1
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Wang H, Ma B, Stevens T, Knapp J, Lu J, Prochownik EV. MYC Binding Near Transcriptional End Sites Regulates Basal Gene Expression, Read-Through Transcription and Intragenic Contacts. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.07.11.603118. [PMID: 39071289 PMCID: PMC11275772 DOI: 10.1101/2024.07.11.603118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/30/2024]
Abstract
The MYC oncoprotein regulates numerous genes involved in cellular processes such as cell cycle and mitochondrial and ribosomal structure and function. This requires heterodimerization with its partner, MAX, and binding to specific promoter and enhancer elements. Here, we show that MYC and MAX also bind near transcriptional end sites (TESs) of over one-sixth of all annotated genes. These interactions are dose-dependent, evolutionarily conserved, stabilize the normally short-lived MYC protein and regulate expression both in concert with and independent of MYC's binding elsewhere. MYC's TES binding occurs in association with other transcription factors, alters the chromatin landscape, increases nuclease susceptibility and can alter transcriptional read-through, particularly in response to certain stresses. MYC-bound TESs can directly contact promoters and may fine-tune gene expression in response to both physiologic and pathologic stimuli. Collectively, these findings support a previously unrecognized role for MYC in regulating transcription and its read-through via direct intragenic contacts between TESs and promoters.
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2
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Wang H, Stevens T, Lu J, Roberts A, Van't Land C, Muzumdar R, Gong Z, Vockley J, Prochownik EV. Body-Wide Inactivation of the Myc-Like Mlx Transcription Factor Network Accelerates Aging and Increases the Lifetime Cancer Incidence. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2024:e2401593. [PMID: 38976573 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202401593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2024] [Revised: 06/08/2024] [Indexed: 07/10/2024]
Abstract
The "Mlx" and "Myc" transcription factor networks cross-communicate and share many common gene targets. Myc's activity depends upon its heterodimerization with Max, whereas the Mlx Network requires that the Max-like factor Mlx associate with the Myc-like factors MondoA or ChREBP. The current work demonstrates that body-wide Mlx inactivation, like that of Myc, accelerates numerous aging-related phenotypes pertaining to body habitus and metabolism. The deregulation of numerous aging-related Myc target gene sets is also accelerated. Among other functions, these gene sets often regulate ribosomal and mitochondrial structure and function, genomic stability, and aging. Whereas "MycKO" mice have an extended lifespan because of a lower cancer incidence, "MlxKO" mice have normal lifespans and a higher cancer incidence. Like Myc, the expression of Mlx, MondoA, and ChREBP and their control over their target genes deteriorate with age in both mice and humans. Collectively, these findings underscore the importance of lifelong and balanced cross-talk between the two networks to maintain proper function and regulation of the many factors that can affect normal aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huabo Wang
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15201, USA
| | - Taylor Stevens
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15201, USA
| | - Jie Lu
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15201, USA
| | - Alexander Roberts
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15201, USA
| | - Clinton Van't Land
- Division of Medical Genetics, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15201, USA
| | - Radhika Muzumdar
- Division of Endocrinology, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15201, USA
| | - Zhenwei Gong
- Division of Endocrinology, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15201, USA
| | - Jerry Vockley
- Division of Medical Genetics, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15201, USA
| | - Edward V Prochownik
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15201, USA
- The Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA, 15201, USA
- The Hillman Cancer Center of UPMC, 5115 Centre Ave, Pittsburgh, PA, 15232, USA
- The Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA, 15224, USA
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3
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Zhu M, Li Y, Liu D, Gong Z. Partial Hepatectomy Promotes the Development of KRASG12V-Induced Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Zebrafish. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:1793. [PMID: 38791872 PMCID: PMC11119731 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16101793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2024] [Revised: 04/30/2024] [Accepted: 05/04/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of PH on the development of oncogenic krasG12V-induced HCC in zebrafish. The inducible HCC model in Tg(fabp10a:rtTA2s-M2; TRE2:EGFP-krasG12V) zebrafish was used. PH or sham surgery was performed before the induction of oncogenic krasG12V expression in the livers of transgenic zebrafish. Histological analysis was carried out to determine the progression of HCC and other HCC-associated features including hepatocyte proliferation, extracellular matrix production, and local oxidative stress. The similarity between the process of PH-induced liver regeneration and that of krasG12V-induced HCC development was further compared by RNA-Seq analysis. The results show that PH promotes the development of krasG12V-induced HCC in zebrafish possibly through enhancing neutrophil-mediated oxidative stress and promoting the upregulation of s100a1, and the downregulation of ribosome biogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingkai Zhu
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Singapore; (M.Z.); (Y.L.)
- School of Life Science, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Yan Li
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Singapore; (M.Z.); (Y.L.)
| | - Dong Liu
- School of Life Science, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Zhiyuan Gong
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Singapore; (M.Z.); (Y.L.)
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García-Carrillo R, Molina-Pelayo FA, Zarate-Lopez D, Cabrera-Aguilar A, Ortega-Domínguez B, Domínguez-López M, Chiquete-Félix N, Dagnino-Acosta A, Velasco-Loyden G, Chávez E, Castro-Sánchez L, de Sánchez VC. An adenosine derivative promotes mitochondrial supercomplexes reorganization and restoration of mitochondria structure and bioenergetics in a diethylnitrosamine-induced hepatocellular carcinoma model. Sci Rep 2024; 14:6348. [PMID: 38491051 PMCID: PMC10943223 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-56306-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression is associated with dysfunctional mitochondria and bioenergetics impairment. However, no data about the relationship between mitochondrial supercomplexes (hmwSC) formation and ATP production rates in HCC are available. Our group has developed an adenosine derivative, IFC-305, which improves mitochondrial function, and it has been proposed as a therapeutic candidate for HCC. We aimed to determine the role of IFC-305 on both mitochondrial structure and bioenergetics in a sequential cirrhosis-HCC model in rats. Our results showed that IFC-305 administration decreased the number and size of liver tumors, reduced the expression of tumoral markers, and reestablished the typical architecture of the hepatic parenchyma. The livers of treated rats showed a reduction of mitochondria number, recovery of the mtDNA/nDNA ratio, and mitochondrial length. Also, IFC-305 increased cardiolipin and phosphatidylcholine levels and promoted hmwSC reorganization with changes in the expression levels of hmwSC assembly-related genes. IFC-305 in HCC modified the expression of several genes encoding elements of electron transport chain complexes and increased the ATP levels by recovering the complex I, III, and V activity. We propose that IFC-305 restores the mitochondrial bioenergetics in HCC by normalizing the quantity, morphology, and function of mitochondria, possibly as part of its hepatic restorative effect.
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Grants
- Ciencia de Frontera-2019 project 501204 Consejo Nacional de Humanidades, Ciencias y Tecnologías (CONAHCYT)
- Ciencia de Frontera-2019 project 501204 Consejo Nacional de Humanidades, Ciencias y Tecnologías (CONAHCYT)
- Ciencia de Frontera-2019 project 501204 Consejo Nacional de Humanidades, Ciencias y Tecnologías (CONAHCYT)
- Ciencia de Frontera-2019 project 501204 Consejo Nacional de Humanidades, Ciencias y Tecnologías (CONAHCYT)
- Ciencia de Frontera-2019 project 501204 Consejo Nacional de Humanidades, Ciencias y Tecnologías (CONAHCYT)
- Ciencia de Frontera-2019 project 501204 Consejo Nacional de Humanidades, Ciencias y Tecnologías (CONAHCYT)
- FOP02-2022-02 project 321696 Consejo Nacional de Humanidades, Ciencias y Tecnologías (CONAHCYT)
- Ciencia de Frontera-2019 project 501204 Consejo Nacional de Humanidades, Ciencias y Tecnologías (CONAHCYT)
- Ciencia de Frontera-2019 project 501204 Consejo Nacional de Humanidades, Ciencias y Tecnologías (CONAHCYT)
- Ciencia de Frontera-2019 project 501204 Consejo Nacional de Humanidades, Ciencias y Tecnologías (CONAHCYT)
- Ciencia de Frontera-2019 project 501204 Consejo Nacional de Humanidades, Ciencias y Tecnologías (CONAHCYT)
- PAPIIT-UNAM project IN214419 Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
- PAPIIT-UNAM project IN214419 Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
- PAPIIT-UNAM project IN214419 Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
- PAPIIT-UNAM project IN214419 Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
- PAPIIT-UNAM project IN214419 Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
- PAPIIT-UNAM project IN214419 Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosendo García-Carrillo
- Centro Universitario de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad de Colima, 28045, Colima, México
| | | | - David Zarate-Lopez
- Centro Universitario de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad de Colima, 28045, Colima, México
| | - Alejandro Cabrera-Aguilar
- Departamento de Biología Celular y Desarrollo, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Bibiana Ortega-Domínguez
- Departamento de Biología Celular y Desarrollo, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Mariana Domínguez-López
- Departamento de Biología Celular y Desarrollo, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Natalia Chiquete-Félix
- Departamento de Genética Molecular, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Adan Dagnino-Acosta
- Centro Universitario de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad de Colima, 28045, Colima, México
- CONAHCYT-Universidad de Colima, 28045, Colima, México
| | - Gabriela Velasco-Loyden
- Departamento de Biología Celular y Desarrollo, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Enrique Chávez
- Departamento de Biología Celular y Desarrollo, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Luis Castro-Sánchez
- Centro Universitario de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad de Colima, 28045, Colima, México.
- CONAHCYT-Universidad de Colima, 28045, Colima, México.
| | - Victoria Chagoya de Sánchez
- Departamento de Biología Celular y Desarrollo, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510, Ciudad de México, México.
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5
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Wang H, Stevens T, Lu J, Roberts A, Land CV, Muzumdar R, Gong Z, Vockley J, Prochownik EV. The Myc-Like Mlx Network Impacts Aging and Metabolism. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.11.26.568749. [PMID: 38076995 PMCID: PMC10705233 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.26.568749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
The "Mlx" and "Myc" Networks share many common gene targets. Just as Myc's activity depends upon its heterodimerization with Max, the Mlx Network requires that the Max-like factor Mlx associate with the Myc-like factors MondoA or ChREBP. We show here that body-wide Mlx inactivation, like that of Myc, accelerates numerous aging-related phenotypes pertaining to body habitus and metabolism. The deregulation of numerous aging-related Myc target gene sets is also accelerated. Among other functions, these gene sets often regulate ribosomal and mitochondrial structure and function, genomic stability and aging. Whereas "MycKO" mice have an extended lifespan because of a lower cancer incidence, "MlxKO" mice have normal lifespans and a somewhat higher cancer incidence. Like Myc, Mlx, MondoA and ChREBP expression and that of their target genes, deteriorate with age in both mice and humans, underscoring the importance of life-long and balanced cross-talk between the two Networks to maintain normal aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huabo Wang
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
| | - Taylor Stevens
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
| | - Jie Lu
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
| | - Alexander Roberts
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
| | | | - Radhika Muzumdar
- Division of Endocrinology, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
| | - Zhenwei Gong
- Division of Endocrinology, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
| | - Jerry Vockley
- Division of Medical Genetics, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
| | - Edward V. Prochownik
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
- The Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, UPMC
- The Hillman Cancer Center of UPMC
- The Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA. 15224
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6
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Nakamura H, Arihara Y, Takada K. Targeting STEAP1 as an anticancer strategy. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1285661. [PMID: 37909017 PMCID: PMC10613890 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1285661] [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: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Although the six-transmembrane epithelial antigen of prostate 1 (STEAP1) was first identified in advanced prostate cancer, its overexpression is recognized in multiple types of cancer and associated with a poor prognosis. STEAP1 is now drawing attention as a promising therapeutic target because of its tumor specificity and membrane-bound localization. The clinical efficacy of an antibody-drug conjugate targeting STEAP1 in metastatic, castration-resistant, prostate cancer was demonstrated in a phase 1 trial. Furthermore, growing evidence suggests that STEAP1 is an attractive target for immunotherapies such as chimeric antigen receptor-T cell therapy. In this review, we summarize the oncogenic functions of STEAP1 by cancer type. This review also provides new insights into the development of new anticancer strategies targeting STEAP1.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Kohichi Takada
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan
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7
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Wang H, Lu J, Stevens T, Roberts A, Mandel J, Avula R, Ma B, Wu Y, Wang J, Land CV, Finkel T, Vockley JE, Airik M, Airik R, Muzumdar R, Gong Z, Torbenson MS, Prochownik EV. Premature aging and reduced cancer incidence associated with near-complete body-wide Myc inactivation. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112830. [PMID: 37481724 PMCID: PMC10591215 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Revised: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023] Open
Abstract
MYC proto-oncogene dysregulation alters metabolism, translation, and other functions in ways that support tumor induction and maintenance. Although Myc+/- mice are healthier and longer-lived than control mice, the long-term ramifications of more complete Myc loss remain unknown. We now describe the chronic consequences of body-wide Myc inactivation initiated postnatally. "MycKO" mice acquire numerous features of premature aging, including altered body composition and habitus, metabolic dysfunction, hepatic steatosis, and dysregulation of gene sets involved in functions that normally deteriorate with aging. Yet, MycKO mice have extended lifespans that correlate with a 3- to 4-fold lower lifetime cancer incidence. Aging tissues from normal mice and humans also downregulate Myc and gradually alter many of the same Myc target gene sets seen in MycKO mice. Normal aging and its associated cancer predisposition are thus highly linked via Myc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huabo Wang
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, USA
| | - Jie Lu
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, USA
| | - Taylor Stevens
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, USA
| | - Alexander Roberts
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, USA
| | - Jordan Mandel
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, USA
| | - Raghunandan Avula
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, USA; The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, USA
| | - Bingwei Ma
- Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yijen Wu
- Department of Developmental Biology, The University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Jinglin Wang
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, USA; Central South University, Xiangya School of Medicine, Changsha, Hunan 410013, P.R. China
| | - Clinton Van't Land
- Division of Medical Genetics, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, USA
| | - Toren Finkel
- Division of Cardiology, The Department of Internal Medicine and the UPMC Aging Institute, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, USA
| | - Jerry E Vockley
- Division of Medical Genetics, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, USA
| | - Merlin Airik
- Division of Nephrology, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, USA
| | - Rannar Airik
- Division of Nephrology, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, USA
| | - Radhika Muzumdar
- Division of Endocrinology, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, USA
| | - Zhenwei Gong
- Division of Endocrinology, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, USA
| | - Michel S Torbenson
- Division of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, The Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Edward V Prochownik
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, USA; Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA; Hillman Cancer Center of UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA; Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA.
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8
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Ye Y, Yu B, Wang H, Yi F. Glutamine metabolic reprogramming in hepatocellular carcinoma. Front Mol Biosci 2023; 10:1242059. [PMID: 37635935 PMCID: PMC10452011 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2023.1242059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a lethal disease with limited management strategies and poor prognosis. Metabolism alternations have been frequently unveiled in HCC, including glutamine metabolic reprogramming. The components of glutamine metabolism, such as glutamine synthetase, glutamate dehydrogenase, glutaminase, metabolites, and metabolite transporters, are validated to be potential biomarkers of HCC. Increased glutamine consumption is confirmed in HCC, which fuels proliferation by elevated glutamate dehydrogenase or upstream signals. Glutamine metabolism also serves as a nitrogen source for amino acid or nucleotide anabolism. In addition, more glutamine converts to glutathione as an antioxidant in HCC to protect HCC cells from oxidative stress. Moreover, glutamine metabolic reprogramming activates the mTORC signaling pathway to support tumor cell proliferation. Glutamine metabolism targeting therapy includes glutamine deprivation, related enzyme inhibitors, and transporters inhibitors. Together, glutamine metabolic reprogramming plays a pivotal role in HCC identification, proliferation, and progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanyan Ye
- Department of Ultrasound, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
| | - Bodong Yu
- The Second Clinical Medical College of Nanchang University, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
- Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
| | - Hua Wang
- Department of Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
- Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Clinical and Translational Cancer Research, Nanchang, China
| | - Fengming Yi
- Department of Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
- Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Clinical and Translational Cancer Research, Nanchang, China
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9
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Prochownik EV, Wang H. Lessons in aging from Myc knockout mouse models. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1244321. [PMID: 37621775 PMCID: PMC10446843 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1244321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite MYC being among the most intensively studied oncogenes, its role in normal development has not been determined as Myc-/- mice do not survival beyond mid-gestation. Myc ± mice live longer than their wild-type counterparts and are slower to accumulate many age-related phenotypes. However, Myc haplo-insufficiency likely conceals other important phenotypes as many high-affinity Myc targets genes continue to be regulated normally. By delaying Myc inactivation until after birth it has recently been possible to study the consequences of its near-complete total body loss and thus to infer its normal function. Against expectation, these "MycKO" mice lived significantly longer than control wild-type mice but manifested a marked premature aging phenotype. This seemingly paradoxical behavior was potentially explained by a >3-fold lower lifetime incidence of cancer, normally the most common cause of death in mice and often Myc-driven. Myc loss accelerated the accumulation of numerous "Aging Hallmarks", including the loss of mitochondrial and ribosomal structural and functional integrity, the generation of reactive oxygen species, the acquisition of genotoxic damage, the detrimental rewiring of metabolism and the onset of senescence. In both mice and humans, normal aging in many tissues was accompaniued by the downregulation of Myc and the loss of Myc target gene regulation. Unlike most mouse models of premature aging, which are based on monogenic disorders of DNA damage recognition and repair, the MycKO mouse model directly impacts most Aging Hallmarks and may therefore more faithfully replicate the normal aging process of both mice and humans. It further establishes that the strong association between aging and cancer can be genetically separated and is maintained by a single gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward V. Prochownik
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- The Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- The Hillman Cancer Center of UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- The Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Huabo Wang
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
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10
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Schmidt AV, Monga SP, Prochownik EV, Goetzman ES. A Novel Transgenic Mouse Model Implicates Sirt2 as a Promoter of Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:12618. [PMID: 37628798 PMCID: PMC10454864 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241612618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Revised: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths globally. Incidence rates are steadily increasing, creating an unmet need for new therapeutic options. Recently, the inhibition of sirtuin-2 (Sirt2) was proposed as a potential treatment for HCC, despite contradictory findings of its role as both a tumor promoter and suppressor in vitro. Sirt2 functions as a lysine deacetylase enzyme. However, little is known about its biological influence, despite its implication in several age-related diseases. This study evaluated Sirt2's role in HCC in vivo using an inducible c-MYC transgene in Sirt2+/+ and Sirt2-/- mice. Sirt2-/- HCC mice had smaller, less proliferative, and more differentiated liver tumors, suggesting that Sirt2 functions as a tumor promoter in this context. Furthermore, Sirt2-/- HCCs had significantly less c-MYC oncoprotein and reduction in c-MYC nuclear localization. The RNA-seq showed that only three genes were significantly dysregulated due to loss of Sirt2, suggesting the underlying mechanism is due to Sirt2-mediated changes in the acetylome, and that the therapeutic inhibition of Sirt2 would not perturb the oncogenic transcriptome. The findings of this study suggest that Sirt2 inhibition could be a promising molecular target for slowing HCC growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra V. Schmidt
- Division of Genetic and Genomic Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Satdarshan P. Monga
- Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Division of Experimental Pathology, Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Edward V. Prochownik
- Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Eric S. Goetzman
- Division of Genetic and Genomic Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
- Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
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11
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Wang H, Stevens T, Lu J, Airik M, Airik R, Prochownik EV. Disruption of Multiple Overlapping Functions Following Stepwise Inactivation of the Extended Myc Network. Cells 2022; 11:4087. [PMID: 36552851 PMCID: PMC9777503 DOI: 10.3390/cells11244087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Revised: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Myc, a member of the "Myc Network" of bHLH-ZIP transcription factors, supervises proliferation, metabolism, and translation. It also engages in crosstalk with the related "Mlx Network" to co-regulate overlapping genes and functions. We investigated the consequences of stepwise conditional inactivation of Myc and Mlx in primary and SV40 T-antigen-immortalized murine embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs). Myc-knockout (MycKO) and Myc × Mlx "double KO" (DKO)-but not MlxKO-primary MEFs showed rapid growth arrest and displayed features of accelerated aging and senescence. However, DKO MEFs soon resumed proliferating, indicating that durable growth arrest requires an intact Mlx network. All three KO MEF groups deregulated multiple genes and functions pertaining to aging, senescence, and DNA damage recognition/repair. Immortalized KO MEFs proliferated in Myc's absence while demonstrating variable degrees of widespread genomic instability and sensitivity to genotoxic agents. Finally, compared to primary MycKO MEFs, DKO MEFs selectively downregulated numerous gene sets associated with the p53 and retinoblastoma (Rb) pathways and G2/M arrest. Thus, the reversal of primary MycKO MEF growth arrest by either Mlx loss or SV40 T-antigen immortalization appears to involve inactivation of the p53 and/or Rb pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huabo Wang
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, USA
| | - Taylor Stevens
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, USA
| | - Jie Lu
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, USA
| | - Merlin Airik
- Division of Nephrology, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, USA
| | - Rannar Airik
- Division of Nephrology, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, USA
- Department of Developmental Biology, The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, USA
| | - Edward V. Prochownik
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, USA
- The Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
- The UPMC Hillman Comprehensive Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA 25232, USA
- Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
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12
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Regulation of Normal and Neoplastic Proliferation and Metabolism by the Extended Myc Network. Cells 2022; 11:cells11243974. [PMID: 36552737 PMCID: PMC9777120 DOI: 10.3390/cells11243974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2022] [Revised: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The Myc Network, comprising a small assemblage of bHLH-ZIP transcription factors, regulates many hundreds to thousands of genes involved in proliferation, energy metabolism, translation and other activities. A structurally and functionally related set of factors known as the Mlx Network also supervises some of these same functions via the regulation of a more limited but overlapping transcriptional repertoire. Target gene co-regulation by these two Networks is the result of their sharing of three members that suppress target gene expression as well as by the ability of both Network's members to cross-bind one another's consensus DNA sites. The two Networks also differ in that the Mlx Network's control over transcription is positively regulated by several glycolytic pathway intermediates and other metabolites. These distinctive properties, functions and tissue expression patterns potentially allow for sensitive control of gene regulation in ways that are differentially responsive to environmental and metabolic cues while allowing for them to be both rapid and of limited duration. This review explores how such control might occur. It further discusses how the actual functional dependencies of the Myc and Mlx Networks rely upon cellular context and how they may differ between normal and neoplastic cells. Finally, consideration is given to how future studies may permit a more refined understanding of the functional interrelationships between the two Networks.
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13
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Wang H, Lu J, Alencastro F, Roberts A, Fiedor J, Carroll P, Eisenman RN, Ranganathan S, Torbenson M, Duncan AW, Prochownik EV. Coordinated Cross-Talk Between the Myc and Mlx Networks in Liver Regeneration and Neoplasia. Cell Mol Gastroenterol Hepatol 2022; 13:1785-1804. [PMID: 35259493 PMCID: PMC9046243 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcmgh.2022.02.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2021] [Revised: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS The c-Myc (Myc) Basic helix-loop-helix leucine zipper (bHLH-ZIP) transcription factor is deregulated in most cancers. In association with Max, Myc controls target genes that supervise metabolism, ribosome biogenesis, translation, and proliferation. This Myc network crosstalks with the Mlx network, which consists of the Myc-like proteins MondoA and ChREBP, and Max-like Mlx. Together, this extended Myc network regulates both common and distinct gene targets. Here, we studied the consequence of Myc and/or Mlx ablation in the liver, particularly those pertaining to hepatocyte proliferation, metabolism, and spontaneous tumorigenesis. METHODS We examined the ability of hepatocytes lacking Mlx (MlxKO) or Myc+Mlx (double KO [DKO]) to repopulate the liver over an extended period of time in a murine model of type I tyrosinemia. We also compared this and other relevant behaviors, phenotypes, and transcriptomes of the livers with those from previously characterized MycKO, ChrebpKO, and MycKO × ChrebpKO mice. RESULTS Hepatocyte regenerative potential deteriorated as the Extended Myc Network was progressively dismantled. Genes and pathways dysregulated in MlxKO and DKO hepatocytes included those pertaining to translation, mitochondrial function, and hepatic steatosis resembling nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. The Myc and Mlx Networks were shown to crosstalk, with the latter playing a disproportionate role in target gene regulation. All cohorts also developed steatosis and molecular evidence of early steatohepatitis. Finally, MlxKO and DKO mice showed extensive hepatic adenomatosis. CONCLUSIONS In addition to showing cooperation between the Myc and Mlx Networks, this study showed the latter to be more important in maintaining proliferative, metabolic, and translational homeostasis, while concurrently serving as a suppressor of benign tumorigenesis. GEO accession numbers: GSE181371, GSE130178, and GSE114634.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huabo Wang
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Jie Lu
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Frances Alencastro
- Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Alexander Roberts
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Julia Fiedor
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Patrick Carroll
- Basic Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington
| | - Robert N Eisenman
- Basic Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington
| | | | - Michael Torbenson
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, The Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
| | - Andrew W Duncan
- Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Edward V Prochownik
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Hillman Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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14
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Normal and Neoplastic Growth Suppression by the Extended Myc Network. Cells 2022; 11:cells11040747. [PMID: 35203395 PMCID: PMC8870482 DOI: 10.3390/cells11040747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Revised: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Among the first discovered and most prominent cellular oncogenes is MYC, which encodes a bHLH-ZIP transcription factor (Myc) that both activates and suppresses numerous genes involved in proliferation, energy production, metabolism and translation. Myc belongs to a small group of bHLH-ZIP transcriptional regulators (the Myc Network) that includes its obligate heterodimerization partner Max and six "Mxd proteins" (Mxd1-4, Mnt and Mga), each of which heterodimerizes with Max and largely opposes Myc's functions. More recently, a second group of bHLH-ZIP proteins (the Mlx Network) has emerged that bears many parallels with the Myc Network. It is comprised of the Myc-like factors ChREBP and MondoA, which, in association with the Max-like member Mlx, regulate smaller and more functionally restricted repertoires of target genes, some of which are shared with Myc. Opposing ChREBP and MondoA are heterodimers comprised of Mlx and Mxd1, Mxd4 and Mnt, which also structurally and operationally link the two Networks. We discuss here the functions of these "Extended Myc Network" members, with particular emphasis on their roles in suppressing normal and neoplastic growth. These roles are complex due to the temporal- and tissue-restricted expression of Extended Myc Network proteins in normal cells, their regulation of both common and unique target genes and, in some cases, their functional redundancy.
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15
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Iijima K, Nakamura H, Takada K, Hayasaka N, Kubo T, Umeyama Y, Iyama S, Miyanishi K, Kobune M, Kato J. Six-transmembrane epithelial antigen of the prostate 1 accelerates cell proliferation by targeting c-Myc in liver cancer cells. Oncol Lett 2021; 22:546. [PMID: 34335918 PMCID: PMC8316717 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2021.12807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Six-transmembrane epithelial antigen of the prostate 1 (STEAP1) has emerged as an ideal target in cancer therapeutics. However, the functions of STEAP1 in liver cancer remain unexplored. The current study aimed to characterize the biological roles of STEAP1 in liver cancer. STEAP1 expression was upregulated in tumor tissues, and high STEAP1 expression was associated with poor clinical outcomes in patients with liver cancer, according to several publicly available datasets. STEAP1 silencing using small interfering RNA inhibited cell proliferation and was accompanied by G1 arrest induced by the suppression of cyclin D1 and the promotion of p27. STEAP1 silencing suppressed c-Myc expression, which was identified as a component in STEAP1 signal transduction by mining publicly available datasets and was then confirmed by PCR array. In conclusion, the knockdown of STEAP1 in liver cancer cell lines led to inhibition of cell proliferation involving G1 arrest by suppressing c-Myc. The present study provides a preclinical concept for STEAP1 as a druggable target in liver cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazutaka Iijima
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8543, Japan
| | - Hajime Nakamura
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8543, Japan
| | - Kohichi Takada
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8543, Japan
| | - Naotaka Hayasaka
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8543, Japan
| | - Tomohiro Kubo
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8543, Japan
| | - Yui Umeyama
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8543, Japan
| | - Satoshi Iyama
- Department of Hematology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8543, Japan
| | - Koji Miyanishi
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8543, Japan
| | - Masayoshi Kobune
- Department of Hematology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8543, Japan
| | - Junji Kato
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8543, Japan
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16
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Prochownik EV. Reconciling the Biological and Transcriptional Variability of Hepatoblastoma with Its Mutational Uniformity. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13091996. [PMID: 33919162 PMCID: PMC8122429 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13091996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2021] [Revised: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 04/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Hepatoblastoma (HB), the most common form of childhood liver cancer, is associated with dual mutation and/or dysregulation of the Wnt/β-catenin and Hippo pathways in ~50% of cases. However, this mutational simplicity cannot explain HB’s biological and histologic diversity. This discussion focuses upon recent work showing that specific β-catenin mutants are key determinants of this HB variability as well as their metabolic and transcriptional signatures. Dysregulation of the anti-oxidant NFE2L2 pathway also contributes to tumorigenesis by being directly transforming in association with either of the other two factors. The transcriptional overlap of tumors generated by pairs of factors identifies crucial targets that likely mediate HB tumorigenesis, behavior and appearance. Abstract Hepatoblastoma (HB), the most common childhood liver cancer, is associated with seven distinct histologic subtypes and variable degrees of clinical aggressiveness and presentation. Yet it is among the least genomically altered tumors known, with about half of HBs showing mutation and/or dysregulation of the Wnt/β-catenin and Hippo pathways. This raises the question of how this mutational simplicity can generate such biological and histologic complexity. Recent work shows that the identity of the underlying β-catenin mutation is a major contributor. Mutation or over-expression of the NFE2L2/NRF2 transcription factor, previously thought only to promote anti-oxidant responses, has also recently been shown to accelerate the growth of HBs generated by mutations in the Wnt/β-catenin and Hippo pathways while imparting novel features such as the tumor-associated cysts and necrosis. Moreover, patient-associated NFE2L2 mutations are overtly transforming when co-expressed with either mutant β-catenin or a Hippo pathway effector. The finding that tumorigenesis can be driven by any two arms of the β-catenin/Hippo/NFE2L2 axis has permitted the identification of a small subset of coordinately regulated tumor-specific transcripts, some of whose levels correlate with inferior long-term outcomes in HB and other cancers. Collectively, these findings begin to provide for more refined and molecularly based classification, survival algorithms and design of chemotherapeutic regimens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward V. Prochownik
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, USA;
- The Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, USA
- The University of Pittsburgh Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA
- The University of Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
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17
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Prochownik EV, Wang H. The Metabolic Fates of Pyruvate in Normal and Neoplastic Cells. Cells 2021; 10:cells10040762. [PMID: 33808495 PMCID: PMC8066905 DOI: 10.3390/cells10040762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Revised: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/28/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Pyruvate occupies a central metabolic node by virtue of its position at the crossroads of glycolysis and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and its production and fate being governed by numerous cell-intrinsic and extrinsic factors. The former includes the cell’s type, redox state, ATP content, metabolic requirements and the activities of other metabolic pathways. The latter include the extracellular oxygen concentration, pH and nutrient levels, which are in turn governed by the vascular supply. Within this context, we discuss the six pathways that influence pyruvate content and utilization: 1. The lactate dehydrogenase pathway that either converts excess pyruvate to lactate or that regenerates pyruvate from lactate for use as a fuel or biosynthetic substrate; 2. The alanine pathway that generates alanine and other amino acids; 3. The pyruvate dehydrogenase complex pathway that provides acetyl-CoA, the TCA cycle’s initial substrate; 4. The pyruvate carboxylase reaction that anaplerotically supplies oxaloacetate; 5. The malic enzyme pathway that also links glycolysis and the TCA cycle and generates NADPH to support lipid bio-synthesis; and 6. The acetate bio-synthetic pathway that converts pyruvate directly to acetate. The review discusses the mechanisms controlling these pathways, how they cross-talk and how they cooperate and are regulated to maximize growth and achieve metabolic and energetic harmony.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward V. Prochownik
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, USA;
- The Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- The Hillman Cancer Center, UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- The Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-(412)-692-6795
| | - Huabo Wang
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, USA;
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18
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Wan Y, Ge K, Zhou W, Lu J, Jia C, Zhu H. C-X-C chemokine receptor 2 (Cxcr2) promotes hepatocellular carcinoma immune evasion via regulating programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1). Biol Chem 2021; 402:729-737. [PMID: 33583159 DOI: 10.1515/hsz-2020-0328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2020] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Strategies to sensitize hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) to programmed death-1 (PD1)/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitor therapies are important in improving the survival of HCC patients. The aim of the study was to characterize C-X-C chemokine receptor 2 (Cxcr2) as a therapeutic target in HCC and evaluate the effects of Cxcr2 suppression in sensitizing HCC to PD1/PD-L1 inhibitor therapies. To this end, we constructed a Cxcr2-knockout HCC cell line (Hepa1-6 KO) using the CRISPR-Cas9 approach and assessed the tumor growth rate and survival of mice after subcutaneously inoculating Hepa1-6 KO cells in mice. We show that Cxcr2 knockdown does not dramatically inhibit tumor growth and improve mouse survival. In tumor xenografts, the proportion of T cells is not affected but the ratio of M1/M2 macrophage is greatly increased. Cxcr2 knockdown does not alter cell viability but macrophages co-cultured with Hepa1-6 KO cells are shifted to M1 phenotypes compared to WT cells. Hepa-1-6 KO cells exhibit lower levels of PD-L1 expression. c-Myc is suppressed in Hepa1-6 KO cells, which contributes to PD-L1 downregulation. Knockdown of Cxcr2 decreases PD-L1 levels and consequently promotes the shift of macrophages to the M1 phenotype, which is mediated by downregulating c-Myc. In summary, Cxcr2 is a potential target for suppressing immune escape in HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yafeng Wan
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, Hangzhou First People's Hospital, the Affiliated Hospital of Medical School of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou310006, Zhejiang, China.,Research Center of Diagnosis and Treatment Technology for Hepatocellular Carcinoma of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou310006, Zhejiang, China
| | - Ke Ge
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, Hangzhou First People's Hospital, the Affiliated Hospital of Medical School of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou310006, Zhejiang, China.,Research Center of Diagnosis and Treatment Technology for Hepatocellular Carcinoma of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou310006, Zhejiang, China
| | - Weijiang Zhou
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, Hangzhou First People's Hospital, the Affiliated Hospital of Medical School of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou310006, Zhejiang, China.,Research Center of Diagnosis and Treatment Technology for Hepatocellular Carcinoma of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou310006, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jun Lu
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, Hangzhou First People's Hospital, the Affiliated Hospital of Medical School of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou310006, Zhejiang, China.,Research Center of Diagnosis and Treatment Technology for Hepatocellular Carcinoma of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou310006, Zhejiang, China
| | - Changku Jia
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, Hangzhou First People's Hospital, the Affiliated Hospital of Medical School of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou310006, Zhejiang, China.,Research Center of Diagnosis and Treatment Technology for Hepatocellular Carcinoma of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou310006, Zhejiang, China
| | - Hanzhang Zhu
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, Hangzhou First People's Hospital, the Affiliated Hospital of Medical School of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou310006, Zhejiang, China.,Research Center of Diagnosis and Treatment Technology for Hepatocellular Carcinoma of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou310006, Zhejiang, China
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19
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Wang H, Lu J, Chen X, Schwalbe M, Gorka JE, Mandel JA, Wang J, Goetzman ES, Ranganathan S, Dobrowolski SF, Prochownik EV. Acquired deficiency of peroxisomal dicarboxylic acid catabolism is a metabolic vulnerability in hepatoblastoma. J Biol Chem 2021; 296:100283. [PMID: 33450224 PMCID: PMC7948956 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.100283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2020] [Revised: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Metabolic reprogramming provides transformed cells with proliferative and/or survival advantages. Capitalizing on this therapeutically, however, has been only moderately successful because of the relatively small magnitude of these differences and because cancers may further adapt their metabolism to evade metabolic pathway inhibition. Mice lacking the peroxisomal bifunctional enzyme enoyl-CoA hydratase/3-hydroxyacyl CoA dehydrogenase (Ehhadh) and supplemented with the 12-carbon fatty acid lauric acid (C12) accumulate the toxic metabolite dodecanedioic acid (DDDA), which causes acute hepatocyte necrosis and liver failure. We noted that, in a murine model of pediatric hepatoblastoma (HB) and in primary human HBs, downregulation of Ehhadh occurs in association with the suppression of mitochondrial β- and endosomal/peroxisomal ω-fatty acid oxidation pathways. This suggested that HBs might be more susceptible than normal liver tissue to C12 dietary intervention. Indeed, HB-bearing mice provided with C12- and/or DDDA-supplemented diets survived significantly longer than those on standard diets. In addition, larger tumors developed massive necrosis following short-term DDDA administration. In some HBs, the eventual development of DDDA resistance was associated with 129 transcript differences, ∼90% of which were downregulated, and approximately two-thirds of which correlated with survival in numerous human cancers. These transcripts often encoded extracellular matrix components, suggesting that DDDA resistance arises from reduced Ehhadh uptake. Lower Ehhadh expression was also noted in murine hepatocellular carcinomas and in subsets of certain human cancers, supporting the likely generality of these results. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of C12 or DDDA dietary supplementation that is nontoxic, inexpensive, and likely compatible with more standard chemotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huabo Wang
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Jie Lu
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Xiaoguang Chen
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; School of Animal Science and Technology, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, Henan, People's Republic of China
| | - Marie Schwalbe
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Joanna E Gorka
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Jordan A Mandel
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Jinglin Wang
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, People's Republic of China
| | - Eric S Goetzman
- Division of Medical Genetics, Department of Pediatrics, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | | | - Steven F Dobrowolski
- Division of Medical Genetics, Department of Pediatrics, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Edward V Prochownik
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; The Hillman Cancer Center, The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; The Pittsburgh Liver Research Institute, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; The Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
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20
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Patel MS, Mahmood S, Jung J, Rideout TC. Reprogramming of aerobic glycolysis in non-transformed mouse liver with pyruvate dehydrogenase complex deficiency. Physiol Rep 2021; 9:e14684. [PMID: 33400855 PMCID: PMC7785054 DOI: 10.14814/phy2.14684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2020] [Revised: 11/26/2020] [Accepted: 11/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex (PDC), a key enzyme in glucose metabolism, catalyzes an irreversible oxidative decarboxylation reaction of pyruvate to acetyl‐CoA, linking the cytosolic glycolytic pathway to mitochondrial tricarboxylic acid cycle and oxidative phosphorylation. Earlier we reported a down‐regulation of several key hepatic lipogenic enzymes and their upstream regulators in liver‐specific PDC‐deficient mouse (L‐PDCKO model by deleting the Pdha1 gene). In this study we investigated gene expression profiles of key glycolytic enzymes and other proteins that respond to various metabolic stresses in liver from L‐PDCKO mice. Transcripts of several, such as hexokinase 2, phosphoglycerate kinase 1, pyruvate kinase muscle‐type 2, and lactate dehydrogenase B as well as those for the nonglycolysis‐related proteins, CD‐36, C/EBP homologous protein, and peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor γ, were up‐regulated in L‐PDCKO liver whereas hypoxia‐induced factor‐1α, pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1 and Sirtuin 1 transcripts were down‐regulated. The protein levels of pyruvate kinase muscle‐type 2 and lactate dehydrogenase B were increased whereas that of lactate dehydrogenase A was decreased in PDC‐deficient mouse liver. Analysis of endoplasmic reticulum and oxidative stress indicators suggests that the L‐PDCKO liver showed evidence of the former but not the latter. These findings indicate that (i) liver‐specific PDC deficiency is sufficient to induce “aerobic glycolysis characteristic” in mouse liver, and (ii) the mechanism(s) responsible for these changes appears distinct from that which induces the Warburg effect in some cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mulchand S Patel
- Department of Biochemistry, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Saleh Mahmood
- Department of Biochemistry, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Jiwon Jung
- Department of Biochemistry, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Todd C Rideout
- Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, School of Public Health and Health Professions, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
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21
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Animal Models: A Useful Tool to Unveil Metabolic Changes in Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12113318. [PMID: 33182674 PMCID: PMC7696782 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12113318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2020] [Revised: 11/05/2020] [Accepted: 11/08/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents an important health problem. At the moment, systemic therapies offered only modest clinical benefits. Thus, HCC represents a cancer extremely difficult to treat, and therapeutic breakthroughs are urgently needed. Metabolic reprogramming of neoplastic cells has been recognized as one of the core hallmarks of cancer. Experimental animal models represent an important tool that allows to investigate metabolic changes underlying HCC development and progression. In the present review, we characterize available rodent models of hepatocarcinogenesis. Moreover, we discuss the possibility that pharmacological targeting of Warburg metabolism may represent an additional tool to improve already available therapeutic approaches for HCC. Abstract Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one the most frequent and lethal human cancers. At present, no effective treatment for advanced HCC exist; therefore, the overall prognosis for HCC patients remains dismal. In recent years, a better knowledge of the signaling pathways involved in the regulation of HCC development and progression, has led to the identification of novel potential targets for therapeutic strategies. However, the obtained benefits from current therapeutic options are disappointing. Altered cancer metabolism has become a topic of renewed interest in the last decades, and it has been included among the core hallmarks of cancer. In the light of growing evidence for metabolic reprogramming in cancer, a wide number of experimental animal models have been exploited to study metabolic changes characterizing HCC development and progression and to further expand our knowledge of this tumor. In the present review, we discuss several rodent models of hepatocarcinogenesis, that contributed to elucidate the metabolic profile of HCC and the implications of these changes in modulating the aggressiveness of neoplastic cells. We also highlight the apparently contrasting results stemming from different animal models. Finally, we analyze whether these observations could be exploited to improve current therapeutic strategies for HCC.
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Song H, Ding N, Li S, Liao J, Xie A, Yu Y, Zhang C, Ni C. Identification of Hub Genes Associated With Hepatocellular Carcinoma Using Robust Rank Aggregation Combined With Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis. Front Genet 2020; 11:895. [PMID: 33133125 PMCID: PMC7561391 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2020.00895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Bioinformatics provides a valuable tool to explore the molecular mechanisms underlying pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). To improve prognosis of patients, identification of robust biomarkers associated with the pathogenic pathways of HCC remains an urgent research priority. Methods We employed the Robust Rank Aggregation method to integrate nine qualified HCC datasets from the Gene Expression Omnibus. A robust set of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between tumor and normal tissue samples were screened. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis was applied to cluster DEGs and the key modules related to clinical traits identified. Based on network topology analysis, novel risk genes derived from key modules were mined and biological verification performed. The potential functions of these risk genes were further explored with the aid of miRNA–mRNA regulatory networks. Finally, the prognostic ability of these genes was assessed by constructing a clinical prediction model. Results Two key modules showed significant association with clinical traits. In combination with protein–protein interaction analysis, 29 hub genes were identified. Among these genes, 19 from one module showed a pattern of upregulation in HCC and were associated with the tumor node metastasis stage, and 10 from the other module displayed the opposite trend. Survival analyses indicated that all these genes were significantly related to patient prognosis. Based on the miRNA-mRNA regulatory network, 29 genes strongly linked to tumor activity were identified. Notably, five of the novel risk genes, ABAT, DAO, PCK2, SLC27A2, and HAO1, have rarely been reported in previous studies. Gene set enrichment analysis for each gene revealed regulatory roles in proliferation and prognosis of HCC. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression analysis further validated DAO, PCK2, and HAO1 as prognostic factors in an external HCC dataset. Conclusion Analysis of multiple datasets combined with global network information presents a successful approach to uncover the complex biological mechanisms of HCC. More importantly, this novel integrated strategy facilitates identification of risk hub genes as candidate biomarkers for HCC, which could effectively guide clinical treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Song
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China.,Department of Intervention Therapy, The Fourth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Na Ding
- Department of Computational Biology, College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Shang Li
- Department of Computational Biology, College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Jianlong Liao
- Department of Computational Biology, College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Aimin Xie
- Department of Computational Biology, College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Youtao Yu
- Department of Intervention Therapy, The Fourth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Chunlong Zhang
- Department of Computational Biology, College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Caifang Ni
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
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23
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Pascale RM, Calvisi DF, Simile MM, Feo CF, Feo F. The Warburg Effect 97 Years after Its Discovery. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:E2819. [PMID: 33008042 PMCID: PMC7599761 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12102819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 144] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2020] [Accepted: 09/22/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The deregulation of the oxidative metabolism in cancer, as shown by the increased aerobic glycolysis and impaired oxidative phosphorylation (Warburg effect), is coordinated by genetic changes leading to the activation of oncogenes and the loss of oncosuppressor genes. The understanding of the metabolic deregulation of cancer cells is necessary to prevent and cure cancer. In this review, we illustrate and comment the principal metabolic and molecular variations of cancer cells, involved in their anomalous behavior, that include modifications of oxidative metabolism, the activation of oncogenes that promote glycolysis and a decrease of oxygen consumption in cancer cells, the genetic susceptibility to cancer, the molecular correlations involved in the metabolic deregulation in cancer, the defective cancer mitochondria, the relationships between the Warburg effect and tumor therapy, and recent studies that reevaluate the Warburg effect. Taken together, these observations indicate that the Warburg effect is an epiphenomenon of the transformation process essential for the development of malignancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosa Maria Pascale
- Department of Medical, Surgery and Experimental Sciences, Division of Experimental Pathology and Oncology, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy; (D.F.C.); (M.M.S.); (F.F.)
| | - Diego Francesco Calvisi
- Department of Medical, Surgery and Experimental Sciences, Division of Experimental Pathology and Oncology, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy; (D.F.C.); (M.M.S.); (F.F.)
| | - Maria Maddalena Simile
- Department of Medical, Surgery and Experimental Sciences, Division of Experimental Pathology and Oncology, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy; (D.F.C.); (M.M.S.); (F.F.)
| | - Claudio Francesco Feo
- Department of Clinical, Surgery and Experimental Sciences, Division of Surgery, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy;
| | - Francesco Feo
- Department of Medical, Surgery and Experimental Sciences, Division of Experimental Pathology and Oncology, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy; (D.F.C.); (M.M.S.); (F.F.)
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24
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Dou X, Tong P, Huang H, Zellmer L, He Y, Jia Q, Zhang D, Peng J, Wang C, Xu N, Liao DJ. Evidence for immortality and autonomy in animal cancer models is often not provided, which causes confusion on key issues of cancer biology. J Cancer 2020; 11:2887-2920. [PMID: 32226506 PMCID: PMC7086263 DOI: 10.7150/jca.41324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2019] [Accepted: 02/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Modern research into carcinogenesis has undergone three phases. Surgeons and pathologists started the first phase roughly 250 years ago, establishing morphological traits of tumors for pathologic diagnosis, and setting immortality and autonomy as indispensable criteria for neoplasms. A century ago, medical doctors, biologists and chemists started to enhance "experimental cancer research" by establishing many animal models of chemical-induced carcinogenesis for studies of cellular mechanisms. In this second phase, the two-hit theory and stepwise carcinogenesis of "initiation-promotion" or "initiation-promotion-progression" were established, with an illustrious finding that outgrowths induced in animals depend on the inducers, and thus are not authentically neoplastic, until late stages. The last 40 years are the third incarnation, molecular biologists have gradually dominated the carcinogenesis research fraternity and have established numerous genetically-modified animal models of carcinogenesis. However, evidence has not been provided for immortality and autonomy of the lesions from most of these models. Probably, many lesions had already been collected from animals for analyses of molecular mechanisms of "cancer" before the lesions became autonomous. We herein review the monumental work of many predecessors to reinforce that evidence for immortality and autonomy is essential for confirming a neoplastic nature. We extrapolate that immortality and autonomy are established early during sporadic human carcinogenesis, unlike the late establishment in most animal models. It is imperative to resume many forerunners' work by determining the genetic bases for initiation, promotion and progression, the genetic bases for immortality and autonomy, and which animal models are, in fact, good for identifying such genetic bases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xixi Dou
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Transmucosal and Transdermal Drug Delivery, Shandong Freda Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd., Jinan 250101, Shandong Province, P.R. China
| | - Pingzhen Tong
- Department of Pathology, The Second Hospital of Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang 550001, Guizhou Province, P.R. China
| | - Hai Huang
- Center for Clinical Laboratories, The Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550004, Guizhou Province, P.R. China
| | - Lucas Zellmer
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, 435 E. River Road, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Yan He
- Key Lab of Endemic and Ethnic Diseases of The Ministry of Education of China in Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, Guizhou Province 550004, P. R. China
| | - Qingwen Jia
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Transmucosal and Transdermal Drug Delivery, Shandong Freda Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd., Jinan 250101, Shandong Province, P.R. China
| | - Daizhou Zhang
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Transmucosal and Transdermal Drug Delivery, Shandong Freda Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd., Jinan 250101, Shandong Province, P.R. China
| | - Jiang Peng
- Department of Orthopaedics, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan 250021, Shandong Province, P.R. China
| | - Chenguang Wang
- Department of Orthopaedics, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan 250021, Shandong Province, P.R. China
| | - Ningzhi Xu
- Tianjin LIPOGEN Gene Technology Ltd., #238 Baidi Road, Nankai District, Tianjin 300192, P.R. China
| | - Dezhong Joshua Liao
- Department of Pathology, The Second Hospital of Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang 550001, Guizhou Province, P.R. China
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25
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Kinetic modelling of quantitative proteome data predicts metabolic reprogramming of liver cancer. Br J Cancer 2019; 122:233-244. [PMID: 31819186 PMCID: PMC7052204 DOI: 10.1038/s41416-019-0659-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2019] [Revised: 11/05/2019] [Accepted: 11/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Metabolic alterations can serve as targets for diagnosis and cancer therapy. Due to the highly complex regulation of cellular metabolism, definite identification of metabolic pathway alterations remains challenging and requires sophisticated experimentation. Methods We applied a comprehensive kinetic model of the central carbon metabolism (CCM) to characterise metabolic reprogramming in murine liver cancer. Results We show that relative differences of protein abundances of metabolic enzymes obtained by mass spectrometry can be used to assess their maximal velocity values. Model simulations predicted tumour-specific alterations of various components of the CCM, a selected number of which were subsequently verified by in vitro and in vivo experiments. Furthermore, we demonstrate the ability of the kinetic model to identify metabolic pathways whose inhibition results in selective tumour cell killing. Conclusions Our systems biology approach establishes that combining cellular experimentation with computer simulations of physiology-based metabolic models enables a comprehensive understanding of deregulated energetics in cancer. We propose that modelling proteomics data from human HCC with our approach will enable an individualised metabolic profiling of tumours and predictions of the efficacy of drug therapies targeting specific metabolic pathways.
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26
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Zhang W, Meyfeldt J, Wang H, Kulkarni S, Lu J, Mandel JA, Marburger B, Liu Y, Gorka JE, Ranganathan S, Prochownik EV. β-Catenin mutations as determinants of hepatoblastoma phenotypes in mice. J Biol Chem 2019; 294:17524-17542. [PMID: 31597698 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra119.009979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2019] [Revised: 10/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatoblastoma (HB) is the most common pediatric liver cancer. Although long-term survival of HB is generally favorable, it depends on clinical stage, tumor histology, and a variety of biochemical and molecular features. HB appears almost exclusively before the age of 3 years, is represented by seven histological subtypes, and is usually associated with highly heterogeneous somatic mutations in the catenin β1 (CTNNB1) gene, which encodes β-catenin, a Wnt ligand-responsive transcriptional co-factor. Numerous recurring β-catenin mutations, not previously documented in HB, have also been identified in various other pediatric and adult cancer types. Little is known about the underlying factors that determine the above HB features and behaviors or whether non-HB-associated β-catenin mutations are tumorigenic when expressed in hepatocytes. Here, we investigated the oncogenic properties of 14 different HB- and non-HB-associated β-catenin mutants encoded by Sleeping Beauty vectors following their delivery into the mouse liver by hydrodynamic tail-vein injection. We show that all β-catenin mutations, as well as WT β-catenin, are tumorigenic when co-expressed with a mutant form of yes-associated protein (YAP). However, tumor growth rates, histologies, nuclear-to-cytoplasmic partitioning, and metabolic and transcriptional landscapes were strongly influenced by the identities of the β-catenin mutations. These findings provide a context for understanding at the molecular level the notable biological diversity of HB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiqi Zhang
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15224.,Tsinghua University School of Medicine, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Jennifer Meyfeldt
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15224
| | - Huabo Wang
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15224
| | - Sucheta Kulkarni
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15224
| | - Jie Lu
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15224
| | - Jordan A Mandel
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15224
| | - Brady Marburger
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15224.,University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15224
| | - Ying Liu
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15224.,University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15224
| | - Joanna E Gorka
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15224
| | - Sarangarajan Ranganathan
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15224.,Department of Pathology, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15224.,Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213
| | - Edward V Prochownik
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15224 .,University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15224.,Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213.,Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213.,Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15232
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27
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Modelling liver cancer initiation with organoids derived from directly reprogrammed human hepatocytes. Nat Cell Biol 2019; 21:1015-1026. [PMID: 31332348 DOI: 10.1038/s41556-019-0359-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2018] [Accepted: 06/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Human liver cancers, including hepatocellular carcinomas and intra-hepatic cholangiocarcinomas, are often diagnosed late with poor prognosis. A better understanding of cancer initiation could provide potential preventive therapies and increase survival. Models for studying human liver cancer initiation are largely missing. Here, using directly reprogrammed human hepatocytes (hiHeps) and inactivation of p53 and RB, we established organoids possessing liver architecture and function. HiHep organoids were genetically engineered to model the initial alterations in human liver cancers. Bona fide hepatocellular carcinomas were developed by overexpressing c-Myc. Excessive mitochondrion-endoplasmic reticulum coupling induced by c-Myc facilitated hepatocellular carcinoma initiation and seemed to be a target of preventive treatment. Furthermore, through the analysis of human intra-hepatic cholangiocarcinoma-enriched mutations, we demonstrate that the RAS-induced lineage conversion from hepatocytes to intra-hepatic cholangiocarcinoma cells can be prevented by the combined inhibition of Notch and JAK-STAT. Together, hiHep organoids represent a system that can be genetically manipulated to model cancer initiation and identify potential preventive therapies.
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28
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Neureiter D, Stintzing S, Kiesslich T, Ocker M. Hepatocellular carcinoma: Therapeutic advances in signaling, epigenetic and immune targets. World J Gastroenterol 2019; 25:3136-3150. [PMID: 31333307 PMCID: PMC6626722 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v25.i25.3136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2019] [Revised: 05/02/2019] [Accepted: 05/18/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains a global medical burden with rising incidence due to chronic viral hepatitis and non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases. Treatment of advanced disease stages is still unsatisfying. Besides first and second generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors, immune checkpoint inhibitors have become central for the treatment of HCC. New modalities like epigenetic therapy using histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) and cell therapy approaches with chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T cells) are currently under investigation in clinical trials. Development of such novel drugs is closely linked to the availability and improvement of novel preclinical and animal models and the identification of predictive biomarkers. The current status of treatment options for advanced HCC, emerging novel therapeutic approaches and different preclinical models for HCC drug discovery and development are reviewed here.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Neureiter
- Institute of Pathology, Cancer Cluster Salzburg, Paracelsus Medical University/Salzburger Landeskliniken (SALK), Salzburg 5020, Austria
| | - Sebastian Stintzing
- Medical Department, Division of Oncology and Hematology, Campus Charité Mitte, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Berlin 10117, Germany
| | - Tobias Kiesslich
- Department of Internal Medicine I, Paracelsus Medical University/Salzburger Landeskliniken (SALK) and Institute of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg 5020, Austria
| | - Matthias Ocker
- Translational Medicine Oncology, Bayer AG, Berlin 13353, Germany
- Charité University Medicine Berlin, Berlin 10117, Germany
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29
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Wang H, Lu J, Dolezal J, Kulkarni S, Zhang W, Chen A, Gorka J, Mandel JA, Prochownik EV. Inhibition of hepatocellular carcinoma by metabolic normalization. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0218186. [PMID: 31242205 PMCID: PMC6594671 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0218186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2019] [Accepted: 05/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
In two different mouse liver cancer models, we recently showed that a switch from oxidative phosphorylation (Oxphos) to glycolysis (the Warburg effect) is invariably accompanied by a marked decline in fatty acid oxidation (FAO) and a reciprocal increase in the activity of pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH), which links glycolysis to the TCA cycle. We now show that short-term implementation of either medium-chain (MC) or long-chain (LC) high fat diets (HFDs) nearly doubled the survival of mice with c-Myc oncoprotein-driven hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Mechanistically, HFDs forced tumors to become more reliant on fatty acids as an energy source, thus normalizing both FAO and PDH activities. More generally, both MC- and LC-HFDs partially or completely normalized the expression of 682 tumor-dysregulated transcripts, a substantial fraction of which are involved in cell cycle control, proliferation and metabolism. That these same transcripts were responsive to HFDs in livers strongly suggested that the changes were the cause of tumor inhibition rather than its consequence. In seven different human cancer cohorts, patients with tumors containing high ratios of FAO-related:glycolysis-related transcripts had prolonged survival relative to those with low ratios. Furthermore, in 13 human cancer types, the expression patterns of transcripts encoding enzymes participating in FAO and/or cholesterol biosynthesis also correlated with significantly prolonged survival. Collectively, our results support the idea that the survival benefits of HFDs are due to a reversal of the Warburg effect and other tumor-associated metabolic and cell cycle abnormalities. They also suggest that short-term dietary manipulation, either alone or in combination with more traditional chemotherapeutic regimens, might be employed as a relatively non-toxic and cost-effective means of enhancing survival in certain cancer types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huabo Wang
- Section of Hematology/Oncology, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Jie Lu
- Section of Hematology/Oncology, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - James Dolezal
- Section of Hematology/Oncology, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Sucheta Kulkarni
- Section of Hematology/Oncology, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Weiqi Zhang
- Section of Hematology/Oncology, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- Tsinghua University School of Medicine, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
| | - Angel Chen
- Section of Hematology/Oncology, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Joanna Gorka
- Section of Hematology/Oncology, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Jordan A. Mandel
- Section of Hematology/Oncology, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Edward V. Prochownik
- Section of Hematology/Oncology, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- The Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- The Hillman Cancer Center, The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- The University of Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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30
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Wang H, Lu J, Kulkarni S, Zhang W, Gorka JE, Mandel JA, Goetzman ES, Prochownik EV. Metabolic and oncogenic adaptations to pyruvate dehydrogenase inactivation in fibroblasts. J Biol Chem 2019; 294:5466-5486. [PMID: 30755479 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra118.005200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2018] [Revised: 02/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Eukaryotic cell metabolism consists of processes that generate available energy, such as glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation (Oxphos), and those that consume it, including macromolecular synthesis, the maintenance of ionic gradients, and cellular detoxification. By converting pyruvate to acetyl-CoA (AcCoA), the pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) complex (PDC) links glycolysis and the TCA cycle. Surprisingly, disrupting the connection between glycolysis and the TCA cycle by inactivation of PDC has only minor effects on cell replication. However, the molecular basis for this metabolic re-equilibration is unclear. We report here that CRISPR/Cas9-generated PDH-knockout (PDH-KO) rat fibroblasts reprogrammed their metabolism and their response to short-term c-Myc (Myc) oncoprotein overexpression. PDH-KO cells replicated normally but produced surprisingly little lactate. They also exhibited higher rates of glycolysis and Oxphos. In addition, PDH-KO cells showed altered cytoplasmic and mitochondrial pH, redox states, and mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨM). Conditionally activated Myc expression affected some of these parameters in a PDH-dependent manner. PDH-KO cells had increased oxygen consumption rates in response to glutamate, but not to malate, and were depleted in all TCA cycle substrates between α-ketoglutarate and malate despite high rates of glutaminolysis, as determined by flux studies with isotopically labeled glutamine. Malate and pyruvate were diverted to produce aspartate, thereby potentially explaining the failure to accumulate lactate. We conclude that PDH-KO cells maintain proliferative capacity by utilizing glutamine to supply high rates of AcCoA-independent flux through the bottom portion of the TCA cycle while accumulating pyruvate and aspartate that rescue their redox defects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huabo Wang
- From the Section of Hematology/Oncology and
| | - Jie Lu
- From the Section of Hematology/Oncology and
| | | | | | | | | | - Eric S Goetzman
- Division of Medical Genetics, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15224
| | - Edward V Prochownik
- From the Section of Hematology/Oncology and .,the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219, and.,the The Hillman Cancer Center of UPMC, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15232
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31
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Shi M, Zhou H, Lei M, Chen L, Zellmer L, He Y, Yang W, Xu N, Liao DJ. Spontaneous Cancers, But Not Many Induced Ones in Animals, Resemble Semi-New Organisms that Possess a Unique Programmed Cell Death Mode Different from Apoptosis, Senescent Death, Necrosis and Stress-Induced Cell Death. J Cancer 2018; 9:4726-4735. [PMID: 30588258 PMCID: PMC6299389 DOI: 10.7150/jca.26502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2018] [Accepted: 09/11/2018] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
There are four basic cell death modes in animals, i.e. physiological senescent death (SD) and apoptosis as well as pathological necrosis and stress-induced cell death (SICD). There have been numerous publications describing “apoptosis” in cancer, mostly focused on killing cancer cells using radio- or chemo-therapy, with few on exploring how cancer cells die naturally without such treatments. Spontaneous benign or malignant neoplasms are immortal and autonomous, but they still retain some allegiance to their parental tissue or organ and thus are still somewhat controlled by the patient's body. Because of these properties of immortality, semi-autonomy, and semi-allegiance to the patient's body, spontaneous tumors have no redundant cells and resemble “semi-new organisms” parasitizing the patients, becoming a unique tissue type possessing a hitherto unannotated cell death mode besides SD, apoptosis, necrosis and SICD. Particularly, apoptosis aims to expunge redundant cells, whereas this new mode does not. In contrast to spontaneous tumors, many histologically malignant tumors induced in experimental animals, before they reach an advanced stage, regress after withdrawal of the inducer. This mortal and non-autonomous nature disqualifies these animal lesions as authentic neoplasms and as semi-new organisms but makes them a good tissue type for apoptosis studies. Ruminating over cell death in spontaneous cancers and many inauthentic tumors induced in animals from these new slants makes us realize that “whether cancer cells undergo apoptosis” is not an easy question with a simple answer. Our answer is that cancer cells have an uncharacterized programmed cell death mode, which is not apoptosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingjun Shi
- Department of Pathophysiology, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550025, Guizhou Province, China
| | - Haiyan Zhou
- Clinical Research Center, Guizhou Medical University Hospital, Guiyang 550004, Guizhou Province, China
| | - Mingjuan Lei
- Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, Austin, MN 55912, USA
| | - Lichan Chen
- Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, Austin, MN 55912, USA
| | - Lucas Zellmer
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, 435 E. River Road, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Yan He
- Key Lab of Endemic and Ethnic Diseases of the Ministry of Education of China at Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550004, Guizhou Province, China
| | - Wenxiu Yang
- Department of Pathology, Guizhou Medical University Hospital, Guiyang 550004, Guizhou province, China
| | - Ningzhi Xu
- Laboratory of Cell and Molecular Biology & State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, National Cancer Center/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, China
| | - Dezhong Joshua Liao
- Key Lab of Endemic and Ethnic Diseases of the Ministry of Education of China at Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550004, Guizhou Province, China.,Department of Pathology, Guizhou Medical University Hospital, Guiyang 550004, Guizhou province, China
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Wang H, Dolezal JM, Kulkarni S, Lu J, Mandel J, Jackson LE, Alencastro F, Duncan AW, Prochownik EV. Myc and ChREBP transcription factors cooperatively regulate normal and neoplastic hepatocyte proliferation in mice. J Biol Chem 2018; 293:14740-14757. [PMID: 30087120 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra118.004099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2018] [Revised: 08/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Analogous to the c-Myc (Myc)/Max family of bHLH-ZIP transcription factors, there exists a parallel regulatory network of structurally and functionally related proteins with Myc-like functions. Two related Myc-like paralogs, termed MondoA and MondoB/carbohydrate response element-binding protein (ChREBP), up-regulate gene expression in heterodimeric association with the bHLH-ZIP Max-like factor Mlx. Myc is necessary to support liver cancer growth, but not for normal hepatocyte proliferation. Here, we investigated ChREBP's role in these processes and its relationship to Myc. Unlike Myc loss, ChREBP loss conferred a proliferative disadvantage to normal murine hepatocytes, as did the combined loss of ChREBP and Myc. Moreover, hepatoblastomas (HBs) originating in myc-/-, chrebp-/-, or myc-/-/chrebp-/- backgrounds grew significantly more slowly. Metabolic studies on livers and HBs in all three genetic backgrounds revealed marked differences in oxidative phosphorylation, fatty acid β-oxidation (FAO), and pyruvate dehydrogenase activity. RNA-Seq of livers and HBs suggested seven distinct mechanisms of Myc-ChREBP target gene regulation. Gene ontology analysis indicated that many transcripts deregulated in the chrebp-/- background encode enzymes functioning in glycolysis, the TCA cycle, and β- and ω-FAO, whereas those dysregulated in the myc-/- background encode enzymes functioning in glycolysis, glutaminolysis, and sterol biosynthesis. In the myc-/-/chrebp-/- background, additional deregulated transcripts included those involved in peroxisomal β- and α-FAO. Finally, we observed that Myc and ChREBP cooperatively up-regulated virtually all ribosomal protein genes. Our findings define the individual and cooperative proliferative, metabolic, and transcriptional roles for the "Extended Myc Network" under both normal and neoplastic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huabo Wang
- From the Division of Hematology/Oncology, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC
| | - James M Dolezal
- From the Division of Hematology/Oncology, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC
| | - Sucheta Kulkarni
- From the Division of Hematology/Oncology, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC
| | - Jie Lu
- From the Division of Hematology/Oncology, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC
| | - Jordan Mandel
- From the Division of Hematology/Oncology, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC
| | - Laura E Jackson
- From the Division of Hematology/Oncology, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC
| | | | | | - Edward V Prochownik
- From the Division of Hematology/Oncology, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, .,the Pittsburgh Liver Center.,the Hillman Cancer Center of UPMC, and.,the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15224
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33
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Copper/MYC/CTR1 interplay: a dangerous relationship in hepatocellular carcinoma. Oncotarget 2018; 9:9325-9343. [PMID: 29507693 PMCID: PMC5823635 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.24282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2017] [Accepted: 01/02/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Free serum copper correlates with tumor incidence and progression of human cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Copper extracellular uptake is provided by the transporter CTR1, whose expression is regulated to avoid excessive intracellular copper entry. Inadequate copper serum concentration is involved in the pathogenesis of Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), which is becoming a major cause of liver damage progression and HCC incidence. Finally, MYC is over-expressed in most of HCCs and is a critical regulator of cellular growth, tumor invasion and metastasis. The purpose of our study was to understand if higher serum copper concentrations might be involved in the progression of NAFLD-cirrhosis toward-HCC. We investigated whether high exogenous copper levels sensitize liver cells to transformation and if it exists an interplay between copper-related proteins and MYC oncogene. NAFLD-cirrhotic patients were characterized by a statistical significant enhancement of serum copper levels, even more evident in HCC patients. We demonstrated that high extracellular copper concentrations increase cell growth, migration, and invasion of liver cancer cells by modulating MYC/CTR1 axis. We highlighted that MYC binds a specific region of the CTR1 promoter, regulating its transcription. Accordingly, CTR1 and MYC proteins expression were progressively up-regulated in liver tissues from NAFLD-cirrhotic to HCC patients. This work provides novel insights on the molecular mechanisms by which copper may favor the progression from cirrhosis to cancer. The Cu/MYC/CTR1 interplay opens a window to refine HCC diagnosis and design new combined therapies.
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Goetzman ES, Prochownik EV. The Role for Myc in Coordinating Glycolysis, Oxidative Phosphorylation, Glutaminolysis, and Fatty Acid Metabolism in Normal and Neoplastic Tissues. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2018; 9:129. [PMID: 29706933 PMCID: PMC5907532 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2018.00129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 124] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2018] [Accepted: 03/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
That cancer cells show patterns of metabolism different from normal cells has been known for over 50 years. Yet, it is only in the past decade or so that an appreciation of the benefits of these changes has begun to emerge. Altered cancer cell metabolism was initially attributed to defective mitochondria. However, we now realize that most cancers do not have mitochondrial mutations and that normal cells can transiently adopt cancer-like metabolism during periods of rapid proliferation. Indeed, an encompassing, albeit somewhat simplified, conceptual framework to explain both normal and cancer cell metabolism rests on several simple premises. First, the metabolic pathways used by cancer cells and their normal counterparts are the same. Second, normal quiescent cells use their metabolic pathways and the energy they generate largely to maintain cellular health and organelle turnover and, in some cases, to provide secreted products necessary for the survival of the intact organism. By contrast, undifferentiated cancer cells minimize the latter functions and devote their energy to producing the anabolic substrates necessary to maintain high rates of unremitting cellular proliferation. Third, as a result of the uncontrolled proliferation of cancer cells, a larger fraction of the metabolic intermediates normally used by quiescent cells purely as a source of energy are instead channeled into competing proliferation-focused and energy-consuming anabolic pathways. Fourth, cancer cell clones with the most plastic and rapidly adaptable metabolism will eventually outcompete their less well-adapted brethren during tumor progression and evolution. This attribute becomes increasingly important as tumors grow and as their individual cells compete in a constantly changing and inimical environment marked by nutrient, oxygen, and growth factor deficits. Here, we review some of the metabolic pathways whose importance has gained center stage for tumor growth, particularly those under the control of the c-Myc (Myc) oncoprotein. We discuss how these pathways differ functionally between quiescent and proliferating normal cells, how they are kidnapped and corrupted during the course of transformation, and consider potential therapeutic strategies that take advantage of common features of neoplastic and metabolic disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric S. Goetzman
- Division of Medical Genetics, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Edward V. Prochownik
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- University of Pittsburgh Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- *Correspondence: Edward V. Prochownik,
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Jackson LE, Kulkarni S, Wang H, Lu J, Dolezal JM, Bharathi SS, Ranganathan S, Patel MS, Deshpande R, Alencastro F, Wendell SG, Goetzman ES, Duncan AW, Prochownik EV. Genetic Dissociation of Glycolysis and the TCA Cycle Affects Neither Normal nor Neoplastic Proliferation. Cancer Res 2017; 77:5795-5807. [PMID: 28883002 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-17-1325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2017] [Revised: 07/19/2017] [Accepted: 09/01/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Rapidly proliferating cells increase glycolysis at the expense of oxidative phosphorylation (oxphos) to generate sufficient levels of glycolytic intermediates for use as anabolic substrates. The pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) is a critical mitochondrial enzyme that catalyzes pyruvate's conversion to acetyl coenzyme A (AcCoA), thereby connecting these two pathways in response to complex energetic, enzymatic, and metabolic cues. Here we utilized a mouse model of hepatocyte-specific PDC inactivation to determine the need for this metabolic link during normal hepatocyte regeneration and malignant transformation. In PDC "knockout" (KO) animals, the long-term regenerative potential of hepatocytes was unimpaired, and growth of aggressive experimental hepatoblastomas was only modestly slowed in the face of 80%-90% reductions in AcCoA and significant alterations in the levels of key tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediates and amino acids. Overall, oxphos activity in KO livers and hepatoblastoma was comparable with that of control counterparts, with evidence that metabolic substrate abnormalities were compensated for by increased mitochondrial mass. These findings demonstrate that the biochemical link between glycolysis and the TCA cycle can be completely severed without affecting normal or neoplastic proliferation, even under the most demanding circumstances. Cancer Res; 77(21); 5795-807. ©2017 AACR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura E Jackson
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Sucheta Kulkarni
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Huabo Wang
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Jie Lu
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - James M Dolezal
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Sivakama S Bharathi
- Division of Medical Genetics, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Sarangarajan Ranganathan
- Department of Pathology, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Mulchand S Patel
- Department of Biochemistry, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, New York
| | - Rahul Deshpande
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Frances Alencastro
- Department of Pathology, The McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine and The Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Stacy G Wendell
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Eric S Goetzman
- Division of Medical Genetics, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Andrew W Duncan
- Department of Pathology, The McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine and The Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Edward V Prochownik
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. .,Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.,The University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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Kulkarni S, Dolezal JM, Wang H, Jackson L, Lu J, Frodey BP, Dosunmu-Ogunbi A, Li Y, Fromherz M, Kang A, Santana-Santos L, Benos PV, Prochownik EV. Ribosomopathy-like properties of murine and human cancers. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0182705. [PMID: 28820908 PMCID: PMC5562309 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0182705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2017] [Accepted: 07/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Ribosomopathies comprise a heterogeneous group of hematologic and developmental disorders, often characterized by bone marrow failure, skeletal and other developmental abnormalities and cancer predisposition. They are associated with mutations and/or haplo-insufficiencies of ribosomal proteins (RPs) and inefficient ribosomal RNA (rRNA) processing. The resulting ribosomal stress induces the canonical p19ARF/Mdm2/p53 tumor suppressor pathway leading to proliferative arrest and/or apoptosis. It has been proposed that this pathway is then inactivated during subsequent neoplastic evolution. We show here that two murine models of hepatoblastoma (HB) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) unexpectedly possess features that mimic the ribosomopathies. These include loss of the normal stoichiometry of RP transcripts and proteins and the accumulation of unprocessed rRNA precursors. Silencing of p19ARF, cytoplasmic sequestration of p53, binding to and inactivation of Mdm2 by free RPs, and up-regulation of the pro-survival protein Bcl-2 may further cooperate to drive tumor growth and survival. Consistent with this notion, re-instatement of constitutive p19ARF expression in the HB model completely suppressed tumorigenesis. In >2000 cases of human HCC, colorectal, breast, and prostate cancer, RP transcript deregulation was a frequent finding. In HCC and breast cancer, the severity of this dysregulation was associated with inferior survival. In HCC, the presence of RP gene mutations, some of which were identical to those previously reported in ribosomopathies, were similarly negatively correlated with long-term survival. Taken together, our results indicate that many if not all cancers possess ribosomopathy-like features that may affect their biological behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sucheta Kulkarni
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
| | - James M. Dolezal
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
| | - Huabo Wang
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
| | - Laura Jackson
- Division of Newborn Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
| | - Jie Lu
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
| | - Brian P. Frodey
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
| | - Atinuke Dosunmu-Ogunbi
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
| | - Youjun Li
- College of Life Sciences and The State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei Province, People’s Republic of China
| | - Marc Fromherz
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
| | - Audry Kang
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
| | - Lucas Santana-Santos
- Department of Computational and Systems Biology, The University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
| | - Panayiotis V. Benos
- Department of Computational and Systems Biology, The University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, The University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
| | - Edward V. Prochownik
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
- The Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
- The University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Pittsburgh PA, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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37
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Kalkat M, De Melo J, Hickman KA, Lourenco C, Redel C, Resetca D, Tamachi A, Tu WB, Penn LZ. MYC Deregulation in Primary Human Cancers. Genes (Basel) 2017; 8:genes8060151. [PMID: 28587062 PMCID: PMC5485515 DOI: 10.3390/genes8060151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 242] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2017] [Revised: 05/19/2017] [Accepted: 05/19/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
MYC regulates a complex biological program by transcriptionally activating and repressing its numerous target genes. As such, MYC is a master regulator of many processes, including cell cycle entry, ribosome biogenesis, and metabolism. In cancer, the activity of the MYC transcriptional network is frequently deregulated, contributing to the initiation and maintenance of disease. Deregulation often leads to constitutive overexpression of MYC, which can be achieved through gross genetic abnormalities, including copy number alterations, chromosomal translocations, increased enhancer activity, or through aberrant signal transduction leading to increased MYC transcription or increased MYC mRNA and protein stability. Herein, we summarize the frequency and modes of MYC deregulation and describe both well-established and more recent findings in a variety of cancer types. Notably, these studies have highlighted that with an increased appreciation for the basic mechanisms deregulating MYC in cancer, new therapeutic vulnerabilities can be discovered and potentially exploited for the inhibition of this potent oncogene in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manpreet Kalkat
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada.
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 2M9, Canada.
| | - Jason De Melo
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 2M9, Canada.
| | - Katherine Ashley Hickman
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada.
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON M4N 3M5, Canada.
| | - Corey Lourenco
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada.
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 2M9, Canada.
| | - Cornelia Redel
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada.
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 2M9, Canada.
| | - Diana Resetca
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada.
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 2M9, Canada.
| | - Aaliya Tamachi
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 2M9, Canada.
| | - William B Tu
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada.
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 2M9, Canada.
| | - Linda Z Penn
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada.
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 2M9, Canada.
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