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Wang S, Zhang X, Zhao Y, Lv H, Li P, Zhang Z, Qiao X. BCI Improves Alcohol-Induced Cognitive and Emotional Impairments by Restoring pERK-BDNF. J Mol Neurosci 2024; 74:59. [PMID: 38890235 DOI: 10.1007/s12031-024-02237-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: 05/13/2024] [Accepted: 06/13/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024]
Abstract
Binge drinking causes a range of problems especially damage to the nervous system, and the specific neural mechanism of brain loss and behavioral abnormalities caused by which is still unclear. Extracellular regulated protein kinases (ERK) maintain neuronal survival, growth, and regulation of synaptic plasticity by phosphorylating specific transcription factors to regulate expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Dual-specific phosphatase 1 (DUSP1) and DUSP6 dephosphorylate tyrosine and serine/threonine residues in ERK1/2 to inactivate them. To investigate the molecular mechanism by which alcohol affects memory and emotion, a chronic intermittent alcohol exposure (CIAE) model was established. The results demonstrated that mice in the CIAE group developed short-term recognition memory impairment and anxiety-like behavior; meanwhile, the expression of DUSP1 and DUSP66 in the mPFC was increased, while the levels of p-ERK and BDNF were decreased. Micro-injection of DUSP1/6 inhibitor BCI into the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) restored the dendritic morphology by reversing the activity of ERK-BDNF and ultimately improved cognitive and emotional impairment caused by CIAE. These findings indicate that CIAE inhibits ERK-BDNF by increasing DUSP1/6 in the mPFC that may be associated with cognitive and emotional deficits. Consequently, DUSP1 and DUSP6 appear to be potential targets for the treatment of alcoholic brain disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sasa Wang
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, No. 100, Science Avenue, Zhengzhou, 450001, Henan, China
| | - Xinlei Zhang
- Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, No. 100, Science Avenue, Zhengzhou, 450001, Henan, China
| | - Yuru Zhao
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, No. 100, Science Avenue, Zhengzhou, 450001, Henan, China
| | - Haoxuan Lv
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, No. 100, Science Avenue, Zhengzhou, 450001, Henan, China
| | - Pengyu Li
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, No. 100, Science Avenue, Zhengzhou, 450001, Henan, China
| | - Zhihao Zhang
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, No. 100, Science Avenue, Zhengzhou, 450001, Henan, China
| | - Xiaomeng Qiao
- Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, No. 100, Science Avenue, Zhengzhou, 450001, Henan, China.
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Ciccone V, Simonis V, Del Gaudio C, Cucini C, Ziche M, Morbidelli L, Donnini S. ALDH1A1 confers resistance to RAF/MEK inhibitors in melanoma cells by maintaining stemness phenotype and activating PI3K/AKT signaling. Biochem Pharmacol 2024; 224:116252. [PMID: 38701866 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2024.116252] [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: 11/24/2023] [Revised: 04/16/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024]
Abstract
The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK/ERK) pathway is pivotal in controlling the proliferation and survival of melanoma cells. Several mutations, including those in BRAF, exhibit an oncogenic effect leading to increased cellular proliferation. As a result, the combination therapy of a MEK inhibitor with a BRAF inhibitor demonstrated higher efficacy and lower toxicity than BRAF inhibitor alone. This combination has become the preferred standard of care for tumors driven by BRAF mutations. Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1A1 (ALDH1A1) is a known marker of stemness involved in drug resistance in several type of tumors, including melanoma. This study demonstrates that melanoma cells overexpressing ALDH1A1 displayed resistance to vemurafenib and trametinib through the activation of PI3K/AKT signaling instead of MAPK axis. Inhibition of PI3K/AKT signaling partially rescued sensitivity to the drugs. Consistently, pharmacological inhibition of ALDH1A1 activity downregulated the activation of AKT and partially recovered responsiveness to vemurafenib and trametinib. We propose ALDH1A1 as a new potential target for treating melanoma resistant to MAPK/ERK inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valerio Ciccone
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Siena I-53100, Italy
| | - Vittoria Simonis
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Siena I-53100, Italy
| | - Cinzia Del Gaudio
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Siena I-53100, Italy
| | - Claudio Cucini
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Siena I-53100, Italy
| | - Marina Ziche
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Neurosciences, University of Siena, Siena I‑53100, Italy
| | - Lucia Morbidelli
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Siena I-53100, Italy
| | - Sandra Donnini
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Siena I-53100, Italy.
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Xu L, Saunders K, Huang SP, Knutsdottir H, Martinez-Algarin K, Terrazas I, Chen K, McArthur HM, Maués J, Hodgdon C, Reddy SM, Roussos Torres ET, Xu L, Chan IS. A comprehensive single-cell breast tumor atlas defines epithelial and immune heterogeneity and interactions predicting anti-PD-1 therapy response. Cell Rep Med 2024; 5:101511. [PMID: 38614094 PMCID: PMC11148512 DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2024.101511] [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: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/15/2024]
Abstract
We present an integrated single-cell RNA sequencing atlas of the primary breast tumor microenvironment (TME) containing 236,363 cells from 119 biopsy samples across eight datasets. In this study, we leverage this resource for multiple analyses of immune and cancer epithelial cell heterogeneity. We define natural killer (NK) cell heterogeneity through six subsets in the breast TME. Because NK cell heterogeneity correlates with epithelial cell heterogeneity, we characterize epithelial cells at the level of single-gene expression, molecular subtype, and 10 categories reflecting intratumoral transcriptional heterogeneity. We develop InteractPrint, which considers how cancer epithelial cell heterogeneity influences cancer-immune interactions. We use T cell InteractPrint to predict response to immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) in two breast cancer clinical trials testing neoadjuvant anti-PD-1 therapy. T cell InteractPrint was predictive of response in both trials versus PD-L1 (AUC = 0.82, 0.83 vs. 0.50, 0.72). This resource enables additional high-resolution investigations of the breast TME.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lily Xu
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA; Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Kaitlyn Saunders
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA; Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Shao-Po Huang
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA; Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Hildur Knutsdottir
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University Whiting School of Engineering, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Kenneth Martinez-Algarin
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA; Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Isabella Terrazas
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA; Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Kenian Chen
- Quantitative Biomedical Research Center, Department of Population and Data Sciences, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Heather M McArthur
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA; Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | | | | | - Sangeetha M Reddy
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA; Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Evanthia T Roussos Torres
- Division of Medical Oncology, Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Lin Xu
- Quantitative Biomedical Research Center, Department of Population and Data Sciences, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Isaac S Chan
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA; Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA; Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA; Department of Molecular Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
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Nakamura K, Asanuma K, Okamoto T, Iino T, Hagi T, Nakamura T, Sudo A. Combination of Everolimus and Bortezomib Inhibits the Growth and Metastasis of Bone and Soft Tissue Sarcomas via JNK/p38/ERK MAPK and AKT Pathways. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:cancers15092468. [PMID: 37173935 PMCID: PMC10177427 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15092468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Revised: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The combination of the mammalian target of rapamycin and proteasome inhibitors is a new treatment strategy for various tumors. Herein, we investigated the synergistic effect of everolimus and bortezomib on tumor growth and metastasis in bone and soft tissue sarcomas. The antitumor effects of everolimus and bortezomib were assessed in a human fibrosarcoma (FS) cell line (HT1080) and mouse osteosarcoma (OS) cell line (LM8) by MTS assays and Western blotting. The effects of everolimus and bortezomib on HT1080 and LM8 tumor growth in xenograft mouse models were evaluated using tumor volume and the number of metastatic nodes of the resected lungs. Immunohistochemistry was used to evaluate cleaved PARP expression. The combination therapy decreased FS and OS cell proliferation compared with either drug alone. This combination induced more intense p-p38, p-JNK, and p-ERK and activated apoptosis signals, such as caspase-3, compared with single-agent treatment. The combination treatment reduced p-AKT and MYC expression, decreased FS and OS tumor volumes, and suppressed lung metastases of OS. The combination therapy inhibited tumor growth in FS and OS and metastatic progression of OS via the JNK/p38/ERK MAPK and AKT pathways. These results could aid in the development of new therapeutic strategies for sarcomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koichi Nakamura
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu 514-0001, Japan
| | - Kunihiro Asanuma
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu 514-0001, Japan
| | - Takayuki Okamoto
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Shimane University, Izumo 693-8501, Japan
| | - Takahiro Iino
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu 514-0001, Japan
| | - Tomohito Hagi
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu 514-0001, Japan
| | - Tomoki Nakamura
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu 514-0001, Japan
| | - Akihiro Sudo
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu 514-0001, Japan
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Thompson EM, Patel V, Rajeeve V, Cutillas PR, Stoker AW. The cytotoxic action of BCI is not dependent on its stated DUSP1 or DUSP6 targets in neuroblastoma cells. FEBS Open Bio 2022; 12:1388-1405. [PMID: 35478300 PMCID: PMC9249316 DOI: 10.1002/2211-5463.13418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Revised: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma (NB) is a heterogeneous cancer of the sympathetic nervous system, which accounts for 7-10% of paediatric malignancies worldwide. Due to the lack of targetable molecular aberrations in NB, most treatment options remain relatively nonspecific. Here, we investigated the therapeutic potential of BCI, an inhibitor of DUSP1 and DUSP6, in cultured NB cells. BCI was cytotoxic in a range of NB cell lines and induced a short-lived activation of the AKT and stress-inducible MAP kinases, although ERK phosphorylation was unaffected. Furthermore, a phosphoproteomic screen identified significant upregulation of JNK signalling components and suppression in mTOR and R6K signalling. To assess the specificity of BCI, CRISPR-Cas9 was employed to introduce insertions and deletions in the DUSP1 and DUSP6 genes. Surprisingly, BCI remained fully cytotoxic in NB cells with complete loss of DUSP6 and partial depletion of DUSP1, suggesting that BCI exerts cytotoxicity in NB cells through a complex mechanism that is unrelated to these phosphatases. Overall, these data highlight the risk of using an inhibitor such as BCI as supposedly specific DUSP1/6, without understanding its full range of targets in cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elliott M. Thompson
- Developmental Biology & Cancer Research and Teaching DepartmentUCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child HealthLondonUK
| | - Vruti Patel
- Developmental Biology & Cancer Research and Teaching DepartmentUCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child HealthLondonUK
- Present address:
Current Address: Discovery Research MRL UKMSDThe London Bioscience Innovation Centre (LBIC)LondonUK
| | - Vinothini Rajeeve
- Mass Spectrometry LaboratoryBarts Cancer InstituteQueen Mary University of LondonUK
| | - Pedro R Cutillas
- Mass Spectrometry LaboratoryBarts Cancer InstituteQueen Mary University of LondonUK
| | - Andrew W. Stoker
- Developmental Biology & Cancer Research and Teaching DepartmentUCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child HealthLondonUK
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ERK: A Double-Edged Sword in Cancer. ERK-Dependent Apoptosis as a Potential Therapeutic Strategy for Cancer. Cells 2021; 10:cells10102509. [PMID: 34685488 PMCID: PMC8533760 DOI: 10.3390/cells10102509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2021] [Revised: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The RAF/MEK/ERK signaling pathway regulates diverse cellular processes as exemplified by cell proliferation, differentiation, motility, and survival. Activation of ERK1/2 generally promotes cell proliferation, and its deregulated activity is a hallmark of many cancers. Therefore, components and regulators of the ERK pathway are considered potential therapeutic targets for cancer, and inhibitors of this pathway, including some MEK and BRAF inhibitors, are already being used in the clinic. Notably, ERK1/2 kinases also have pro-apoptotic functions under certain conditions and enhanced ERK1/2 signaling can cause tumor cell death. Although the repertoire of the compounds which mediate ERK activation and apoptosis is expanding, and various anti-cancer compounds induce ERK activation while exerting their anti-proliferative effects, the mechanisms underlying ERK1/2-mediated cell death are still vague. Recent studies highlight the importance of dual-specificity phosphatases (DUSPs) in determining the pro- versus anti-apoptotic function of ERK in cancer. In this review, we will summarize the recent major findings in understanding the role of ERK in apoptosis, focusing on the major compounds mediating ERK-dependent apoptosis. Studies that further define the molecular targets of these compounds relevant to cell death will be essential to harnessing these compounds for developing effective cancer treatments.
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