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Roundhill EA, Pantziarka P, Liddle DE, Shaw LA, Albadrani G, Burchill SA. Exploiting the Stemness and Chemoresistance Transcriptome of Ewing Sarcoma to Identify Candidate Therapeutic Targets and Drug-Repurposing Candidates. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:cancers15030769. [PMID: 36765727 PMCID: PMC9913297 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15030769] [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: 11/07/2022] [Revised: 01/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Outcomes for most patients with Ewing sarcoma (ES) have remained unchanged for the last 30 years, emphasising the need for more effective and tolerable treatments. We have hypothesised that using small-molecule inhibitors to kill the self-renewing chemotherapy-resistant cells (Ewing sarcoma cancer stem-like cells; ES-CSCs) responsible for progression and relapse could improve outcomes and minimise treatment-induced morbidities. For the first time, we demonstrate that ABCG1, a potential oncogene in some cancers, is highly expressed in ES-CSCs independently of CD133. Using functional models, transcriptomics and a bespoke in silico drug-repurposing pipeline, we have prioritised a group of tractable small-molecule inhibitors for further preclinical studies. Consistent with the cellular origin of ES, 21 candidate molecular targets of pluripotency, stemness and chemoresistance were identified. Small-molecule inhibitors to 13 of the 21 molecular targets (62%) were identified. POU5F1/OCT4 was the most promising new therapeutic target in Ewing sarcoma, interacting with 10 of the 21 prioritised molecular targets and meriting further study. The majority of small-molecule inhibitors (72%) target one of two drug efflux proteins, p-glycoprotein (n = 168) or MRP1 (n = 13). In summary, we have identified a novel cell surface marker of ES-CSCs and cancer/non-cancer drugs to targets expressed by these cells that are worthy of further preclinical evaluation. If effective in preclinical models, these drugs and drug combinations might be repurposed for clinical evaluation in patients with ES.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Ann Roundhill
- Children’s Cancer Research Group, Leeds Institute of Medical Research, St James’s University Hospital, Beckett Street, Leeds LS9 7TF, UK
- Correspondence: (E.A.R.); (S.A.B.)
| | - Pan Pantziarka
- Anticancer Fund, Brusselsesteenweg 11, 1860 Meise, Belgium
| | - Danielle E. Liddle
- Children’s Cancer Research Group, Leeds Institute of Medical Research, St James’s University Hospital, Beckett Street, Leeds LS9 7TF, UK
| | - Lucy A. Shaw
- Children’s Cancer Research Group, Leeds Institute of Medical Research, St James’s University Hospital, Beckett Street, Leeds LS9 7TF, UK
| | - Ghadeer Albadrani
- Children’s Cancer Research Group, Leeds Institute of Medical Research, St James’s University Hospital, Beckett Street, Leeds LS9 7TF, UK
| | - Susan Ann Burchill
- Children’s Cancer Research Group, Leeds Institute of Medical Research, St James’s University Hospital, Beckett Street, Leeds LS9 7TF, UK
- Correspondence: (E.A.R.); (S.A.B.)
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Kim J, Lee S, Sun R, Kim J. Juglone and KPT6566 Suppress the Tumorigenic Potential of CD44+CD133+ Tumor-Initiating Caco-2 Cells In Vitro and In Vivo. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:861045. [PMID: 35433695 PMCID: PMC9006057 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.861045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Pin1, a cis/trans isomerase of peptidyl-prolyl peptide bonds, plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of many human cancers. Although chemical inhibitors of Pin1 show potent antitumor therapeutic properties against various cancers, their effect on colorectal cancer, especially colorectal tumor-initiating cells, remains unknown. Here, we investigated the effect of Juglone and KPT6566 on Caco-2 cells and tumor-initiating Caco-2 cells. Juglone and KPT6566 inhibited cell growth and colony formation, and induced apoptosis of Caco-2 cells. We also found that Juglone and KPT6566 downregulated expression of G1-phase-specific cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinases in a time-dependent manner, consistent with suppression of Caco-2 cell proliferation and colony formation. Although tumor-initiating cells are thought to be responsible for resistance to traditional chemotherapeutic drugs, our experiments demonstrate that Juglone or KPT6566 kill both tumor-initiating and non-tumor-initiating Caco-2 cells with equal or similar efficacy. Finally, when CD44+CD133+ tumor-initiating Caco-2 cells were injected into NSG mice, Juglone or KPT6566 led to a meaningful reduction in tumor volume and mass compared with tumors isolated from mice that received control treatment. Overall, these results indicate that chemical Pin1 inhibitors may be a valuable therapeutic option against colorectal tumor-initiating cancer cells.
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Napolitano A, Ostler AE, Jones RL, Huang PH. Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor (FGFR) Signaling in GIST and Soft Tissue Sarcomas. Cells 2021; 10:cells10061533. [PMID: 34204560 PMCID: PMC8235236 DOI: 10.3390/cells10061533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2021] [Revised: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Sarcomas are a heterogeneous group of rare malignancies originating from mesenchymal tissues with limited therapeutic options. Recently, alterations in components of the fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) signaling pathway have been identified in a range of different sarcoma subtypes, most notably gastrointestinal stromal tumors, rhabdomyosarcomas, and liposarcomas. These alterations include genetic events such as translocations, mutations, and amplifications as well as transcriptional overexpression. Targeting FGFR has therefore been proposed as a novel potential therapeutic approach, also in light of the clinical activity shown by multi-target tyrosine kinase inhibitors in specific subtypes of sarcomas. Despite promising preclinical evidence, thus far, clinical trials have enrolled very few sarcoma patients and the efficacy of selective FGFR inhibitors appears relatively low. Here, we review the known alterations of the FGFR pathway in sarcoma patients as well as the preclinical and clinical evidence for the use of FGFR inhibitors in these diseases. Finally, we discuss the possible reasons behind the current clinical data and highlight the need for biomarker stratification to select patients more likely to benefit from FGFR targeted therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Napolitano
- Sarcoma Unit, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, 203 Fulham Road, London SW3 6JJ, UK; (A.N.); (A.E.O.); (R.L.J.)
- Department of Medical Oncology, University Campus Bio-Medico, 00128 Rome, Italy
| | - Alexandra E. Ostler
- Sarcoma Unit, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, 203 Fulham Road, London SW3 6JJ, UK; (A.N.); (A.E.O.); (R.L.J.)
| | - Robin L. Jones
- Sarcoma Unit, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, 203 Fulham Road, London SW3 6JJ, UK; (A.N.); (A.E.O.); (R.L.J.)
- The Institute of Cancer Research, 237 Fulham Road, London SW3 6JB, UK
| | - Paul H. Huang
- The Institute of Cancer Research, 237 Fulham Road, London SW3 6JB, UK
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +44-207-153-5554
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Kim J, Choi KW, Lee J, Lee J, Lee S, Sun R, Kim J. Wnt/β-catenin Signaling Inhibitors suppress the Tumor-initiating properties of a CD44 +CD133 + subpopulation of Caco-2 cells. Int J Biol Sci 2021; 17:1644-1659. [PMID: 33994850 PMCID: PMC8120464 DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.58612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2021] [Accepted: 03/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Tumor-initiating cells or cancer stem cells are a subset of cancer cells that have tumorigenic potential in human cancer. Although several markers have been proposed to distinguish tumor-initiating cells from colorectal cancer cells, little is known about how this subpopulation contributes to tumorigenesis. Here, we characterized a tumor-initiating cell subpopulation from Caco-2 colorectal cancer cells. Based on the findings that Caco-2 cell subpopulations express different cell surface markers, we were able to discriminate three main fractions, CD44-CD133-, CD44-CD133+, and CD44+CD133+ subsets, and characterized their biochemical and tumorigenic properties. Our results show that CD44+CD133+ cells possessed an unusual capacity to proliferate and could form tumors when transplanted into NSG mice. Additionally, primary tumors grown from CD44+CD133+ Caco-2 cells contained mixed populations of CD44+CD133+ and non-CD44+CD133+ Caco-2 cells, indicating that the full phenotypic heterogeneity of the parental Caco-2 cells was re-created. Notably, only the CD44+CD133+ subset of Caco-2-derived primary tumors had tumorigenic potential in NSG mice, and the tumor growth of CD44+CD133+ cells was faster in secondary xenografts than in primary transplants. Gene expression analysis revealed that the Wnt/β-catenin pathway was over-activated in CD44+CD133+ cells, and the growth and tumorigenic potential of this subpopulation were significantly suppressed by small-molecule Wnt/β-catenin signaling inhibitors. Our findings suggest that the CD44+CD133+ subpopulation from Caco-2 cells was highly enriched in tumorigenic cells and will be useful for investigating the mechanisms leading to human colorectal cancer development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Jungho Kim
- Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Department of Life Science, Sogang University, Seoul 04107, Korea
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Qiao C, Qian H, Wang J, Zhao T, Ma P, Wang S, Zhang T, Liu X. PD173074 blocks G1/S transition via CUL3-mediated ubiquitin protease in HepG2 and Hep3B cells. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0234708. [PMID: 32555680 PMCID: PMC7302471 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0234708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2020] [Accepted: 05/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs) are frequently altered in a variety of human cancer cells and are overexpressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Several literatures have proven that they are efficacious for HCC therapy, however, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Here, we found FGFR4 was overexpressed in HCC cell lines HepG2 and Hep3B and we used PD173074, an FGFR4 inhibitor, to explore the role of FGFR4 and its underlying mechanism in these cell lines. The results showed that PD173074 significantly arrested HepG2 and Hep3B cells in G1 phase and inhibited cell proliferation. Furthermore, Western blot analysis revealed that PD173074 decreased the levels of P-FRS2α, P-ERK, CDK2, cyclin E and NF-κB (p65) in the nucleus while it increased the levels of ubiquitin and CUL3, an E3 ubiquitin ligase which involves in cyclin E degradation. Meanwhile, the data from RT-qPCR showed that PD173074 also decreased miR-141 level. In conclusion, these results suggest that FGFR4 is involved in HCC by ERK/CUL3/cyclin E signaling pathway, and the finding may provide a potential theoretical basis for treatment by targeting FGFR4 in HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuchu Qiao
- School of Pharmacy, Xi’an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi’an, ShaanXi, China
| | - Hongyan Qian
- School of Forensic Science and Medicine, Xi’an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi’an, ShaanXi, China
| | - Jue Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Xi’an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi’an, ShaanXi, China
| | - Tingting Zhao
- School of Pharmacy, Xi’an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi’an, ShaanXi, China
| | - Pengyu Ma
- School of Pharmacy, Xi’an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi’an, ShaanXi, China
| | - Sicen Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Xi’an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi’an, ShaanXi, China
| | - Tao Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, Xi’an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi’an, ShaanXi, China
| | - Xinshe Liu
- School of Forensic Science and Medicine, Xi’an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi’an, ShaanXi, China
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Patra SK. Roles of OCT4 in pathways of embryonic development and cancer progression. Mech Ageing Dev 2020; 189:111286. [PMID: 32531293 DOI: 10.1016/j.mad.2020.111286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2019] [Revised: 04/08/2020] [Accepted: 06/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Somatic cells may be reprogrammed to pluripotent state by ectopic expression of certain transcription factors; namely, OCT4, SOX2, KLF4 and c-MYC. However, the molecular and cellular mechanisms are not adequately understood, especially for human embryonic development. Studies during the last five years implicated importance of OCT4 in human zygotic genome activation (ZGA), patterns of OCT4 protein folding and role of specialized sequences in binding to DNA for modulation of gene expression during development. Epigenetic modulation of OCT4 gene and post translational modifications of OCT4 protein activity in the context of multiple cancers are important issues. A consensus is emerging that chromatin organization and epigenetic landscape play crucial roles for the interactions of transcription factors, including OCT4 with the promoters and/or regulatory sequences of genes associated with human embryonic development (ZGA through lineage specification) and that when the epigenome niche is deregulated OCT4 helps in cancer progression, and how OCT4 silencing in somatic cells of adult organisms may impact ageing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samir Kumar Patra
- Epigenetics and Cancer Research Laboratory, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Group, Department of Life Science, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, Odisha, 769008, India.
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Chen D, Lee TH. New oncogenic signalling pathway: EWS-Oct4 mediates bone and soft tissue tumourigenesis by activating fibroblast growth factor-4. FEBS J 2019; 286:4418-4421. [PMID: 31400091 DOI: 10.1111/febs.15023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2019] [Accepted: 07/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Chromosomal translocations involving the interchange of parts between two non-homologous chromosomes can often lead to cancer by creating new fusion proteins. Here, Kim and co-workers show that a chimeric protein, EWS-Oct-4, transcriptionally activates fibroblast growth factor-4 (FGF-4) and triggers a downstream cascade of oncogenic signalling pathways, thereby facilitating the initiation of human bone and soft tissue tumour development. Comment on: https://doi.org/10.1111/febs.14946.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongmei Chen
- Fujian Key Laboratory for Translational Research in Cancer and Neurodegenerative Diseases, Institute for Translational Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Tae Ho Lee
- Fujian Key Laboratory for Translational Research in Cancer and Neurodegenerative Diseases, Institute for Translational Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
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