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Casacuberta-Serra S, González-Larreategui Í, Capitán-Leo D, Soucek L. MYC and KRAS cooperation: from historical challenges to therapeutic opportunities in cancer. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2024; 9:205. [PMID: 39164274 PMCID: PMC11336233 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-024-01907-z] [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: 01/12/2024] [Revised: 06/05/2024] [Accepted: 06/24/2024] [Indexed: 08/22/2024] Open
Abstract
RAS and MYC rank amongst the most commonly altered oncogenes in cancer, with RAS being the most frequently mutated and MYC the most amplified. The cooperative interplay between RAS and MYC constitutes a complex and multifaceted phenomenon, profoundly influencing tumor development. Together and individually, these two oncogenes regulate most, if not all, hallmarks of cancer, including cell death escape, replicative immortality, tumor-associated angiogenesis, cell invasion and metastasis, metabolic adaptation, and immune evasion. Due to their frequent alteration and role in tumorigenesis, MYC and RAS emerge as highly appealing targets in cancer therapy. However, due to their complex nature, both oncogenes have been long considered "undruggable" and, until recently, no drugs directly targeting them had reached the clinic. This review aims to shed light on their complex partnership, with special attention to their active collaboration in fostering an immunosuppressive milieu and driving immunotherapeutic resistance in cancer. Within this review, we also present an update on the different inhibitors targeting RAS and MYC currently undergoing clinical trials, along with their clinical outcomes and the different combination strategies being explored to overcome drug resistance. This recent clinical development suggests a paradigm shift in the long-standing belief of RAS and MYC "undruggability", hinting at a new era in their therapeutic targeting.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Íñigo González-Larreategui
- Models of cancer therapies Laboratory, Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology, Cellex Centre, Hospital University Vall d'Hebron Campus, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Daniel Capitán-Leo
- Models of cancer therapies Laboratory, Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology, Cellex Centre, Hospital University Vall d'Hebron Campus, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Laura Soucek
- Peptomyc S.L., Barcelona, Spain.
- Models of cancer therapies Laboratory, Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology, Cellex Centre, Hospital University Vall d'Hebron Campus, Barcelona, Spain.
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, Barcelona, Spain.
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain.
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2
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Khaket TP, Rimal S, Wang X, Bhurtel S, Wu YC, Lu B. Ribosome stalling during c-myc translation presents actionable cancer cell vulnerability. PNAS NEXUS 2024; 3:pgae321. [PMID: 39161732 PMCID: PMC11330866 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2024] [Accepted: 07/14/2024] [Indexed: 08/21/2024]
Abstract
Myc is a major driver of tumor initiation, progression, and maintenance. Up-regulation of Myc protein level rather than acquisition of neomorphic properties appears to underlie most Myc-driven cancers. Cellular mechanisms governing Myc expression remain incompletely defined. In this study, we show that ribosome-associated quality control (RQC) plays a critical role in maintaining Myc protein level. Ribosomes stall during the synthesis of the N-terminal portion of cMyc, generating aberrant cMyc species and necessitating deployment of the early RQC factor ZNF598 to handle translational stress and restore cMyc translation. ZNF598 expression is up-regulated in human glioblastoma (GBM), and its expression positively correlates with that of cMyc. ZNF598 knockdown inhibits human GBM neurosphere formation in cell culture and Myc-dependent tumor growth in vivo in Drosophila. Intriguingly, the SARS-COV-2-encoded translational regulator Nsp1 impinges on ZNF598 to restrain cMyc translation and consequently cMyc-dependent cancer growth. Remarkably, Nsp1 exhibits synthetic toxicity with the translation and RQC-related factor ATP-binding cassette subfamily E member 1, which, despite its normally positive correlation with cMyc in cancer cells, is co-opted by Nsp1 to down-regulate cMyc and inhibit tumor growth. Ribosome stalling during c-myc translation thus offers actionable cancer cell vulnerability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tejinder Pal Khaket
- Department of Pathology and Programs in Neuroscience and Cancer Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Suman Rimal
- Department of Pathology and Programs in Neuroscience and Cancer Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Xingjun Wang
- Department of Pathology and Programs in Neuroscience and Cancer Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Sunil Bhurtel
- Department of Pathology and Programs in Neuroscience and Cancer Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Yen-Chi Wu
- Department of Pathology and Programs in Neuroscience and Cancer Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Bingwei Lu
- Department of Pathology and Programs in Neuroscience and Cancer Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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3
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Zhao C, Zhao F, Yang L, Wang Y, Wang H, Fang F, Zuo H, Li Z, He G, Zhan W, Ma X. Directly Suppressing MYC Function with Novel Alkynyl-Substituted Phenylpyrazole Derivatives that Induce Protein Degradation and Perturb MYC/MAX Interaction. J Med Chem 2024; 67:11751-11768. [PMID: 38989847 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.4c00272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/12/2024]
Abstract
Despite being a highly sought-after therapeutic target for human malignancies, myelocytomatosis viral oncogene homologue (MYC) has been considered intractable due to its intrinsically disordered nature, making the discovery of in vivo effective inhibitors that directly block its function challenging. Herein, we report structurally novel alkynyl-substituted phenylpyrazole derivatives directly perturbing MYC function. Among them, compound 37 exhibited superior antiproliferative activities to those of MYCi975 against multiple malignant cell lines. It induced dose-dependent MYC degradation in cells with degradation observed at the concentration as low as 1.0 μM. Meanwhile, its direct suppression of MYC function was confirmed by the capability to inhibit the binding of MYC/MYC-associated protein X (MAX) heterodimer to DNA consensus sequence, induce MYC thermal instability, and disturb MYC/MAX interaction. Moreover, 37 demonstrated enhanced therapeutic efficacy over MYCi975 in a mouse allograft model of prostate cancer. Overall, 37 deserves further development for exploring MYC-targeting cancer therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Can Zhao
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230012, China
| | - Fang Zhao
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230012, China
| | - Liuqing Yang
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230012, China
| | - Yang Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230012, China
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Anhui Academy of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230012, China
| | - Henian Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230012, China
| | - Fang Fang
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230012, China
| | - Haojie Zuo
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230012, China
| | - Zhi Li
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230012, China
| | - Ge He
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230012, China
| | - Wenhu Zhan
- iCarbonX (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd., Shenzhen 518000, China
| | - Xiaodong Ma
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230012, China
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Anhui Academy of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230012, China
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Research & Development of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230012, China
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Ghasemi N, Azizi H. Exploring Myc puzzle: Insights into cancer, stem cell biology, and PPI networks. Gene 2024; 916:148447. [PMID: 38583818 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2024.148447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Revised: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
"The grand orchestrator," "Universal Amplifier," "double-edged sword," and "Undruggable" are just some of the Myc oncogene so-called names. It has been around 40 years since the discovery of the Myc, and it remains in the mainstream of cancer treatment drugs. Myc is part of basic helix-loop-helix leucine zipper (bHLH-LZ) superfamily proteins, and its dysregulation can be seen in many malignant human tumors. It dysregulates critical pathways in cells that are connected to each other, such as proliferation, growth, cell cycle, and cell adhesion, impacts miRNAs action, intercellular metabolism, DNA replication, differentiation, microenvironment regulation, angiogenesis, and metastasis. Myc, surprisingly, is used in stem cell research too. Its family includes three members, MYC, MYCN, and MYCL, and each dysfunction was observed in different cancer types. This review aims to introduce Myc and its function in the body. Besides, Myc deregulatory mechanisms in cancer cells, their intricate aspects will be discussed. We will look at promising drugs and Myc-based therapies. Finally, Myc and its role in stemness, Myc pathways based on PPI network analysis, and future insights will be explained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nima Ghasemi
- Faculty of Biotechnology, Amol University of Special Modern Technologies, Amol, Iran
| | - Hossein Azizi
- Faculty of Biotechnology, Amol University of Special Modern Technologies, Amol, Iran.
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Shukla K, Idanwekhai K, Naradikian M, Ting S, Schoenberger SP, Brunk E. Machine Learning of Three-Dimensional Protein Structures to Predict the Functional Impacts of Genome Variation. J Chem Inf Model 2024; 64:5328-5343. [PMID: 38635316 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.3c01967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
Research in the human genome sciences generates a substantial amount of genetic data for hundreds of thousands of individuals, which concomitantly increases the number of variants of unknown significance (VUS). Bioinformatic analyses can successfully reveal rare variants and variants with clear associations with disease-related phenotypes. These studies have had a significant impact on how clinical genetic screens are interpreted and how patients are stratified for treatment. There are few, if any, computational methods for variants comparable to biological activity predictions. To address this gap, we developed a machine learning method that uses protein three-dimensional structures from AlphaFold to predict how a variant will influence changes to a gene's downstream biological pathways. We trained state-of-the-art machine learning classifiers to predict which protein regions will most likely impact transcriptional activities of two proto-oncogenes, nuclear factor erythroid 2 (NFE2L2)-related factor 2 (NRF2) and c-Myc. We have identified classifiers that attain accuracies higher than 80%, which have allowed us to identify a set of key protein regions that lead to significant perturbations in c-Myc or NRF2 transcriptional pathway activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kriti Shukla
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27516, United States
| | - Kelvin Idanwekhai
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27516, United States
- School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27516, United States
| | - Martin Naradikian
- La Jolla Institute for Immunology, San Diego, California 92093, United States
| | - Stephanie Ting
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27516, United States
- Computational Medicine Program, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27516, United States
| | | | - Elizabeth Brunk
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27516, United States
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27516, United States
- Integrative Program for Biological and Genome Sciences (IBGS), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27516, United States
- Computational Medicine Program, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27516, United States
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Hushmandi K, Saadat SH, Raei M, Daneshi S, Aref AR, Nabavi N, Taheriazam A, Hashemi M. Implications of c-Myc in the pathogenesis and treatment efficacy of urological cancers. Pathol Res Pract 2024; 259:155381. [PMID: 38833803 DOI: 10.1016/j.prp.2024.155381] [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: 02/20/2024] [Revised: 05/08/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024]
Abstract
Urological cancers, including prostate, bladder, and renal cancers, are significant causes of death and negatively impact the quality of life for patients. The development and progression of these cancers are linked to the dysregulation of molecular pathways. c-Myc, recognized as an oncogene, exhibits abnormal levels in various types of tumors, and current evidence supports the therapeutic targeting of c-Myc in cancer treatment. This review aims to elucidate the role of c-Myc in driving the progression of urological cancers. c-Myc functions to enhance tumorigenesis and has been documented to increase growth and metastasis in prostate, bladder, and renal cancers. Furthermore, the dysregulation of c-Myc can result in a diminished response to therapy in these cancers. Non-coding RNAs, β-catenin, and XIAP are among the regulators of c-Myc in urological cancers. Targeting and suppressing c-Myc therapeutically for the treatment of these cancers has been explored. Additionally, the expression level of c-Myc may serve as a prognostic factor in clinical settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiavash Hushmandi
- Nephrology and Urology Research Center, Clinical Sciences Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Seyed Hassan Saadat
- Nephrology and Urology Research Center, Clinical Sciences Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mehdi Raei
- Health Research Center, Life Style Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Health, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Salman Daneshi
- Department of Public Health,School of Health,Jiroft University Of Medical Sciences, Jiroft, Iran
| | - Amir Reza Aref
- Department of Translational Sciences, Xsphera Biosciences Inc. Boston, MA, USA; Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Noushin Nabavi
- Department of Urologic Sciences and Vancouver Prostate Centre, University of British Columbia, V6H3Z6, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Afshin Taheriazam
- Farhikhtegan Medical Convergence Sciences Research Center, Farhikhtegan Hospital Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran; Department of Orthopedics, Faculty of Medicine, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Mehrdad Hashemi
- Farhikhtegan Medical Convergence Sciences Research Center, Farhikhtegan Hospital Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran; Department of Genetics, Faculty of Advanced Science and Technology, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
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7
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Sun T, Golestani R, Zhan H, Krishnamurti U, Harigopal M, Zhong M, Liang Y. Clinicopathologic Characteristics of MYC Copy Number Amplification in Breast Cancer. Int J Surg Pathol 2024:10668969241256109. [PMID: 38839260 DOI: 10.1177/10668969241256109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2024]
Abstract
Introduction. MYC overexpression is a known phenomenon in breast cancer. This study investigates the correlation of MYC gene copy number amplification and MYC protein overexpression with coexisting genetic abnormalities and associated clinicopathologic features in breast cancer patients. Methods. The study analyzed data from 81 patients with localized or metastatic breast cancers using targeted next-generation sequencing and MYC immunohistochemical studies, along with pathological and clinical data. Results. Applying the criteria of MYC/chromosome 8 ratio ≥5, MYC copy number amplified tumors (n = 11, 14%) were associated with invasive ductal carcinoma (91% vs 68%, P = .048), poorly differentiated (grade 3, 64% vs 30%, P = .032), mitotically active (Nottingham mitotic score 3, 71% vs 20%, P = .004), estrogen receptor (ER)-negative (45% vs 12%, P = .008), and triple-negative (56% vs 12%, P = .013) compared to MYC non-amplified tumors. Among MYC-amplified breast cancer patients, those with triple-negative status showed significantly shorter disease-free survival time than non-triple negative MYC-amplified patients (median survival month: 25.5 vs 127.6, P = .049). MYC amplification is significantly associated with TP53 mutation (P = .007). The majority (10 of 11; 91%) of MYC-amplified tumors showed positive c-MYC immunostaining. Conclusion. Breast cancers with MYC copy number amplication display distinct clinicopathologic characteristics indicative of more aggressive behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tong Sun
- Department of Pathology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Reza Golestani
- Department of Pathology, Cayuga Medical Center, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Haiying Zhan
- Department of Pathology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Uma Krishnamurti
- Department of Pathology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Malini Harigopal
- Department of Pathology, The Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, NY, USA
| | - Minghao Zhong
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Yuanxin Liang
- Department of Pathology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
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8
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Trejo-Solís C, Castillo-Rodríguez RA, Serrano-García N, Silva-Adaya D, Vargas-Cruz S, Chávez-Cortéz EG, Gallardo-Pérez JC, Zavala-Vega S, Cruz-Salgado A, Magaña-Maldonado R. Metabolic Roles of HIF1, c-Myc, and p53 in Glioma Cells. Metabolites 2024; 14:249. [PMID: 38786726 PMCID: PMC11122955 DOI: 10.3390/metabo14050249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2024] [Revised: 04/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/20/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
The metabolic reprogramming that promotes tumorigenesis in glioblastoma is induced by dynamic alterations in the hypoxic tumor microenvironment, as well as in transcriptional and signaling networks, which result in changes in global genetic expression. The signaling pathways PI3K/AKT/mTOR and RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK stimulate cell metabolism, either directly or indirectly, by modulating the transcriptional factors p53, HIF1, and c-Myc. The overexpression of HIF1 and c-Myc, master regulators of cellular metabolism, is a key contributor to the synthesis of bioenergetic molecules that mediate glioma cell transformation, proliferation, survival, migration, and invasion by modifying the transcription levels of key gene groups involved in metabolism. Meanwhile, the tumor-suppressing protein p53, which negatively regulates HIF1 and c-Myc, is often lost in glioblastoma. Alterations in this triad of transcriptional factors induce a metabolic shift in glioma cells that allows them to adapt and survive changes such as mutations, hypoxia, acidosis, the presence of reactive oxygen species, and nutrient deprivation, by modulating the activity and expression of signaling molecules, enzymes, metabolites, transporters, and regulators involved in glycolysis and glutamine metabolism, the pentose phosphate cycle, the tricarboxylic acid cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation, as well as the synthesis and degradation of fatty acids and nucleic acids. This review summarizes our current knowledge on the role of HIF1, c-Myc, and p53 in the genic regulatory network for metabolism in glioma cells, as well as potential therapeutic inhibitors of these factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Trejo-Solís
- Laboratorio Experimental de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas, Departamento de Neurofisiología, Laboratorio Clínico y Banco de Sangre y Laboratorio de Reprogramación Celular, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía, Ciudad de Mexico 14269, Mexico; (N.S.-G.); (D.S.-A.); (S.Z.-V.)
| | | | - Norma Serrano-García
- Laboratorio Experimental de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas, Departamento de Neurofisiología, Laboratorio Clínico y Banco de Sangre y Laboratorio de Reprogramación Celular, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía, Ciudad de Mexico 14269, Mexico; (N.S.-G.); (D.S.-A.); (S.Z.-V.)
| | - Daniela Silva-Adaya
- Laboratorio Experimental de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas, Departamento de Neurofisiología, Laboratorio Clínico y Banco de Sangre y Laboratorio de Reprogramación Celular, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía, Ciudad de Mexico 14269, Mexico; (N.S.-G.); (D.S.-A.); (S.Z.-V.)
- Centro de Investigación Sobre el Envejecimiento, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados (CIE-CINVESTAV), Ciudad de Mexico 14330, Mexico
| | - Salvador Vargas-Cruz
- Departamento de Cirugía, Hospital Ángeles del Pedregal, Camino a Sta. Teresa, Ciudad de Mexico 10700, Mexico;
| | | | - Juan Carlos Gallardo-Pérez
- Departamento de Fisiopatología Cardio-Renal, Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología, Ciudad de Mexico 14080, Mexico;
| | - Sergio Zavala-Vega
- Laboratorio Experimental de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas, Departamento de Neurofisiología, Laboratorio Clínico y Banco de Sangre y Laboratorio de Reprogramación Celular, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía, Ciudad de Mexico 14269, Mexico; (N.S.-G.); (D.S.-A.); (S.Z.-V.)
| | - Arturo Cruz-Salgado
- Centro de Investigación Sobre Enfermedades Infecciosas, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Cuernavaca 62100, Mexico;
| | - Roxana Magaña-Maldonado
- Laboratorio Experimental de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas, Departamento de Neurofisiología, Laboratorio Clínico y Banco de Sangre y Laboratorio de Reprogramación Celular, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía, Ciudad de Mexico 14269, Mexico; (N.S.-G.); (D.S.-A.); (S.Z.-V.)
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Richl T, Kuper J, Kisker C. G-quadruplex-mediated genomic instability drives SNVs in cancer. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:2198-2211. [PMID: 38407356 PMCID: PMC10954472 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkae098] [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: 05/17/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024] Open
Abstract
G-quadruplex (G4s) DNA structures have been implicated in inducing genomic instability and contributing to cancer development. However, the relationship between G4s and cancer-related single nucleotide variants (cSNVs) in clinical settings remains unclear. In this large-scale study, we integrated experimentally validated G4s with genomic cSNVs from 13480 cancer patients to investigate the spatial association of G4s with the cellular cSNV landscape. Our findings demonstrate an increase in local genomic instability with increasing local G4 content in cancer patients, suggesting a potential role for G4s in driving cSNVs. Notably, we observed distinct spatial patterns of cSNVs and common single nucleotide variants (dbSNVs) in relation to G4s, implying different mechanisms for their generation and accumulation. We further demonstrate large, cancer-specific differences in the relationship of G4s and cSNVs, which could have important implications for a new class of G4-stabilizing cancer therapeutics. Moreover, we show that high G4-content can serve as a prognostic marker for local cSNV density and patient survival rates. Our findings underscore the importance of considering G4s in cancer research and highlight the need for further investigation into the underlying molecular mechanisms of G4-mediated genomic instability, especially in the context of cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tilmann Richl
- Rudolf Virchow Center for Integrative and Translational Bioimaging, University of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg 97080, Germany
| | - Jochen Kuper
- Rudolf Virchow Center for Integrative and Translational Bioimaging, University of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg 97080, Germany
| | - Caroline Kisker
- Rudolf Virchow Center for Integrative and Translational Bioimaging, University of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg 97080, Germany
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10
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Wang T, Liu L, Fang J, Jin H, Natarajan S, Sheppard H, Lu M, Turner G, Confer T, Johnson M, Steinberg J, Ha L, Yadak N, Jain R, Picketts DJ, Ma X, Murphy A, Davidoff AM, Glazer ES, Easton J, Chen X, Wang R, Yang J. Conditional c-MYC activation in catecholaminergic cells drives distinct neuroendocrine tumors: neuroblastoma vs somatostatinoma. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.12.584622. [PMID: 38559042 PMCID: PMC10980015 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.12.584622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
The MYC proto-oncogenes (c-MYC, MYCN , MYCL ) are among the most deregulated oncogenic drivers in human malignancies including high-risk neuroblastoma, 50% of which are MYCN -amplified. Genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs) based on the MYCN transgene have greatly expanded the understanding of neuroblastoma biology and are powerful tools for testing new therapies. However, a lack of c-MYC-driven GEMMs has hampered the ability to better understand mechanisms of neuroblastoma oncogenesis and therapy development given that c-MYC is also an important driver of many high-risk neuroblastomas. In this study, we report two transgenic murine neuroendocrine models driven by conditional c-MYC induction in tyrosine hydroxylase (Th) and dopamine β-hydroxylase (Dbh)-expressing cells. c-MYC induction in Th-expressing cells leads to a preponderance of Pdx1 + somatostatinomas, a type of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (PNET), resembling human somatostatinoma with highly expressed gene signatures of δ cells and potassium channels. In contrast, c-MYC induction in Dbh-expressing cells leads to onset of neuroblastomas, showing a better transforming capacity than MYCN in a comparable C57BL/6 genetic background. The c-MYC murine neuroblastoma tumors recapitulate the pathologic and genetic features of human neuroblastoma, express GD2, and respond to anti-GD2 immunotherapy. This model also responds to DFMO, an FDA-approved inhibitor targeting ODC1, which is a known MYC transcriptional target. Thus, establishing c-MYC-overexpressing GEMMs resulted in different but related tumor types depending on the targeted cell and provide useful tools for testing immunotherapies and targeted therapies for these diseases.
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11
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Suzuki A, Uranishi K, Nishimoto M, Mizuno Y, Mizuno S, Takahashi S, Eisenman RN, Okuda A. MAX controls meiotic entry in sexually undifferentiated germ cells. Sci Rep 2024; 14:5236. [PMID: 38433229 PMCID: PMC10909893 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-55506-7] [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: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/24/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Meiosis is a specialized type of cell division that occurs physiologically only in germ cells. We previously demonstrated that MYC-associated factor X (MAX) blocks the ectopic onset of meiosis in embryonic and germline stem cells in culture systems. Here, we investigated the Max gene's role in mouse primordial germ cells. Although Max is generally ubiquitously expressed, we revealed that sexually undifferentiated male and female germ cells had abundant MAX protein because of their higher Max gene expression than somatic cells. Moreover, our data revealed that this high MAX protein level in female germ cells declined significantly around physiological meiotic onset. Max disruption in sexually undifferentiated germ cells led to ectopic and precocious expression of meiosis-related genes, including Meiosin, the gatekeeper of meiotic onset, in both male and female germ cells. However, Max-null male and female germ cells did not complete the entire meiotic process, but stalled during its early stages and were eventually eliminated by apoptosis. Additionally, our meta-analyses identified a regulatory region that supports the high Max expression in sexually undifferentiated male and female germ cells. These results indicate the strong connection between the Max gene and physiological onset of meiosis in vivo through dynamic alteration of its expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayumu Suzuki
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, Research Center for Genomic Medicine, Saitama Medical University, 1397-1 Yamane, Hidaka, Saitama, 350-1241, Japan
| | - Kousuke Uranishi
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, Research Center for Genomic Medicine, Saitama Medical University, 1397-1 Yamane, Hidaka, Saitama, 350-1241, Japan
| | - Masazumi Nishimoto
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, Research Center for Genomic Medicine, Saitama Medical University, 1397-1 Yamane, Hidaka, Saitama, 350-1241, Japan
| | - Yosuke Mizuno
- Division of Morphological Science, Biomedical Research Center, Saitama Medical University, 38 Morohongo, Moroyama, Iruma-gun, Saitama, 350-0495, Japan
| | - Seiya Mizuno
- Laboratory Animal Resource Center, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan
| | - Satoru Takahashi
- Laboratory Animal Resource Center, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan
| | - Robert N Eisenman
- Division of Basic Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA
| | - Akihiko Okuda
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, Research Center for Genomic Medicine, Saitama Medical University, 1397-1 Yamane, Hidaka, Saitama, 350-1241, Japan.
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12
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Liao M, Yao D, Wu L, Luo C, Wang Z, Zhang J, Liu B. Targeting the Warburg effect: A revisited perspective from molecular mechanisms to traditional and innovative therapeutic strategies in cancer. Acta Pharm Sin B 2024; 14:953-1008. [PMID: 38487001 PMCID: PMC10935242 DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2023.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Revised: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancer reprogramming is an important facilitator of cancer development and survival, with tumor cells exhibiting a preference for aerobic glycolysis beyond oxidative phosphorylation, even under sufficient oxygen supply condition. This metabolic alteration, known as the Warburg effect, serves as a significant indicator of malignant tumor transformation. The Warburg effect primarily impacts cancer occurrence by influencing the aerobic glycolysis pathway in cancer cells. Key enzymes involved in this process include glucose transporters (GLUTs), HKs, PFKs, LDHs, and PKM2. Moreover, the expression of transcriptional regulatory factors and proteins, such as FOXM1, p53, NF-κB, HIF1α, and c-Myc, can also influence cancer progression. Furthermore, lncRNAs, miRNAs, and circular RNAs play a vital role in directly regulating the Warburg effect. Additionally, gene mutations, tumor microenvironment remodeling, and immune system interactions are closely associated with the Warburg effect. Notably, the development of drugs targeting the Warburg effect has exhibited promising potential in tumor treatment. This comprehensive review presents novel directions and approaches for the early diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients by conducting in-depth research and summarizing the bright prospects of targeting the Warburg effect in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minru Liao
- Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Dahong Yao
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shenzhen Technology University, Shenzhen 518118, China
| | - Lifeng Wu
- Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Chaodan Luo
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Zhiwen Wang
- Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shenzhen Technology University, Shenzhen 518118, China
- School of Pharmacy, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Jin Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Bo Liu
- Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
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13
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Portillo-Ledesma S, Chung S, Hoffman J, Schlick T. Regulation of chromatin architecture by transcription factor binding. eLife 2024; 12:RP91320. [PMID: 38241351 PMCID: PMC10945602 DOI: 10.7554/elife.91320] [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] [Indexed: 01/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Transcription factors (TF) bind to chromatin and regulate the expression of genes. The pair Myc:Max binds to E-box regulatory DNA elements throughout the genome to control the transcription of a large group of specific genes. We introduce an implicit modeling protocol for Myc:Max binding to mesoscale chromatin fibers at nucleosome resolution to determine TF effect on chromatin architecture and shed light into its mechanism of gene regulation. We first bind Myc:Max to different chromatin locations and show how it can direct fiber folding and formation of microdomains, and how this depends on the linker DNA length. Second, by simulating increasing concentrations of Myc:Max binding to fibers that differ in the DNA linker length, linker histone density, and acetylation levels, we assess the interplay between Myc:Max and other chromatin internal parameters. Third, we study the mechanism of gene silencing by Myc:Max binding to the Eed gene loci. Overall, our results show how chromatin architecture can be regulated by TF binding. The position of TF binding dictates the formation of microdomains that appear visible only at the ensemble level. At the same time, the level of linker histone and tail acetylation, or different linker DNA lengths, regulates the concentration-dependent effect of TF binding. Furthermore, we show how TF binding can repress gene expression by increasing fiber folding motifs that help compact and occlude the promoter region. Importantly, this effect can be reversed by increasing linker histone density. Overall, these results shed light on the epigenetic control of the genome dictated by TF binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Portillo-Ledesma
- Department of Chemistry, 100 Washington Square East, Silver Building, New York UniversityNew YorkUnited States
- Simons Center for Computational Physical Chemistry, 24 Waverly Place, Silver Building, New York UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | - Suckwoo Chung
- Department of Chemistry, 100 Washington Square East, Silver Building, New York UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | - Jill Hoffman
- Department of Chemistry, 100 Washington Square East, Silver Building, New York UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | - Tamar Schlick
- Department of Chemistry, 100 Washington Square East, Silver Building, New York UniversityNew YorkUnited States
- Simons Center for Computational Physical Chemistry, 24 Waverly Place, Silver Building, New York UniversityNew YorkUnited States
- Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York UniversityNew YorkUnited States
- New York University-East China Normal University Center for Computational Chemistry, New York University ShanghaiShanghaiChina
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14
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Li Z, Huang Y, Hung TI, Sun J, Aispuro D, Chen B, Guevara N, Ji F, Cong X, Zhu L, Wang S, Guo Z, Chang CE, Xue M. MYC-Targeting Inhibitors Generated from a Stereodiversified Bicyclic Peptide Library. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:1356-1363. [PMID: 38170904 PMCID: PMC10797614 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c09615] [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: 09/02/2023] [Revised: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Here, we present the second generation of our bicyclic peptide library (NTB), featuring a stereodiversified structure and a simplified construction strategy. We utilized a tandem ring-opening metathesis and ring-closing metathesis reaction (ROM-RCM) to cyclize the linear peptide library in a single step, representing the first reported instance of this reaction being applied to the preparation of macrocyclic peptides. Moreover, the resulting bicyclic peptide can be easily linearized for MS/MS sequencing with a one-step deallylation process. We employed this library to screen against the E363-R378 epitope of MYC and identified several MYC-targeting bicyclic peptides. Subsequent in vitro cell studies demonstrated that one candidate, NT-B2R, effectively suppressed MYC transcription activities and cell proliferation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhonghan Li
- Department
of Chemistry, University of California,
Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Yi Huang
- Department
of Chemistry, University of California,
Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Ta I Hung
- Department
of Chemistry, University of California,
Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Jianan Sun
- Environmental
Toxicology Graduate Program, University
of California, Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Desiree Aispuro
- Environmental
Toxicology Graduate Program, University
of California, Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Boxi Chen
- Department
of Chemistry, University of California,
Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Nathan Guevara
- Department
of Chemistry, University of California,
Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Fei Ji
- Department
of Chemistry, University of California,
Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Xu Cong
- Department
of Chemistry, University of California,
Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Lingchao Zhu
- Department
of Chemistry, University of California,
Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Siwen Wang
- Environmental
Toxicology Graduate Program, University
of California, Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Zhili Guo
- Department
of Chemistry, University of California,
Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Chia-en Chang
- Department
of Chemistry, University of California,
Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States
- Environmental
Toxicology Graduate Program, University
of California, Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Min Xue
- Department
of Chemistry, University of California,
Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States
- Environmental
Toxicology Graduate Program, University
of California, Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States
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15
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Salib A, Jayatilleke N, Seneviratne JA, Mayoh C, De Preter K, Speleman F, Cheung BB, Carter DR, Marshall GM. MYCN and SNRPD3 cooperate to maintain a balance of alternative splicing events that drives neuroblastoma progression. Oncogene 2024; 43:363-377. [PMID: 38049564 PMCID: PMC10824661 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-023-02897-y] [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: 11/17/2022] [Revised: 11/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023]
Abstract
Many of the pro-tumorigenic functions of the oncogene MYCN are attributed to its regulation of global gene expression programs. Alternative splicing is another important regulator of gene expression and has been implicated in neuroblastoma development, however, the molecular mechanisms remain unknown. We found that MYCN up-regulated the expression of the core spliceosomal protein, SNRPD3, in models of neuroblastoma initiation and progression. High mRNA expression of SNRPD3 in human neuroblastoma tissues was a strong, independent prognostic factor for poor patient outcome. Repression of SNRPD3 expression correlated with loss of colony formation in vitro and reduced tumorigenicity in vivo. The effect of SNRPD3 on cell viability was in part dependent on MYCN as an oncogenic co-factor. RNA-sequencing revealed a global increase in the number of genes being differentially spliced when MYCN was overexpressed. Surprisingly, depletion of SNRPD3 in the presence of overexpressed MYCN further increased differential splicing, particularly of cell cycle regulators, such as BIRC5 and CDK10. MYCN directly bound SNRPD3, and the protein arginine methyltransferase, PRMT5, consequently increasing SNRPD3 methylation. Indeed, the PRMT5 inhibitor, JNJ-64619178, reduced cell viability and SNRPD3 methylation in neuroblastoma cells with high SNRPD3 and MYCN expression. Our findings demonstrate a functional relationship between MYCN and SNRPD3, which maintains the fidelity of MYCN-driven alternative splicing in the narrow range required for neuroblastoma cell growth. SNRPD3 methylation and its protein-protein interface with MYCN represent novel therapeutic targets. Hypothetical model for SNRPD3 as a co-factor for MYCN oncogenesis. SNRPD3 and MYCN participate in a regulatory loop to balance splicing fidelity in neuroblastoma cells. First MYCN transactivates SNRPD3 to lead to high-level expression. Second, SNRPD3 and MYCN form a protein complex involving PRMT5. Third, this leads to balanced alterative splicing (AS) activitiy that is favorable to neuroblastoma. Together this forms as a therapeutic vulnerability where SNRPD3 perturbation or PRMT5 inhibitors are selectively toxic to neuroblastoma by conditionally disturbing splicing activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Salib
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, 2052, Australia
- School of Women's and Children's Health, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Nisitha Jayatilleke
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Janith A Seneviratne
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Chelsea Mayoh
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, 2052, Australia
- School of Women's and Children's Health, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Katleen De Preter
- Center for Medical Genetics (CMGG), Ghent University, Medical Research Building (MRB1), Ghent, Belgium
| | - Frank Speleman
- Center for Medical Genetics (CMGG), Ghent University, Medical Research Building (MRB1), Ghent, Belgium
| | - Belamy B Cheung
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, 2052, Australia
- School of Women's and Children's Health, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Daniel R Carter
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, 2052, Australia.
- School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, 2007, Australia.
| | - Glenn M Marshall
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, 2052, Australia.
- Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick, NSW, 2031, Australia.
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16
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Lee HC, Chao HT, Lee SYH, Lin CY, Tsai HJ. The Upstream 1350~1250 Nucleotide Sequences of the Human ENDOU-1 Gene Contain Critical Cis-Elements Responsible for Upregulating Its Transcription during ER Stress. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:17393. [PMID: 38139221 PMCID: PMC10744159 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242417393] [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: 10/25/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
ENDOU-1 encodes an endoribonuclease that overcomes the inhibitory upstream open reading frame (uORF)-trap at 5'-untranslated region (UTR) of the CHOP transcript, allowing the downstream coding sequence of CHOP be translated during endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. However, transcriptional control of ENDOU-1 remains enigmatic. To address this, we cloned an upstream 2.1 kb (-2055~+77 bp) of human ENDOU-1 (pE2.1p) fused with reporter luciferase (luc) cDNA. The promoter strength driven by pE2.1p was significantly upregulated in both pE2.1p-transfected cells and pE2.1p-injected zebrafish embryos treated with stress inducers. Comparing the luc activities driven by pE2.1p and -1125~+77 (pE1.2p) segments, we revealed that cis-elements located at the -2055~-1125 segment might play a critical role in ENDOU-1 upregulation during ER stress. Since bioinformatics analysis predicted many cis-elements clustered at the -1850~-1250, we further deconstructed this segment to generate pE2.1p-based derivatives lacking -1850~-1750, -1749~-1650, -1649~-1486, -1485~-1350 or -1350~-1250 segments. Quantification of promoter activities driven by these five internal deletion plasmids suggested a repressor binding element within the -1649~-1486 and an activator binding element within the -1350~-1250. Since luc activities driven by the -1649~-1486 were not significantly different between normal and stress conditions, we herein propose that the stress-inducible activator bound at the -1350~-1250 segment makes a major contribution to the increased expression of human ENDOU-1 upon ER stresses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hung-Chieh Lee
- Department of Life Science, Fu-Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City 242062, Taiwan
| | - Hsuan-Te Chao
- Department of Life Science, Fu-Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City 242062, Taiwan
| | - Selina Yi-Hsuan Lee
- Faculty of Sciences and Engineering, Maastricht University, 6211 LK Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Cheng-Yung Lin
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Mackay Medical College, New Taipei City 25245, Taiwan
| | - Huai-Jen Tsai
- Department of Life Science, Fu-Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City 242062, Taiwan
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17
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Portillo-Ledesma S, Chung S, Hoffman J, Schlick T. Regulation of Chromatin Architecture by Transcription Factor Binding. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.26.559535. [PMID: 37808867 PMCID: PMC10557667 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.26.559535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
Transcription factors (TF) bind to chromatin and regulate the expression of genes. The pair Myc:Max binds to E-box regulatory DNA elements throughout the genome, controlling transcription of a large group of specific genes. We introduce an implicit modeling protocol for Myc:Max binding to mesoscale chromatin fibers to determine TF effect on chromatin architecture and shed light on its mechanism of gene regulation. We first bind Myc:Max to different chromatin locations and show how it can direct fiber folding and formation of microdomains, and how this depends on the linker DNA length. Second, by simulating increasing concentrations of Myc:Max binding to fibers that differ in the DNA linker length, linker histone density, and acetylation levels, we assess the interplay between Myc:Max and other chromatin internal parameters. Third, we study the mechanism of gene silencing by Myc:Max binding to the Eed gene loci. Overall, our results show how chromatin architecture can be regulated by TF binding. The position of TF binding dictates the formation of microdomains that appear visible only at the ensemble level. On the other hand, the presence of linker histone, acetylations, or different linker DNA lengths regulates the concentration-dependent effect of TF binding. Furthermore, we show how TF binding can repress gene expression by increasing fiber folding motifs that help compact and occlude the promoter region. Importantly, this effect can be reversed by increasing linker histone density. Overall, these results shed light on the epigenetic control of the genome dictated by TF binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Portillo-Ledesma
- Department of Chemistry, 100 Washington Square East, Silver Building, New York University, New York, NY 10003 U.S.A
- Simons Center for Computational Physical Chemistry, 24 Waverly Place, Silver Building, New York University, New York, NY 10003 U.S.A
| | - Suckwoo Chung
- Department of Chemistry, 100 Washington Square East, Silver Building, New York University, New York, NY 10003 U.S.A
| | - Jill Hoffman
- Department of Chemistry, 100 Washington Square East, Silver Building, New York University, New York, NY 10003 U.S.A
| | - Tamar Schlick
- Department of Chemistry, 100 Washington Square East, Silver Building, New York University, New York, NY 10003 U.S.A
- Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University, 251 Mercer St., New York, NY 10012 U.S.A
- New York University-East China Normal University Center for Computational Chemistry, New York University Shanghai, Shanghai 200122 China
- Simons Center for Computational Physical Chemistry, 24 Waverly Place, Silver Building, New York University, New York, NY 10003 U.S.A
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18
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Malvi P, Chava S, Cai G, Hu K, Zhu LJ, Edwards YJK, Green MR, Gupta R, Wajapeyee N. HOXC6 drives a therapeutically targetable pancreatic cancer growth and metastasis pathway by regulating MSK1 and PPP2R2B. Cell Rep Med 2023; 4:101285. [PMID: 37951219 PMCID: PMC10694669 DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2023.101285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 11/13/2023]
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the deadliest cancers, which lacks effective therapies. Here, we demonstrate that the transcription factor, homeobox C6 (HOXC6), is overexpressed in most PDACs, and its inhibition blocks PDAC tumor growth and metastasis. HOXC6 transcriptionally activates tumor-promoting kinase MSK1 and suppresses tumor-inhibitory protein PPP2R2B in PDAC. HOXC6-induced PPP2R2B suppression causes mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway activation, which facilitates PDAC growth. Also, MSK1 upregulation by HOXC6 is necessary for PDAC growth because of its ability to suppress apoptosis via its substrate DDX17. Combinatorial pharmacological inhibition of MSK1 and mTOR potently suppressed PDAC tumor growth and metastasis in PDAC mouse models. PDAC cells with acquired resistance to MSK1/mTOR-inhibitors displayed activated insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R) signaling and were successfully eradicated by IGF1R inhibitor. Furthermore, MEK inhibitor trametinib enhanced the efficacy of dual MSK1 and mTOR inhibition. Collectively, these results identify therapeutic vulnerabilities of PDAC and an approach to overcome acquired drug resistance to prolong therapeutic benefit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parmanand Malvi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA
| | - Suresh Chava
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA
| | - Guoping Cai
- Department of Pathology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Kai Hu
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Lihua Julie Zhu
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA; Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA; Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Yvonne J K Edwards
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA
| | - Michael R Green
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Romi Gupta
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA; O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA.
| | - Narendra Wajapeyee
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA; O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA.
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19
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Pandkar MR, Sinha S, Samaiya A, Shukla S. Oncometabolite lactate enhances breast cancer progression by orchestrating histone lactylation-dependent c-Myc expression. Transl Oncol 2023; 37:101758. [PMID: 37572497 PMCID: PMC10425713 DOI: 10.1016/j.tranon.2023.101758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Revised: 07/22/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Due to the enhanced glycolytic rate, cancer cells generate lactate copiously, subsequently promoting the lactylation of histones. While previous studies have explored the impact of histone lactylation in modulating gene expression, the precise role of this epigenetic modification in regulating oncogenes is largely unchartered. In this study, using breast cancer cell lines and their mutants exhibiting lactate-deficient metabolome, we have identified that an enhanced rate of aerobic glycolysis supports c-Myc expression via promoter-level histone lactylation. Interestingly, c-Myc further transcriptionally upregulates serine/arginine splicing factor 10 (SRSF10) to drive alternative splicing of MDM4 and Bcl-x in breast cancer cells. Moreover, our results reveal that restricting the activity of critical glycolytic enzymes affects the c-Myc-SRSF10 axis to subside the proliferation of breast cancer cells. Our findings provide novel insights into the mechanisms by which aerobic glycolysis influences alternative splicing processes that collectively contribute to breast tumorigenesis. Furthermore, we also envisage that chemotherapeutic interventions attenuating glycolytic rate can restrict breast cancer progression by impeding the c-Myc-SRSF10 axis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madhura R Pandkar
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh 462066, India. https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/MadhuraPandkar
| | - Sommya Sinha
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh 462066, India. https://twitter.com/https://twitter.com/sinha_sommya
| | - Atul Samaiya
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Bansal Hospital, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh 462016, India
| | - Sanjeev Shukla
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh 462066, India.
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20
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Jha RK, Kouzine F, Levens D. MYC function and regulation in physiological perspective. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1268275. [PMID: 37941901 PMCID: PMC10627926 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1268275] [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: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023] Open
Abstract
MYC, a key member of the Myc-proto-oncogene family, is a universal transcription amplifier that regulates almost every physiological process in a cell including cell cycle, proliferation, metabolism, differentiation, and apoptosis. MYC interacts with several cofactors, chromatin modifiers, and regulators to direct gene expression. MYC levels are tightly regulated, and deregulation of MYC has been associated with numerous diseases including cancer. Understanding the comprehensive biology of MYC under physiological conditions is an utmost necessity to demark biological functions of MYC from its pathological functions. Here we review the recent advances in biological mechanisms, functions, and regulation of MYC. We also emphasize the role of MYC as a global transcription amplifier.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - David Levens
- Gene Regulation Section, Laboratory of Pathology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute (NCI), Bethesda, MD, United States
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21
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Li J, Wang H, Chen L, Zhong J, Wang J, Xiao J. Ischemia-reperfusion injury in human AC16 cardiomyocytes is modulated by AXIN1 depending on c-Myc regulation. Ann Med Surg (Lond) 2023; 85:4844-4850. [PMID: 37811065 PMCID: PMC10553099 DOI: 10.1097/ms9.0000000000001139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective A major consequence of acute myocardial infarction is myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. Collecting proof demonstrates that AXIN1 assume a basic part in different disease; however, the role of AXIN1 in I/R injury remains to a great extent obscure. Methods The I/R injury model on AC16 cells was constructed. siRNA transfection was used to knockdown AXIN1. The qRT-PCR assays and western blot assays were used to detect the expression level of AXIN1 and other key proteins. CCK-8 assays and cell apoptosis assays were used to detect cell proliferation and cell apoptosis. Results AXIN1 was significantly overexpressed in an in vitro model of I/R injury. Knockdown of AXIN1 significantly restored the cell proliferation inhibition caused by IR injury, while inhibiting apoptosis and inflammation. Further mechanistic studies revealed that the transcription factor c-Myc could regulate the expression of AXIN1. The effects of I/R injury on AC16 cells after overexpression of c-Myc were reversed by knockdown of AXIN1. Meanwhile, AXIN1 could regulate the SIRT1/p53/Nrf 2 pathway. Conclusion Our results show an important role for AXIN1 and provide new targets for avoiding and treating I/R injury.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Jun Xiao
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Chongqing University Center Hospital, Chongqing, People’s Republic of China
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22
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Zhu K, Xia Y, Tian X, He Y, Zhou J, Han R, Guo H, Song T, Chen L, Tian X. Characterization and therapeutic perspectives of differentiation-inducing therapy in malignant tumors. Front Genet 2023; 14:1271381. [PMID: 37745860 PMCID: PMC10514561 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1271381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer is a major public health issue globally and is one of the leading causes of death. Although available treatments improve the survival rate of some cases, many advanced tumors are insensitive to these treatments. Cancer cell differentiation reverts the malignant phenotype to its original state and may even induce differentiation into cell types found in other tissues. Leveraging differentiation-inducing therapy in high-grade tumor masses offers a less aggressive strategy to curb tumor progression and heightens chemotherapy sensitivity. Differentiation-inducing therapy has been demonstrated to be effective in a variety of tumor cells. For example, differentiation therapy has become the first choice for acute promyelocytic leukemia, with the cure rate of more than 90%. Although an appealing concept, the mechanism and clinical drugs used in differentiation therapy are still in their nascent stage, warranting further investigation. In this review, we examine the current differentiation-inducing therapeutic approach and discuss the clinical applications as well as the underlying biological basis of differentiation-inducing agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kangwei Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin’s Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Yuren Xia
- Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin’s Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Xindi Tian
- Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin’s Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Yuchao He
- Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin’s Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Jun Zhou
- Department of Biofunction Research, Institute of Biomaterials and Bioengineering, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), Chiyoda, Japan
| | - Ruyu Han
- Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin’s Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Hua Guo
- Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin’s Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Tianqiang Song
- Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin’s Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Lu Chen
- Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin’s Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Xiangdong Tian
- Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin’s Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, China
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Guan Q, Chen Z, Yu F, Liu L, Huang Y, Wei G, Chiang CM, Wong J, Li J. MYC promotes global transcription in part by controlling P-TEFb complex formation via DNA-binding independent inhibition of CDK9 SUMOylation. SCIENCE CHINA. LIFE SCIENCES 2023; 66:2167-2184. [PMID: 37115490 PMCID: PMC10524883 DOI: 10.1007/s11427-022-2281-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
MYC is an oncogenic transcription factor with a novel role in enhancing global transcription when overexpressed. However, how MYC promotes global transcription remains controversial. Here, we used a series of MYC mutants to dissect the molecular basis for MYC-driven global transcription. We found that MYC mutants deficient in DNA binding or known transcriptional activation activities can still promote global transcription and enhance serine 2 phosphorylation (Ser2P) of the RNA polymerase (Pol) II C-terminal domain (CTD), a hallmark of active elongating RNA Pol II. Two distinct regions within MYC can promote global transcription and Ser2P of Pol II CTD. The ability of various MYC mutants to promote global transcription and Ser2P correlates with their ability to suppress CDK9 SUMOylation and enhance positive transcription elongation factor b (P-TEFb) complex formation. We showed that MYC suppresses CDK9 SUMOylation by inhibiting the interaction between CDK9 and SUMO enzymes including UBC9 and PIAS1. Furthermore, MYC's activity in enhancing global transcription positively contributes to its activity in promoting cell proliferation and transformation. Together, our study demonstrates that MYC promotes global transcription, at least in part, by promoting the formation of the active P-TEFb complex via a sequence-specific DNA-binding activity-independent manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingqing Guan
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Fengxian District Central Hospital-ECNU Joint Center of Translational Medicine, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China
| | - Zhaosu Chen
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Fengxian District Central Hospital-ECNU Joint Center of Translational Medicine, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China
| | - Fang Yu
- Department of Medicine, UF Health Cancer Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA
| | - Lingling Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - Yuanyong Huang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Fengxian District Central Hospital-ECNU Joint Center of Translational Medicine, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China
| | - Gang Wei
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - Cheng-Ming Chiang
- Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Pharmacology, and Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA
| | - Jiemin Wong
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Fengxian District Central Hospital-ECNU Joint Center of Translational Medicine, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China.
| | - Jiwen Li
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Fengxian District Central Hospital-ECNU Joint Center of Translational Medicine, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China.
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24
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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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25
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Pan Y, van der Watt PJ, Kay SA. E-box binding transcription factors in cancer. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1223208. [PMID: 37601651 PMCID: PMC10437117 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1223208] [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: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Abstract
E-boxes are important regulatory elements in the eukaryotic genome. Transcription factors can bind to E-boxes through their basic helix-loop-helix or zinc finger domain to regulate gene transcription. E-box-binding transcription factors (EBTFs) are important regulators of development and essential for physiological activities of the cell. The fundamental role of EBTFs in cancer has been highlighted by studies on the canonical oncogene MYC, yet many EBTFs exhibit common features, implying the existence of shared molecular principles of how they are involved in tumorigenesis. A comprehensive analysis of TFs that share the basic function of binding to E-boxes has been lacking. Here, we review the structure of EBTFs, their common features in regulating transcription, their physiological functions, and their mutual regulation. We also discuss their converging functions in cancer biology, their potential to be targeted as a regulatory network, and recent progress in drug development targeting these factors in cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanzhong Pan
- Department of Neurology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Pauline J. van der Watt
- Division of Medical Biochemistry and Structural Biology, Department of Integrative Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Steve A. Kay
- Department of Neurology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
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26
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Gervé MP, Sánchez JA, Ingaramo MC, Dekanty A. Myc-regulated miRNAs modulate p53 expression and impact animal survival under nutrient deprivation. PLoS Genet 2023; 19:e1010721. [PMID: 37639481 PMCID: PMC10491395 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010721] [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: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The conserved transcription factor Myc regulates cell growth, proliferation and apoptosis, and its deregulation has been associated with human pathologies. Although specific miRNAs have been identified as fundamental components of the Myc tumorigenic program, how Myc regulates miRNA biogenesis remains controversial. Here we showed that Myc functions as an important regulator of miRNA biogenesis in Drosophila by influencing both miRNA gene expression and processing. Through the analysis of ChIP-Seq datasets, we discovered that nearly 56% of Drosophila miRNA genes show dMyc binding, exhibiting either the canonical or non-canonical E-box sequences within the peak region. Consistently, reduction of dMyc levels resulted in widespread downregulation of miRNAs gene expression. dMyc also modulates miRNA processing and activity by controlling Drosha and AGO1 levels through direct transcriptional regulation. By using in vivo miRNA activity sensors we demonstrated that dMyc promotes miRNA-mediated silencing in different tissues, including the wing primordium and the fat body. We also showed that dMyc-dependent expression of miR-305 in the fat body modulates Dmp53 levels depending on nutrient availability, having a profound impact on the ability of the organism to respond to nutrient stress. Indeed, dMyc depletion in the fat body resulted in extended survival to nutrient deprivation which was reverted by expression of either miR-305 or a dominant negative version of Dmp53. Our study reveals a previously unrecognized function of dMyc as an important regulator of miRNA biogenesis and suggests that Myc-dependent expression of specific miRNAs may have important tissue-specific functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- María P. Gervé
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - Juan A. Sánchez
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - María C. Ingaramo
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - Andrés Dekanty
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Santa Fe, Argentina
- Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral (UNL), Santa Fe, Argentina
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27
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Oei V, Chuang LSH, Matsuo J, Srivastava S, Teh M, Ito Y. RUNX3 inactivates oncogenic MYC through disruption of MYC/MAX complex and subsequent recruitment of GSK3β-FBXW7 cascade. Commun Biol 2023; 6:689. [PMID: 37400551 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05037-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/05/2023] Open
Abstract
MYC is one of the most commonly dysregulated proto-oncogenes in cancer. MYC promotes cancer initiation and maintenance by regulating multiple biological processes, such as proliferation and stem cell function. Here, we show that developmental regulator RUNX3 targets MYC protein for rapid degradation through the glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta-F-box/WD repeat-containing protein 7 (GSK3β-FBXW7) proteolytic pathway. The evolutionarily conserved Runt domain of RUNX3 interacts directly with the basic helix-loop-helix leucine zipper of MYC, resulting in the disruption of MYC/MAX and MYC/MIZ-1 interactions, enhanced GSK3β-mediated phosphorylation of MYC protein at threonine-58 and its subsequent degradation via the ubiquitin-proteasomal pathway. We therefore uncover a previously unknown mode of MYC destabilization by RUNX3 and provide an explanation as to why RUNX3 inhibits early-stage cancer development in gastrointestinal and lung mouse cancer models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Oei
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- NUS Graduate School, Integrative Sciences and Engineering Programme, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Linda Shyue Huey Chuang
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Junichi Matsuo
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Supriya Srivastava
- Department of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Ming Teh
- Department of Pathology, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Yoshiaki Ito
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
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28
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Xu M, Lin L, Ram BM, Shriwas O, Chuang KH, Dai S, Su KH, Tang Z, Dai C. Heat shock factor 1 (HSF1) specifically potentiates c-MYC-mediated transcription independently of the canonical heat shock response. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112557. [PMID: 37224019 PMCID: PMC10592515 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Revised: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 05/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite its pivotal roles in biology, how the transcriptional activity of c-MYC is tuned quantitatively remains poorly defined. Here, we show that heat shock factor 1 (HSF1), the master transcriptional regulator of the heat shock response, acts as a prime modifier of the c-MYC-mediated transcription. HSF1 deficiency diminishes c-MYC DNA binding and dampens its transcriptional activity genome wide. Mechanistically, c-MYC, MAX, and HSF1 assemble into a transcription factor complex on genomic DNAs, and surprisingly, the DNA binding of HSF1 is dispensable. Instead, HSF1 physically recruits the histone acetyltransferase general control nonderepressible 5 (GCN5), promoting histone acetylation and augmenting c-MYC transcriptional activity. Thus, we find that HSF1 specifically potentiates the c-MYC-mediated transcription, discrete from its canonical role in countering proteotoxic stress. Importantly, this mechanism of action engenders two distinct c-MYC activation states, primary and advanced, which may be important to accommodate diverse physiological and pathological conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Xu
- Mouse Cancer Genetics Program, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Ling Lin
- Mouse Cancer Genetics Program, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Babul Moni Ram
- Mouse Cancer Genetics Program, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Omprakash Shriwas
- Mouse Cancer Genetics Program, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Kun-Han Chuang
- Mouse Cancer Genetics Program, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Siyuan Dai
- Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Kuo-Hui Su
- Mouse Cancer Genetics Program, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Zijian Tang
- Mouse Cancer Genetics Program, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Chengkai Dai
- Mouse Cancer Genetics Program, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA.
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29
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Lu Y, Yang Y, Zhu G, Zeng H, Fan Y, Guo F, Xu D, Wang B, Chen D, Ge G. Emerging Pharmacotherapeutic Strategies to Overcome Undruggable Proteins in Cancer. Int J Biol Sci 2023; 19:3360-3382. [PMID: 37496997 PMCID: PMC10367563 DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.83026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Targeted therapies in cancer treatment can improve in vivo efficacy and reduce adverse effects by altering the tissue exposure of specific biomolecules. However, there are still large number of target proteins in cancer are still undruggable, owing to the following factors including (1) lack of ligand-binding pockets, (2) function based on protein-protein interactions (PPIs), (3) the highly specific conserved active sites among protein family members, and (4) the variability of tertiary docking structures. The current status of undruggable targets proteins such as KRAS, TP53, C-MYC, PTP, are carefully introduced in this review. Some novel techniques and drug designing strategies have been applicated for overcoming these undruggable proteins, and the most classic and well-known technology is proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs). In this review, the novel drug development strategies including targeting protein degradation, targeting PPI, targeting intrinsically disordered regions, as well as targeting protein-DNA binding are described, and we also discuss the potential of these strategies for overcoming the undruggable targets. Besides, intelligence-assisted technologies like Alpha-Fold help us a lot to predict the protein structure, which is beneficial for drug development. The discovery of new targets and the development of drugs targeting them, especially those undruggable targets, remain a huge challenge. New drug development strategies, better extraction processes that do not disrupt protein-protein interactions, and more precise artificial intelligence technologies may provide significant assistance in overcoming these undruggable targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuqing Lu
- Dalian Medical University, 116044 Dalian City, Liaoning Province, China
| | - Yuewen Yang
- Dalian Medical University, 116044 Dalian City, Liaoning Province, China
| | - Guanghao Zhu
- Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 201203 Shanghai City, China
| | - Hairong Zeng
- Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 201203 Shanghai City, China
| | - Yiming Fan
- Dalian Harmony Medical Testing Laboratory Co., Ltd, 116620 Dalian City, Liaoning Province, China
| | - Fujia Guo
- Dalian Medical University, 116044 Dalian City, Liaoning Province, China
| | - Dongshu Xu
- Dalian Medical University, 116044 Dalian City, Liaoning Province, China
| | - Boya Wang
- Dalian Medical University, 116044 Dalian City, Liaoning Province, China
| | - Dapeng Chen
- Dalian Medical University, 116044 Dalian City, Liaoning Province, China
| | - Guangbo Ge
- Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 201203 Shanghai City, China
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30
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D’Avola A, Kluckova K, Finch AJ, Riches JC. Spotlight on New Therapeutic Opportunities for MYC-Driven Cancers. Onco Targets Ther 2023; 16:371-383. [PMID: 37309471 PMCID: PMC10257908 DOI: 10.2147/ott.s366627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/14/2023] Open
Abstract
MYC can be considered to be one of the most pressing and important targets for the development of novel anti-cancer therapies. This is due to its frequent dysregulation in tumors and due to the wide-ranging impact this dysregulation has on gene expression and cellular behavior. As a result, there have been numerous attempts to target MYC over the last few decades, both directly and indirectly, with mixed results. This article reviews the biology of MYC in the context of cancers and drug development. It discusses strategies aimed at targeting MYC directly, including those aimed at reducing its expression and blocking its function. In addition, the impact of MYC dysregulation on cellular biology is outlined, and how understanding this can underpin the development of approaches aimed at molecules and pathways regulated by MYC. In particular, the review focuses on the role that MYC plays in the regulation of metabolism, and the therapeutic avenues offered by inhibiting the metabolic pathways that are essential for the survival of MYC-transformed cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annalisa D’Avola
- Centre for Haemato-Oncology, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, Charterhouse Square, London, EC1M 6BQ, UK
| | - Katarina Kluckova
- Centre for Haemato-Oncology, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, Charterhouse Square, London, EC1M 6BQ, UK
| | - Andrew J Finch
- Centre for Tumour Biology, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, Charterhouse Square, London, EC1M 6BQ, UK
| | - John C Riches
- Centre for Haemato-Oncology, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, Charterhouse Square, London, EC1M 6BQ, UK
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31
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Pasqualucci L. The germinal center in the pathogenesis of B cell lymphomas. Hematol Oncol 2023; 41 Suppl 1:62-69. [PMID: 37294970 DOI: 10.1002/hon.3141] [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: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The adaptive immune system has evolved to allow effective responses against a virtually unlimited number of invading pathogens. This process requires the transient formation of germinal centers (GC), a dynamic environment that ensures the generation and selection of B cells capable to produce antibodies with high antigen affinity, or to maintain the memory of that antigen for life. However, this comes at a cost, as the unique events accompanying the GC reaction pose a significant risk to the genome of B cells, which must endure elevated levels of replication stress, while proliferating at high rates and undergoing DNA breaks introduced by somatic hypermutation and class switch recombination. Indeed, the genetic/epigenetic disruption of programs implicated in normal GC biology has emerged as a hallmark of most B cell lymphomas. This improved understanding provides a conceptual framework for the identification of cellular pathways that could be exploited for precision medicine approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Pasqualucci
- Institute for Cancer Genetics, Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, and the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
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32
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Lechable M, Tang X, Siebert S, Feldbacher A, Fernández-Quintero ML, Breuker K, Juliano CE, Liedl KR, Hobmayer B, Hartl M. High Intrinsic Oncogenic Potential in the Myc-Box-Deficient Hydra Myc3 Protein. Cells 2023; 12:cells12091265. [PMID: 37174665 PMCID: PMC10177328 DOI: 10.3390/cells12091265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Revised: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The proto-oncogene myc has been intensively studied primarily in vertebrate cell culture systems. Myc transcription factors control fundamental cellular processes such as cell proliferation, cell cycle control and stem cell maintenance. Myc interacts with the Max protein and Myc/Max heterodimers regulate thousands of target genes. The genome of the freshwater polyp Hydra encodes four myc genes (myc1-4). Previous structural and biochemical characterization showed that the Hydra Myc1 and Myc2 proteins share high similarities with vertebrate c-Myc, and their expression patterns suggested a function in adult stem cell maintenance. In contrast, an additional Hydra Myc protein termed Myc3 is highly divergent, lacking the common N-terminal domain and all conserved Myc-boxes. Single cell transcriptome analysis revealed that the myc3 gene is expressed in a distinct population of interstitial precursor cells committed to nerve- and gland-cell differentiation, where the Myc3 protein may counteract the stemness actions of Myc1 and Myc2 and thereby allow the implementation of a differentiation program. In vitro DNA binding studies showed that Myc3 dimerizes with Hydra Max, and this dimer efficiently binds to DNA containing the canonical Myc consensus motif (E-box). In vivo cell transformation assays in avian fibroblast cultures further revealed an unexpected high potential for oncogenic transformation in the conserved Myc3 C-terminus, as compared to Hydra Myc2 or Myc1. Structure modeling of the Myc3 protein predicted conserved amino acid residues in its bHLH-LZ domain engaged in Myc3/Max dimerization. Mutating these amino acid residues in the human c-Myc (MYC) sequence resulted in a significant decrease in its cell transformation potential. We discuss our findings in the context of oncogenic transformation and cell differentiation, both relevant for human cancer, where Myc represents a major driver.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marion Lechable
- Institute of Zoology, University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
- Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Xuechen Tang
- Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
- Institute of Inorganic and Theoretical Chemistry, University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Stefan Siebert
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Angelika Feldbacher
- Institute of Zoology, University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
- Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Monica L Fernández-Quintero
- Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
- Institute of Inorganic and Theoretical Chemistry, University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Kathrin Breuker
- Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Celina E Juliano
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Klaus R Liedl
- Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
- Institute of Inorganic and Theoretical Chemistry, University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Bert Hobmayer
- Institute of Zoology, University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
- Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Markus Hartl
- Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
- Institute of Biochemistry, University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
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Zhan Q, Wang J, Zhang H, Zhang L. E3 ubiquitin ligase on the biological properties of hematopoietic stem cell. J Mol Med (Berl) 2023; 101:543-556. [PMID: 37081103 PMCID: PMC10163092 DOI: 10.1007/s00109-023-02315-6] [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: 11/08/2022] [Revised: 02/25/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 04/22/2023]
Abstract
Hematopoietic stem cells are a group of heterogeneity cells with the potential to differentiate into various types of mature blood cells. Their basic biological properties include quiescence, self-renewal, multilineage differentiation, and homing ability, with the homing of exogenous hematopoietic stem cells after transplantation becoming a new focus, while the first three properties share some similarity in mechanism due to connectivity. In various complex mechanisms, the role of E3 ubiquitin ligases in hematopoietic homeostasis and malignant transformation is receiving increasing attention. As a unique part, E3 ubiquitin ligases play an important role in physiological regulation mechanism of posttranslational modification. In this review, we focus on the recent progress of the crucial role of E3 ubiquitin ligases that target specific proteins for ubiquitination to regulate biological properties of hematopoietic stem cells. Additionally, this paper deals with E3 ubiquitin ligases that affect the biological properties through aging and summarizes the relevant applications of targeting E3 ligases in hematopoietic malignancies. We present some ideas on the clinical application of E3 ubiquitin ligase to regulate hematopoietic stem cells and also believe that it is meaningful to study the upstream signal of these E3 ubiquitin ligases because hematopoietic stem cell dysfunction is caused by deficiency of some E3 ligases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qianru Zhan
- Department of Hematology, The First Hospital of China Medical University, No. 155, Nanjing North Street, Shenyang, Liaoning, People's Republic of China
| | - Jing Wang
- Department of Hematology, The First Hospital of China Medical University, No. 155, Nanjing North Street, Shenyang, Liaoning, People's Republic of China
| | - Heyang Zhang
- Department of Hematology, The First Hospital of China Medical University, No. 155, Nanjing North Street, Shenyang, Liaoning, People's Republic of China.
| | - Lijun Zhang
- Department of Hematology, The First Hospital of China Medical University, No. 155, Nanjing North Street, Shenyang, Liaoning, People's Republic of China.
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Chen WY, Thuy Dung PV, Yeh HL, Chen WH, Jiang KC, Li HR, Chen ZQ, Hsiao M, Huang J, Wen YC, Liu YN. Targeting PKLR/MYCN/ROMO1 signaling suppresses neuroendocrine differentiation of castration-resistant prostate cancer. Redox Biol 2023; 62:102686. [PMID: 36963289 PMCID: PMC10060381 DOI: 10.1016/j.redox.2023.102686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Revised: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/18/2023] [Indexed: 03/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Conventional treatment of prostate cancer (PCa) uses androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) to inhibit androgen receptor (AR) signaling-driven tumor progression. ADT-induced PCa recurrence may progress to an AR-negative phenotype with neuroendocrine (NE) histologic features, which are associated with metabolic disturbances and poor prognoses. However, the metabolic pathways that regulate NE differentiation (NED) in PCa remain unclear. Herein, we show a regulatory mechanism in NED-associated metabolism dysfunction induced by ADT, whereby overexpression of pyruvate kinase L/R (PKLR) mediates oxidative stress through upregulation of reactive oxygen species modulator 1 (ROMO1), thereby promoting NED and aggressiveness. ADT mediates the nuclear translocation of PKLR, which binds to the MYCN/MAX complex to upregulate ROMO1 and NE-related genes, leading to altered mitochondrial function and NED of PCa. Targeting nuclear PKLR/MYCN using bromodomain and extra-terminal motif (BET) inhibitors has the potential to reduce PKLR/MYCN-driven NED. Abundant ROMO1 in serum samples may provide prognostic information in patients with ADT. Our results suggest that ADT resistance leads to upregulation of PKLR/MYCN/ROMO1 signaling, which may drive metabolic reprogramming and NED in PCa. We further show that increased abundance of serum ROMO1 may be associated with the development of NE-like PCa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei-Yu Chen
- Department of Pathology, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Phan Vu Thuy Dung
- Graduate Institute of Cancer Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Hsiu-Lien Yeh
- Graduate Institute of Cancer Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Wei-Hao Chen
- Graduate Institute of Cancer Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Kuo-Ching Jiang
- Graduate Institute of Cancer Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Han-Ru Li
- Graduate Institute of Cancer Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Zi-Qing Chen
- Division of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Michael Hsiao
- Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Jiaoti Huang
- Department of Pathology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Yu-Ching Wen
- Department of Urology, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Urology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; TMU Research Center of Urology and Kidney, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
| | - Yen-Nien Liu
- Graduate Institute of Cancer Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; TMU Research Center of Cancer Translational Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
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García-Caballero D, Hart JR, Vogt PK. The MYC-regulated lncRNA LNROP (ENSG00000254887) enables MYC-driven cell proliferation by controlling the expression of OCT2. Cell Death Dis 2023; 14:168. [PMID: 36849510 PMCID: PMC9971199 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-023-05683-6] [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: 07/27/2022] [Revised: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/01/2023]
Abstract
MYC controls most of the non-coding genome. Several long noncoding transcripts were originally identified in the human B cell line P496-3 and then shown to be required for MYC-driven proliferation of Burkitt lymphoma-derived RAMOS cells. In this study, we used RAMOS cells exclusively as a representative of the human B cell lineage. One of the MYC-controlled lncRNAs required for RAMOS cell proliferation is ENSG00000254887 which we will term LNROP (long non-coding regulator of POU2F2). In the genome, LNROP is located in close proximity of POU2F2, the gene encoding OCT2. OCT2 is a transcription factor with important roles in sustaining the proliferation of human B cells. Here we show that LNROP is a nuclear RNA and a direct target of MYC. Downregulation of LNROP attenuates the expression of OCT2. This effect of LNROP on the expression of OCT2 is unidirectional as downregulation of OCT2 does not alter the expression of LNROP. Our data suggest that LNROP is a cis-acting regulator of OCT2. To illustrate the downstream reach of LNROP, we chose a prominent target of OCT2, the tyrosine phosphatase SHP-1. Downregulation of OCT2 elevates the expression of SHP-1. Our data suggest the following path of interactions: LNROP enables the proliferation of B cells by positively and unidirectionally regulating the growth-stimulatory transcription factor OCT2. In actively proliferating B cells, OCT2 attenuates the expression and anti-proliferative activity of SHP-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel García-Caballero
- Scripps Research, Department of Molecular Medicine, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA.
| | - Jonathan R Hart
- Scripps Research, Department of Molecular Medicine, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Peter K Vogt
- Scripps Research, Department of Molecular Medicine, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
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Lee IG, Lee BJ. Aurora Kinase A Regulation by Cysteine Oxidative Modification. Antioxidants (Basel) 2023; 12:antiox12020531. [PMID: 36830089 PMCID: PMC9952272 DOI: 10.3390/antiox12020531] [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: 01/13/2023] [Revised: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Aurora kinase A (AURKA), which is a member of serine/threonine kinase family, plays a critical role in regulating mitosis. AURKA has drawn much attention as its dysregulation is critically associated with various cancers, leading to the development of AURKA inhibitors, a new class of anticancer drugs. As the spatiotemporal activity of AURKA critically depends on diverse intra- and inter-molecular factors, including its interaction with various protein cofactors and post-translational modifications, each of these pathways should be exploited for the development of a novel class of AURKA inhibitors other than ATP-competitive inhibitors. Several lines of evidence have recently shown that redox-active molecules can modify the cysteine residues located on the kinase domain of AURKA, thereby regulating its activity. In this review, we present the current understanding of how oxidative modifications of cysteine residues of AURKA, induced by redox-active molecules, structurally and functionally regulate AURKA and discuss their implications in the discovery of novel AURKA inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- In-Gyun Lee
- Biomedical Research Division, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Bong-Jin Lee
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
- Correspondence:
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Karadkhelkar NM, Lin M, Eubanks LM, Janda KD. Demystifying the Druggability of the MYC Family of Oncogenes. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:3259-3269. [PMID: 36734615 PMCID: PMC10182829 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c12732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
The MYC family of oncogenes (MYC, MYCN, and MYCL) encodes a basic helix-loop-helix leucine zipper (bHLHLZ) transcriptional regulator that is responsible for moving the cell through the restriction point. Through the HLHZIP domain, MYC heterodimerizes with the bHLHLZ protein MAX, which enables this MYC-MAX complex to bind to E-box regulatory DNA elements thereby controlling transcription of a large group of genes and their proteins. Translationally, MYC is one of the foremost oncogenic targets, and deregulation of expression of the MYC family gene/proteins occurs in over half of all human tumors and is recognized as a hallmark of cancer initiation and maintenance. Additionally, unexpected roles for this oncoprotein have been found in cancers that nominally have a non-MYC etiology. Although MYC is rarely mutated, its gain of function in cancer results from overexpression or from amplification. Moreover, MYC is a pleiotropic transcription factor possessing broad pathogenic prominence making it a coveted cancer target. A widely held notion within the biomedical research community is that the reliable modulation of MYC represents a tremendous therapeutic opportunity given its role in directly potentiating oncogenesis. However, the MYC-MAX heterodimer interaction contains a large surface area with a lack of well-defined binding sites creating the perception that targeting of MYC-MAX is forbidding. Here, we discuss the biochemistry behind MYC and MYC-MAX as it relates to cancer progression associated with these transcription factors. We also discuss the notion that MYC should no longer be regarded as undruggable, providing examples that a therapeutic window is achievable despite global MYC inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nishant M. Karadkhelkar
- Departments of Chemistry and Immunology, The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, Worm Institute of Research and Medicine (WIRM), The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Mingliang Lin
- Departments of Chemistry and Immunology, The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, Worm Institute of Research and Medicine (WIRM), The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Lisa M. Eubanks
- Departments of Chemistry and Immunology, The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, Worm Institute of Research and Medicine (WIRM), The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Kim D. Janda
- Departments of Chemistry and Immunology, The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, Worm Institute of Research and Medicine (WIRM), The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
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Eisenman RN. MYC through the lens of G&D. Genes Dev 2023; 37:16-17. [PMID: 37061959 PMCID: PMC10046432 DOI: 10.1101/gad.350467.123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/11/2023]
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Lacroix M, Beauchemin H, Khandanpour C, Möröy T. The RNA helicase DDX3 and its role in c-MYC driven germinal center-derived B-cell lymphoma. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1148936. [PMID: 37035206 PMCID: PMC10081492 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1148936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
DDX3X is an RNA helicase with many functions in RNA metabolism such as mRNA translation, alternative pre-mRNA splicing and mRNA stability, but also plays a role as a regulator of transcription as well as in the Wnt/beta-catenin- and Nf-κB signaling pathways. The gene encoding DDX3X is located on the X-chromosome, but escapes X-inactivation. Hence females have two active copies and males only one. However, the Y chromosome contains the gene for the male DDX3 homologue, called DDX3Y, which has a very high sequence similarity and functional redundancy with DDX3X, but shows a more restricted protein expression pattern than DDX3X. High throughput sequencing of germinal center (GC)-derived B-cell malignancies such as Burkitt Lymphoma (BL) and Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) samples showed a high frequency of loss-of-function (LOF) mutations in the DDX3X gene revealing several features that distinguish this gene from others. First, DDX3X mutations occur with high frequency particularly in those GC-derived B-cell lymphomas that also show translocations of the c-MYC proto-oncogene, which occurs in almost all BL and a subset of DLBCL. Second, DDX3X LOF mutations occur almost exclusively in males and is very rarely found in females. Third, mutations in the male homologue DDX3Y have never been found in any type of malignancy. Studies with human primary GC B cells from male donors showed that a loss of DDX3X function helps the initial process of B-cell lymphomagenesis by buffering the proteotoxic stress induced by c-MYC activation. However, full lymphomagenesis requires DDX3 activity since an upregulation of DDX3Y expression is invariably found in GC derived B-cell lymphoma with DDX3X LOF mutation. Other studies with male transgenic mice that lack Ddx3x, but constitutively express activated c-Myc transgenes in B cells and are therefore prone to develop B-cell malignancies, also showed upregulation of the DDX3Y protein expression during the process of lymphomagenesis. Since DDX3Y is not expressed in normal human cells, these data suggest that DDX3Y may represent a new cancer cell specific target to develop adjuvant therapies for male patients with BL and DLBCL and LOF mutations in the DDX3X gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marion Lacroix
- Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal, IRCM, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Division of Experimental Medicine, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Hugues Beauchemin
- Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal, IRCM, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Cyrus Khandanpour
- Klinik für Hämatologie und Onkologie, University Hospital Schleswig Holstein, University Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
- *Correspondence: Tarik Möröy, ; Cyrus Khandanpour,
| | - Tarik Möröy
- Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal, IRCM, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Division of Experimental Medicine, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Département de Microbiologie, Infectiologie et Immunologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
- *Correspondence: Tarik Möröy, ; Cyrus Khandanpour,
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Ma L, Wang J, Zhang Y, Fang F, Ling J, Chu X, Zhang Z, Tao Y, Li X, Tian Y, Li Z, Sang X, Zhang K, Lu L, Wan X, Chen Y, Yu J, Zhuo R, Wu S, Lu J, Pan J, Hu S. BRD4 PROTAC degrader MZ1 exerts anticancer effects in acute myeloid leukemia by targeting c-Myc and ANP32B genes. Cancer Biol Ther 2022; 23:1-15. [PMID: 36170346 PMCID: PMC9543111 DOI: 10.1080/15384047.2022.2125748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Revised: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a highly cancerous and aggressive hematologic disease with elevated levels of drug resistance and relapse resulting in high mortality. Recently, bromodomains and extra-terminal (BET) protein inhibitors have been extensively researched in hematological tumors as potential anticancer agents. MZ1 is a novel BET inhibitor that mediates selective proteins degradation and suppression of tumor growth through proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTAC) technology. Accordingly, this study aimed to investigate the role and therapeutic potential of MZ1 in AML. In this study, we first identified that AML patients with high BRD4 expression had poor overall survival than those with low expression group. MZ1 inhibited AML cell growth and induced apoptosis and cycle arrest in vitro. MZ1 induced degradation of BRD4, BRD3 and BRD2 in AML cell strains. Additionally, MZ1 also initiated the cleavage of poly-ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP), which showed cytotoxic effects on NB4 (PML-RARa), K562 (BCR-ABL), Kasumi-1 (AML1-ETO), and MV4-11 (MLL-AF4) cell lines representing different molecular subtypes of AML. In AML mouse leukemia model, MZ1 significantly decreased leukemia cell growth and increased the mouse survival time. According to the RNA-sequencing analysis, MZ1 led to c-Myc and ANP32B genes significant downregulation in AML cell lines. Knockdown of ANP32B promoted AML cell apoptosis and inhibited cell growth. Overall, our data indicated that MZ1 had broad anti-cancer effects on AML cell lines with different molecular lesions, which might be exploited as a novel therapeutic strategy for AML patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Ma
- Department of Hematology, Children’s Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
- Department of Pediatrics, The Affiliated Huaian No. 1 People’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Huaian, China
| | - Jianwei Wang
- Institute of Pediatric Research, Children’s Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Yongping Zhang
- Department of Hematology, Children’s Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Fang Fang
- Institute of Pediatric Research, Children’s Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Jing Ling
- Department of Hematology, Children’s Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Xinran Chu
- Department of Hematology, Children’s Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Zimu Zhang
- Institute of Pediatric Research, Children’s Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Yanfang Tao
- Institute of Pediatric Research, Children’s Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Xiaolu Li
- Institute of Pediatric Research, Children’s Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Yuanyuan Tian
- Department of Hematology, Children’s Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
- Institute of Pediatric Research, Children’s Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Zhiheng Li
- Department of Hematology, Children’s Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Xu Sang
- Department of Hematology, Children’s Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Kunlong Zhang
- Department of Hematology, Children’s Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Lihui Lu
- Department of Hematology, Children’s Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Xiaomei Wan
- Department of Hematology, Children’s Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Yanling Chen
- Department of Hematology, Children’s Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Juanjuan Yu
- Department of Hematology, Children’s Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Ran Zhuo
- Department of Hematology, Children’s Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Shuiyan Wu
- Intensive Care Unit, Children’s Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Jun Lu
- Department of Hematology, Children’s Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Jian Pan
- Institute of Pediatric Research, Children’s Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Shaoyan Hu
- Department of Hematology, Children’s Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
- CONTACT Shaoyan HuChildren’s Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215003, China
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Zhang X, Tai Z, Miao F, Huang H, Zhu Q, Bao L, Chen Z. Metabolism heterogeneity in melanoma fuels deactivation of immunotherapy: Predict before protect. Front Oncol 2022; 12:1046102. [PMID: 36620597 PMCID: PMC9813867 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.1046102] [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: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Malignant melanoma is widely acknowledged as the most lethal skin malignancy. The metabolic reprogramming in melanoma leads to alterations in glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), forming a hypoxic, glucose-deficient and acidic tumor microenvironment which inhibits the function of immune cells, resulting in a low response rate to immunotherapy. Therefore, improving the tumor microenvironment by regulating the metabolism can be used to improve the efficacy of immunotherapy. However, the tumor microenvironment (TME) and the metabolism of malignant melanoma are highly heterogeneous. Therefore, understanding and predicting how melanoma regulates metabolism is important to improve the local immune microenvironment of the tumor, and metabolism regulators are expected to increase treatment efficacy in combination with immunotherapy. This article reviews the energy metabolism in melanoma and its regulation and prediction, the integration of immunotherapy and metabolism regulators, and provides a comprehensive overview of future research focal points in this field and their potential application in clinical treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyue Zhang
- Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China,Department of Pharmacy, Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China,Department of Pharmacy, Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanchang, China
| | - Zongguang Tai
- Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Fengze Miao
- Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Hao Huang
- Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China,Department of Pharmacy, Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Quangang Zhu
- Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Leilei Bao
- Department of Pharmacy, Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China,Department of Pharmacy, Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanchang, China,*Correspondence: Zhongjian Chen, ; Leilei Bao,
| | - Zhongjian Chen
- Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China,*Correspondence: Zhongjian Chen, ; Leilei Bao,
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Shahid AM, Um IH, Elshani M, Zhang Y, Harrison DJ. NUC-7738 regulates β-catenin signalling resulting in reduced proliferation and self-renewal of AML cells. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0278209. [PMID: 36520954 PMCID: PMC9754587 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0278209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Accepted: 11/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) stem cells are required for the initiation and maintenance of the disease. Activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway is required for the survival and development of AML leukaemia stem cells (LSCs) and therefore, targeting β-catenin is a potential therapeutic strategy. NUC-7738, a phosphoramidate transformation of 3'-deoxyadenosine (3'-dA) monophosphate, is specifically designed to generate the active anti-cancer metabolite 3'-deoxyadenosine triphosphate (3'-dATP) intracellularly, bypassing key limitations of breakdown, transport, and activation. NUC-7738 is currently in a Phase I/II clinical study for the treatment of patients with advanced solid tumors. Protein expression and immunophenotypic profiling revealed that NUC-7738 caused apoptosis in AML cell lines through reducing PI3K-p110α, phosphorylated Akt (Ser473) and phosphorylated GSK3β (Ser9) resulting in reduced β-catenin, c-Myc and CD44 expression. NUC-7738 reduced β-catenin nuclear expression in AML cells. NUC-7738 also decreased the percentage of CD34+ CD38- CD123+ (LSC-like cells) from 81% to 47% and reduced the total number and size of leukemic colonies. These results indicate that therapeutic targeting of the PI3K/Akt/GSK3β axis can inhibit β-catenin signalling, resulting in reduced clonogenicity and eventual apoptosis of AML cells.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - In Hwa Um
- School of Medicine, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, United Kingdom
| | - Mustafa Elshani
- School of Medicine, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, United Kingdom,NuCana plc, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Ying Zhang
- School of Medicine, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, United Kingdom
| | - David James Harrison
- School of Medicine, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, United Kingdom,NuCana plc, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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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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Orofiamma LA, Vural D, Antonescu CN. Control of cell metabolism by the epidermal growth factor receptor. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. MOLECULAR CELL RESEARCH 2022; 1869:119359. [PMID: 36089077 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2022.119359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2022] [Revised: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) triggers the activation of many intracellular signals that control cell proliferation, growth, survival, migration, and differentiation. Given its wide expression, EGFR has many functions in development and tissue homeostasis. Some of the cellular outcomes of EGFR signaling involve alterations of specific aspects of cellular metabolism, and alterations of cell metabolism are emerging as driving influences in many physiological and pathophysiological contexts. Here we review the mechanisms by which EGFR regulates cell metabolism, including by modulation of gene expression and protein function leading to control of glucose uptake, glycolysis, biosynthetic pathways branching from glucose metabolism, amino acid metabolism, lipogenesis, and mitochondrial function. We further examine how this regulation of cell metabolism by EGFR may contribute to cell proliferation and differentiation and how EGFR-driven control of metabolism can impact certain diseases and therapy outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura A Orofiamma
- Department of Chemistry and Biology, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, Ontario M5B 2K3, Canada; Graduate Program in Molecular Science, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, Ontario M5B 2K3, Canada
| | - Dafne Vural
- Department of Chemistry and Biology, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, Ontario M5B 2K3, Canada; Graduate Program in Molecular Science, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, Ontario M5B 2K3, Canada
| | - Costin N Antonescu
- Department of Chemistry and Biology, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, Ontario M5B 2K3, Canada; Graduate Program in Molecular Science, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, Ontario M5B 2K3, Canada.
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Ilakiyalakshmi M, Arumugam Napoleon A. Review on recent development of quinoline for anticancer activities. ARAB J CHEM 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.arabjc.2022.104168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
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46
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Donati G, Amati B. MYC and therapy resistance in cancer: risks and opportunities. Mol Oncol 2022; 16:3828-3854. [PMID: 36214609 PMCID: PMC9627787 DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.13319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Revised: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 10/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The MYC transcription factor, encoded by the c-MYC proto-oncogene, is activated by growth-promoting signals, and is a key regulator of biosynthetic and metabolic pathways driving cell growth and proliferation. These same processes are deregulated in MYC-driven tumors, where they become critical for cancer cell proliferation and survival. As other oncogenic insults, overexpressed MYC induces a series of cellular stresses (metabolic, oxidative, replicative, etc.) collectively known as oncogenic stress, which impact not only on tumor progression, but also on the response to therapy, with profound, multifaceted consequences on clinical outcome. On one hand, recent evidence uncovered a widespread role for MYC in therapy resistance in multiple cancer types, with either standard chemotherapeutic or targeted regimens. Reciprocally, oncogenic MYC imparts a series of molecular and metabolic dependencies to cells, thus giving rise to cancer-specific vulnerabilities that may be exploited to obtain synthetic-lethal interactions with novel anticancer drugs. Here we will review the current knowledge on the links between MYC and therapeutic responses, and will discuss possible strategies to overcome resistance through new, targeted interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulio Donati
- European Institute of Oncology (IEO) – IRCCSMilanItaly
| | - Bruno Amati
- European Institute of Oncology (IEO) – IRCCSMilanItaly
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Helweg LP, Storm J, Witte KE, Schulten W, Wrachtrup L, Janotte T, Kitke A, Greiner JFW, Knabbe C, Kaltschmidt B, Simon M, Kaltschmidt C. Targeting Key Signaling Pathways in Glioblastoma Stem Cells for the Development of Efficient Chemo- and Immunotherapy. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:12919. [PMID: 36361720 PMCID: PMC9659205 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232112919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Revised: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most aggressive and most common malignant brain tumor with poor patient survival despite therapeutic intervention. On the cellular level, GBM comprises a rare population of glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs), driving therapeutic resistance, invasion, and recurrence. GSCs have thus come into the focus of therapeutic strategies, although their targeting remains challenging. In the present study, we took advantage of three GSCs-populations recently established in our lab to investigate key signaling pathways and subsequent therapeutic strategies targeting GSCs. We observed that NF-κB, a crucial transcription factor in GBM progression, was expressed in all CD44+/CD133+/Nestin+-GSC-populations. Exposure to TNFα led to activation of NF-κB-RELA and/or NF-κB-c-REL, depending on the GBM type. GSCs further expressed the proto-oncogene MYC family, with MYChigh GSCs being predominantly located in the tumor spheres ("GROW"-state) while NF-κB-RELAhigh GSCs were migrating out of the sphere ("GO"-state). We efficiently targeted GSCs by the pharmacologic inhibition of NF-κB using PTDC/Bortezomib or inhibition of MYC by KJ-Pyr-9, which significantly reduced GSC-viability, even in comparison to the standard chemotherapeutic drug temozolomide. As an additional cell-therapeutic strategy, we showed that NK cells could kill GSCs. Our findings offer new perspectives for developing efficient patient-specific chemo- and immunotherapy against GBM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laureen P. Helweg
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Bielefeld, Universitätsstrasse 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
- Forschungsverbund BioMedizin Bielefeld, OWL (FBMB e.V.), Maraweg 21, 33617 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Jonathan Storm
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Bielefeld, Universitätsstrasse 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
- Forschungsverbund BioMedizin Bielefeld, OWL (FBMB e.V.), Maraweg 21, 33617 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Kaya E. Witte
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Bielefeld, Universitätsstrasse 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
- Forschungsverbund BioMedizin Bielefeld, OWL (FBMB e.V.), Maraweg 21, 33617 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Wiebke Schulten
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Bielefeld, Universitätsstrasse 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Lennart Wrachtrup
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Bielefeld, Universitätsstrasse 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Till Janotte
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Bielefeld, Universitätsstrasse 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Angelika Kitke
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Bielefeld, Universitätsstrasse 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Johannes F. W. Greiner
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Bielefeld, Universitätsstrasse 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
- Forschungsverbund BioMedizin Bielefeld, OWL (FBMB e.V.), Maraweg 21, 33617 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Cornelius Knabbe
- Forschungsverbund BioMedizin Bielefeld, OWL (FBMB e.V.), Maraweg 21, 33617 Bielefeld, Germany
- Heart and Diabetes Centre NRW, Institute for Laboratory and Transfusion Medicine, Ruhr-University Bochum, 32545 Bad Oeynhausen, Germany
| | - Barbara Kaltschmidt
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Bielefeld, Universitätsstrasse 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
- Forschungsverbund BioMedizin Bielefeld, OWL (FBMB e.V.), Maraweg 21, 33617 Bielefeld, Germany
- Molecular Neurobiology, Faculty of Biology, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstrasse 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Matthias Simon
- Forschungsverbund BioMedizin Bielefeld, OWL (FBMB e.V.), Maraweg 21, 33617 Bielefeld, Germany
- Department of Neurosurgery and Epilepsy Surgery, Protestant Hospital of Bethel Foundation, University Medical School OWL at Bielefeld, Bielefeld University, Campus Bielefeld-Bethel, Burgsteig 13, 33617 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Christian Kaltschmidt
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Bielefeld, Universitätsstrasse 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
- Forschungsverbund BioMedizin Bielefeld, OWL (FBMB e.V.), Maraweg 21, 33617 Bielefeld, Germany
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Su K, Din ZU, Cui B, Peng F, Zhou Y, Wang C, Zhang X, Lu J, Luo H, He B, Kelley KW, Liu Q. A broken circadian clock: The emerging neuro-immune link connecting depression to cancer. Brain Behav Immun Health 2022; 26:100533. [PMID: 36281466 PMCID: PMC9587523 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbih.2022.100533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Revised: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Circadian clocks orchestrate daily rhythms in many organisms and are essential for optimal health. Circadian rhythm disrupting events, such as jet-lag, shift-work, night-light exposure and clock gene alterations, give rise to pathologic conditions that include cancer and clinical depression. This review systemically describes the fundamental mechanisms of circadian clocks and the interacting relationships among a broken circadian clock, cancer and depression. We propose that this broken clock is an emerging link that connects depression and cancer development. Importantly, broken circadian clocks, cancer and depression form a vicious feedback loop that threatens systemic fitness. Arresting this harmful loop by restoring normal circadian rhythms is a potential therapeutic strategy for treating both cancer and depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keyu Su
- Institute of Cancer Stem Cell, Dalian Medical University, 9 West Section, Lvshun South Road, Dalian, Liaoning Province, 116044, China
| | - Zaheer Ud Din
- Institute of Cancer Stem Cell, Dalian Medical University, 9 West Section, Lvshun South Road, Dalian, Liaoning Province, 116044, China
| | - Bai Cui
- Institute of Cancer Stem Cell, Dalian Medical University, 9 West Section, Lvshun South Road, Dalian, Liaoning Province, 116044, China,State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Cancer Center, Sun Yat-sen University, 651 Dongfeng East Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510060, China,Corresponding author. Institute of Cancer Stem Cell, Dalian Medical University, 9 West Section, Lvshun South Road, Dalian, Liaoning Province, 116044, China.
| | - Fei Peng
- Institute of Cancer Stem Cell, Dalian Medical University, 9 West Section, Lvshun South Road, Dalian, Liaoning Province, 116044, China
| | - Yuzhao Zhou
- Institute of Cancer Stem Cell, Dalian Medical University, 9 West Section, Lvshun South Road, Dalian, Liaoning Province, 116044, China
| | - Cenxin Wang
- Institute of Cancer Stem Cell, Dalian Medical University, 9 West Section, Lvshun South Road, Dalian, Liaoning Province, 116044, China
| | - Xiaoyu Zhang
- Institute of Cancer Stem Cell, Dalian Medical University, 9 West Section, Lvshun South Road, Dalian, Liaoning Province, 116044, China
| | - Jinxin Lu
- Institute of Cancer Stem Cell, Dalian Medical University, 9 West Section, Lvshun South Road, Dalian, Liaoning Province, 116044, China
| | - Huandong Luo
- Institute of Cancer Stem Cell, Dalian Medical University, 9 West Section, Lvshun South Road, Dalian, Liaoning Province, 116044, China
| | - Bin He
- Institute of Cancer Stem Cell, Dalian Medical University, 9 West Section, Lvshun South Road, Dalian, Liaoning Province, 116044, China
| | - Keith W. Kelley
- Department of Animal Sciences, College of ACES, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 212 Edward R. Madigan Laboratory, 1201 West Gregory Drive, Urbana, Il, 61801, USA
| | - Quentin Liu
- Institute of Cancer Stem Cell, Dalian Medical University, 9 West Section, Lvshun South Road, Dalian, Liaoning Province, 116044, China,State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Cancer Center, Sun Yat-sen University, 651 Dongfeng East Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510060, China,Corresponding author. Institute of Cancer Stem Cell, Dalian Medical University, 9 West Section, Lvshun South Road, Dalian, Liaoning Province, 116044, China.
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Perry ACF, Asami M, Lam BYH, Yeo GSH. The initiation of mammalian embryonic transcription: to begin at the beginning. Trends Cell Biol 2022; 33:365-373. [PMID: 36182534 DOI: 10.1016/j.tcb.2022.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Revised: 08/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Gamete (sperm and oocyte) genomes are transcriptionally silent until embryonic genome activation (EGA) following fertilization. EGA in humans had been thought to occur around the eight-cell stage, but recent findings suggest that it is triggered in one-cell embryos, by fertilization. Phosphorylation and other post-translational modifications during fertilization may instate transcriptionally favorable chromatin and activate oocyte-derived transcription factors (TFs) to initiate EGA. Expressed genes lay on cancer-associated pathways and their identities predict upregulation by MYC and other cancer-associated TFs. One interpretation of this is that the onset of EGA, and the somatic cell trajectory to cancer, are mechanistically related: cancer initiates epigenetically. We describe how fertilization might be linked to the initiation of EGA and involve distinctive processes recapitulated in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony C F Perry
- Laboratory of Mammalian Molecular Embryology, Department of Life Sciences, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK.
| | - Maki Asami
- Laboratory of Mammalian Molecular Embryology, Department of Life Sciences, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK
| | - Brian Y H Lam
- MRC Metabolic Diseases Unit, Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke's Hospital, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK
| | - Giles S H Yeo
- MRC Metabolic Diseases Unit, Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke's Hospital, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK
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50
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Shi X, Wang Y, Zhang L, Zhao W, Dai X, Yang YG, Zhang X. Targeting bromodomain and extra-terminal proteins to inhibit neuroblastoma tumorigenesis through regulating MYCN. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:1021820. [PMID: 36187481 PMCID: PMC9523081 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.1021820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Bromodomain and extra-terminal domain (BET) family proteins play important roles in regulating the expression of multiple proto-oncogenes by recognizing acetylation of histones and non-histone proteins including transcription factors, which subsequently promote tumor cell proliferation, survival, metastasis and immune escape. Therefore, BET family proteins are considered attractive therapeutic targets in various cancers. Currently, blocking of the BET proteins is a widely used therapeutic strategy for MYCN amplified high-risk neuroblastoma. Here, we summarized and reviewed the recent research progresses for the critical function of BET proteins, as an epigenetic reader, on tumorigenesis and the therapeutic potential of the BET/BRD4 inhibitors on MYCN amplified neuroblastoma. We also discussed the combined therapeutic strategies for BET inhibitor-resistant neuroblastoma.
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