Accepted: 01/03/2011] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The first elaborate metabolic model of Saccharomyces cerevisiae sphingolipid metabolism was reconstructed in silico. The model considers five different states of sphingolipid hydroxylation, rendering it unique among other models. It is aimed to clarify the significance of hydroxylation on sphingolipids and hence to interpret the preferences of the cell between different metabolic pathway branches under different stress conditions. The newly constructed model was validated by single, double and triple gene deletions with experimentally verified phenotypes. Calcium sensitivity and deletion mutations that may suppress calcium sensitivity were examined by CSG1 and CSG2 related deletions. The model enabled the analysis of complex sphingolipid content of the plasma membrane coupled with diacylglycerol and phosphatidic acid biosynthesis and ATP consumption in in silico cell. The flux data belonging to these critically important key metabolites are integrated with the fact of phytoceramide induced cell death to propose novel potential drug targets for cancer therapeutics. In conclusion, we propose that IPT1, GDA1, CSG and AUR1 gene deletions may be novel candidates of drug targets for cancer therapy according to the results of flux balance and variability analyses coupled with robustness analysis.
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39
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Patwardhan GA, Liu YY. Sphingolipids and expression regulation of genes in cancer. Prog Lipid Res 2010; 50:104-14. [PMID: 20970453 DOI: 10.1016/j.plipres.2010.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2010] [Revised: 10/05/2010] [Accepted: 10/11/2010] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Sphingolipids including glycosphingolipids have myriad effects on cell functions and affect cancer in aspects of tumorigenesis, metastasis and tumor response to treatments. Bioactive ones like ceramide, sphingosine 1-phosphate and globotriaosylceramide initiate and process cellular signaling to alter cell behaviors immediately responding to oncogenic stress or treatment challenges. Recent studies pinpoint that sphingolipid-mediated gene expression has long and profound impacts on cancer cells, and these play crucial roles in tumor progression and in treatment outcome. More than 10 sphingolipids and glycosphingolipids selectively mediate expressions of approximately 50 genes including c-myc, p21, c-fos, telomerase reverse transcriptase, caspase-9, Bcl-x, cyclooxygenase-2, matrix metalloproteinases, integrins, Oct-4, glucosylceramide synthase and multidrug-resistant gene 1. By diverse functions of these genes, sphingolipids enduringly affect cellular processes of mitosis, apoptosis, migration, stemness of cancer stem cells and cellular resistance to therapies. Mechanistic studies indicate that sphingolipids regulate particular gene expression by modulating phosphorylation and acetylation of proteins that serve as transcription factors (β-catenin, Sp1), repressor of transcription (histone H3), and regulators (SRp30a) in RNA splicing. Disclosing molecular mechanisms by which sphingolipids selectively regulate particular gene expression, instead of other relevant ones, requires understanding of the exact roles of individual lipid instead of a group, the signaling pathways that are implicated in and interaction with proteins or other lipids in details. These studies not only expand our knowledge of sphingolipids, but can also suggest novel targets for cancer treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gauri A Patwardhan
- Department of Basic Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Louisiana at Monroe, 700 University Avenue, Monroe, LA 71209, USA
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40
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Liu YY, Gupta V, Patwardhan GA, Bhinge K, Zhao Y, Bao J, Mehendale H, Cabot MC, Li YT, Jazwinski SM. Glucosylceramide synthase upregulates MDR1 expression in the regulation of cancer drug resistance through cSrc and beta-catenin signaling. Mol Cancer 2010; 9:145. [PMID: 20540746 PMCID: PMC2903501 DOI: 10.1186/1476-4598-9-145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 129] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2009] [Accepted: 06/11/2010] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Drug resistance is the outcome of multiple-gene interactions in cancer cells under stress of anticancer agents. MDR1 overexpression is most commonly detected in drug-resistant cancers and accompanied with other gene alterations including enhanced glucosylceramide synthase (GCS). MDR1 encodes for P-glycoprotein that extrudes anticancer drugs. Polymorphisms of MDR1 disrupt the effects of P-glycoprotein antagonists and limit the success of drug resistance reversal in clinical trials. GCS converts ceramide to glucosylceramide, reducing the impact of ceramide-induced apoptosis and increasing glycosphingolipid (GSL) synthesis. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying MDR1 overexpression and how it interacts with GCS may find effective approaches to reverse drug resistance. Results MDR1 and GCS were coincidently overexpressed in drug-resistant breast, ovary, cervical and colon cancer cells; silencing GCS using a novel mixed-backbone oligonucleotide (MBO-asGCS) sensitized these four drug-resistant cell lines to doxorubicin. This sensitization was correlated with the decreased MDR1 expression and the increased doxorubicin accumulation. Doxorubicin treatment induced GCS and MDR1 expression in tumors, but MBO-asGCS treatment eliminated "in-vivo" growth of drug-resistant tumor (NCI/ADR-RES). MBO-asGCS suppressed the expression of MDR1 with GCS and sensitized NCI/ADR-RES tumor to doxorubicin. The expression of P-glycoprotein and the function of its drug efflux of tumors were decreased by 4 and 8 times after MBO-asGCS treatment, even though this treatment did not have a significant effect on P-glycoprotein in normal small intestine. GCS transient transfection induced MDR1 overexpression and increased P-glycoprotein efflux in dose-dependent fashion in OVCAR-8 cancer cells. GSL profiling, silencing of globotriaosylceramide synthase and assessment of signaling pathway indicated that GCS transfection significantly increased globo series GSLs (globotriaosylceramide Gb3, globotetraosylceramide Gb4) on GSL-enriched microdomain (GEM), activated cSrc kinase, decreased β-catenin phosphorylation, and increased nuclear β-catenin. These consequently increased MDR1 promoter activation and its expression. Conversely, MBO-asGCS treatments decreased globo series GSLs (Gb3, Gb4), cSrc kinase and nuclear β-catenin, and suppressed MDR-1 expression in dose-dependent pattern. Conclusion This study demonstrates, for the first time, that GCS upregulates MDR1 expression modulating drug resistance of cancer. GSLs, in particular globo series GSLs mediate gene expression of MDR1 through cSrc and β-catenin signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong-Yu Liu
- Department of Basic Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Louisiana at Monroe, Monroe, Louisiana 71209, USA.
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41
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Rotstein NP, Miranda GE, Abrahan CE, German OL. Regulating survival and development in the retina: key roles for simple sphingolipids. J Lipid Res 2010; 51:1247-62. [PMID: 20100817 PMCID: PMC3035489 DOI: 10.1194/jlr.r003442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2009] [Revised: 01/25/2010] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Many sphingolipids have key functions in the regulation of crucial cellular processes. Ceramide (Cer) and sphingosine (Sph) induce growth arrest and cell death in multiple situations of cellular stress. On the contrary, sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), the product of Sph phosphorylation, promotes proliferation, differentiation, and survival in different cell systems. This review summarizes the roles of these simple sphingolipids in different tissues and then analyzes their possible functions in the retina. Alterations in proliferation, neovascularization, differentiation, and cell death are critical in major retina diseases and collective evidence points to a role for sphingolipids in these processes. Cer induces inflammation and apoptosis in endothelial and retinal pigmented epithelium cells, leading to several retinopathies. S1P can prevent this death but also promotes cell proliferation that might lead to neovascularization and fibrosis. Recent data support Cer and Sph as crucial mediators in the induction of photoreceptor apoptosis in diverse models of oxidative damage and neurodegeneration, and suggest that regulating their metabolism can prevent this death. New evidence proposes a central role for S1P controlling photoreceptor survival and differentiation. Finally, this review discusses the ability of trophic factors to regulate sphingolipid metabolism and transactivate S1P signaling pathways to control survival and development in retina photoreceptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora P Rotstein
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Bahía Blanca, Universidad Nacional del Sur-CONICET, Bahía Blanca, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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42
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Gupta V, Patwardhan GA, Zhang QJ, Cabot MC, Jazwinski SM, Liu YY. Direct quantitative determination of ceramide glycosylation in vivo: a new approach to evaluate cellular enzyme activity of glucosylceramide synthase. J Lipid Res 2010; 51:866-74. [PMID: 19826105 PMCID: PMC2842142 DOI: 10.1194/jlr.d002949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2009] [Revised: 10/12/2009] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Glucosylceramide synthase (GCS or GlcT-1), converting ceramide to glucosylceramide, is a key enzyme for the synthesis of glycosphingolipids. Due to its diverse roles in physiology and diseases, GCS may be a disease marker and drug target. Current assays for enzymes including GCS are based on reactions conducted in a test tube using enzyme preparations. Measurement of enzyme activity in laboratory-made conditions cannot directly evaluate the role of GCS in cells. Here, we introduce a new approach to determine GCS cellular activity using fluorescent NBD C6-ceramide in vivo. Cellular GCS transfers UDP-glucose to NBD C6-ceramide and produces NBD C6-glucosylceramide. C6-glucosylceramide is then separated from C6-ceramide by thin-layer chromatography and both are then quantitated by spectrophotometer. This cell-based method is able to quantitate glucosylceramide in pmol range, produced by approximately 50,000 cells or 1.0 mg tissue. This method has been used successfully to evaluate the degrees of GCS enzyme in cells and in tumors subjected to gene manipulation and chemical inhibition. These data indicate that this cell-based fluorescent method is direct, reproducible, and simple for assessing ceramide glycosylation. It is applicable to validate GCS activity in drug-resistant cancers and in other disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vineet Gupta
- Department of Basic Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Louisiana at Monroe, Monroe, LA
| | - Gauri A. Patwardhan
- Department of Basic Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Louisiana at Monroe, Monroe, LA
| | - Qian-Jin Zhang
- Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, LA
| | - Myles C. Cabot
- Experimental Therapeutics, John Wayne Cancer Institute, Santa Monica, CA
| | - S. Michal Jazwinski
- Department of Medicine and Tulane Center for Aging, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA
| | - Yong-Yu Liu
- Department of Basic Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Louisiana at Monroe, Monroe, LA
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A new mixed-backbone oligonucleotide against glucosylceramide synthase sensitizes multidrug-resistant tumors to apoptosis. PLoS One 2009; 4:e6938. [PMID: 19742320 PMCID: PMC2735002 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0006938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2009] [Accepted: 08/05/2009] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Enhanced ceramide glycosylation catalyzed by glucosylceramide synthase (GCS) limits therapeutic efficiencies of antineoplastic agents including doxorubicin in drug-resistant cancer cells. Aimed to determine the role of GCS in tumor response to chemotherapy, a new mixed-backbone oligonucleotide (MBO-asGCS) with higher stability and efficiency has been generated to silence human GCS gene. MBO-asGCS was taken up efficiently in both drug-sensitive and drug-resistant cells, but it selectively suppressed GCS overexpression, and sensitized drug-resistant cells. MBO-asGCS increased doxorubicin sensitivity by 83-fold in human NCI/ADR-RES, and 43-fold in murine EMT6/AR1 breast cancer cells, respectively. In tumor-bearing mice, MBO-asGCS treatment dramatically inhibited the growth of multidrug-resistant NCI/ADR-RE tumors, decreasing tumor volume to 37%, as compared with scrambled control. Furthermore, MBO-asGCS sensitized multidrug-resistant tumors to chemotherapy, increasing doxorubicin efficiency greater than 2-fold. The sensitization effects of MBO-asGCS relied on the decreases of gene expression and enzyme activity of GCS, and on the increases of C(18)-ceramide and of caspase-executed apoptosis. MBO-asGCS was accumulation in tumor xenografts was greater in other tissues, excepting liver and kidneys; but MBO-asGCS did not exert significant toxic effects on liver and kidneys. This study, for the first time in vivo, has demonstrated that GCS is a promising therapeutic target for cancer drug resistance, and MBO-asGCS has the potential to be developed as an antineoplastic agent.
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Guillermet-Guibert J, Davenne L, Pchejetski D, Saint-Laurent N, Brizuela L, Guilbeau-Frugier C, Delisle MB, Cuvillier O, Susini C, Bousquet C. Targeting the sphingolipid metabolism to defeat pancreatic cancer cell resistance to the chemotherapeutic gemcitabine drug. Mol Cancer Ther 2009; 8:809-20. [PMID: 19372554 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-08-1096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Defeating pancreatic cancer resistance to the chemotherapeutic drug gemcitabine remains a challenge to treat this deadly cancer. Targeting the sphingolipid metabolism for improving tumor chemosensitivity has recently emerged as a promising strategy. The fine balance between intracellular levels of the prosurvival sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) and the proapoptotic ceramide sphingolipids determines cell fate. Among enzymes that control this metabolism, sphingosine kinase-1 (SphK1), a tumor-associated protein overexpressed in many cancers, favors survival through S1P production, and inhibitors of SphK1 are used in ongoing clinical trials to sensitize epithelial ovarian and prostate cancer cells to various chemotherapeutic drugs. We here report that the cellular ceramide/S1P ratio is a critical biosensor for predicting pancreatic cancer cell sensitivity to gemcitabine. A low level of the ceramide/S1P ratio, associated with a high SphK1 activity, correlates with a robust intrinsic pancreatic cancer cell chemoresistance toward gemcitabine. Strikingly, increasing the ceramide/S1P ratio, by using pharmacologic (SphK1 inhibitor or ceramide analogue) or small interfering RNA-based approaches to up-regulate intracellular ceramide levels or reduce SphK1 activity, sensitized pancreatic cancer cells to gemcitabine. Conversely, decreasing the ceramide/S1P ratio, by up-regulating SphK1 activity, promoted gemcitabine resistance in these cells. Development of novel pharmacologic strategies targeting the sphingolipid metabolism might therefore represent an interesting promising approach, when combined with gemcitabine, to defeat pancreatic cancer chemoresistance to this drug.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Guillermet-Guibert
- INSERM U858, I2MR, IFR31, CNRS, Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, UMR5089, Service d'Anatomie-Pathologique, Rangueil Hospital, Toulouse, France
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Abstract
In this chapter, roles of bioactive sphingolipids in the regulation of cancer pathogenesis and therapy will be reviewed. Sphingolipids have emerged as bioeffector molecules, which control various aspects of cell growth, proliferation, and anti-cancer therapeutics. Ceramide, the central molecule of sphingolipid metabolism, generally mediates anti-proliferative responses such as inhibition of cell growth, induction of apoptosis, and/or modulation of senescence. On the other hand, sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) plays opposing roles, and induces transformation, cancer cell growth, or angiogenesis. A network of metabolic enzymes regulates the generation of ceramide and S1P, and these enzymes serve as transducers of sphingolipid-mediated responses that are coupled to various exogenous or endogenous cellular signals. Consistent with their key roles in the regulation of cancer growth and therapy, attenuation of ceramide generation and/or increased S1P levels are implicated in the development of resistance to drug-induced apoptosis, and escape from cell death. These data strongly suggest that advances in the molecular and biochemical understanding of sphingolipid metabolism and function will lead to the development of novel therapeutic strategies against human cancers, which may also help overcome drug resistance.
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Wang H, Maurer BJ, Liu YY, Wang E, Allegood JC, Kelly S, Symolon H, Liu Y, Merrill AH, Gouazé-Andersson V, Yu JY, Giuliano AE, Cabot MC. N-(4-Hydroxyphenyl)retinamide increases dihydroceramide and synergizes with dimethylsphingosine to enhance cancer cell killing. Mol Cancer Ther 2008; 7:2967-76. [PMID: 18790777 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-08-0549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Fenretinide [N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)retinamide (4-HPR)] is cytotoxic in many cancer cell types. Studies have shown that elevation of ceramide species plays a role in 4-HPR cytotoxicity. To determine 4-HPR activity in a multidrug-resistant cancer cell line as well as to study ceramide metabolism, MCF-7/AdrR cells (redesignated NCI/ADR-RES) were treated with 4-HPR and sphingolipids were analyzed. TLC analysis of cells radiolabeled with [3H]palmitic acid showed that 4-HPR elicited a dose-responsive increase in radioactivity migrating in the ceramide region of the chromatogram and a decrease in cell viability. Results from liquid chromatography/electrospray tandem mass spectrometry revealed large elevations in dihydroceramides (N-acylsphinganines), but not desaturated ceramides, and large increases in complex dihydrosphingolipids (dihydrosphingomyelins, monohexosyldihydroceramides), sphinganine, and sphinganine 1-phosphate. To test the hypothesis that elevation of sphinganine participates in the cytotoxicity of 4-HPR, cells were treated with the sphingosine kinase inhibitor d-erythro-N,N-dimethylsphingosine (DMS), with and without 4-HPR. After 24 h, the 4-HPR/DMS combination caused a 9-fold increase in sphinganine that was sustained through +48 hours, decreased sphinganine 1-phosphate, and increased cytotoxicity. Increased dihydrosphingolipids and sphinganine were also found in HL-60 leukemia cells and HT-29 colon cancer cells treated with 4-HPR. The 4-HPR/DMS combination elicited increased apoptosis in all three cell lines. We propose that a mechanism of 4-HPR-induced cytotoxicity involves increases in dihydrosphingolipids, and that the synergy between 4-HPR and DMS is associated with large increases in cellular sphinganine. These studies suggest that enhanced clinical efficacy of 4-HPR may be realized through regimens containing agents that modulate sphingoid base metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongtao Wang
- Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
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Abstract
BACKGROUND The sphingolipids ceramide and sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) are key regulators of cell death and proliferation. The subtle balance between their intracellular levels is governed mainly by sphingosine kinase-1, which produces the pro-survival S1P. Sphingosine kinase-1 is an oncogene; is overexpressed in many tumors; protects cancer cells from apoptosis in vitro and in vivo; and its activity is decreased by anticancer therapies. Hence, sphingosine kinase-1 appears to be a target of interest for therapeutic manipulation. OBJECTIVE This review considers recent developments regarding the involvement of sphingosine kinase-1 as a therapeutic target for cancer, and describes the pharmacological tools currently available. RESULTS/CONCLUSION The studies described provide strong evidence that strategies to kill cancer cells via sphingosine kinase-1 inhibition are valid and could have a favorable therapeutic index.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Cuvillier
- Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, CNRS UMR 5089, 205 route de Narbonne, 31077 Toulouse Cedex 4, France.
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Shida D, Takabe K, Kapitonov D, Milstien S, Spiegel S. Targeting SphK1 as a new strategy against cancer. Curr Drug Targets 2008; 9:662-73. [PMID: 18691013 PMCID: PMC2674575 DOI: 10.2174/138945008785132402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 254] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Sphingolipid metabolites have emerged as critical players in a number of fundamental biological processes. Among them, sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) promotes cell survival and proliferation, in contrast to ceramide and sphingosine, which induce cell growth arrest and apoptosis. These sphingolipids with opposing functions are interconvertible inside cells, suggesting that a finely tuned balance between them can determine cell fate. Sphingosine kinases (SphKs), which catalyze the phosphorylation of sphingosine to S1P, are critical regulators of this balance. Of the two identified SphKs, sphingosine kinase type 1 (SphK1) has been shown to regulate various processes important for cancer progression and will be the focus of this review, since much less is known of biological functions of SphK2, especially in cancer. SphK1 is overexpressed in various types of cancers and upregulation of SphK1 has been associated with tumor angiogenesis and resistance to radiation and chemotherapy. Many growth factors, through their tyrosine kinase receptors (RTKs), stimulate SphK1 leading to a rapid increase in S1P. This S1P in turn can activate S1P receptors and their downstream signaling. Conversely, activation of S1P receptors can induce transactivation of various RTKs. Thus, SphK1 may play important roles in S1P receptor RTK amplification loops. Here we review the role of SphK1 in tumorigenesis, hormonal therapy, chemotherapy resistance, and as a prognostic marker. We will also review studies on the effects of SphK inhibitors in cells in vitro and in animals in vivo and in some clinical trials and highlight the potential of SphK1 as a new target for cancer therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dai Shida
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, 1101 E. Marshall Street, 2011 Sanger Hall, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
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De novo N-palmitoylsphingosine synthesis is the major biochemical mechanism of ceramide accumulation following p53 up-regulation. Prostaglandins Other Lipid Mediat 2008; 86:41-8. [DOI: 10.1016/j.prostaglandins.2008.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2007] [Revised: 02/11/2008] [Accepted: 02/26/2008] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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Ruckhäberle E, Rody A, Engels K, Gaetje R, von Minckwitz G, Schiffmann S, Grösch S, Geisslinger G, Holtrich U, Karn T, Kaufmann M. Microarray analysis of altered sphingolipid metabolism reveals prognostic significance of sphingosine kinase 1 in breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res Treat 2007; 112:41-52. [PMID: 18058224 DOI: 10.1007/s10549-007-9836-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 236] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2007] [Accepted: 11/20/2007] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Beside their structural role for the cell membrane the family of sphingolipids act as effector molecules in signal transduction with links to various aspects of cancer initiation, progression and treatment response. The "sphingolipid rheostat" balances between apoptosis inducing ceramid and growth promoting sphingosine-1-phosphate. We analyzed gene expression of 43 proteins from this pathway in different subtypes of breast cancer using microarray data of 1,269 tumor samples (test set n=171; validation sets n=1098) and observed significant differences for several genes. Sphingosine kinase 1 (SPHK1), ceramide galactosyltransferase (UGT8), and Ganglioside GD3-Synthase (ST8SIA1) displayed higher expression among ER negative tumors. In contrast, glucosylceramidsynthase (GCS), dihydroceramidsynthases (LASS4, LASS 6) and acid ceramidase (ASAH1) were higher expressed in ER positive samples. Survival analysis revealed a worse outcome of patients with high SPHK1 expression. To avoid a confounding effect of the ER status we also restricted the analysis to 750 patients with ER positive tumors. Again a worse outcome was observed for tumors displaying high SPHK1 expression. While 75.8+/-1.9% of the patients with tumors low in SPHK1 expression were free of metastasis at 5 years, this was the case for only 64.9+/-3.6% of patients with tumors displaying high SPHK1 expression (P=0.008). Immunohistochemistry identified the carcinoma cells as the major source of SPHK1 expression in the tumor. The correlation of SPHK1 with a poor prognosis as well as its high expression among ER negative tumors are in line with the antiapoptotic and proliferative properties of its product sphingosine-1-phosphate. Targeting of the sphingolipid rheostat may thus open new treatment options.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugen Ruckhäberle
- Department of Gynecology, J. W. Goethe-University, 60590, Frankfurt, Germany
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