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Espinoza KS, Snider AJ. Therapeutic Potential for Sphingolipids in Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Colorectal Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:789. [PMID: 38398179 PMCID: PMC10887199 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16040789] [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: 01/24/2024] [Revised: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), characterized by chronic inflammation in the intestinal tract, increases the risk for the development of colorectal cancer (CRC). Sphingolipids, which have been implicated in IBD and CRC, are a class of bioactive lipids that regulate cell signaling, differentiation, apoptosis, inflammation, and survival. The balance between ceramide (Cer), the central sphingolipid involved in apoptosis and differentiation, and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), a potent signaling molecule involved in proliferation and inflammation, is vital for the maintenance of normal cellular function. Altered sphingolipid metabolism has been implicated in IBD and CRC, with many studies highlighting the importance of S1P in inflammatory signaling and pro-survival pathways. A myriad of sphingolipid analogues, inhibitors, and modulators have been developed to target the sphingolipid metabolic pathway. In this review, the efficacy and therapeutic potential for modulation of sphingolipid metabolism in IBD and CRC will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keila S. Espinoza
- Department of Physiology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA;
| | - Ashley J. Snider
- School of Nutritional Sciences and Wellness, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
- University of Arizona Cancer Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
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Shi H, Tan Z, Duan B, Guo C, Li C, Luan T, Li N, Huang Y, Chen S, Gao J, Feng W, Xu H, Wang J, Fu S, Wang H. LASS2 enhances chemosensitivity to cisplatin by inhibiting PP2A-mediated β-catenin dephosphorylation in a subset of stem-like bladder cancer cells. BMC Med 2024; 22:19. [PMID: 38191448 PMCID: PMC10775422 DOI: 10.1186/s12916-023-03243-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The benefits of first-line, cisplatin-based chemotherapy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer are limited due to intrinsic or acquired resistance to cisplatin. Increasing evidence has revealed the implication of cancer stem cells in the development of chemoresistance. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain to be elucidated. This study investigates the role of LASS2, a ceramide synthase, in regulating Wnt/β-catenin signaling in a subset of stem-like bladder cancer cells and explores strategies to sensitize bladder cancer to cisplatin treatment. METHODS Data from cohorts of our center and published datasets were used to evaluate the clinical characteristics of LASS2. Flow cytometry was used to sort and analyze bladder cancer stem cells (BCSCs). Tumor sphere formation, soft agar colony formation assay, EdU assay, apoptosis analysis, cell viability, and cisplatin sensitivity assay were used to investigate the functional roles of LASS2. Immunofluorescence, immunoblotting, coimmunoprecipitation, LC-MS, PCR array, luciferase reporter assays, pathway reporter array, chromatin immunoprecipitation, gain-of-function, and loss-of-function approaches were used to investigate the underlying mechanisms. Cell- and patient-derived xenograft models were used to investigate the effect of LASS2 overexpression and a combination of XAV939 on cisplatin sensitization and tumor growth. RESULTS Patients with low expression of LASS2 have a poorer response to cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Loss of LASS2 confers a stem-like phenotype and contributes to cisplatin resistance. Overexpression of LASS2 results in inhibition of self-renewal ability of BCSCs and increased their sensitivity to cisplatin. Mechanistically, LASS2 inhibits PP2A activity and dissociates PP2A from β-catenin, preventing the dephosphorylation of β-catenin and leading to the accumulation of cytosolic phospho-β-catenin, which decreases the transcription of the downstream genes ABCC2 and CD44 in BCSCs. Overexpression of LASS2 combined with a tankyrase inhibitor (XAV939) synergistically inhibits tumor growth and restores cisplatin sensitivity. CONCLUSIONS Targeting the LASS2 and β-catenin pathways may be an effective strategy to overcome cisplatin resistance and inhibit tumor growth in bladder cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongjin Shi
- Department of Urology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
- Yunnan Clinical Medical Center of Urological Disease, Kunming, China
- Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Zhiyong Tan
- Department of Urology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
- Yunnan Clinical Medical Center of Urological Disease, Kunming, China
- Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Bowen Duan
- Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Chunming Guo
- School for Life Science, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
| | - Chong Li
- Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ting Luan
- Department of Urology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
- Yunnan Clinical Medical Center of Urological Disease, Kunming, China
| | - Ning Li
- Department of Urology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
- Yunnan Clinical Medical Center of Urological Disease, Kunming, China
| | - Yinglong Huang
- Department of Urology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
- Yunnan Clinical Medical Center of Urological Disease, Kunming, China
| | - Shi Chen
- Department of Urology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
- Yunnan Clinical Medical Center of Urological Disease, Kunming, China
- Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Jixian Gao
- Department of Urology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
- Yunnan Clinical Medical Center of Urological Disease, Kunming, China
- Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Wei Feng
- Department of Urology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
- Yunnan Clinical Medical Center of Urological Disease, Kunming, China
- Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Haole Xu
- Department of Urology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
- Yunnan Clinical Medical Center of Urological Disease, Kunming, China
- Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Jiansong Wang
- Department of Urology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
- Yunnan Clinical Medical Center of Urological Disease, Kunming, China
| | - Shi Fu
- Department of Urology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China.
- Yunnan Clinical Medical Center of Urological Disease, Kunming, China.
| | - Haifeng Wang
- Department of Urology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China.
- Yunnan Clinical Medical Center of Urological Disease, Kunming, China.
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Canals D, Hannun YA. Biological function, topology, and quantification of plasma membrane Ceramide. Adv Biol Regul 2024; 91:101009. [PMID: 38128364 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbior.2023.101009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Over the past 30 years, a growing body of evidence has revealed the regulatory role of the lipid ceramide in various cellular functions. The structural diversity of ceramide, resulting in numerous species, and its distinct distribution within subcellular compartments may account for its wide range of functions. However, our ability to study the potential role of ceramide in specific subcellular membranes has been limited. Several works have shown mitochondrial, Golgi, and plasma membrane ceramide to mediate signaling pathways independently. These results have started to shift the focus on ceramide signaling research toward specific membrane pools. Nonetheless, the challenge arises from the substantial intracellular ceramide content, hindering efforts to quantify its presence in particular membranes. Recently, we have developed the first method capable of detecting and quantifying ceramide in the plasma membrane, leading to unexpected results such as detecting different pools of ceramide responding to drug concentration or time. This review summarizes the historical context that defined the idea of pools of ceramide, the studies on plasma membrane ceramide as a bioactive entity, and the tools available for its study, especially the new method to detect and, for the first time, quantify plasma membrane ceramide. We believe this method will open new avenues for researching sphingolipid signaling and metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Canals
- Department of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA; Cancer Center, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA.
| | - Yusuf A Hannun
- Department of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA; Cancer Center, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA.
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Greene M, Hernandez-Corbacho MJ, Ostermeyer-Fay AG, Hannun YA, Canals D. A simple, highly sensitive, and facile method to quantify ceramide at the plasma membrane. J Lipid Res 2023; 64:100322. [PMID: 36549592 PMCID: PMC9853358 DOI: 10.1016/j.jlr.2022.100322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2022] [Revised: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The role of ceramide in biological functions is typically based on the elevation of cellular ceramide, measured by LC-MS in the total cell lysate. However, it has become increasingly appreciated that ceramide in different subcellular organelles regulates specific functions. In the plasma membrane, changes in ceramide levels might represent a small percentage of the total cellular ceramide, evading MS detection but playing a critical role in cell signaling. Importantly, there are currently no efficient techniques to quantify ceramide in the plasma membrane. Here, we developed a method to measure the mass of ceramide in the plasma membrane using a short protocol that is based on the hydrolysis of plasma membrane ceramide into sphingosine by the action of exogenously applied bacterial recombinant neutral ceramidase. Plasma membrane ceramide content can then be determined by measuring the newly generated sphingosine at a stoichiometry of 1:1. A key step of this protocol is the chemical fixation of cells to block cellular sphingolipid metabolism, especially of sphingosine to sphingosine 1-phosphate. We confirmed that chemical fixation does not disrupt the lipid composition at the plasma membrane, which remains intact during the time of the assay. We illustrate the power of the approach by applying this protocol to interrogate the effects of the chemotherapeutic compound doxorubicin. Here we distinguished two pools of ceramide, depending on the doxorubicin concentration, consolidating different reports. In summary, we have developed the first approach to quantify ceramide in the plasma membrane, allowing the study of new avenues in sphingolipid compartmentalization and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meaghan Greene
- Department of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | | | | | - Yusuf A Hannun
- Department of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA; Stony Brook Cancer Center, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA; Department of Biochemistry, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Daniel Canals
- Department of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA; Stony Brook Cancer Center, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA.
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Canals D, Clarke CJ. Compartmentalization of Sphingolipid metabolism: Implications for signaling and therapy. Pharmacol Ther 2021; 232:108005. [PMID: 34582834 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2021.108005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Revised: 09/13/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Sphingolipids (SLs) are a family of bioactive lipids implicated in a variety of cellular processes, and whose levels are controlled by an interlinked network of enzymes. While the spatial distribution of SL metabolism throughout the cell has been understood for some time, the implications of this for SL signaling and biological outcomes have only recently begun to be fully explored. In this review, we outline the compartmentalization of SL metabolism and describe advances in tools for investigating and probing compartment-specific SL functions. We also briefly discuss the implications of SL compartmentalization for cell signaling and therapeutic approaches to targeting the SL network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Canals
- Department of Medicine and the Cancer Center, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA.
| | - Christopher J Clarke
- Department of Medicine and the Cancer Center, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA.
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