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Chouhan NK, Eedara A, Talati MN, Ambadipudi SSSSS, Andugulapati SB, Pabbaraja S. Glucosyltriazole amphiphile treatment attenuates breast cancer by modulating the AMPK signaling. Drug Dev Res 2024; 85:e22215. [PMID: 38837718 DOI: 10.1002/ddr.22215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2024] [Revised: 05/09/2024] [Accepted: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024]
Abstract
Breast cancer is the second most frequent cancer among women. Out of various subtypes, triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) account for 15% of breast cancers and exhibit more aggressive characteristics as well as a worse prognosis due to their proclivity for metastatic progression and limited therapeutic strategies. It has been demonstrated that AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) has context-specific protumorigenic implications in breast cancer cells. A set of glucosyltriazole amphiphiles, consisting of acetylated (9a-h) and unmodified sugar hydroxyl groups (10a-h), were synthesized and subjected to in vitro biological evaluation. Among them, 9h exhibited significant anticancer activity against MDA-MB-231, MCF-7, and 4T1 cell lines with IC50 values of 12.5, 15, and 12.55 μM, respectively. Further, compound 9h was evaluated for apoptosis and cell cycle analysis in in vitro models (using breast cancer cells) and antitumour activity in an in vivo model (orthotopic mouse model using 4T1 cells). Annexin-V assay results revealed that treatment with 9h caused 34% and 28% cell death at a concentration of 15 or 7.5 μM, respectively, while cell cycle analysis demonstrated that 9h arrested the cells at the G2/M or G1 phase in MCF-7, MDA-MB-231 and 4T1 cells, respectively. Further, in vivo, investigation showed that compound 9h exhibited equipotent as doxorubicin at 7.5 mg/kg, and superior efficacy than doxorubicin at 15 mg/kg. The mechanistic approach revealed that 9h showed potent anticancer activity in an in vivo orthotopic model (4T1 cells) partly by suppressing the AMPK activation. Therefore, modulating the AMPK activation could be a probable approach for targeting breast cancer and mitigating cancer progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neeraj Kumar Chouhan
- Department of Organic Synthesis & Process Chemistry, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR-IICT), Hyderabad, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
| | - Abhisheik Eedara
- Department of Applied Biology, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), Hyderabad, India
| | - Mamta N Talati
- Department of Organic Synthesis & Process Chemistry, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR-IICT), Hyderabad, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
| | - Sudha S S S S Ambadipudi
- Department of Applied Biology, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), Hyderabad, India
| | - Sai Balaji Andugulapati
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
- Department of Applied Biology, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), Hyderabad, India
| | - Srihari Pabbaraja
- Department of Organic Synthesis & Process Chemistry, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR-IICT), Hyderabad, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
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2
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Ouyang Y, Gu Y, Zhang X, Huang Y, Wei X, Tang F, Zhang S. AMPKα2 promotes tumor immune escape by inducing CD8+ T-cell exhaustion and CD4+ Treg cell formation in liver hepatocellular carcinoma. BMC Cancer 2024; 24:276. [PMID: 38424484 PMCID: PMC10905944 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-024-12025-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is associated with the development of liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC). AMPKα2, an α2 subunit of AMPK, is encoded by PRKAA2, and functions as the catalytic core of AMPK. However, the role of AMPKα2 in the LIHC tumor immune environment is unclear. METHODS RNA-seq data were obtained from the Cancer Genome Atlas and Genotype-Tissue Expression databases. Using the single-cell RNA-sequencing dataset for LIHC obtained from the China National Genebank Database, the communication between malignant cells and T cells in response to different PRKAA2 expression patterns was evaluated. In addition, the association between PRKAA2 expression and T-cell evolution during tumor progression was explored using Pseudotime analysis, and the role of PRKAA2 in metabolic reprogramming was explored using the R "scMetabolis" package. Functional experiments were performed in LIHC HepG2 cells. RESULTS AMPK subunits were expressed in tissue-specific and substrate-specific patterns. PRKAA2 was highly expressed in LIHC tissues and was associated with poor patient prognosis. Tumors with high PRKAA2 expression displayed an immune cold phenotype. High PRKAA2 expression significantly promoted LIHC immune escape. This result is supported by the following evidence: 1) the inhibition of major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) expression through the regulation of interferon-gamma activity in malignant cells; 2) the promotion of CD8+ T-cell exhaustion and the formation of CD4+ Treg cells in T cells; 3) altered interactions between malignant cells and T cells in the tumor immune environment; and 4) induction of metabolic reprogramming in malignant cells. CONCLUSIONS Our study indicate that PRKAA2 may contribute to LIHC progression by promoting metabolic reprogramming and tumor immune escape through theoretical analysis, which offers a theoretical foundation for developing PRKAA2-based strategies for personalized LIHC treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Ouyang
- Key Laboratory of Infectious Immune and Antibody Engineering of Guizhou Province, Engineering Research Center of Cellular Immunotherapy of Guizhou Province, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
| | - Yan Gu
- Key Laboratory of Infectious Immune and Antibody Engineering of Guizhou Province, Engineering Research Center of Cellular Immunotherapy of Guizhou Province, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
| | - Xinhai Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Infectious Immune and Antibody Engineering of Guizhou Province, Engineering Research Center of Cellular Immunotherapy of Guizhou Province, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
| | - Ya Huang
- Immune Cells and Antibody Engineering Research Center of Guizhou Province, Key Laboratory of Biology and Medical Engineering, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
| | - Xianpeng Wei
- Key Laboratory of Infectious Immune and Antibody Engineering of Guizhou Province, Engineering Research Center of Cellular Immunotherapy of Guizhou Province, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
| | - Fuzhou Tang
- Immune Cells and Antibody Engineering Research Center of Guizhou Province, Key Laboratory of Biology and Medical Engineering, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China.
| | - Shichao Zhang
- Immune Cells and Antibody Engineering Research Center of Guizhou Province, Key Laboratory of Biology and Medical Engineering, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China.
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3
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Keerthana CK, Rayginia TP, Shifana SC, Anto NP, Kalimuthu K, Isakov N, Anto RJ. The role of AMPK in cancer metabolism and its impact on the immunomodulation of the tumor microenvironment. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1114582. [PMID: 36875093 PMCID: PMC9975160 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1114582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 02/03/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a key metabolic sensor that is pivotal for the maintenance of cellular energy homeostasis. AMPK contributes to diverse metabolic and physiological effects besides its fundamental role in glucose and lipid metabolism. Aberrancy in AMPK signaling is one of the determining factors which lead to the development of chronic diseases such as obesity, inflammation, diabetes, and cancer. The activation of AMPK and its downstream signaling cascades orchestrate dynamic changes in the tumor cellular bioenergetics. It is well documented that AMPK possesses a suppressor role in the context of tumor development and progression by modulating the inflammatory and metabolic pathways. In addition, AMPK plays a central role in potentiating the phenotypic and functional reprogramming of various classes of immune cells which reside in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Furthermore, AMPK-mediated inflammatory responses facilitate the recruitment of certain types of immune cells to the TME, which impedes the development, progression, and metastasis of cancer. Thus, AMPK appears to play an important role in the regulation of anti-tumor immune response by regulating the metabolic plasticity of various immune cells. AMPK effectuates the metabolic modulation of anti-tumor immunity via nutrient regulation in the TME and by virtue of its molecular crosstalk with major immune checkpoints. Several studies including that from our lab emphasize on the role of AMPK in regulating the anticancer effects of several phytochemicals, which are potential anticancer drug candidates. The scope of this review encompasses the significance of the AMPK signaling in cancer metabolism and its influence on the key drivers of immune responses within the TME, with a special emphasis on the potential use of phytochemicals to target AMPK and combat cancer by modulating the tumor metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenicheri Kizhakkeveettil Keerthana
- Division of Cancer Research, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India.,Department of Biotechnology, University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
| | - Tennyson Prakash Rayginia
- Division of Cancer Research, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India.,Department of Biotechnology, University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
| | | | - Nikhil Ponnoor Anto
- The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Kalishwaralal Kalimuthu
- Division of Cancer Research, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
| | - Noah Isakov
- The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Ruby John Anto
- Division of Cancer Research, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
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4
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Wu Y, Li X, Li Q, Cheng C, Zheng L. Adipose tissue-to-breast cancer crosstalk: Comprehensive insights. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2022; 1877:188800. [PMID: 36103907 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2022.188800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Revised: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
The review focuses on mechanistic evidence for the link between obesity and breast cancer. According to the IARC study, there is sufficient evidence that obesity is closely related to a variety of cancers. Among them, breast cancer is particularly disturbed by adipose tissue due to the unique histological structure of the breast. The review introduces the relationship between obesity and breast cancer from two aspects, including factors that promote tumorigenesis or metastasis. We summarize alterations in adipokines and metabolic pathways that contribute to breast cancer development. Breast cancer metastasis is closely related to obesity-induced pro-inflammatory microenvironment, adipose stem cells, and miRNAs. Based on the mechanism by which obesity causes breast cancer, we list possible therapeutic directions, including reducing the risk of breast cancer and inhibiting the progression of breast cancer. We also discussed the risk of autologous breast remodeling and fat transplantation. Finally, the causes of the obesity paradox and the function of enhancing immunity are discussed. Evaluating the balance between obesity-induced inflammation and enhanced immunity warrants further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Wu
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine Affiliated Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Xu Li
- Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200032, PR China
| | - Qiong Li
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine Affiliated Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Chienshan Cheng
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine Affiliated Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Lan Zheng
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine Affiliated Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai 200025, China.
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5
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Chen KJ, Hsu JW, Lee FJS. AMPK promotes Arf6 activation in a kinase-independent manner upon energy deprivation. J Cell Sci 2022; 135:276453. [PMID: 36017701 PMCID: PMC9584350 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.259609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a crucial cellular nutrient and energy sensor that maintains energy homeostasis. AMPK also governs cancer cell invasion and migration by regulating gene expression and activating multiple cellular signaling pathways. ADP-ribosylation factor 6 (Arf6) can be activated via nucleotide exchange by guanine-nucleotide-exchange factors (GEFs), and its activation also regulates tumor invasion and migration. By studying GEF-mediated Arf6 activation, we have elucidated that AMPK functions as a noncanonical GEF for Arf6 in a kinase-independent manner. Moreover, by examining the physiological role of the AMPK–Arf6 axis, we have determined that AMPK activates Arf6 upon glucose starvation and 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-β-D-ribofuranoside (AICAR) treatment. We have further identified the binding motif in the C-terminal regulatory domain of AMPK that is responsible for promoting Arf6 activation and, thus, inducing cell migration and invasion. These findings reveal a noncanonical role of AMPK in which its C-terminal regulatory domain serves as a GEF for Arf6 during glucose deprivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kuan-Jung Chen
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Center of Precision Medicine, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Jia-Wei Hsu
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Institute of Biochemical Sciences, College of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Fang-Jen S Lee
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Center of Precision Medicine, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Department of Medical Research, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
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6
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Zhang Z, Chen WQ, Zhang SQ, Bai JX, Lau CL, Sze SCW, Yung KKL, Ko JKS. The human cathelicidin peptide LL-37 inhibits pancreatic cancer growth by suppressing autophagy and reprogramming of the tumor immune microenvironment. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:906625. [PMID: 35935871 PMCID: PMC9355328 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.906625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer is amongst the most lethal malignancies, while its poor prognosis could be associated with promotion of autophagy and the tumor immune microenvironment. Studies have confirmed the pro-tumorigenic nature of the cathelicidin family of peptide LL-37 in several types of cancer. However, at higher doses, LL-37 exerts significant cytotoxicity against gastrointestinal cancer cells. In our study, we investigated the anti-tumorigenic potential of LL-37 in pancreatic cancer and the underlying mechanisms. Our results have shown that LL-37 inhibited the growth of pancreatic cancer both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistic studies have demonstrated that LL-37 induced DNA damage and cell cycle arrest through induction of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Further study indicates that LL-37 suppressed autophagy in pancreatic cancer cells through activation of mTOR signaling, leading to more accumulation of ROS production and induction of mitochondrial dysfunctions. With combined treatment of LL-37 with the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin, LL-37-induced ROS production and cancer cell growth inhibition were attenuated. Subsequent in vivo study has shown that LL-37 downregulated the immunosuppressive myeloid-derived suppressor cells and M2 macrophages while upregulated the anti-cancer effectors CD8+ and CD4+ T cells in the tumor microenvironment. By using an in vitro co-culture system, it was shown that promotion of M2 macrophage polarization would be suppressed by LL-37 with inhibition of autophagy, which possessed significant negative impact on cancer growth. Taken together, our findings implicate that LL-37 could attenuate the development of pancreatic cancer by suppressing autophagy and reprogramming of the tumor immune microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhu Zhang
- Teaching and Research Division, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Golden Meditech Centre for NeuroRegeneration Sciences, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Wen-Qing Chen
- Teaching and Research Division, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Shi-Qing Zhang
- Golden Meditech Centre for NeuroRegeneration Sciences, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong SAR, China
- JNU-HKUST Joint Laboratory for Neuroscience and Innovative Drug Research, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jing-Xuan Bai
- Teaching and Research Division, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Ching-Lam Lau
- Teaching and Research Division, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Stephen Cho-Wing Sze
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Golden Meditech Centre for NeuroRegeneration Sciences, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Ken Kin-Lam Yung
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Golden Meditech Centre for NeuroRegeneration Sciences, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong SAR, China
- *Correspondence: Ken Kin-Lam Yung, ; Joshua Ka-Shun Ko,
| | - Joshua Ka-Shun Ko
- Teaching and Research Division, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Centre for Cancer and Inflammation Research, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong SAR, China
- *Correspondence: Ken Kin-Lam Yung, ; Joshua Ka-Shun Ko,
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7
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Ma S, Dong Z, Huang Y, Liu JY, Zhang JT. Translation initiation factor eIF3a regulates glucose metabolism and cell proliferation via promoting small GTPase Rheb synthesis and AMPK activation. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:102044. [PMID: 35595099 PMCID: PMC9207673 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2022] [Revised: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3 subunit A (eIF3a), the largest subunit of the eIF3 complex, has been shown to be overexpressed in malignant cancer cells, potentially making it a proto-oncogene. eIF3a overexpression can drive cancer cell proliferation but contributes to better prognosis. While its contribution to prognosis was previously shown to be due to its function in suppressing synthesis of DNA damage repair proteins, it remains unclear how eIF3a regulates cancer cell proliferation. In this study, we show using genetic approaches that eIF3a controls cell proliferation by regulating glucose metabolism via the phosphorylation and activation of AMP-activated protein kinase alpha (AMPKα) at Thr172 in its kinase activation loop. We demonstrate that eIF3a regulates AMPK activation mainly by controlling synthesis of the small GTPase Rheb, largely independent of the well-known AMPK upstream liver kinase B1 and Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase 2, and also independent of mammalian target of rapamycin signaling and glucose levels. Our findings suggest that glucose metabolism in and proliferation of cancer cells may be translationally regulated via a novel eIF3a–Rheb–AMPK signaling axis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shijie Ma
- Department of Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH, USA
| | - Zizheng Dong
- Department of Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH, USA
| | - Yanfei Huang
- Department of Medicine, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH, USA
| | - Jing-Yuan Liu
- Department of Medicine, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH, USA
| | - Jian-Ting Zhang
- Department of Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH, USA.
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8
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Xia T, Chen D, Liu X, Qi H, Wang W, Chen H, Ling T, Otkur W, Zhang CS, Kim J, Lin SC, Piao HL. Midkine noncanonically suppresses AMPK activation through disrupting the LKB1-STRAD-Mo25 complex. Cell Death Dis 2022; 13:414. [PMID: 35487917 PMCID: PMC9054788 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-022-04801-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Revised: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Midkine (MDK), a secreted growth factor, regulates signal transduction and cancer progression by interacting with receptors, and it can be internalized into the cytoplasm by endocytosis. However, its intracellular function and signaling regulation remain unclear. Here, we show that intracellular MDK interacts with LKB1 and STRAD to disrupt the LKB1-STRAD-Mo25 complex. Consequently, MDK decreases the activity of LKB1 to dampen both the basal and stress-induced activation of AMPK by glucose starvation or treatment of 2-DG. We also found that MDK accelerates cancer cell proliferation by inhibiting the activation of the LKB1-AMPK axis. In human cancers, compared to other well-known growth factors, MDK expression is most significantly upregulated in cancers, especially in liver, kidney and breast cancers, correlating with clinical outcomes and inversely correlating with phosphorylated AMPK levels. Our study elucidates an inhibitory mechanism for AMPK activation, which is mediated by the intracellular MDK through disrupting the LKB1-STRAD-Mo25 complex.
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9
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Kalezic A, Udicki M, Srdic Galic B, Aleksic M, Korac A, Jankovic A, Korac B. Tissue-Specific Warburg Effect in Breast Cancer and Cancer-Associated Adipose Tissue-Relationship between AMPK and Glycolysis. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13112731. [PMID: 34073074 PMCID: PMC8198826 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13112731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2021] [Revised: 05/21/2021] [Accepted: 05/26/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Specific metabolic phenotypes of breast cancer result from local interactions such as cancer-adipocyte cross-talk and systemic metabolic influences such as obesity. Here we examined key regulatory enzymes involved in glucose metabolism in breast cancer tissue and cancer-associated adipose tissue of normal-weight and overweight/obese premenopausal women in comparison to benign breast tumor tissue and adipose tissue of weight-matched women. We show a simultaneous increase in 5′-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) protein expression with glucose utilization favoring glycolysis and pentose phosphate pathway in breast cancer tissue. In parallel, we show an increased AMPK protein expression with glucose utilization favoring the pentose phosphate pathway in cancer-associated adipose tissue. Moreover, specific features of cancer tissue glycolysis and glycogen metabolism differ between normal-weight and overweight/obese women. The results suggest context-dependent induction of tissue-specific Warburg effect in breast cancer and cancer-associated adipose tissue. Abstract Typical features of the breast malignant phenotype rely on metabolic reprogramming of cancer cells and their interaction with surrounding adipocytes. Obesity is strongly associated with breast cancer mortality, yet the effects of obesity on metabolic reprogramming of cancer and cancer-associated adipose tissue remain largely unknown. Paired biopsies of breast tumor tissue and adipose tissue from premenopausal women were divided according to pathohistological analyses and body mass index on normal-weight and overweight/obese with benign or malignant tumors. We investigated the protein expression of key regulatory enzymes of glycolysis, pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), and glycogen synthesis. Breast cancer tissue showed a simultaneous increase in 5′-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) protein expression with typical features of the Warburg effect, including hexokinase 2 (HK 2) overexpression and its association with mitochondrial voltage-dependent anion-selective channel protein 1, associated with an overexpression of rate-limiting enzymes of glycolysis (phosphofructokinase 1—PFK-1) and pentose phosphate pathway (glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase—G6PDH). In parallel, cancer-associated adipose tissue showed increased AMPK protein expression with overexpression of HK 2 and G6PDH in line with increased PPP activity. Moreover, important obesity-associated differences in glucose metabolism were observed in breast cancer tissue showing prominent glycogen deposition and higher glycogen synthase kinase-3 protein expression in normal-weight women and higher PFK-1 and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) protein expression in overweight/obese women. In conclusion, metabolic reprogramming of glycolysis contributes to tissue-specific Warburg effect in breast cancer and cancer-associated adipose tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andjelika Kalezic
- Department of Physiology, Institute for Biological Research “Sinisa Stankovic”—National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; (A.K.); (A.J.)
| | - Mirjana Udicki
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia; (M.U.); (B.S.G.)
| | - Biljana Srdic Galic
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia; (M.U.); (B.S.G.)
| | - Marija Aleksic
- Center for Electron Microscopy, Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; (M.A.); (A.K.)
| | - Aleksandra Korac
- Center for Electron Microscopy, Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; (M.A.); (A.K.)
| | - Aleksandra Jankovic
- Department of Physiology, Institute for Biological Research “Sinisa Stankovic”—National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; (A.K.); (A.J.)
| | - Bato Korac
- Department of Physiology, Institute for Biological Research “Sinisa Stankovic”—National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; (A.K.); (A.J.)
- Center for Electron Microscopy, Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; (M.A.); (A.K.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +3-811-1207-8307
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10
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Role of AMPK and Akt in triple negative breast cancer lung colonization. Neoplasia 2021; 23:429-438. [PMID: 33839456 PMCID: PMC8042649 DOI: 10.1016/j.neo.2021.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2020] [Revised: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive disease with a 5-y relative survival rate of 11% after distant metastasis. To survive the metastatic cascade, tumor cells remodel their signaling pathways by regulating energy production and upregulating survival pathways. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and Akt regulate energy homeostasis and survival, however, the individual or synergistic role of AMPK and Akt isoforms during lung colonization by TNBC cells is unknown. The purpose of this study was to establish whether targeting Akt, AMPKα or both Akt and AMPKα isoforms in circulating cancer cells can suppress TNBC lung colonization. Transient silencing of Akt1 or Akt2 dramatically decreased metastatic colonization of lungs by inducing apoptosis or inhibiting invasion, respectively. Importantly, transient pharmacologic inhibition of Akt activity with MK-2206 or AZD5363 inhibitors did not prevent colonization of lung tissue by TNBC cells. Knockdown of AMPKα1, AMPKα2, or AMPKα1/2 also had no effect on metastatic colonization of lungs. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that transient decrease in AMPK isoforms expression alone or in combination with Akt1 in circulating tumor cells does not synergistically reduce TNBC metastatic lung colonization. Our results also provide evidence that Akt1 and Akt2 expression serve as a bottleneck that can challenge colonization of lungs by TNBC cells.
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11
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Shadboorestan A, Tarighi P, Koosha M, Faghihi H, Ghahremani MH, Montazeri H. Growth Promotion and Increased ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters Expression by Liraglutide in Triple Negative Breast Cancer Cell Line MDA-MB-231. Drug Res (Stuttg) 2021; 71:307-311. [PMID: 33477190 DOI: 10.1055/a-1345-7890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Glucagon-like petide-1 (GLP-1) agonists such as liraglutide are widely employed in type 2 diabetes due to their glucose reducing properties and small risk of hypoglycemia. Recently, it has been shown that GLP-1agonists can inhibit breast cancer cells growth. Nonetheless, concerns are remained about liraglutide tumor promoting effects as stated by population studies. MATERIAL AND METHODS We evaluated the effects liraglutide on proliferation of MDA-MB-231 cells by MTT assay and then ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters expressions assessed by Real time PCR. Statistical comparisons were made using one-way analysis of variance followed by a post hoc Dunnett test. RESULTS Here, we report that liraglutide can stimulate the growth of highly invasive triple negative cell line MDA-MB-231; which can be attributed to AMPK-dependent epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) happening in MDA-MB-231 context. Toxicity effects were only observed with concentrations far above the serum liraglutide concentration. ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters expressions were upregulated, indicating the possible drug resistance and increased EMT. CONCLUSION In conclusion, these results suggest that liraglutide should be used with caution in patients who are suffering or have the personal history of triple negative breast cancer. However, more detailed studies are required to deepen understanding of liraglutide consequences in triple negative breast cancer. ▶Graphical Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir Shadboorestan
- Department of Toxicology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Parastoo Tarighi
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Allied Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahsa Koosha
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Homa Faghihi
- Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Hossein Ghahremani
- Department of Toxicology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hamed Montazeri
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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12
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Cairns J, Ly RC, Niu N, Kalari KR, Carlson EE, Wang L. CDC25B partners with PP2A to induce AMPK activation and tumor suppression in triple negative breast cancer. NAR Cancer 2020; 2:zcaa039. [PMID: 33385163 PMCID: PMC7751685 DOI: 10.1093/narcan/zcaa039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2020] [Revised: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell division cycle 25 (CDC25) dual specificity phosphatases positively regulate the cell cycle by activating cyclin-dependent kinase/cyclin complexes. Here, we demonstrate that in addition to its role in cell cycle regulation, CDC25B functions as a regulator of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A), a major cellular Ser/Thr phosphatase, through its direct interaction with PP2A catalytic subunit. Importantly, CDC25B alters the regulation of AMP-activated protein kinase signaling (AMPK) by PP2A, increasing AMPK activity by inhibiting PP2A to dephosphorylate AMPK. CDC25B depletion leads to metformin resistance by inhibiting metformin-induced AMPK activation. Furthermore, dual inhibition of CDC25B and PP2A further inhibits growth of 3D organoids isolated from patient derived xenograft model of breast cancer compared to CDC25B inhibition alone. Our study identifies CDC25B as a regulator of PP2A, and uncovers a mechanism of controlling the activity of a key energy metabolism marker, AMPK.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junmei Cairns
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Reynold C Ly
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - Nifang Niu
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Krishna R Kalari
- Division of Biostatistics and Informatics, Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Erin E Carlson
- Division of Biostatistics and Informatics, Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Liewei Wang
- To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +1 507 284 5264; Fax: +1 507 284 4455;
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13
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Exploiting the metabolic dependencies of the broad amino acid transporter SLC6A14. Oncotarget 2020; 11:4490-4503. [PMID: 33400734 PMCID: PMC7721610 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.27758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2020] [Accepted: 09/10/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Tumor cells typically enhance their metabolic capacity to sustain their higher rate of growth and proliferation. One way to elevate the nutrient intake into cancer cells is to increase the expression of genes encoding amino acid transporters, which may represent targetable vulnerabilities. Here, we study the regulation and function of the broad amino acid transporter SLC6A14 in combination with metabolic stress, providing insights into an uncharacterized aspect of the transporter activity. We analyze the pattern of transcriptional changes in a panel of breast cancer cell lines upon metabolic stress and found that SLC6A14 expression levels are increased in the absence of methionine. Methionine deprivation, which can be achieved via modulation of dietary methionine intake in tumor cells, in turn leads to a heightened activation of the AMP-activated kinase (AMPK) in SLC6A14-deficient cells. While SLC6A14 genetic deficiency does not have a major impact on cell proliferation, combined depletion of AMPK and SLC6A14 leads to an increase in apoptosis upon methionine starvation, suggesting that combined targeting of SLC6A14 and AMPK can be exploited as a therapeutic approach to starve tumor cells.
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14
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Vishnoi K, Ke R, Saini KS, Viswakarma N, Nair RS, Das S, Chen Z, Rana A, Rana B. Berberine Represses β-Catenin Translation Involving 4E-BPs in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells. Mol Pharmacol 2020; 99:1-16. [PMID: 33130557 DOI: 10.1124/molpharm.120.000029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2020] [Accepted: 10/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Aberrant activation of Wnt/β-catenin axis occurs in several gastrointestinal malignancies due to inactivating mutations of adenomatous polyposis coli (in colorectal cancer) or activating mutations of β-catenin itself [in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)]. These lead to β-catenin stabilization, increase in β-catenin/T-cell factor (TCF)-mediated transcriptional activation, and target gene expression, many of which are involved in tumor progression. While studying pharmaceutical agents that can target β-catenin in cancer cells, we observed that the plant compound berberine (BBR), a potent activator of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), can reduce β-catenin expression and downstream signaling in HCC cells in a dose-dependent manner. More in-depth analyses to understand the mechanism revealed that BBR-induced reduction of β-catenin occurs independently of AMPK activation and does not involve transcriptional or post-translational mechanisms. Pretreatment with protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide antagonized BBR-induced β-catenin reduction, suggesting that BBR affects β-catenin translation. BBR treatment also antagonized mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) activity and was associated with increased recruitment of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E-binding protein (4E-BP) 1 in the translational complex, which was revealed by 7-methyl-cap-binding assays, suggesting inhibition of cap-dependent translation. Interestingly, knocking down 4E-BP1 and 4E-BP2 significantly attenuated BBR-induced reduction of β-catenin levels and expression of its downstream target genes. Moreover, cells with 4E-BP knockdown were resistant to BBR-induced cell death and were resensitized to BBR after pharmacological inhibition of β-catenin. Our findings indicate that BBR antagonizes β-catenin pathway by inhibiting β-catenin translation and mTOR activity and thereby reduces HCC cell survival. These also suggest that BBR could be used for targeting HCCs that express mutated/activated β-catenin variants that are currently undruggable. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: β-catenin signaling is aberrantly activated in different gastrointestinal cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma, which is currently undruggable. In this study we describe a novel mechanism of targeting β-catenin translation via utilizing a plant compound, berberine. Our findings provide a new avenue of targeting β-catenin axis in cancer, which can be utilized toward the designing of effective therapeutic strategies to combat β-catenin-dependent cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kanchan Vishnoi
- Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology (K.V., R.K., K.S.S., N.V., R.S.N., S.D., A.R., B.R.), University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System Cancer Center (S.D., A.R., B.R.), and Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health (Z.C.), University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; Biostatistics Shared Resource Core, University of Illinois Cancer Institute, Chicago, Illinois (Z.C.); and Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois (A.R., B.R.)
| | - Rong Ke
- Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology (K.V., R.K., K.S.S., N.V., R.S.N., S.D., A.R., B.R.), University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System Cancer Center (S.D., A.R., B.R.), and Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health (Z.C.), University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; Biostatistics Shared Resource Core, University of Illinois Cancer Institute, Chicago, Illinois (Z.C.); and Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois (A.R., B.R.)
| | - Karan S Saini
- Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology (K.V., R.K., K.S.S., N.V., R.S.N., S.D., A.R., B.R.), University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System Cancer Center (S.D., A.R., B.R.), and Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health (Z.C.), University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; Biostatistics Shared Resource Core, University of Illinois Cancer Institute, Chicago, Illinois (Z.C.); and Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois (A.R., B.R.)
| | - Navin Viswakarma
- Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology (K.V., R.K., K.S.S., N.V., R.S.N., S.D., A.R., B.R.), University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System Cancer Center (S.D., A.R., B.R.), and Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health (Z.C.), University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; Biostatistics Shared Resource Core, University of Illinois Cancer Institute, Chicago, Illinois (Z.C.); and Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois (A.R., B.R.)
| | - Rakesh Sathish Nair
- Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology (K.V., R.K., K.S.S., N.V., R.S.N., S.D., A.R., B.R.), University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System Cancer Center (S.D., A.R., B.R.), and Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health (Z.C.), University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; Biostatistics Shared Resource Core, University of Illinois Cancer Institute, Chicago, Illinois (Z.C.); and Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois (A.R., B.R.)
| | - Subhasis Das
- Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology (K.V., R.K., K.S.S., N.V., R.S.N., S.D., A.R., B.R.), University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System Cancer Center (S.D., A.R., B.R.), and Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health (Z.C.), University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; Biostatistics Shared Resource Core, University of Illinois Cancer Institute, Chicago, Illinois (Z.C.); and Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois (A.R., B.R.)
| | - Zhengjia Chen
- Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology (K.V., R.K., K.S.S., N.V., R.S.N., S.D., A.R., B.R.), University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System Cancer Center (S.D., A.R., B.R.), and Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health (Z.C.), University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; Biostatistics Shared Resource Core, University of Illinois Cancer Institute, Chicago, Illinois (Z.C.); and Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois (A.R., B.R.)
| | - Ajay Rana
- Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology (K.V., R.K., K.S.S., N.V., R.S.N., S.D., A.R., B.R.), University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System Cancer Center (S.D., A.R., B.R.), and Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health (Z.C.), University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; Biostatistics Shared Resource Core, University of Illinois Cancer Institute, Chicago, Illinois (Z.C.); and Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois (A.R., B.R.)
| | - Basabi Rana
- Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology (K.V., R.K., K.S.S., N.V., R.S.N., S.D., A.R., B.R.), University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System Cancer Center (S.D., A.R., B.R.), and Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health (Z.C.), University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; Biostatistics Shared Resource Core, University of Illinois Cancer Institute, Chicago, Illinois (Z.C.); and Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois (A.R., B.R.)
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15
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Matheson CJ, Casalvieri KA, Backos DS, Minhajuddin M, Jordan CT, Reigan P. Substituted oxindol-3-ylidenes as AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) inhibitors. Eur J Med Chem 2020; 197:112316. [PMID: 32334266 PMCID: PMC7409528 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2020.112316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2019] [Revised: 12/05/2019] [Accepted: 04/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a central metabolic regulator that promotes cancer growth and survival under hypoxia and plays a role in the maintenance of cancer stem cells. A major challenge to interrogating the potential of targeting AMPK in cancer is the lack of potent and selective small molecule inhibitors. Compound C has been widely used as an AMPK inhibitor, but it lacks potency and has a poor selectivity profile. The multi-kinase inhibitor, sunitinib, has demonstrated potent nanomolar inhibition of AMPK activity and has scope for modification. Here, we have designed and synthesized several series of oxindoles to determine the structural requirements for AMPK inhibition and to improve selectivity. We identified two potent, novel oxindole-based AMPK inhibitors that were designed to interact with the DFG motif in the ATP-binding site of AMPK, this key feature evades interaction with the common recptor tyrosine kinase targets of sunitinib. Cellular engagement of AMPK by these oxindoles was confirmed by the inhibition of phosphorylation of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), a known substrate of AMPK, in myeloid leukemia cells. Interestingly, although AMPK is highly expressed and activated in K562 cells these oxindole-based AMPK inhibitors did not impact cell viability or result in significant cytotoxicity. Our studies serve as a platform for the further development of oxindole-based AMPK inhibitors with therapeutic potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J Matheson
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, 12850 East Montview Boulevard, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
| | - Kimberly A Casalvieri
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, 12850 East Montview Boulevard, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
| | - Donald S Backos
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, 12850 East Montview Boulevard, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
| | - Mohammed Minhajuddin
- Division of Hematology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, 12700 E 19th Avenue, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
| | - Craig T Jordan
- Division of Hematology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, 12700 E 19th Avenue, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
| | - Philip Reigan
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, 12850 East Montview Boulevard, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA.
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16
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Indraccolo S, De Salvo GL, Verza M, Caccese M, Esposito G, Piga I, Del Bianco P, Pizzi M, Gardiman MP, Eoli M, Rudà R, Brandes AA, Ibrahim T, Rizzato S, Lolli I, Zagonel V, Lombardi G. Phosphorylated Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase Is Associated with Clinical Benefit with Regorafenib in Relapsed Glioblastoma: REGOMA Trial Biomarker Analysis. Clin Cancer Res 2020; 26:4478-4484. [PMID: 32518098 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-19-4055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2019] [Revised: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 06/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Preclinical studies show that antiangiogenic therapy exacerbates tumor glycolysis and activates liver kinase B1/AMP kinase (AMPK), a pathway involved in the regulation of tumor metabolism. We investigated whether certain metabolism-related in situ biomarkers could predict benefit to regorafenib in the phase II randomized REGOMA trial. PATIENTS AND METHODS IHC and digital pathology analysis were used to investigate the expression in glioblastoma (GBM) sections of monocarboxylate transporter 1 and 4 (MCT1 and MCT4), associated with OXPHOS and glycolysis, respectively, phosphorylated AMPK (pAMPK), and phosphorylated acetyl-CoA carboxylase (pACC), a canonical target of AMPK activity. The status of each biomarker was associated with clinical endpoints, including overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with relapsed GBM treated either with regorafenib or lomustine. RESULTS Between November 2015 and February 2017, 119 patients were enrolled (n = 59 regorafenib and n = 60 lomustine) and stratified for surgery at recurrence, and baseline characteristics were balanced. Biomarker analysis was performed in 84 patients (71%), including 42 patients of the regorafenib arm and 42 patients of the lomustine arm. Among all markers analyzed, only pACC showed predictive value in terms of OS. In fact, median OS was 9.3 months [95% confidence interval (CI), 5.6-13.2] for regorafenib and 5.5 months (95% CI, 4.2-6.6) for lomustine for pACC-positive patients, HR, 0.37 (95% CI, 0.20-0.70); log rank P = 0.0013; test for interaction = 0.0453. No statistically significant difference was demonstrated for PFS according to pACC status. CONCLUSIONS We found that AMPK pathway activation is associated with clinical benefit from treatment with regorafenib in relapsed GBM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Indraccolo
- Immunology and Molecular Oncology Unit, Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV-IRCCS, Padua, Italy.
| | - Gian Luca De Salvo
- Clinical Research Unit, Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV-IRCCS, Padua, Italy
| | - Martina Verza
- Immunology and Molecular Oncology Unit, Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV-IRCCS, Padua, Italy
| | - Mario Caccese
- Medical Oncology 1, Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV-IRCCS, Padua, Italy
| | - Giovanni Esposito
- Immunology and Molecular Oncology Unit, Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV-IRCCS, Padua, Italy
| | - Ilaria Piga
- Immunology and Molecular Oncology Unit, Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV-IRCCS, Padua, Italy
| | - Paola Del Bianco
- Clinical Research Unit, Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV-IRCCS, Padua, Italy
| | - Marco Pizzi
- Surgical Pathology and Cytopathology Unit, Department of Medicine-DIMED, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Marina Paola Gardiman
- Surgical Pathology and Cytopathology Unit, University Hospital of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Marica Eoli
- Molecular Neuro-Oncology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Roberta Rudà
- Department of Neuro-Oncology, University of Turin and City of Health and Science Hospital, Turin, Italy
| | - Alba Ariela Brandes
- Department of Medical Oncology, AUSL-IRCCS Scienze Neurologiche, Bologna, Italy
| | - Toni Ibrahim
- Osteoncology and Rare Tumors Center- Istituto Scientifico Romagnolo per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori (IRST) IRCCS, Meldola, Italy
| | - Simona Rizzato
- Department of Oncology, Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Friuli Centrale, Udine, Italy
| | - Ivan Lolli
- Medical Oncology Unit-IRCCS Saverio de Bellis, Castellana Grotte, Bari, Italy
| | - Vittorina Zagonel
- Medical Oncology 1, Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV-IRCCS, Padua, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Lombardi
- Medical Oncology 1, Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV-IRCCS, Padua, Italy
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17
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Johnson J, Chow Z, Napier D, Lee E, Weiss HL, Evers BM, Rychahou P. Targeting PI3K and AMPKα Signaling Alone or in Combination to Enhance Radiosensitivity of Triple Negative Breast Cancer. Cells 2020; 9:cells9051253. [PMID: 32438621 PMCID: PMC7291172 DOI: 10.3390/cells9051253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2020] [Revised: 05/13/2020] [Accepted: 05/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive breast cancer subtype and is characterized by poor survival. Radiotherapy plays an important role in treating TNBC. The purpose of this study was to determine whether inhibiting the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathways alone or in combination potentiates radiotherapy in TNBC. AMPKα1 and AMPKα2 knockdown diminished cyclin D1 expression and induced G1 cell cycle arrest but did not induce apoptosis alone or in combination with radiotherapy. Next, we analyzed the role of PI3K p85α, p85β, p110α, p110β, Akt1, and Akt2 proteins on TNBC cell cycle progression and apoptosis induction. Akt1 and p110α knockdown diminished cyclin D1 expression and induced apoptosis. Silencing Akt1 promoted synergistic apoptosis induction during radiotherapy and further reduced survival after radiation. Treatment with the Akt inhibitor, MK-2206 48 h after radiotherapy decreased Akt1 levels and potentiated radiation-induced apoptosis. Together, our results demonstrate that AMPKα, p110α, and Akt1 promote TNBC proliferation and that Akt1 is a key regulator of radiosensitivity in TNBC. Importantly, combining radiotherapy with the pharmacological inhibition of Akt1 expression is a potentially promising approach for the treatment of TNBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy Johnson
- Department of Toxicology and Cancer Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA;
| | - Zeta Chow
- Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA; (Z.C.); (D.N.); (H.L.W.); (B.M.E.)
- Department of Surgery, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA
| | - Dana Napier
- Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA; (Z.C.); (D.N.); (H.L.W.); (B.M.E.)
| | - Eun Lee
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA;
| | - Heidi L. Weiss
- Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA; (Z.C.); (D.N.); (H.L.W.); (B.M.E.)
| | - B. Mark Evers
- Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA; (Z.C.); (D.N.); (H.L.W.); (B.M.E.)
- Department of Surgery, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA
| | - Piotr Rychahou
- Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA; (Z.C.); (D.N.); (H.L.W.); (B.M.E.)
- Department of Surgery, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-85-9-323-9285
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Liu Z, Zhang G, Huang S, Cheng J, Deng T, Lu X, Adeshakin FO, Chen Q, Wan X. Induction of apoptosis in hematological cancer cells by dorsomorphin correlates with BAD upregulation. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2020; 522:704-708. [PMID: 31787232 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2019.11.157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2019] [Accepted: 11/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
AMPK is generally a tumor suppressor. However, once cancer arises, AMPK becomes a tumor promoter instead, driving cancer development. For such AMPK-driven cancers, AMPK blockade may be a valuable therapeutic strategy. Here we show that AMPK is upregulated in a variety of hematological cancers and plays key roles in maintaining viability of tumor cells. Blockade of AMPK signaling by dorsomorphin markedly induces apoptosis in Jurkat, K562 cell lines as well as primary cancerous B cells. Mechanistically, dorsomorphin significantly upregulates the expression of BAD, a pro-apoptotic member of the Bcl-2 gene family involved in initiating apoptosis. Reduction of BAD expression by RNA interference prevents apoptosis in response to AMPK inhibition. Thus, our data found BAD integrates the pro-apoptotic effects of dorsomorphin and provided novel insights into the mechanisms by which AMPK facilitates survival signaling in hematologic tumor cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhao Liu
- Center for Protein and Cell-based Drugs, Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, PR China
| | - Guizhong Zhang
- Center for Protein and Cell-based Drugs, Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, PR China
| | - Shiran Huang
- Center for Protein and Cell-based Drugs, Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, PR China
| | - Jian Cheng
- Center for Protein and Cell-based Drugs, Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, PR China
| | - Tian Deng
- Center for Protein and Cell-based Drugs, Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, PR China
| | - Xiaoxu Lu
- Center for Protein and Cell-based Drugs, Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, PR China
| | - Funmilayo Oladunni Adeshakin
- Center for Protein and Cell-based Drugs, Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, PR China
| | - Qian Chen
- Center for Protein and Cell-based Drugs, Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, PR China
| | - Xiaochun Wan
- Center for Protein and Cell-based Drugs, Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, PR China; Shenzhen BinDeBioTech Co., Ltd, Floor 5, Building 6, Tongfuyu Industrial City, Xili, Nanshan, Shenzhen, 518055, PR China.
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19
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Marina D, Arnaud L, Paul Noel L, Felix S, Bernard R, Natacha C. Relevance of Translation Initiation in Diffuse Glioma Biology and its Therapeutic Potential. Cells 2019; 8:E1542. [PMID: 31795417 PMCID: PMC6953081 DOI: 10.3390/cells8121542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2019] [Revised: 11/21/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer cells are continually exposed to environmental stressors forcing them to adapt their protein production to survive. The translational machinery can be recruited by malignant cells to synthesize proteins required to promote their survival, even in times of high physiological and pathological stress. This phenomenon has been described in several cancers including in gliomas. Abnormal regulation of translation has encouraged the development of new therapeutics targeting the protein synthesis pathway. This approach could be meaningful for glioma given the fact that the median survival following diagnosis of the highest grade of glioma remains short despite current therapy. The identification of new targets for the development of novel therapeutics is therefore needed in order to improve this devastating overall survival rate. This review discusses current literature on translation in gliomas with a focus on the initiation step covering both the cap-dependent and cap-independent modes of initiation. The different translation initiation protagonists will be described in normal conditions and then in gliomas. In addition, their gene expression in gliomas will systematically be examined using two freely available datasets. Finally, we will discuss different pathways regulating translation initiation and current drugs targeting the translational machinery and their potential for the treatment of gliomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Digregorio Marina
- Laboratory of Nervous System Disorders and Therapy, GIGA-Neurosciences Research Centre, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium; (D.M.); (L.A.); (L.P.N.); (S.F.); (R.B.)
| | - Lombard Arnaud
- Laboratory of Nervous System Disorders and Therapy, GIGA-Neurosciences Research Centre, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium; (D.M.); (L.A.); (L.P.N.); (S.F.); (R.B.)
- Department of Neurosurgery, CHU of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - Lumapat Paul Noel
- Laboratory of Nervous System Disorders and Therapy, GIGA-Neurosciences Research Centre, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium; (D.M.); (L.A.); (L.P.N.); (S.F.); (R.B.)
| | - Scholtes Felix
- Laboratory of Nervous System Disorders and Therapy, GIGA-Neurosciences Research Centre, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium; (D.M.); (L.A.); (L.P.N.); (S.F.); (R.B.)
- Department of Neurosurgery, CHU of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - Rogister Bernard
- Laboratory of Nervous System Disorders and Therapy, GIGA-Neurosciences Research Centre, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium; (D.M.); (L.A.); (L.P.N.); (S.F.); (R.B.)
- Department of Neurology, CHU of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - Coppieters Natacha
- Laboratory of Nervous System Disorders and Therapy, GIGA-Neurosciences Research Centre, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium; (D.M.); (L.A.); (L.P.N.); (S.F.); (R.B.)
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20
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Bartel K, Müller R, von Schwarzenberg K. Differential regulation of AMP-activated protein kinase in healthy and cancer cells explains why V-ATPase inhibition selectively kills cancer cells. J Biol Chem 2019; 294:17239-17248. [PMID: 31604821 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra119.010243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2019] [Revised: 09/16/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The cellular energy sensor AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a metabolic hub regulating various pathways involved in tumor metabolism. Here we report that vacuolar H+-ATPase (V-ATPase) inhibition differentially affects regulation of AMPK in tumor and nontumor cells and that this differential regulation contributes to the selectivity of V-ATPase inhibitors for tumor cells. In nonmalignant cells, the V-ATPase inhibitor archazolid increased phosphorylation and lysosomal localization of AMPK. We noted that AMPK localization has a prosurvival role, as AMPK silencing decreased cellular growth rates. In contrast, in cancer cells, we found that AMPK is constitutively active and that archazolid does not affect its phosphorylation and localization. Moreover, V-ATPase-independent AMPK induction in tumor cells protected them from archazolid-induced cytotoxicity, further underlining the role of AMPK as a prosurvival mediator. These observations indicate that AMPK regulation is uncoupled from V-ATPase activity in cancer cells and that this makes them more susceptible to cell death induction by V-ATPase inhibitors. In both tumor and healthy cells, V-ATPase inhibition induced a distinct metabolic regulatory cascade downstream of AMPK, affecting ATP and NADPH levels, glucose uptake, and reactive oxygen species production. We could attribute the prosurvival effects to AMPK's ability to maintain redox homeostasis by inhibiting reactive oxygen species production and maintaining NADPH levels. In summary, the results of our work indicate that V-ATPase inhibition has differential effects on AMPK-mediated metabolic regulation in cancer and healthy cells and explain the tumor-specific cytotoxicity of V-ATPase inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karin Bartel
- Department of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Biology, Ludwig Maximilians University, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Rolf Müller
- Helmholtz Center for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, and Department of Pharmacy at Saarland University, Saarland University Campus, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Karin von Schwarzenberg
- Department of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Biology, Ludwig Maximilians University, 81377 Munich, Germany
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21
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Gao M, Dang F, Deng C. β-Cryptoxanthin induced anti-proliferation and apoptosis by G0/G1 arrest and AMPK signal inactivation in gastric cancer. Eur J Pharmacol 2019; 859:172528. [PMID: 31288004 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2019.172528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2019] [Revised: 07/03/2019] [Accepted: 07/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
β-Cryptoxanthin has been associated with reduced-risk of some cancers. However, the mechanisms of β-cryptoxanthin still remain unclearly understood in gastric cancer (GC). In this study, we examined the effect of β-cryptoxanthin on AMPK signal in human gastric cancer cells. AGS and SGC-7901 cells were treated with β-cryptoxanthin (0-40 μM) and AGS cells were injected in BALB/c (nu/nu) mice to analyze the effect of β-cryptoxanthin on GC. We found that β-cryptoxanthin induced inhibitory effect on the cell viability in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. The number of migrated cells and protein levels of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) -2 and MMP-9 were obviously decreased. β-Cryptoxanthin treatment induced G0/G1 arrest, and reduced the expression of Cyclin E, Cyclin D1, cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK) of CDK4 and CDK6, and increased the expression of p53 and p21 in the two GC cells. Additionally, β-cryptoxanthin induced apoptosis and increased the expression of cleaved caspase-3, -8, -9 as well as cytochrome C (cyt C). β-Cryptoxanthin induced AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signal inactivation by the down-regulation of protein kinase A (PKA), p-AMPK, eukaryotic elongation factor 2 kinase (eEF2k). Furthermore, β-cryptoxanthin inhibited tumor growth through suppressing the tumor volume and weight, inducing apoptotic cells. Besides, β-cryptoxanthin induced significant reductions of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9). In conclusion, our data provide the novel evidence to understand the mechanism of anti-pcancer of β-cryptoxanthin and indicate that β-cryptoxanthin can serve as a promising chemopreventive agent against gastric cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meili Gao
- Department of Biological Science and Engineering, The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, China.
| | - Fan Dang
- Department of Biological Science and Engineering, The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, China
| | - Chun Deng
- Department of Biological Science and Engineering, The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, China
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22
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Khabaz MN, Abdelrahman AS, Al-Maghrabi JA. Expression of p-AMPK in colorectal cancer revealed substantial diverse survival patterns. Pak J Med Sci 2019; 35:685-690. [PMID: 31258576 PMCID: PMC6572972 DOI: 10.12669/pjms.35.3.159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective: Several cancers have showed differences in the role of p- AMPK in cancer growth, progression and prognosis, and little is identified regarding the significance of p-AMPK expression in colorectal adenocarcinoma. Therefore, this report will define p-AMPK phenotype in a panel of colorectal carcinomas and explore the relationship between this phenotype and tumor clinicopathological features. Methods: A total of 228 cases comprising 155 large intestine cancers and 73 controls (40 benign tumors and thirty three non-cancerous tissues) were employed in tissue microarray construction. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining was applied to reveal p-AMPK expression. This study was carried out in the pathology lab of King Abdulaziz University Hospital over a duration of 15 months and was completed on 7th July 2018. Results: Phosphorylated AMPK was identified in 133 (85.8%) of colorectal cancers and 73 (100%) control cases. Histologic type was noticeably correlated with p-AMPK immunostaining (P= 0.001), high score of p-AMPK immunostaining is more frequent in control cases. Considerable varied survival models were observed with neoplasm size, metastatic tumor, recurrence and disease relapse (P-values<0.01). Survival estimates are considerably healthier in positive cases which have one of the following features size less than 5 cm, absence of metastatic tumor, no reoccurrence or disease relapse. Conclusions: The present study showed a reduction in the IHC staining of p-AMPK in colorectal cancer compared with controls. IHC staining of p-AMPK can be a supportive marker in predicting prognosis and survival estimates of colorectal tumors with specific clinical factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamad Nidal Khabaz
- Prof. Mohamad Nidal Khabaz, MD, PhD. Rabigh Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pathology, King Abdulaziz University Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Amer Shafei Abdelrahman
- Dr. Amer Shafei Abdelrahman, MD, PhD. Rabigh Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pathology, King Abdulaziz University Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Jaudah Ahmad Al-Maghrabi
- Prof. Jaudah Ahmad Al-Maghrabi, FRCPC. Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pathology, King Abdulaziz University Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
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23
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Ma M, Xu H, Liu G, Wu J, Li C, Wang X, Zhang S, Xu H, Ju S, Cheng W, Dai L, Wei Y, Tian Y, Fu X. Metabolism-induced tumor activator 1 (MITA1), an Energy Stress-Inducible Long Noncoding RNA, Promotes Hepatocellular Carcinoma Metastasis. Hepatology 2019; 70:215-230. [PMID: 30839115 DOI: 10.1002/hep.30602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2018] [Accepted: 02/28/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Metastasis is the main cause of cancer-related death, yet the underlying mechanisms are still poorly understood. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are emerging as crucial regulators of malignancies; however, their functions in tumor metastasis remain largely unexplored. In this study, we identify a lncRNA, termed metabolism-induced tumor activator 1 (MITA1), which is up-regulated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and contributes to metastasis. MITA1, a chromatin-enriched lncRNA discovered by our nuclear RNA sequencing, is significantly induced by energy stress. This induction of MITA1 is governed by the liver kinase B1-adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (LKB1-AMPK) pathway and DNA methylation. Knockdown of MITA1 dramatically inhibits the migration and invasion of liver cancer cells in vitro and HCC metastasis in vivo. Mechanistically, MITA1 promotes the epithelial-mesenchymal transition, an early and central step of metastasis, which may partly attribute to an increase in Slug (snail family zinc finger 2) transcription. MITA1 deficiency reduces the expression of the mesenchymal cell markers, especially Slug, whereas Slug overexpression greatly impairs the effects of MITA1 deficiency on HCC migration and invasion. Correspondingly, there is a positive correlation between the levels of MITA1 and Slug precursors in HCC tissues. Conclusion: Our data reveal MITA1 as a crucial driver of HCC metastasis, and highlight the identified AMPK-MITA1-Slug axis as a potential therapeutic strategy for HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meilin Ma
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Chengdu, China
| | - Haixia Xu
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Chengdu, China
| | - Geng Liu
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Chengdu, China
| | - Jing Wu
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Chengdu, China
| | - Chunhua Li
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Chengdu, China
| | - Xiuxuan Wang
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Chengdu, China
| | - Sifan Zhang
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Chengdu, China
| | - Heng Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Chengdu, China
| | - Shenggen Ju
- College of Computer Science, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Wei Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Chengdu, China
| | - Lunzhi Dai
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Chengdu, China
| | - Yuquan Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Chengdu, China
| | - Yan Tian
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Chengdu, China
| | - Xianghui Fu
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Chengdu, China
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24
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Drug repurposing in alternative medicine: herbal digestive Sochehwan exerts multifaceted effects against metabolic syndrome. Sci Rep 2019; 9:9055. [PMID: 31227732 PMCID: PMC6588698 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-45099-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2018] [Accepted: 05/31/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
New drug development is a challenging process that requires high-risk, huge costs and long lead times. Therefore, drug repurposing is considered a strategic and economic way towards successful drug development. Sochehwan (SCH) is a herbal formula well known as a digestive aid in traditional oriental medicine, is referred to in classic medical texts, and is available as an over-the-counter drug for indications of digestive ailments. Interestingly, another medical text written in earlier age describes different indication of SCH yet to be examined. We conducted a series of investigations using maturated adipocytes, free fatty acid (FFA) induced hepatic steatosis model in vitro and high-fat diet (HFD) mice model in vivo. Exposure to SCH regulated expression of adipogenic genes and proteins, significantly inhibiting formation of lipid droplets in 3T3-L1 cells. Similarly, SCH treatment modulated proteins related with energy metabolism decreasing lipid accumulation in FFA induced HepG2 cells. Furthermore, HFD-fed c57BL/6 J mice supplemented with SCH exhibited significant changes in serum glucose and lipid profiles. Histologic analysis of mice liver and adipose tissue showed that SCH administration attenuated hepatic steatosis and hypertrophy of adipose tissue. In overall, the results show that SCH can potentially be used to treat metabolic syndrome (MetS) by enhancing glucose metabolism and inhibiting lipogenesis through activating AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and its downstream signaling. Furthermore, it seems to be a feasible drug repurposing strategy for drugs originating from alternative medicine to revise the value for buried indications of some herbal prescription in old traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) classics.
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25
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Hu M, Chen X, Ma L, Ma Y, Li Y, Song H, Xu J, Zhou L, Li X, Jiang Y, Kong B, Huang P. AMPK Inhibition Suppresses the Malignant Phenotype of Pancreatic Cancer Cells in Part by Attenuating Aerobic Glycolysis. J Cancer 2019; 10:1870-1878. [PMID: 31205544 PMCID: PMC6547975 DOI: 10.7150/jca.28299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2018] [Accepted: 02/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer is a highly aggressive tumor characterized by enhanced aerobic glycolysis. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which is identified as a well-known regulator of glycolysis, plays an essential role in tumorigenesis. In the present study, we aim to explore the function of AMPK in pancreatic cancer cells and attempt to clarify the possible underlying mechanism. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data showed that elevated AMPK expression highly correlated with lower median survival time. In an in vitro study, inhibition of AMPK blocked the proliferation, migration, and invasion ability of four cell lines under normoxia and hypoxia. Additionally, AMPK suppression led to cell cycle arrest and remarkably induced apoptosis. Furthermore, the lactic acid content, ATP content, and the glucose consumption rate were significantly reduced in all four cell lines under different conditions, accompanied by down-regulation of glycolytic biomarkers including phosphorylated mammalian target of rapamycin (p-mTOR)/total mTOR (t-mTOR), Pyruvate kinase M2 (Pkm2), and Hexokinase 2 (Hk2). Collectively, our data showed that AMPK activation is highly involved in pancreatic cancer progression and exerts its pro-tumorigenic functions partly by sustaining glycolytic activity. Hence, AMPK is expected to be a potential therapeutic target for pancreatic cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingyue Hu
- Medical School of Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Xiangxu Chen
- Medical School of Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Li Ma
- Medical School of Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Yu Ma
- Medical School of Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Yuan Li
- Medical School of Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Huihui Song
- Medical School of Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Jiajia Xu
- Medical School of Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Lingna Zhou
- Medical School of Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Xiaoxue Li
- Medical School of Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Yuhui Jiang
- Medical School of Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Bo Kong
- Department of Surgery, Klinikum rechts der Isar, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Munich 81675, Germany.,Department of Gastroenterology, the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University, Medical School, Nanjing, China
| | - Peilin Huang
- Medical School of Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China
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26
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Mikó E, Kovács T, Sebő É, Tóth J, Csonka T, Ujlaki G, Sipos A, Szabó J, Méhes G, Bai P. Microbiome-Microbial Metabolome-Cancer Cell Interactions in Breast Cancer-Familiar, but Unexplored. Cells 2019; 8:E293. [PMID: 30934972 PMCID: PMC6523810 DOI: 10.3390/cells8040293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2019] [Revised: 03/22/2019] [Accepted: 03/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is a leading cause of death among women worldwide. Dysbiosis, an aberrant composition of the microbiome, characterizes breast cancer. In this review we discuss the changes to the metabolism of breast cancer cells, as well as the composition of the breast and gut microbiome in breast cancer. The role of the breast microbiome in breast cancer is unresolved, nevertheless it seems that the gut microbiome does have a role in the pathology of the disease. The gut microbiome secretes bioactive metabolites (reactivated estrogens, short chain fatty acids, amino acid metabolites, or secondary bile acids) that modulate breast cancer. We highlight the bacterial species or taxonomical units that generate these metabolites, we show their mode of action, and discuss how the metabolites affect mitochondrial metabolism and other molecular events in breast cancer. These metabolites resemble human hormones, as they are produced in a "gland" (in this case, the microbiome) and they are subsequently transferred to distant sites of action through the circulation. These metabolites appear to be important constituents of the tumor microenvironment. Finally, we discuss how bacterial dysbiosis interferes with breast cancer treatment through interfering with chemotherapeutic drug metabolism and availability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edit Mikó
- Department of Medical Chemistry, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary.
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary.
| | - Tünde Kovács
- Department of Medical Chemistry, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary.
| | - Éva Sebő
- Kenézy Breast Center, Kenézy Gyula County Hospital, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary.
| | - Judit Tóth
- Kenézy Breast Center, Kenézy Gyula County Hospital, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary.
| | - Tamás Csonka
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary.
| | - Gyula Ujlaki
- Department of Medical Chemistry, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary.
| | - Adrienn Sipos
- Department of Medical Chemistry, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary.
| | - Judit Szabó
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary.
| | - Gábor Méhes
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary.
| | - Péter Bai
- Department of Medical Chemistry, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary.
- MTA-DE Lendület Laboratory of Cellular Metabolism, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary.
- Research Center for Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary.
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27
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MicroRNA-451 Inhibits Migration of Glioblastoma while Making It More Susceptible to Conventional Therapy. Noncoding RNA 2019; 5:ncrna5010025. [PMID: 30875963 PMCID: PMC6468936 DOI: 10.3390/ncrna5010025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2018] [Revised: 03/08/2019] [Accepted: 03/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Malignant glioblastoma (GBM, glioma) is the most common and aggressive primary adult brain tumor. The prognosis of GBM patients remains poor, despite surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. The major obstacles for successful remedy are invasiveness and therapy resistance of GBM cells. Invasive glioma cells leave primary tumor core and infiltrate surrounding normal brain leading to inevitable recurrence, even after surgical resection, radiation and chemotherapy. Therapy resistance allowing for selection of more aggressive and resistant sub-populations including GBM stem-like cells (GSCs) upon treatment is another serious impediment to successful treatment. Through their regulation of multiple genes, microRNAs can orchestrate complex programs of gene expression and act as master regulators of cellular processes. MicroRNA-based therapeutics could thus impact broad cellular programs, leading to inhibition of invasion and sensitization to radio/chemotherapy. Our data show that miR-451 attenuates glioma cell migration in vitro and invasion in vivo. In addition, we have found that miR-451 sensitizes glioma cells to conventional chemo- and radio-therapy. Our data also show that miR-451 is regulated in vivo by AMPK pathway and that AMPK/miR-451 loop has the ability to switch between proliferative and migratory pattern of glioma cells behavior. We therefore postulate that AMPK/miR-451 negative reciprocal feedback loop allows GBM cells/GSCs to adapt to tumor “ecosystem” by metabolic and behavioral flexibility, and that disruption of such a loop reduces invasiveness and diminishes therapy resistance.
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28
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Hui GD, Xiu WY, Yong C, Yuan CB, Jun Z, Jun GJ, Jun YJ, Xiang XX, Wei HS, Feng ML. AMP-activated protein kinase α1 serves a carcinogenic role via regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor expression in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. Oncol Lett 2019; 17:4329-4334. [PMID: 30988808 PMCID: PMC6447888 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2019.10126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2018] [Accepted: 02/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
AMP-activated protein kinase α1 (AMPK α1) is involved in the tumorigenesis of various cancer types. However, the role of AMPK α1 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains unclear. In the present study, 99 NSCLC tumor tissues and paired normal tissues were obtained. The expression levels of AMPK α1 were significantly upregulated in NSCLC tumor tissues compared with those in adjacent non-tumor lung tissues. The patients were further divided into two groups according to their expression levels of AMPK α1 in tumor tissues. The results outlined that overexpression of AMPK α1 was associated with poor prognosis. In addition, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression levels were associated with malignant progression in patients with NSCLC. Patients with NSCLC that overexpressed AMPK α1 and VEGF had the worst outcomes. Moreover, AMPK α1 may positively regulate VEGF expression. These results suggest that AMPK α1 serves a carcinogenic role at least in part through the regulation of VEGF expression, and thus represents a potential treatment target in patients with NSCLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gong Dao Hui
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Subei People's Hospital, Clinical Medical College of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225001, P.R. China
| | - Wang Yu Xiu
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Subei People's Hospital, Clinical Medical College of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225001, P.R. China
| | - Chen Yong
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Subei People's Hospital, Clinical Medical College of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225001, P.R. China
| | - Chi Bei Yuan
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Subei People's Hospital, Clinical Medical College of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225001, P.R. China
| | - Zhang Jun
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Subei People's Hospital, Clinical Medical College of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225001, P.R. China
| | - Gu Jian Jun
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Subei People's Hospital, Clinical Medical College of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225001, P.R. China
| | - Yang Jun Jun
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Subei People's Hospital, Clinical Medical College of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225001, P.R. China
| | - Xu Xing Xiang
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Subei People's Hospital, Clinical Medical College of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225001, P.R. China
| | - Hu Su Wei
- Medical Genetic Center, The Affiliated Hospital of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou Women and Children's Hospital, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225002, P.R. China.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medicial School, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210008, P.R. China
| | - Min Ling Feng
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Subei People's Hospital, Clinical Medical College of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225001, P.R. China
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29
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Xu Z, Li Z, Wang W, Xia Y, He Z, Li B, Wang S, Huang X, Sun G, Xu J, Wang L, Zhang Q, Li Q, Lv J, Wang L, Zhang L, Zhang D, Xu H, Xu Z. MIR-1265 regulates cellular proliferation and apoptosis by targeting calcium binding protein 39 in gastric cancer and, thereby, impairing oncogenic autophagy. Cancer Lett 2019; 449:226-236. [PMID: 30779944 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2019.02.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2018] [Revised: 01/25/2019] [Accepted: 02/12/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Increasing evidence indicates that microRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in various tumors by regulating downstream target genes and diverse signaling pathways. Herein, we confirmed miR-1265 expression in gastric cancer (GC) using the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and assessed the level of miR-1265 expression in clinical specimens and cell lines. We found that miR-1265 expression was negatively correlated with tumor size. Further functional analysis revealed that miR-1265 suppresses cellular proliferation and autophagy while inducing apoptosis in GC cells. A luciferase reporter assay was used to identify an miR-1265 targeted gene, calcium binding protein 39 (CAB39), which is an essential upstream regulator in the AMPK-mTOR signaling pathway. Upregulation or downregulation of CAB39 expression reversed the effects of miR-1265 overexpression or inhibition, respectively. Notably, the knockdown of autophagy-related gene 12 (ATG12) impaired the effects of miR-1265 inhibition or CAB39 overexpression in GC. MiR-1265 also suppressed the growth of GC cells in vivo and that of human gastric organoids. Altogether, our results show that miR-1265 suppresses GC progression and oncogenic autophagy by reducing CAB39 expression and regulating the AMPK-mTOR signaling pathway. Therefore, miR-1265 may represent a potential therapeutic target for GC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhipeng Xu
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu province, China
| | - Zheng Li
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu province, China
| | - Weizhi Wang
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu province, China
| | - Yiwen Xia
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu province, China
| | - Zhongyuan He
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu province, China
| | - BoWen Li
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu province, China
| | - Sen Wang
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu province, China
| | - Xiaoxu Huang
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu province, China
| | - Guangli Sun
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu province, China
| | - Jianghao Xu
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu province, China
| | - Lu Wang
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu province, China
| | - Qiang Zhang
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu province, China
| | - Qiang Li
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu province, China
| | - Jialun Lv
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu province, China
| | - Linjun Wang
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu province, China
| | - Lu Zhang
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu province, China
| | - Diancai Zhang
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu province, China
| | - Hao Xu
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu province, China
| | - Zekuan Xu
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu province, China; Collaborative Innovation Center For Cancer Personalized Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu province, China.
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30
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Chhipa RR, Fan Q, Anderson J, Muraleedharan R, Huang Y, Ciraolo G, Chen X, Waclaw R, Chow LM, Khuchua Z, Kofron M, Weirauch MT, Kendler A, McPherson C, Ratner N, Nakano I, Dasgupta N, Komurov K, Dasgupta B. AMP kinase promotes glioblastoma bioenergetics and tumour growth. Nat Cell Biol 2018; 20:823-835. [PMID: 29915361 PMCID: PMC6113057 DOI: 10.1038/s41556-018-0126-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2016] [Accepted: 05/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Stress is integral to tumour evolution, and cancer cell survival depends on stress management. We found that cancer-associated stress chronically activates the bioenergetic sensor AMP kinase (AMPK) and, to survive, tumour cells hijack an AMPK-regulated stress response pathway conserved in normal cells. Analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas data revealed that AMPK isoforms are highly expressed in the lethal human cancer glioblastoma (GBM). We show that AMPK inhibition reduces viability of patient-derived GBM stem cells (GSCs) and tumours. In stressed (exercised) skeletal muscle, AMPK is activated to cooperate with CREB1 (cAMP response element binding protein-1) and promote glucose metabolism. We demonstrate that oncogenic stress chronically activates AMPK in GSCs that coopt the AMPK-CREB1 pathway to coordinate tumour bioenergetics through the transcription factors HIF1α and GABPA. Finally, we show that adult mice tolerate systemic deletion of AMPK, supporting the use of AMPK pharmacological inhibitors in the treatment of GBM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rishi Raj Chhipa
- Division of Oncology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, PA, USA
| | - Qiang Fan
- Division of Oncology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Jane Anderson
- Division of Oncology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | | | - Yan Huang
- Division of Molecular and Cardiovascular Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Georgianne Ciraolo
- Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Xiaoting Chen
- Division of Center for Autoimmune Genomics and Etiology and Biomedical Informatics and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Ronald Waclaw
- Division of Experimental Hematology and Cancer Biology, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Lionel M Chow
- Division of Oncology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Zaza Khuchua
- Division of Molecular and Cardiovascular Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
- Sechenov University, Department of Biochemistry, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Matthew Kofron
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Matthew T Weirauch
- Division of Center for Autoimmune Genomics and Etiology and Biomedical Informatics and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Ady Kendler
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Christopher McPherson
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brain Tumor Center, University of Cincinnati Neuroscience Institute and Mayfield Clinic, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Nancy Ratner
- Division of Experimental Hematology and Cancer Biology, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Ichiro Nakano
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Alabama, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Nupur Dasgupta
- Division of Human Genetics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Kakajan Komurov
- Division of Experimental Hematology and Cancer Biology, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Biplab Dasgupta
- Division of Oncology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
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31
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Wu Y, Gao WN, Xue YN, Zhang LC, Zhang JJ, Lu SY, Yan XY, Yu HM, Su J, Sun LK. SIRT3 aggravates metformin-induced energy stress and apoptosis in ovarian cancer cells. Exp Cell Res 2018; 367:137-149. [DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2018.03.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2017] [Revised: 03/21/2018] [Accepted: 03/22/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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32
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Zhou Y, Xu H, Ding Y, Lu Q, Zou MH, Song P. AMPKα1 deletion in fibroblasts promotes tumorigenesis in athymic nude mice by p52-mediated elevation of erythropoietin and CDK2. Oncotarget 2018; 7:53654-53667. [PMID: 27449088 PMCID: PMC5288212 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.10687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2016] [Accepted: 07/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Angiogenesis is essential for tumor development. Accumulating evidence suggests that adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), an energy sensor and redox modulator, is associated with cancer development. However, the effect of AMPK on tumor development is controversial, and whether AMPK affects tumor angiogenesis has not been resolved. We show that deletion of AMPKα1, but not AMPKα2, upregulates non-canonical nuclear factor kappa B2 (NF-κB2)/p52-mediated cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2), which is responsible for the anchorage-independent cell growth of immortalized mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEFs). Co-culture with AMPKα1 knockout MEFs (or their conditioned medium) enhances the migration and network formation of human microvascular endothelial cells, which is dependent on p52-upregulated erythropoietin (Epo). AMPKα1 deletion stimulates cellular proliferation of allograft MEFs, angiogenesis, and tumor development in athymic nu/nu mice, which is partly ameliorated by antibody-mediated Epo neutralization. Therefore, the AMPKα1-p52-Epo pathway may be involved in stromal fibroblast-mediated angiogenesis and tumorigenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanhong Zhou
- Center for Molecular and Translational Medicine, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA.,Key Laboratory of Hubei Province on Cardio-Cerebral Diseases, Hubei University of Science and Technology, Xianning, Hubei 437100, China
| | - Hairong Xu
- Center for Molecular and Translational Medicine, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA.,School of Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225009, China
| | - Ye Ding
- Center for Molecular and Translational Medicine, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
| | - Qiulun Lu
- Center for Molecular and Translational Medicine, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
| | - Ming-Hui Zou
- Center for Molecular and Translational Medicine, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
| | - Ping Song
- Center for Molecular and Translational Medicine, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
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33
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Estrogen receptor signaling mediates leptin-induced growth of breast cancer cells via autophagy induction. Oncotarget 2017; 8:109417-109435. [PMID: 29312618 PMCID: PMC5752531 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.22684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2017] [Accepted: 10/29/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Leptin, a hormone derived from adipose tissue, promotes growth of cancer cells via multiple mechanisms. Estrogen receptor signaling is also known to stimulate the growth of breast cancer cells. However, the involvement of estrogen receptor signaling in the oncogenic actions of leptin and its underlying mechanisms are not clearly understood. Herein, we investigated mechanisms for estrogen receptor signaling-mediated growth of breast cancer cells, particularly focusing on autophagy, which plays a crucial role in leptin-induced tumor growth. Inhibition of estrogen receptor signaling via gene silencing or treatment with a pharmacological inhibitor (tamoxifen) abolished leptin-induced growth of MCF-7 human breast cancer cells. Interestingly, leptin-induced autophagy activation, determined by up-regulation of autophagy-related genes and autophagosome formation, was also significantly suppressed by inhibiting estrogen receptor signaling. Moreover, inhibition of estrogen receptor markedly prevented leptin-induced activation of AMPK/FoxO3A axis, which plays a crucial role in autophagy induction. Leptin-induced cell cycle progression and Bax down-regulation were also prevented by treatment with tamoxifen. The pivotal roles of estrogen receptor signaling in leptin-induced cell cycle progression, apoptosis suppression, and autophagy induction were further confirmed in MCF-7 tumor xenograft model. Taken together, these results demonstrate that estrogen receptor signaling plays a key role in leptin-induced growth of breast cancer cells via autophagy activation.
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34
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Park GB, Jeong JY, Kim D. Ampelopsin-induced reactive oxygen species enhance the apoptosis of colon cancer cells by activating endoplasmic reticulum stress-mediated AMPK/MAPK/XAF1 signaling. Oncol Lett 2017; 14:7947-7956. [PMID: 29250183 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2017.7255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2016] [Accepted: 08/23/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Ampelopsin (Amp) is bioactive natural product and exerts anti-cancer effects against several cancer types. The present study investigated the anti-colon cancer activity of Amp and explored its mechanism of action. The treatment of colon cancer cells with Amp resulted in the dose- and time-dependent induction of apoptosis via the activation of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, 5' adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), and c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase (JNK)/p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). Salubrinal, an ER stress inhibitor, prevented the upregulation of ER stress-associated proteins, including phosphorylated protein kinase RNA-like ER kinase, phosphorylated eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2α, glucose-regulated protein 78, and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein homologous protein, as well as suppressing AMPK activation and the MAPK signaling pathway. Knockdown of AMPK by RNA interference failed to block ER stress. Additionally, SP600125 (a JNK inhibitor) and SB203580 (a p38-MAPK inhibitor) effectively inhibited apoptosis and attenuated the expression of X-linked IAP-associated factor 1 (XAF1) and apoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins (BCL2 antagonist/killer 1 and BCL2-associated X protein) in Amp-treated colon cancer cells. Furthermore, reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated ER stress/AMPK apoptotic signaling pathway in Amp-treated colon cancer cells were markedly inhibited by treatment with N-acetyl-L-cysteine, a ROS scavenger. These results demonstrate that treatment with Amp induces the apoptotic death of colon cancer cells through ER stress-initiated AMPK/MAPK/XAF1 signaling. These results also provide experimental information for developing Amp as therapeutic drug against colon cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ga Bin Park
- Department of Biochemistry, Kosin University College of Medicine, Busan 49267, Republic of Korea
| | - Jee-Yeong Jeong
- Department of Biochemistry, Kosin University College of Medicine, Busan 49267, Republic of Korea
| | - Daejin Kim
- Department of Anatomy, Inje University College of Medicine, Busan 47392, Republic of Korea
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Yu L, Chen X, Sun X, Wang L, Chen S. The Glycolytic Switch in Tumors: How Many Players Are Involved? J Cancer 2017; 8:3430-3440. [PMID: 29151926 PMCID: PMC5687156 DOI: 10.7150/jca.21125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 149] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2017] [Accepted: 08/31/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Reprogramming of cellular metabolism is a hallmark of cancers. Cancer cells more readily use glycolysis, an inefficient metabolic pathway for energy metabolism, even when sufficient oxygen is available. This reliance on aerobic glycolysis is called the Warburg effect, and promotes tumorigenesis and malignancy progression. The mechanisms of the glycolytic shift in tumors are not fully understood. Growing evidence demonstrates that many signal molecules, including oncogenes and tumor suppressors, are involved in the process, but how oncogenic signals attenuate mitochondrial function and promote the switch to glycolysis remains unclear. Here, we summarize the current information on several main mediators and discuss their possible mechanisms for triggering the Warburg effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Yu
- Department of Pathology, the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, People's Republic of China
| | - Xun Chen
- Guanghua School and Hospital of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510055, People's Republic of China
| | - Xueqi Sun
- Department of Pathology, the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, People's Republic of China
| | - Liantang Wang
- Department of Pathology, the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, People's Republic of China
| | - Shangwu Chen
- State Key Laboratory for Biocontrol, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Functional Genes, Key Laboratory of Gene Engineering of the Ministry of Education, Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, People's Republic of China
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36
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Li J, Zhong L, Wang F, Zhu H. Dissecting the role of AMP-activated protein kinase in human diseases. Acta Pharm Sin B 2017; 7:249-259. [PMID: 28540163 PMCID: PMC5430814 DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2016.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2016] [Revised: 11/12/2016] [Accepted: 11/17/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), known as a sensor and a master of cellular energy balance, integrates various regulatory signals including anabolic and catabolic metabolic processes. Accompanying the application of genetic methods and a plethora of AMPK agonists, rapid progress has identified AMPK as an attractive therapeutic target for several human diseases, such as cancer, type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis, myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury and neurodegenerative disease. The role of AMPK in metabolic and energetic modulation both at the intracellular and whole body levels has been reviewed elsewhere. In the present review, we summarize and update the paradoxical role of AMPK implicated in the diseases mentioned above and put forward the challenge encountered. Thus it will be expected to provide important clues for exploring rational methods of intervention in human diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Li
- Institute of Food Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Beijing 100193, China
| | - Liping Zhong
- Life Science College of Tarim University, Xinjiang 843300, China
| | - Fengzhong Wang
- Institute of Food Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Beijing 100193, China
- Corresponding author. Tel./fax: +86 10 62810295.
| | - Haibo Zhu
- State Key Laboratory for Bioactive Substances and Functions of Natural Medicines, Beijing 100050, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of New Drug Mechanisms and Pharmacological Evaluation Study, Beijing 100050, China
- Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China
- Corresponding author at: Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China. Tel./fax: +86 10 63188106.
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37
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Khan AS, Frigo DE. A spatiotemporal hypothesis for the regulation, role, and targeting of AMPK in prostate cancer. Nat Rev Urol 2017; 14:164-180. [PMID: 28169991 PMCID: PMC5672799 DOI: 10.1038/nrurol.2016.272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
The 5'-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a master regulator of cellular homeostasis. Despite AMPK's known function in physiology, its role in pathological processes such as prostate cancer is enigmatic. However, emerging evidence is now beginning to decode the paradoxical role of AMPK in cancer and, therefore, inform clinicians if - and how - AMPK could be therapeutically targeted. Spatiotemporal regulation of AMPK complexes could be one of the mechanisms that governs this kinase's role in cancer. We hypothesize that different upstream stimuli will activate select subcellular AMPK complexes. This hypothesis is supported by the distinct subcellular locations of the various AMPK subunits. Each of these unique AMPK complexes regulates discrete downstream processes that can be tumour suppressive or oncogenic. AMPK's final biological output is then determined by the weighted net function of these downstream signalling events, influenced by additional prostate-specific signalling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayesha S. Khan
- Center for Nuclear Receptors and Cell Signaling, Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX USA
| | - Daniel E. Frigo
- Center for Nuclear Receptors and Cell Signaling, Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX USA
- Genomic Medicine Program, The Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX USA
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38
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Dong T, Kang X, Liu Z, Zhao S, Ma W, Xuan Q, Liu H, Wang Z, Zhang Q. Altered glycometabolism affects both clinical features and prognosis of triple-negative and neoadjuvant chemotherapy-treated breast cancer. Tumour Biol 2016; 37:8159-68. [PMID: 26715276 DOI: 10.1007/s13277-015-4729-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2015] [Accepted: 12/21/2015] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Glycometabolism is a distinctive aspect of energy metabolism in breast cancer, and key glycometabolism enzymes/pathways (glycolysis, hexosamine biosynthetic pathway, and pentose phosphate pathway) may directly or indirectly affect the clinical features. In this study, we analyzed the particular correlation between the altered glycometabolism and clinical features of breast cancer to instruct research and clinical treatment. Tissue microarrays containing 189 hollow needle aspiration samples and 295 triple-negative breast cancer tissues were used to test the expression of M2 isoform of pyruvate kinase (PKM2), glutamine-fructose-6-phosphate transaminase 1 (GFPT1), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), and p53 by immunohistochemistry and the intensity of these glycometabolism-related protein was evaluated. Chi-square test, Kaplan-Meier estimates, and Cox proportional hazards model were used to analyze the relationship between the expression of these factors and major clinical features. PKM2, GFPT1, and G6PD affect the pathologic complete response rate of neoadjuvant chemotherapy patients in different ways; pyruvate kinase muscle isozyme 2 (PKM2) and G6PD are closely associated with the molecular subtypes, whereas GFPT1 is correlated with cancer size. All these three factors as well as p53 have impacts on the progression-free survival and overall survival of triple-negative breast cancer patients. Cancer size shows significant association with PKM2 and GFPT1 expression, while the pN stage and grade are associated with PKM2 and G6PD expression. Our study support that clinical characteristics are reflections of specific glycometabolism pathways, so their relationships may shed light on the orientation of research or clinical treatment. The expression of PKM2, GFPT1, and G6PD are hazardous factors for prognosis: high expression of these proteins predict worse progression-free survival and overall survival in triple-negative breast cancer, as well as worse pathologic complete response rate in neoadjuvant chemotherapy breast cancer. However, p53 appears as a protective factor only in the patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy. All the four proteins, PKM2, GFPT1, G6PD and p53, are prognostic markers of breast cancer. The correlation among them suggests that there may be crosstalk of the four proteins in breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tieying Dong
- Department of Internal Medicine, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Haping Road 150 of Nangang District, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, 150081, China
| | - Xinmei Kang
- Department of Internal Medicine, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Haping Road 150 of Nangang District, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, 150081, China
| | - Zhaoliang Liu
- Cancer Research Institute, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
- Cancer Research Institute of Heilongjiang, Harbin, China
| | - Shu Zhao
- Department of Internal Medicine, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Haping Road 150 of Nangang District, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, 150081, China
| | - Wenjie Ma
- Department of Internal Medicine, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Haping Road 150 of Nangang District, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, 150081, China
| | - Qijia Xuan
- Department of Internal Medicine, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Haping Road 150 of Nangang District, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, 150081, China
| | - Hang Liu
- Department of Internal Medicine, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Haping Road 150 of Nangang District, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, 150081, China
| | - Zhipeng Wang
- The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Qingyuan Zhang
- Department of Internal Medicine, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Haping Road 150 of Nangang District, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, 150081, China.
- Cancer Research Institute of Heilongjiang, Harbin, China.
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39
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CAF cellular glycolysis: linking cancer cells with the microenvironment. Tumour Biol 2016; 37:8503-14. [PMID: 27075473 DOI: 10.1007/s13277-016-5049-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2016] [Accepted: 04/01/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancers have long being hallmarked as cells relying heavily on their glycolysis for energy generation in spite of having functional mitochondria. The metabolic status of the cancer cells have been revisited time and again to get better insight into the overall carcinogenesis process which revealed the apparent crosstalks between the cancer cells with the fibroblasts present in the tumour microenvironment. This review focuses on the mechanisms of transformations of normal fibroblasts to cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF), the participation of the CAF in tumour progression with special interest to the role of CAF cellular glycolysis in the overall tumorigenesis. The fibroblasts, when undergoes the transformation process, distinctly switches to a more glycolytic phenotype in order to provide the metabolic intermediates necessary for carrying out the mitochondrial pathways of ATP generation in cancer cells. This review will also discuss the molecular mechanisms responsible for this metabolic make over promoting glycolysis in CAF cells. A thorough investigation of the pathways and molecules involved will not only help in understanding the process of activation and metabolic reprogramming in CAF cells but also might open up new targets for cancer therapy.
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40
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Audet-Walsh É, Papadopoli DJ, Gravel SP, Yee T, Bridon G, Caron M, Bourque G, Giguère V, St-Pierre J. The PGC-1α/ERRα Axis Represses One-Carbon Metabolism and Promotes Sensitivity to Anti-folate Therapy in Breast Cancer. Cell Rep 2016; 14:920-931. [PMID: 26804918 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2015.12.086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2015] [Revised: 11/02/2015] [Accepted: 12/18/2015] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Reprogramming of cellular metabolism plays a central role in fueling malignant transformation, and AMPK and the PGC-1α/ERRα axis are key regulators of this process. The intersection of gene-expression and binding-event datasets for breast cancer cells shows that activation of AMPK significantly increases the expression of PGC-1α/ERRα and promotes the binding of ERRα to its cognate sites. Unexpectedly, the data also reveal that ERRα, in concert with PGC-1α, negatively regulates the expression of several one-carbon metabolism genes, resulting in substantial perturbations in purine biosynthesis. This PGC-1α/ERRα-mediated repression of one-carbon metabolism promotes the sensitivity of breast cancer cells and tumors to the anti-folate drug methotrexate. These data implicate the PGC-1α/ERRα axis as a core regulatory node of folate cycle metabolism and further suggest that activators of AMPK could be used to modulate this pathway in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Étienne Audet-Walsh
- Goodman Cancer Research Centre, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A 1A3, Canada
| | - David J Papadopoli
- Goodman Cancer Research Centre, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A 1A3, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3G 1Y6, Canada
| | - Simon-Pierre Gravel
- Goodman Cancer Research Centre, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A 1A3, Canada
| | - Tracey Yee
- Goodman Cancer Research Centre, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A 1A3, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3G 1Y6, Canada
| | - Gaëlle Bridon
- Goodman Cancer Research Centre, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A 1A3, Canada
| | - Maxime Caron
- McGill University and Génome Québec Innovation Centre, Montréal, QC H3A 0G1, Canada
| | - Guillaume Bourque
- McGill University and Génome Québec Innovation Centre, Montréal, QC H3A 0G1, Canada; Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3G 1Y6, Canada
| | - Vincent Giguère
- Goodman Cancer Research Centre, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A 1A3, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3G 1Y6, Canada; Departments of Medicine and Oncology, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3G 1Y6, Canada.
| | - Julie St-Pierre
- Goodman Cancer Research Centre, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A 1A3, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3G 1Y6, Canada.
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41
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Abstract
The AMP-protein kinase (AMPK) pathway is very versatile as it regulates cellular energetic homeostasis in many different tissue types. An appreciation for the importance of AMPK signalling and regulation in cardiovascular and tumor biology is increasing. Recently, a link has been established between anti-cancer therapy and susceptibility to cardiac disease. It has been shown that some anti-cancer drugs lead to an increased risk of cardiac disease, underlined by de-regulation of AMPK signalling. This review explores the AMPK signalling axis in both cardiac and tumor metabolism. We then examine off-target AMPK inhibition by cancer drugs and how this may translate into increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Finally, we discuss the implication of deregulated AMPK signalling during different stages of cardiac hypertrophy. Better understanding of the molecular pathways behind pathological processes will lead to the development of more effective therapeutics for cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yulia Lipovka
- Department of Physiology, University of Arizona, Sarver Molecular Cardiovascular Research Program, USA
| | - John P Konhilas
- Department of Physiology, University of Arizona, Sarver Molecular Cardiovascular Research Program, USA
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42
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Dasgupta B, Chhipa RR. Evolving Lessons on the Complex Role of AMPK in Normal Physiology and Cancer. Trends Pharmacol Sci 2015; 37:192-206. [PMID: 26711141 DOI: 10.1016/j.tips.2015.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2015] [Revised: 11/16/2015] [Accepted: 11/17/2015] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
AMP kinase (AMPK) is an evolutionarily conserved enzyme required for adaptive responses to various physiological and pathological conditions. AMPK executes numerous cellular functions, some of which are often perceived at odds with each other. While AMPK is essential for embryonic growth and development, its full impact in adult tissues is revealed under stressful situations that organisms face in the real world. Conflicting reports about its cellular functions, particularly in cancer, are intriguing and a growing number of AMPK activators are being developed to treat human diseases such as cancer and diabetes. Whether these drugs will have only context-specific benefits or detrimental effects in the treatment of human cancer will be a subject of intense research. Here we review the current state of AMPK research with an emphasis on cancer and discuss the yet unresolved context-dependent functions of AMPK in human cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Biplab Dasgupta
- Division of Oncology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
| | - Rishi Raj Chhipa
- Division of Oncology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
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Mouhieddine TH, Nokkari A, Itani MM, Chamaa F, Bahmad H, Monzer A, El-Merahbi R, Daoud G, Eid A, Kobeissy FH, Abou-Kheir W. Metformin and Ara-a Effectively Suppress Brain Cancer by Targeting Cancer Stem/Progenitor Cells. Front Neurosci 2015; 9:442. [PMID: 26635517 PMCID: PMC4655242 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2015.00442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2015] [Accepted: 11/05/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Gliomas and neuroblastomas pose a great health burden worldwide with a poor and moderate prognosis, respectively. Many studies have tried to find effective treatments for these primary malignant brain tumors. Of interest, the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway was found to be associated with tumorigenesis and tumor survival, leading to many studies on AMPK drugs, especially Metformin, and their potential role as anti-cancer treatments. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a small population of slowly-dividing, treatment-resistant, undifferentiated cancer cells that are being discovered in a multitude of cancers. They are thought to be responsible for replenishing the tumor with highly proliferative cells and increasing the risk of recurrence. Methods: Metformin and 9-β-d-Arabinofuranosyl Adenine (Ara-a) were used to study the role of the AMPK pathway in vitro on U251 (glioblastoma) and SH-SY5Y (neuroblastoma) cell lines. Results: We found that both drugs are able to decrease the survival of U251 and SH-SY5Y cell lines in a 2D as well as a 3D culture model. Metformin and Ara-a significantly decreased the invasive ability of these cancer cell lines. Treatment with these drugs decreased the sphere-forming units (SFU) of U251 cells, with Ara-a being more efficient, signifying the extinction of the CSC population. However, if treatment is withdrawn before all SFUs are extinguished, the CSCs regain some of their sphere-forming capabilities in the case of Metformin but not Ara-a treatment. Conclusion: Metformin and Ara-a have proved to be effective in the treatment of glioblastomas and neuroblastomas, in vitro, by targeting their cancer stem/progenitor cell population, which prevents recurrence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tarek H Mouhieddine
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Amaly Nokkari
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Muhieddine M Itani
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Farah Chamaa
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Hisham Bahmad
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Alissar Monzer
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Rabih El-Merahbi
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Georges Daoud
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Assaad Eid
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Firas H Kobeissy
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Wassim Abou-Kheir
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut Beirut, Lebanon
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Moschovi M, Critselis E, Cen O, Adamaki M, Lambrou GI, Chrousos GP, Vlahopoulos S. Drugs acting on homeostasis: challenging cancer cell adaptation. Expert Rev Anticancer Ther 2015; 15:1405-1417. [PMID: 26523494 DOI: 10.1586/14737140.2015.1095095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/15/2023]
Abstract
Cancer treatment aims to exploit properties that define malignant cells. In recent years, it has become apparent that malignant cells often survive cancer treatment and ensuing cell stress by switching on auxiliary turnover pathways, changing cellular metabolism and, concomitantly, the gene expression profile. The changed profile impacts the material exchange of cancer cells with affected tissues. Herein, we show that pathways of proteostasis and energy generation regulate common transcription factors. Namely, when one pathway of intracellular turnover is blocked, it triggers alternative turnover mechanisms, which induce transcription factor proteins that control expression of cytokines and regulators of apoptosis, cell division, differentiation, metabolism, and response to hormones. We focus on several alternative turnover mechanisms that can be blocked by drugs already used in clinical practice for the treatment of other non-cancer related diseases. We also discuss paradigms on the challenges posed by cancer cell adaptation mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Moschovi
- a 1 University of Athens, Horemio Research Institute, First Department of Pediatrics, Thivon & Levadeias, Goudi, Athens, 11527, Greece
- b 2 University of Athens, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Unit, First Department of Pediatrics, University of Athens, "Aghia Sofia" Children's Hospital, Thivon & Levadeias, 11527 Goudi, Athens, Greece
| | - Elena Critselis
- a 1 University of Athens, Horemio Research Institute, First Department of Pediatrics, Thivon & Levadeias, Goudi, Athens, 11527, Greece
| | - Osman Cen
- c 3 Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Maria Adamaki
- a 1 University of Athens, Horemio Research Institute, First Department of Pediatrics, Thivon & Levadeias, Goudi, Athens, 11527, Greece
- b 2 University of Athens, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Unit, First Department of Pediatrics, University of Athens, "Aghia Sofia" Children's Hospital, Thivon & Levadeias, 11527 Goudi, Athens, Greece
| | - George I Lambrou
- a 1 University of Athens, Horemio Research Institute, First Department of Pediatrics, Thivon & Levadeias, Goudi, Athens, 11527, Greece
| | - George P Chrousos
- a 1 University of Athens, Horemio Research Institute, First Department of Pediatrics, Thivon & Levadeias, Goudi, Athens, 11527, Greece
| | - Spiros Vlahopoulos
- a 1 University of Athens, Horemio Research Institute, First Department of Pediatrics, Thivon & Levadeias, Goudi, Athens, 11527, Greece
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Is 5´-AMP-Activated Protein Kinase Both Jekyll and Hyde in Bladder Cancer? Int Neurourol J 2015; 19:55-66. [PMID: 26126434 PMCID: PMC4490316 DOI: 10.5213/inj.2015.19.2.55] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2015] [Accepted: 05/18/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The 5´-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a key regulator of cellular metabolism and energy homeostasis in mammalian tissues. Metabolic adaptation is a critical step in ensuring cell survival during metabolic stress. Because of its critical role in the regulation of glucose homeostasis and carbohydrate, lipid, and protein metabolism, AMPK is involved in many human diseases, including cancers. Although AMPK signaling was originally characterized as a tumor-suppressive signaling pathway, several lines of evidence suggest that AMPK plays a much broader role and cannot simply be defined as either an oncogenic regulator or tumor suppressor. Notably, several recent studies demonstrated that the antitumorigenic effects of many indirect AMPK activators, such as metformin, do not depend on AMPK. Conversely, activation of AMPK induces the progression of cancers, emphasizing its oncogenic effect. Bladder cancer can be divided into two groups: non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) and muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). The molecular mechanisms underlying these two types of cancer are distinct: NMIBC is associated with activation of the Ras pathway, whereas MIBC is characterized by loss of major tumor suppressors. Importantly, both pathways are connected to the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. In addition, our recent metabolomic findings suggest that β-oxidation of fatty acids is an important factor in the development of bladder cancer. Both mTOR and β-oxidation are tightly associated with the AMPK pathway. Here, I summarize and discuss the recent findings on the two distinct roles of AMPK in cancer, as well as the relationship between bladder cancer and AMPK.
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Zadra G, Batista JL, Loda M. Dissecting the Dual Role of AMPK in Cancer: From Experimental to Human Studies. Mol Cancer Res 2015; 13:1059-72. [PMID: 25956158 DOI: 10.1158/1541-7786.mcr-15-0068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 144] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2015] [Accepted: 04/30/2015] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The precise role of 5'AMP-activated kinase (AMPK) in cancer and its potential as a therapeutic target is controversial. Although it is well established that activation of this energy sensor inhibits the main anabolic processes that sustain cancer cell proliferation and growth, AMPK activation can confer on cancer cells the plasticity to survive under metabolic stress such as hypoxia and glucose deprivation, which are commonly observed in fast growing tumors. Thus, AMPK is referred to as both a "conditional" tumor suppressor and "contextual" oncogene. To add a further layer of complexity, AMPK activation in human cancer tissues and its correlation with tumor aggressiveness and progression appears to vary in different contexts. The current review discusses the different faces of this metabolic regulator, the therapeutic implications of its modulation, and provides an overview of the most relevant data available on AMPK activation and AMPK-activating drugs in human studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgia Zadra
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. Department of Pathology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Julie L Batista
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts. Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Massimo Loda
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. Department of Pathology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. The Broad Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Division of Cancer Studies, King's College London, United Kingdom.
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Pineda CT, Ramanathan S, Fon Tacer K, Weon JL, Potts MB, Ou YH, White MA, Potts PR. Degradation of AMPK by a cancer-specific ubiquitin ligase. Cell 2015; 160:715-728. [PMID: 25679763 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2015.01.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 270] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2014] [Revised: 12/03/2014] [Accepted: 01/15/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a master sensor and regulator of cellular energy status. Upon metabolic stress, AMPK suppresses anabolic and promotes catabolic processes to regain energy homeostasis. Cancer cells can occasionally suppress the growth-restrictive AMPK pathway by mutation of an upstream regulatory kinase. Here, we describe a widespread mechanism to suppress AMPK through its ubiquitination and degradation by the cancer-specific MAGE-A3/6-TRIM28 ubiquitin ligase. MAGE-A3 and MAGE-A6 are highly similar proteins normally expressed only in the male germline but frequently re-activated in human cancers. MAGE-A3/6 are necessary for cancer cell viability and are sufficient to drive tumorigenic properties of non-cancerous cells. Screening for targets of MAGE-A3/6-TRIM28 revealed that it ubiquitinates and degrades AMPKα1. This leads to inhibition of autophagy, activation of mTOR signaling, and hypersensitization to AMPK agonists, such as metformin. These findings elucidate a germline mechanism commonly hijacked in cancer to suppress AMPK.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos T Pineda
- Department of Physiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Saumya Ramanathan
- Department of Physiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Klementina Fon Tacer
- Department of Physiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Jenny L Weon
- Department of Physiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Malia B Potts
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Yi-Hung Ou
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Michael A White
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Patrick Ryan Potts
- Department of Physiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA; Departments of Pharmacology and Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA.
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Natural compounds regulate glycolysis in hypoxic tumor microenvironment. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2015; 2015:354143. [PMID: 25685782 PMCID: PMC4317583 DOI: 10.1155/2015/354143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2014] [Accepted: 10/01/2014] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
In the early twentieth century, Otto Heinrich Warburg described an elevated rate of glycolysis occurring in cancer cells, even in the presence of atmospheric oxygen (the Warburg effect). Recently it became a therapeutically interesting strategy and is considered as an emerging hallmark of cancer. Hypoxia inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) is one of the key transcription factors that play major roles in tumor glycolysis and could directly trigger Warburg effect. Thus, how to inhibit HIF-1-depended Warburg effect to assist the cancer therapy is becoming a hot issue in cancer research. In fact, HIF-1 upregulates the glucose transporters (GLUT) and induces the expression of glycolytic enzymes, such as hexokinase, pyruvate kinase, and lactate dehydrogenase. So small molecules of natural origin used as GLUT, hexokinase, or pyruvate kinase isoform M2 inhibitors could represent a major challenge in the field of cancer treatment. These compounds aim to suppress tumor hypoxia induced glycolysis process to suppress the cell energy metabolism or enhance the susceptibility of tumor cells to radio- and chemotherapy. In this review, we highlight the role of natural compounds in regulating tumor glycolysis, with a main focus on the glycolysis under hypoxic tumor microenvironment.
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The double-edged sword of AMPK signaling in cancer and its therapeutic implications. Arch Pharm Res 2015; 38:346-57. [PMID: 25575627 DOI: 10.1007/s12272-015-0549-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2014] [Accepted: 01/05/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
5'-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) plays a pivotal role in maintaining energy and redox homeostasis under various metabolic stress conditions. Metabolic adaptation, which can be triggered by the activation of AMPK during metabolic stress, is the critical process for cell survival through the maintenance of ATP and NADPH levels. The importance of such regulation of fundamental process poses the AMPK signaling pathway in one of the most attractive therapeutic targets in many pathologies such as diabetes and cancer. In cancer, however, accumulating data suggest that the role of AMPK would not be simply defined as anti- or pro-tumorigenic, but it seems to have two faces like a double-edged sword. Importantly, recent studies showed that the anti-tumorigenic effects of many 'indirect' AMPK activators such as anti-diabetic biguanides are not dependent on AMPK; rather the activation of AMPK induces the resistance to their cytotoxic effects, emphasizing the pro-tumorigenic effect of AMPK. In this review, we summarize and discuss recent findings suggesting the two faces of AMPK in cancer, and discuss how we can exploit this unique feature of AMPK for novel therapeutic intervention.
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