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Shang B, Yang R, Lian K, Dong L, Liu H, Wang T, Yang G, Xi K, Xu X, Cheng Y. Family-based genetic analysis in schizophrenia by whole-exome sequence to identify rare pathogenic variants. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 2024; 195:e32968. [PMID: 38293813 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.b.32968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Revised: 12/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
Abstract
Schizophrenia (SCZ) is influenced by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Although several studies have been conducted to identify the causative loci and genes, few of these loci or genes can be repeated due to the high phenotypic and genetic heterogeneity of disease, and their mechanisms are not fully understood. There may be some "missing heritability" that has not yet been found. In order to investigate the deleterious heritable mutations, whole-exome sequencing (WES) in pedigrees with SCZ was used in the current work. Two unrelated pedigrees with SCZ were recruited to perform WES. Genetic analysis was next performed to find potential variants in accordance with the prioritized strategy. Followed by genetic analysis to detect candidate variants according to the prioritized strategy. Next, a series of algorithms was used to predict the pathogenicity of variants. Sanger sequencing was finally conducted to verify the co-segregation. Recessive mutations in six genes (TFEB, SNAI2, TFAP2B, PRKDC, ST18 in Pedigree 1 and PKHD1L1 in Pedigree 2) that co-segregated with SCZ in two families were discovered through genetic analysis by WES. Sanger sequencing verified that all of the mutations in the affected siblings were homozygous. These results corroborated the hypothesis that SCZ exhibits strong heterogeneity and complex inheritance patterns. The newly discovered homozygous variations deepen our understanding of the mutation spectrum and offer more proof for the involvement of TFEB, SNAI2, TFAP2B, PRKDC, ST18, and PKHD1L1 in the development of SCZ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binli Shang
- Department of Psychiatry, First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Runxu Yang
- Department of Psychiatry, First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
- Yunnan medical Centre for Mental Health, Kunming, China
| | - Kun Lian
- Department of Psychiatry, First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Lei Dong
- Department of Psychiatry, First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | | | | | | | - Kang Xi
- Department of Psychiatry, First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Xiufeng Xu
- Department of Psychiatry, First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
- Yunnan medical Centre for Mental Health, Kunming, China
| | - Yuqi Cheng
- Department of Psychiatry, First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
- Yunnan medical Centre for Mental Health, Kunming, China
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2
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Bhat GR, Sethi I, Sadida HQ, Rah B, Mir R, Algehainy N, Albalawi IA, Masoodi T, Subbaraj GK, Jamal F, Singh M, Kumar R, Macha MA, Uddin S, Akil ASAS, Haris M, Bhat AA. Cancer cell plasticity: from cellular, molecular, and genetic mechanisms to tumor heterogeneity and drug resistance. Cancer Metastasis Rev 2024; 43:197-228. [PMID: 38329598 PMCID: PMC11016008 DOI: 10.1007/s10555-024-10172-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] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Cancer is a complex disease displaying a variety of cell states and phenotypes. This diversity, known as cancer cell plasticity, confers cancer cells the ability to change in response to their environment, leading to increased tumor diversity and drug resistance. This review explores the intricate landscape of cancer cell plasticity, offering a deep dive into the cellular, molecular, and genetic mechanisms that underlie this phenomenon. Cancer cell plasticity is intertwined with processes such as epithelial-mesenchymal transition and the acquisition of stem cell-like features. These processes are pivotal in the development and progression of tumors, contributing to the multifaceted nature of cancer and the challenges associated with its treatment. Despite significant advancements in targeted therapies, cancer cell adaptability and subsequent therapy-induced resistance remain persistent obstacles in achieving consistent, successful cancer treatment outcomes. Our review delves into the array of mechanisms cancer cells exploit to maintain plasticity, including epigenetic modifications, alterations in signaling pathways, and environmental interactions. We discuss strategies to counteract cancer cell plasticity, such as targeting specific cellular pathways and employing combination therapies. These strategies promise to enhance the efficacy of cancer treatments and mitigate therapy resistance. In conclusion, this review offers a holistic, detailed exploration of cancer cell plasticity, aiming to bolster the understanding and approach toward tackling the challenges posed by tumor heterogeneity and drug resistance. As articulated in this review, the delineation of cellular, molecular, and genetic mechanisms underlying tumor heterogeneity and drug resistance seeks to contribute substantially to the progress in cancer therapeutics and the advancement of precision medicine, ultimately enhancing the prospects for effective cancer treatment and patient outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gh Rasool Bhat
- Advanced Centre for Human Genetics, Sher-I-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India
| | - Itty Sethi
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Jammu, Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, India
| | - Hana Q Sadida
- Department of Human Genetics-Precision Medicine in Diabetes, Obesity and Cancer Program, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
| | - Bilal Rah
- Iron Biology Group, Research Institute of Medical and Health Science, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, UAE
| | - Rashid Mir
- Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Prince Fahad Bin Sultan Chair for Biomedical Research, University of Tabuk, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia
| | - Naseh Algehainy
- Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Prince Fahad Bin Sultan Chair for Biomedical Research, University of Tabuk, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia
| | | | - Tariq Masoodi
- Laboratory of Cancer Immunology and Genetics, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
| | | | - Farrukh Jamal
- Dr. Rammanohar, Lohia Avadh University, Ayodhya, India
| | - Mayank Singh
- Department of Medical Oncology (Lab.), Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Dr. BRAIRCH, All India, New Delhi, India
| | - Rakesh Kumar
- School of Biotechnology, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University, Katra, Jammu and Kashmir, India
| | - Muzafar A Macha
- Watson-Crick Centre for Molecular Medicine, Islamic University of Science and Technology, Awantipora, Jammu and Kashmir, India
| | - Shahab Uddin
- Translational Research Institute, Academic Health System, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar
- Laboratory Animal Research Centre, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
| | - Ammira S Al-Shabeeb Akil
- Department of Human Genetics-Precision Medicine in Diabetes, Obesity and Cancer Program, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
| | - Mohammad Haris
- Laboratory Animal Research Centre, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
- Center for Advanced Metabolic Imaging in Precision Medicine, Department of Radiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA.
| | - Ajaz A Bhat
- Department of Human Genetics-Precision Medicine in Diabetes, Obesity and Cancer Program, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar.
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3
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Bejarano DH, Martínez RA, Rocha JF. Genome-wide association study for growth traits in Blanco Orejinegro and Romosinuano cattle. Trop Anim Health Prod 2023; 55:358. [PMID: 37848724 PMCID: PMC10581918 DOI: 10.1007/s11250-023-03743-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023]
Abstract
Growth traits are economically important characteristics for the genetic improvement of local cattle breeds. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) provide valuable information to enhance the understanding on the genetics of complex traits. The aim of this study was to perform a GWAS to identify genomic regions and genes associated to birth weight, weaning weight adjusted for 240 days, 16 months, and 24 months weight in Romosinuano (ROMO) and Blanco Orejinegro (BON) cattle. A single-step genomic-BLUP was implemented using 596 BON and 569 ROMO individuals that were genotyped with an Illumina BovineSNP50 BeadChip. There were 25 regions of interest identified on different chromosomes, with few of them simultaneously associated with two or more growth traits and some were common to both breeds. The gene mapping allowed to find 173 annotations on these regions, from which 49 represent potential candidate genes with known growth-related functions in cattle and other species. Among the regions that were associated with several growth traits, that at 24 - 27 MB of BTA14, has important candidate genes such as LYPLA1, XKR4, TMEM68 and PLAG1. Another region of interest at 0.40-0.77 Mb of BTA23 was identified in both breeds, containing KHDRBS2 as a potential candidate gene influencing body weight. Future studies targeting these regions could provide more knowledge to uncover the genetic architecture underlying growth traits in BON and ROMO cattle. The genomic regions and genes identified in this study could be used to improve the prediction of genetic merit for growth traits in these creole cattle breeds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego H Bejarano
- Corporación Colombiana de Investigación Agropecuaria -AGROSAVIA. Centro de Investigación Tibaitatá, Km. 14, Mosquera, Cundinamarca, Colombia
| | - Rodrigo A Martínez
- Corporación Colombiana de Investigación Agropecuaria -AGROSAVIA. Centro de Investigación Tibaitatá, Km. 14, Mosquera, Cundinamarca, Colombia
| | - Juan F Rocha
- Corporación Colombiana de Investigación Agropecuaria -AGROSAVIA. Centro de Investigación Tibaitatá, Km. 14, Mosquera, Cundinamarca, Colombia.
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Hepkema J, Lee NK, Stewart BJ, Ruangroengkulrith S, Charoensawan V, Clatworthy MR, Hemberg M. Predicting the impact of sequence motifs on gene regulation using single-cell data. Genome Biol 2023; 24:189. [PMID: 37582793 PMCID: PMC10426127 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-023-03021-9] [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: 05/02/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The binding of transcription factors at proximal promoters and distal enhancers is central to gene regulation. Identifying regulatory motifs and quantifying their impact on expression remains challenging. Using a convolutional neural network trained on single-cell data, we infer putative regulatory motifs and cell type-specific importance. Our model, scover, explains 29% of the variance in gene expression in multiple mouse tissues. Applying scover to distal enhancers identified using scATAC-seq from the developing human brain, we identify cell type-specific motif activities in distal enhancers. Scover can identify regulatory motifs and their importance from single-cell data where all parameters and outputs are easily interpretable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob Hepkema
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Nicholas Keone Lee
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, CB10 1SA, UK
- The Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QN, UK
| | - Benjamin J Stewart
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, CB10 1SA, UK
- Molecular Immunity Unit, Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK
- Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK
| | - Siwat Ruangroengkulrith
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
| | - Varodom Charoensawan
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
- Integrative Computational BioScience (ICBS) Center, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom, 7310, Thailand
- Systems Biology of Diseases Research Unit, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
| | - Menna R Clatworthy
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, CB10 1SA, UK
- Molecular Immunity Unit, Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK
- Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK
| | - Martin Hemberg
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, CB10 1SA, UK.
- The Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QN, UK.
- Gene Lay Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
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5
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Zhang J, Hu Z, Chung HH, Tian Y, Lau KW, Ser Z, Lim YT, Sobota RM, Leong HF, Chen BJ, Yeo CJ, Tan SYX, Kang J, Tan DEK, Sou IF, McClurg UL, Lakshmanan M, Vaiyapuri TS, Raju A, Wong ESM, Tergaonkar V, Rajarethinam R, Pathak E, Tam WL, Tan EY, Tee WW. Dependency of NELF-E-SLUG-KAT2B epigenetic axis in breast cancer carcinogenesis. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2439. [PMID: 37117180 PMCID: PMC10147683 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38132-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer cells undergo transcriptional reprogramming to drive tumor progression and metastasis. Using cancer cell lines and patient-derived tumor organoids, we demonstrate that loss of the negative elongation factor (NELF) complex inhibits breast cancer development through downregulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and stemness-associated genes. Quantitative multiplexed Rapid Immunoprecipitation Mass spectrometry of Endogenous proteins (qPLEX-RIME) further reveals a significant rewiring of NELF-E-associated chromatin partners as a function of EMT and a co-option of NELF-E with the key EMT transcription factor SLUG. Accordingly, loss of NELF-E leads to impaired SLUG binding on chromatin. Through integrative transcriptomic and genomic analyses, we identify the histone acetyltransferase, KAT2B, as a key functional target of NELF-E-SLUG. Genetic and pharmacological inactivation of KAT2B ameliorate the expression of EMT markers, phenocopying NELF ablation. Elevated expression of NELF-E and KAT2B is associated with poorer prognosis in breast cancer patients, highlighting the clinical relevance of our findings. Taken together, we uncover a crucial role of the NELF-E-SLUG-KAT2B epigenetic axis in breast cancer carcinogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jieqiong Zhang
- Chromatin Dynamics and Disease Epigenetics Lab, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore, 138673, Republic of Singapore
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117593, Republic of Singapore
| | - Zhenhua Hu
- Chromatin Dynamics and Disease Epigenetics Lab, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore, 138673, Republic of Singapore
| | - Hwa Hwa Chung
- Chromatin Dynamics and Disease Epigenetics Lab, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore, 138673, Republic of Singapore
| | - Yun Tian
- Department of Oncology, Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, 210004, Nanjing, People's Republic of China
| | - Kah Weng Lau
- Department of Pathology, National University Hospital, 5 Lower Kent Ridge Road, Singapore, 119074, Republic of Singapore
| | - Zheng Ser
- Functional Proteomics Laboratory, SingMass National Laboratory, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore, 138673, Republic of Singapore
| | - Yan Ting Lim
- Functional Proteomics Laboratory, SingMass National Laboratory, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore, 138673, Republic of Singapore
| | - Radoslaw M Sobota
- Functional Proteomics Laboratory, SingMass National Laboratory, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore, 138673, Republic of Singapore
| | - Hwei Fen Leong
- Chromatin Dynamics and Disease Epigenetics Lab, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore, 138673, Republic of Singapore
| | - Benjamin Jieming Chen
- Chromatin Dynamics and Disease Epigenetics Lab, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore, 138673, Republic of Singapore
| | - Clarisse Jingyi Yeo
- Chromatin Dynamics and Disease Epigenetics Lab, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore, 138673, Republic of Singapore
| | - Shawn Ying Xuan Tan
- Chromatin Dynamics and Disease Epigenetics Lab, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore, 138673, Republic of Singapore
| | - Jian Kang
- Chromatin Dynamics and Disease Epigenetics Lab, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore, 138673, Republic of Singapore
| | - Dennis Eng Kiat Tan
- Chromatin Dynamics and Disease Epigenetics Lab, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore, 138673, Republic of Singapore
| | - Ieng Fong Sou
- Chromatin Dynamics and Disease Epigenetics Lab, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore, 138673, Republic of Singapore
- Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7ZB, UK
| | - Urszula Lucja McClurg
- Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7ZB, UK
| | - Manikandan Lakshmanan
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore, 138673, Republic of Singapore
| | - Thamil Selvan Vaiyapuri
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore, 138673, Republic of Singapore
| | - Anandhkumar Raju
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore, 138673, Republic of Singapore
| | - Esther Sook Miin Wong
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore, 138673, Republic of Singapore
| | - Vinay Tergaonkar
- Department of Pathology, National University Hospital, 5 Lower Kent Ridge Road, Singapore, 119074, Republic of Singapore
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore, 138673, Republic of Singapore
- NUS Centre for Cancer Research, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 14 Medical Drive, Singapore, 117599, Republic of Singapore
- Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 8 Medical Drive, Singapore, 117597, Republic of Singapore
| | - Ravisankar Rajarethinam
- Advanced Molecular Pathology Laboratory, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore, 138673, Republic of Singapore
| | - Elina Pathak
- Genome Institute of Singapore, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 60 Biopolis Drive, Genome, Singapore, 138672, Republic of Singapore
| | - Wai Leong Tam
- NUS Centre for Cancer Research, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 14 Medical Drive, Singapore, 117599, Republic of Singapore
- Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 8 Medical Drive, Singapore, 117597, Republic of Singapore
- Genome Institute of Singapore, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 60 Biopolis Drive, Genome, Singapore, 138672, Republic of Singapore
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, 14 Medical Drive, Singapore, 117599, Republic of Singapore
| | - Ern Yu Tan
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore, 138673, Republic of Singapore
- Department of General Surgery, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore, 308433, Republic of Singapore
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 308232, Republic of Singapore
| | - Wee-Wei Tee
- Chromatin Dynamics and Disease Epigenetics Lab, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore, 138673, Republic of Singapore.
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117593, Republic of Singapore.
- NUS Centre for Cancer Research, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 14 Medical Drive, Singapore, 117599, Republic of Singapore.
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Santos VC, Ostler JB, Harrison KS, Jones C. Slug, a Stress-Induced Transcription Factor, Stimulates Herpes Simplex Virus 1 Replication and Transactivates a cis-Regulatory Module within the VP16 Promoter. J Virol 2023; 97:e0007323. [PMID: 37022165 PMCID: PMC10134811 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00073-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 03/16/2023] [Indexed: 04/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Stress-mediated activation of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and specific stress-induced transcription factors stimulate herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) productive infection, explant-induced reactivation, and immediate early (IE) promoters that drive expression of infected cell protein 0 (ICP0), ICP4, and ICP27. Several published studies concluded the virion tegument protein VP16, ICP0, and/or ICP4 drives early steps of reactivation from latency. Notably, VP16 protein expression was induced in trigeminal ganglionic neurons of Swiss Webster or C57BL/6J mice during early stages of stress-induced reactivation. If VP16 mediates reactivation, we hypothesized stress-induced cellular transcription factors would stimulate its expression. To address this hypothesis, we tested whether stress-induced transcription factors transactivate a VP16 cis-regulatory module (CRM) located upstream of the VP16 TATA box (-249 to -30). Initial studies revealed the VP16 CRM cis-activated a minimal promoter more efficiently in mouse neuroblastoma cells (Neuro-2A) than mouse fibroblasts (NIH-3T3). GR and Slug, a stress-induced transcription factor that binds enhancer boxes (E-boxes), were the only stress-induced transcription factors examined that transactivated the VP16 CRM construct. GR- and Slug-mediated transactivation was reduced to basal levels when the E-box, two 1/2 GR response elements (GREs), or NF-κB binding site was mutated. Previous studies revealed GR and Slug cooperatively transactivated the ICP4 CRM, but not ICP0 or ICP27. Silencing of Slug expression in Neuro-2A cells significantly reduced viral replication, indicating Slug-mediated transactivation of ICP4 and VP16 CRM activity correlates with enhanced viral replication and reactivation from latency. IMPORTANCE Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) establishes lifelong latency in several types of neurons. Periodically cellular stressors trigger reactivation from latency. Viral regulatory proteins are not abundantly expressed during latency, indicating cellular transcription factors mediate early stages of reactivation. Notably, the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and certain stress-induced transcription factors transactivate cis-regulatory modules (CRMs) essential for expression of infected cell protein 0 (ICP0) and ICP4, key viral transcriptional regulatory proteins linked to triggering reactivation from latency. Virion protein 16 (VP16) specifically transactivates IE promoter and was also reported to mediate early stages of reactivation from latency. GR and Slug, a stress-induced enhancer box (E-box) binding protein, transactivate a minimal promoter downstream of VP16 CRM, and these transcription factors occupy VP16 CRM sequences in transfected cells. Notably, Slug stimulates viral replication in mouse neuroblastoma cells suggesting Slug, by virtue of transactivating VP16 and ICP4 CRM sequences, can trigger reactivation in certain neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Claire Santos
- Oklahoma State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Jeffery B. Ostler
- Oklahoma State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Kelly S. Harrison
- Oklahoma State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Clinton Jones
- Oklahoma State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA
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7
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Ro YT, Patterson JL. Transcriptional induction of TGF-β1 and endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition cell markers in human umbilical vein endothelial cells by Ebola virus infection. Genes Genomics 2022; 44:1499-1507. [DOI: 10.1007/s13258-022-01333-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 10/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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8
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Alsafadi DB, Abdullah MS, Bawadi R, Ahram M. The Association of RGS2 and Slug in the Androgen-induced Acquisition of Mesenchymal Features of Breast MDA-MB-453 Cancer Cells. Endocr Res 2022; 47:64-79. [PMID: 35168462 DOI: 10.1080/07435800.2022.2036752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of tumor cells is a prerequisite to cancer cell invasion and metastasis. This process involves a network of molecular alterations. Androgen receptor (AR) plays an important role in the biology of breast cancers, particularly those dependent on AR expression like luminal AR (LAR) breast cancer subtype. We have recently reported that the AR agonist, dihydrotestosterone (DHT), induces a mesenchymal transition of MDA-MB-453 cells, concomitant with transcriptional up-regulation of Slug and regulator of G protein signaling 2 (RGS2). OBJECTIVE The role of Slug and RGS2 in mediating the DHT-induced effects in these cells was investigated. METHODS MDA-MB-453 cells were used as a model system of LAR breast cancer. Immunofluorescence was used to examine cell morphology and protein localization. Protein expression was analyzed by immunoblotting. Protein localization was confirmed by cell fractionation followed by immunoblotting. Protein-protein interaction was confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation followed by immunoblotting. Transwell membranes were used to assess cell migration. Transfection of cells with siRNA molecules that target Slug and RGS2 mRNA was utilized to delineate the modes of action of these two molecules. RESULTS Treatment of MDA-MB-453 cells with DHT induced the expression of both proteins. In addition, AR-Slug, AR-RGS2, and Slug-RGS2 interactions were observed shortly after AR activation. Knocking down Slug abrogated the basal, but not the DHT-induced, cell migration and blocked DHT-induced mesenchymal transition. On the other hand, RGS2 knocked-down cells had an increased level of Slug protein and assumed mesenchymal cell morphology with induced migration, and the addition of DHT further elongated cell morphology and stimulated their migration. Inhibition of AR or β-catenin reverted the RGS2 knocked-down cells to the epithelial phenotype, but only inhibition of AR blocked their DHT-induced migration. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest the involvement of RGS2 and Slug in a complex molecular network regulating the DHT-induced mesenchymal features in MDA-MB-453 cells. The study may offer a better understanding of the biological role of AR in breast cancer toward devising AR-based therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dana B Alsafadi
- Department of Microbiology, Pathology, and Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, the University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan
| | - Mohammad S Abdullah
- Department of Microbiology, Pathology, and Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, the University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan
| | - Randa Bawadi
- Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, School of Medicine, the University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan
| | - Mamoun Ahram
- Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, School of Medicine, the University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan
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Regulation of neurotropic herpesvirus productive infection and latency-reactivation cycle by glucocorticoid receptor and stress-induced transcription factors. VITAMINS AND HORMONES 2021; 117:101-132. [PMID: 34420577 DOI: 10.1016/bs.vh.2021.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Neurotropic α-herpesvirinae subfamily members, herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and bovine herpesvirus 1 (BoHV-1), are important viral pathogens in their respective hosts. Following acute infection on mucosal surfaces, these viruses establish life-long latency in neurons within trigeminal ganglia (TG) and central nervous system. Chronic or acute stress (physiological or psychological) increases the frequency of reactivation from latency, which leads to virus shedding, virus transmission, and recurrent disease. While stress impairs immune responses and inflammatory signaling cascades, we predict stressful stimuli directly stimulate viral gene expression and productive infection during early stages of reactivation from latency. For example, BoHV-1 and HSV-1 productive infection is impaired by glucocorticoid receptor (GR) antagonists but is stimulated by the synthetic corticosteroid dexamethasone. Promoters that drive expression of key viral transcriptional regulatory proteins are cooperatively stimulated by GR and specific Krüppel like transcription factors (KLF) induced during stress induced reactivation from latency. The BoHV-1 immediate early transcription unit 1 promoter and contains two GR response elements (GRE) that are essential for cooperative transactivation by GR and KLF15. Conversely, the HSV-1 infected cell protein 0 (ICP0) and ICP4 promoter as well as the BoHV-1 ICP0 early promoter lack consensus GREs: however, these promoters are cooperatively transactivated by GR and KLF4 or KLF15. Hence, growing evidence suggests GR and stress-induced transcription factors directly stimulate viral gene expression and productive infection during early stages of reactivation from latency. We predict the immune inhibitory effects of stress enhance virus spread at late stages during reactivation from latency.
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10
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Plasticity of Cancer Stem Cell: Origin and Role in Disease Progression and Therapy Resistance. Stem Cell Rev Rep 2021; 16:397-412. [PMID: 31965409 DOI: 10.1007/s12015-019-09942-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
In embryonic development and throughout life, there are some cells can exhibit phenotypic plasticity. Phenotypic plasticity is the ability of cells to differentiate into multiple lineages. In normal development, plasticity is highly regulated whereas cancer cells re-activate this dynamic ability for their own progression. The re-activation of these mechanisms enables cancer cells to acquire a cancer stem cell (CSC) phenotype- a subpopulation of cells with increased ability to survive in a hostile environment and resist therapeutic insults. There are several contributors fuel CSC plasticity in different stages of disease progression such as a complex network of tumour stroma, epidermal microenvironment and different sub-compartments within tumour. These factors play a key role in the transformation of tumour cells from a stable condition to a progressive state. In addition, flexibility in the metabolic state of CSCs helps in disease progression. Moreover, epigenetic changes such as chromatin, DNA methylation could stimulate the phenotypic change of CSCs. Development of resistance to therapy due to highly plastic behaviour of CSCs is a major cause of treatment failure in cancers. However, recent studies explored that plasticity can also expose the weaknesses in CSCs, thereby could be utilized for future therapeutic development. Therefore, in this review, we discuss how cancer cells acquire the plasticity, especially the role of the normal developmental process, tumour microenvironment, and epigenetic changes in the development of plasticity. We further highlight the therapeutic resistance property of CSCs attributed by plasticity. Also, outline some potential therapeutic options against plasticity of CSCs. Graphical Abstract .
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11
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Hernández-Segura T, Pastor N. Identification of an α-MoRF in the Intrinsically Disordered Region of the Escargot Transcription Factor. ACS OMEGA 2020; 5:18331-18341. [PMID: 32743208 PMCID: PMC7392517 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.0c02051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2020] [Accepted: 07/02/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Molecular recognition features (MoRFs) are common in intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) and intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs). MoRFs are in constant order-disorder structural transitions and adopt well-defined structures once they are bound to their targets. Here, we study Escargot (Esg), a transcription factor in Drosophila melanogaster that regulates multiple cellular functions, and consists of a disordered N-terminal domain and a group of zinc fingers at its C-terminal domain. We analyzed the N-terminal domain of Esg with disorder predictors and identified a region of 45 amino acids with high probability to form ordered structures, which we named S2. Through 54 μs of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations using CHARMM36 and implicit solvent (generalized Born/surface area (GBSA)), we characterized the conformational landscape of S2 and found an α-MoRF of ∼16 amino acids stabilized by key contacts within the helix. To test the importance of these contacts in the stability of the α-MoRF, we evaluated the effect of point mutations that would impair these interactions, running 24 μs of MD for each mutation. The mutations had mild effects on the MoRF, and in some cases, led to gain of residual structure through long-range contacts of the α-MoRF and the rest of the S2 region. As this could be an effect of the force field and solvent model we used, we benchmarked our simulation protocol by carrying out 32 μs of MD for the (AAQAA)3 peptide. The results of the benchmark indicate that the global amount of helix in shorter peptides like (AAQAA)3 is reasonably predicted. Careful analysis of the runs of S2 and its mutants suggests that the mutation to hydrophobic residues may have nucleated long-range hydrophobic and aromatic interactions that stabilize the MoRF. Finally, we have identified a set of residues that stabilize an α-MoRF in a region still without functional annotations in Esg.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa Hernández-Segura
- Laboratorio
de Dinámica de Proteínas, Centro de Investigación
en Dinámica Celular-IICBA, Universidad
Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Av. Universidad 1001, Chamilpa, 62209 Cuernavaca, México
- Doctorado
en Ciencias CIDC-IICBA, Universidad Autónoma
del Estado de Morelos, Cuernavaca 62209, Morelos, México
| | - Nina Pastor
- Laboratorio
de Dinámica de Proteínas, Centro de Investigación
en Dinámica Celular-IICBA, Universidad
Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Av. Universidad 1001, Chamilpa, 62209 Cuernavaca, México
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12
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Mueller AL, Corbi-Verge C, Giganti DO, Ichikawa DM, Spencer JM, MacRae M, Garton M, Kim PM, Noyes MB. The geometric influence on the Cys2His2 zinc finger domain and functional plasticity. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:6382-6402. [PMID: 32383734 PMCID: PMC7293014 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2020] [Revised: 04/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The Cys2His2 zinc finger is the most common DNA-binding domain expanding in metazoans since the fungi human split. A proposed catalyst for this expansion is an arms race to silence transposable elements yet it remains poorly understood how this domain is able to evolve the required specificities. Likewise, models of its DNA binding specificity remain error prone due to a lack of understanding of how adjacent fingers influence each other's binding specificity. Here, we use a synthetic approach to exhaustively investigate binding geometry, one of the dominant influences on adjacent finger function. By screening over 28 billion protein–DNA interactions in various geometric contexts we find the plasticity of the most common natural geometry enables more functional amino acid combinations across all targets. Further, residues that define this geometry are enriched in genomes where zinc fingers are prevalent and specificity transitions would be limited in alternative geometries. Finally, these results demonstrate an exhaustive synthetic screen can produce an accurate model of domain function while providing mechanistic insight that may have assisted in the domains expansion.
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Affiliation(s)
- April L Mueller
- Institute for Systems Genetics, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Carles Corbi-Verge
- Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3E1, Canada
| | - David O Giganti
- Institute for Systems Genetics, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - David M Ichikawa
- Institute for Systems Genetics, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Jeffrey M Spencer
- Institute for Systems Genetics, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Mark MacRae
- Institute for Systems Genetics, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Michael Garton
- Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G9, Canada
| | - Philip M Kim
- Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3E1, Canada.,Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S3E1, Canada.,Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S3E1, Canada
| | - Marcus B Noyes
- Institute for Systems Genetics, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA
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13
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Króliczewski J, Bartoszewska S, Dudkowska M, Janiszewska D, Biernatowska A, Crossman DK, Krzymiński K, Wysocka M, Romanowska A, Baginski M, Markuszewski M, Ochocka RJ, Collawn JF, Sikorski AF, Sikora E, Bartoszewski R. Utilizing Genome-Wide mRNA Profiling to Identify the Cytotoxic Chemotherapeutic Mechanism of Triazoloacridone C-1305 as Direct Microtubule Stabilization. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12040864. [PMID: 32252403 PMCID: PMC7226417 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12040864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2020] [Revised: 03/21/2020] [Accepted: 03/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Rational drug design and in vitro pharmacology profiling constitute the gold standard in drug development pipelines. Problems arise, however, because this process is often difficult due to limited information regarding the complete identification of a molecule’s biological activities. The increasing affordability of genome-wide next-generation technologies now provides an excellent opportunity to understand a compound’s diverse effects on gene regulation. Here, we used an unbiased approach in lung and colon cancer cell lines to identify the early transcriptomic signatures of C-1305 cytotoxicity that highlight the novel pathways responsible for its biological activity. Our results demonstrate that C-1305 promotes direct microtubule stabilization as a part of its mechanism of action that leads to apoptosis. Furthermore, we show that C-1305 promotes G2 cell cycle arrest by modulating gene expression. The results indicate that C-1305 is the first microtubule stabilizing agent that also is a topoisomerase II inhibitor. This study provides a novel approach and methodology for delineating the antitumor mechanisms of other putative anticancer drug candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jarosław Króliczewski
- Department of Biology and Pharmaceutical Botany, Medical University of Gdansk, 80-416 Gdansk, Poland; (J.K.); (R.J.O.)
| | - Sylwia Bartoszewska
- Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Medical University of Gdansk, 80-416 Gdansk, Poland;
| | - Magdalena Dudkowska
- Laboratory of the Molecular Bases of Ageing, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland (D.J.); (E.S.)
| | - Dorota Janiszewska
- Laboratory of the Molecular Bases of Ageing, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland (D.J.); (E.S.)
| | - Agnieszka Biernatowska
- Department of Cytobiochemistry, Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Wroclaw, 50-383 Wroclaw Poland;
| | - David K. Crossman
- Department of Genetics, UAB Genomics Core Facility, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA;
| | - Karol Krzymiński
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland; (K.K.); (M.W.); (A.R.)
| | - Małgorzata Wysocka
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland; (K.K.); (M.W.); (A.R.)
| | - Anna Romanowska
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland; (K.K.); (M.W.); (A.R.)
| | - Maciej Baginski
- Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Gdansk University of Technology, 80-233 Gdansk, Poland;
| | - Michal Markuszewski
- Department of Biopharmacy and Pharmacodynamics, Medical University of Gdansk, 80-416 Gdansk, Poland;
| | - Renata J. Ochocka
- Department of Biology and Pharmaceutical Botany, Medical University of Gdansk, 80-416 Gdansk, Poland; (J.K.); (R.J.O.)
| | - James F. Collawn
- Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA;
| | | | - Ewa Sikora
- Laboratory of the Molecular Bases of Ageing, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland (D.J.); (E.S.)
| | - Rafal Bartoszewski
- Department of Biology and Pharmaceutical Botany, Medical University of Gdansk, 80-416 Gdansk, Poland; (J.K.); (R.J.O.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +48-58-349-32-14; Fax: +48-58-349-32-11
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14
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Tomaselli D, Lucidi A, Rotili D, Mai A. Epigenetic polypharmacology: A new frontier for epi-drug discovery. Med Res Rev 2020; 40:190-244. [PMID: 31218726 PMCID: PMC6917854 DOI: 10.1002/med.21600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2018] [Revised: 05/10/2019] [Accepted: 05/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Recently, despite the great success achieved by the so-called "magic bullets" in the treatment of different diseases through a marked and specific interaction with the target of interest, the pharmacological research is moving toward the development of "molecular network active compounds," embracing the related polypharmacology approach. This strategy was born to overcome the main limitations of the single target therapy leading to a superior therapeutic effect, a decrease of adverse reactions, and a reduction of potential mechanism(s) of drug resistance caused by robustness and redundancy of biological pathways. It has become clear that multifactorial diseases such as cancer, neurological, and inflammatory disorders, may require more complex therapeutic approaches hitting a certain biological system as a whole. Concerning epigenetics, the goal of the multi-epi-target approach consists in the development of small molecules able to simultaneously and (often) reversibly bind different specific epi-targets. To date, two dual histone deacetylase/kinase inhibitors (CUDC-101 and CUDC-907) are in an advanced stage of clinical trials. In the last years, the growing interest in polypharmacology encouraged the publication of high-quality reviews on combination therapy and hybrid molecules. Hence, to update the state-of-the-art of these therapeutic approaches avoiding redundancy, herein we focused only on multiple medication therapies and multitargeting compounds exploiting epigenetic plus nonepigenetic drugs reported in the literature in 2018. In addition, all the multi-epi-target inhibitors known in literature so far, hitting two or more epigenetic targets, have been included.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Tomaselli
- Department of Chemistry and Technologies of Drugs,
“Sapienza” University of Rome, P.le A. Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy
| | - Alessia Lucidi
- Department of Chemistry and Technologies of Drugs,
“Sapienza” University of Rome, P.le A. Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy
| | - Dante Rotili
- Department of Chemistry and Technologies of Drugs,
“Sapienza” University of Rome, P.le A. Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy
| | - Antonello Mai
- Department of Chemistry and Technologies of Drugs,
“Sapienza” University of Rome, P.le A. Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy
- Pasteur Institute - Cenci Bolognetti Foundation, Viale
Regina Elena 291, 00161 Roma, Italy
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15
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Vrenken KS, Vervoort BMT, van Ingen Schenau DS, Derks YHW, van Emst L, Grytsenko PG, Middelbeek JAJ, van Leeuwen FN. The transcriptional repressor SNAI2 impairs neuroblastoma differentiation and inhibits response to retinoic acid therapy. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 2019; 1866:165644. [PMID: 31862304 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2019.165644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2019] [Revised: 12/03/2019] [Accepted: 12/14/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial solid tumor in children and originates from poorly differentiated neural crest progenitors. High-risk neuroblastoma patients frequently present with metastatic disease at diagnosis. Despite intensive treatment, patients often develop refractory disease characterized by poorly differentiated, therapy resistant cells. Although adjuvant therapy using retinoic acid (RA)-induced differentiation may increase event-free survival, in the majority of cases response to RA-therapy is inadequate. Consequently, current research aims to identify novel therapeutic targets that enhance the sensitivity to RA and induce neuroblastoma cell differentiation. The similarities between neural crest development and neuroblastoma progression provide an appealing starting point. During neural crest development the EMT-transcription factor SNAI2 plays an important role in neural crest specification as well as neural crest cell migration and survival. Here, we report that CRISPR/Cas9 mediated deletion as well as shRNA mediated knockdown of the EMT-transcription factor SNAI2 promotes cellular differentiation in a variety of neuroblastoma models. By comparing mRNA expression data from independent patient cohorts, we show that a SNAI2 activity-based gene expression signature significantly correlates with event-free survival. Loss of SNAI2 function reduces self-renewal, 3D invasion as well as metastatic spread in vivo, while strongly sensitizing neuroblastoma cells to RA-induced growth inhibition. Together, our data demonstrate that SNAI2 maintains progenitor-like features in neuroblastoma cells while interfering with RA-induced growth inhibition. We propose that targeting gene regulatory circuits, such as those controlling SNAI2 function, may allow reversion of RA-therapy resistant neuroblastoma cells to a more differentiated and therapy responsive phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirsten S Vrenken
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Laboratory of Pediatric Oncology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Britt M T Vervoort
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Laboratory of Pediatric Oncology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Dorette S van Ingen Schenau
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Laboratory of Pediatric Oncology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Yvonne H W Derks
- Laboratory of Pediatric Oncology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Liesbeth van Emst
- Laboratory of Pediatric Oncology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Pavlo G Grytsenko
- Department of Cell Biology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Jeroen A J Middelbeek
- Laboratory of Pediatric Oncology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Frank N van Leeuwen
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Laboratory of Pediatric Oncology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
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16
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Inhibitor of DNA-Binding Protein 4 Suppresses Cancer Metastasis through the Regulation of Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition in Lung Adenocarcinoma. Cancers (Basel) 2019; 11:cancers11122021. [PMID: 31847356 PMCID: PMC6966672 DOI: 10.3390/cancers11122021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2019] [Revised: 12/10/2019] [Accepted: 12/12/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Metastasis is a predominant cause of cancer death and the major challenge in treating lung adenocarcinoma (LADC). Therefore, exploring new metastasis-related genes and their action mechanisms may provide new insights for developing a new combative approach to treat lung cancer. Previously, our research team discovered that the expression of the inhibitor of DNA binding 4 (Id4) was inversely related to cell invasiveness in LADC cells by cDNA microarray screening. However, the functional role of Id4 and its mechanism of action in lung cancer metastasis remain unclear. In this study, we report that the expression of Id4 could attenuate cell migration and invasion in vitro and cancer metastasis in vivo. Detailed analyses indicated that Id4 could promote E-cadherin expression through the binding of Slug, cause the occurrence of mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET), and inhibit cancer metastasis. Moreover, the examination of the gene expression database (GSE31210) also revealed that high-level expression of Id4/E-cadherin and low-level expression of Slug were associated with a better clinical outcome in LADC patients. In summary, Id4 may act as a metastatic suppressor, which could not only be used as an independent predictor but also serve as a potential therapeutic for LADC treatment.
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17
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Zhou W, Gross KM, Kuperwasser C. Molecular regulation of Snai2 in development and disease. J Cell Sci 2019; 132:132/23/jcs235127. [PMID: 31792043 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.235127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The transcription factor Snai2, encoded by the SNAI2 gene, is an evolutionarily conserved C2H2 zinc finger protein that orchestrates biological processes critical to tissue development and tumorigenesis. Initially characterized as a prototypical epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) transcription factor, Snai2 has been shown more recently to participate in a wider variety of biological processes, including tumor metastasis, stem and/or progenitor cell biology, cellular differentiation, vascular remodeling and DNA damage repair. The main role of Snai2 in controlling such processes involves facilitating the epigenetic regulation of transcriptional programs, and, as such, its dysregulation manifests in developmental defects, disruption of tissue homeostasis, and other disease conditions. Here, we discuss our current understanding of the molecular mechanisms regulating Snai2 expression, abundance and activity. In addition, we outline how these mechanisms contribute to disease phenotypes or how they may impact rational therapeutic targeting of Snai2 dysregulation in human disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenhui Zhou
- Department of Developmental, Molecular & Chemical Biology, Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, Boston, MA 02111, USA.,Raymond and Beverly Sackler Convergence Laboratory, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA
| | - Kayla M Gross
- Department of Developmental, Molecular & Chemical Biology, Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, Boston, MA 02111, USA.,Raymond and Beverly Sackler Convergence Laboratory, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA
| | - Charlotte Kuperwasser
- Department of Developmental, Molecular & Chemical Biology, Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, Boston, MA 02111, USA .,Raymond and Beverly Sackler Convergence Laboratory, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA
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18
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Roles of the Phosphorylation of Transcriptional Factors in Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition. JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY 2019; 2019:5810465. [PMID: 31275381 PMCID: PMC6582791 DOI: 10.1155/2019/5810465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2019] [Revised: 05/03/2019] [Accepted: 05/09/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is the first step in the development of the invasive and migratory properties of cancer metastasis. Since the transcriptional reprogramming of a number of genes occurs in EMT, the regulation of EMT transcription factors has been intensively investigated. EMT transcriptional factors are commonly classified by the direct or indirect repression of E-cadherin because one of hallmarks of EMT is the loss of E-cadherin. This facilitates the expression of genes for EMT, tumor invasion, and metastasis. The posttranslational modification of EMT transcriptional factors, such as Snail and Slug, directly regulates their functions, including their stability, nuclear localization, protein-protein interaction, and ubiquitination for the promotion or termination of EMT at the specific points. Here, we discuss how posttranslational modifications regulate gene expression in a dynamic and reversible manner by modifying upstream signaling pathways, focusing in particular on the posttranslational modifications of Snail, Slug, ZEB1, ZEB2, and TWIST1. This review demonstrates that EMT transcription factors regulate metastasis through their posttranslational modifications and that the flexibility and reversibility of EMT can be modified by phosphorylation.
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19
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Hypoxia-induced Slug SUMOylation enhances lung cancer metastasis. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL & CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH : CR 2019; 38:5. [PMID: 30612578 PMCID: PMC6322271 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-018-0996-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2018] [Accepted: 12/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Background The Slug-E-cadherin axis plays a critical role in non-small-cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) where aberrant upregulation of Slug promotes cancer metastasis. Now, the post-translational modifications of Slug and their regulation mechanisms still remain unclear in lung cancer. Hence, exploring the protein linkage map of Slug is of great interest for investigating the scenario of how Slug protein is regulated in lung cancer metastasis. Methods The Slug associated proteins, Ubc9 and SUMO-1, were identified using yeast two-hybrid screening; and in vitro SUMOylation assays combined with immunoprecipitation and immunoblotting were performed to explore the detail events and regulations of Slug SUMOylation. The functional effects of SUMOylation on Slug proteins were examined by EMSA, reporter assay, ChIP assay, RT-PCR, migration and invasion assays in vitro, tail vein metastatic analysis in vivo, and also evaluated the association with clinical outcome of NSCLC patients. Results Slug protein could interact with Ubc9 and SUMO-1 and be SUMOylated in cells. Amino acids 130–212 and 33–129 of Slug are responsible for its binding to Ubc9 and protein inhibitor of activated STAT (PIAS)y, respectively. SUMOylation could enhance the transcriptional repression activity of Slug via recruiting more HDAC1, resulting in reduced expression of downstream Slug target genes and enhanced lung cancer metastasis. In addition, hypoxia could increase Slug SUMOylation through attenuating the interactions of Slug with SENP1 and SENP2. Finally, high expression Slug and Ubc9 levels were associated with poor overall survival among NSCLC patients. Conclusions Ubc9/PIASy-mediated Slug SUMOylation and subsequent HDAC1 recruitment may play a crucial role in hypoxia-induced lung cancer progression, and these processes may serve as therapeutic targets for NSCLC. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13046-018-0996-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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20
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Su Y, Hopfinger NR, Nguyen TD, Pogash TJ, Santucci-Pereira J, Russo J. Epigenetic reprogramming of epithelial mesenchymal transition in triple negative breast cancer cells with DNA methyltransferase and histone deacetylase inhibitors. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL & CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH : CR 2018; 37:314. [PMID: 30547810 PMCID: PMC6295063 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-018-0988-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2018] [Accepted: 11/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Background Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive neoplasia with no effective therapy. Our laboratory has developed a unique TNBC cell model presenting epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) a process known to be important for tumor progression and metastasis. There is increasing evidence showing that epigenetic mechanisms are involved in the activation of EMT. The objective of this study is to epigenetically reverse the process of EMT in TNBC by using DNA methyltransferase inhibitors (DNMTi) and histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi). Methods We evaluated the antitumor effect of three DNMTi and six HDACi using our TNBC cell model by MTT assay, migration and invasion assay, three dimensional culture, and colony formation assay. We then performed the combined treatment both in vitro and in vivo using the most potent DNMTi and HDACi, and tested the combined treatment in a panel of breast cancer cell lines. We investigated changes of EMT markers and potential signaling pathways associated with the antitumor effects. Results We showed that DNMTi and HDACi can reprogram highly aggressive TNBC cells that have undergone EMT to a less aggressive phenotype. SGI-110 and MS275 are superior to other seven compounds being tested. The combination of SGI with MS275 exerts a greater effect than single agent alone in inhibiting cell proliferation, motility, colony formation, and stemness of cancer cells. We also demonstrated that MS275 and the combination of SGI with MS275 exert in vivo antitumor effect. We revealed that the combined treatment synergistically reverses EMT through inhibiting EpCAM cleavage and WNT signaling, suppressing mutant p53, ZEB1, and EZH2, and inducing E-cadherin, apoptosis, as well as histone H3 tri-methylation. Conclusions Our study showed that DNMTi and HDACi exert antitumor activity in TNBC cells partially by epigenetically reprograming EMT. Our findings strongly suggest that TNBC is sensitive to epigenetic therapies. Therefore, we propose a new strategy to treat TNBC by using the combination of SGI-110 with MS275, which exerts superior antitumor effects by simultaneously targeting multiple pathways. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13046-018-0988-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanrong Su
- The Irma H. Russo, MD Breast Cancer Research Laboratory, Fox Chase Cancer Center-Temple University Health System, Philadelphia, PA, 19111, USA.
| | - Nathan R Hopfinger
- The Irma H. Russo, MD Breast Cancer Research Laboratory, Fox Chase Cancer Center-Temple University Health System, Philadelphia, PA, 19111, USA
| | - Theresa D Nguyen
- The Irma H. Russo, MD Breast Cancer Research Laboratory, Fox Chase Cancer Center-Temple University Health System, Philadelphia, PA, 19111, USA
| | - Thomas J Pogash
- The Irma H. Russo, MD Breast Cancer Research Laboratory, Fox Chase Cancer Center-Temple University Health System, Philadelphia, PA, 19111, USA
| | - Julia Santucci-Pereira
- The Irma H. Russo, MD Breast Cancer Research Laboratory, Fox Chase Cancer Center-Temple University Health System, Philadelphia, PA, 19111, USA
| | - Jose Russo
- The Irma H. Russo, MD Breast Cancer Research Laboratory, Fox Chase Cancer Center-Temple University Health System, Philadelphia, PA, 19111, USA.
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Gupta PB, Pastushenko I, Skibinski A, Blanpain C, Kuperwasser C. Phenotypic Plasticity: Driver of Cancer Initiation, Progression, and Therapy Resistance. Cell Stem Cell 2018; 24:65-78. [PMID: 30554963 DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2018.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 345] [Impact Index Per Article: 57.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Our traditional understanding of phenotypic plasticity in adult somatic cells comprises dedifferentiation and transdifferentiation in the context of tissue regeneration or wound healing. Although dedifferentiation is central to tissue repair and stemness, this process inherently carries the risk of cancer initiation. Consequently, recent research suggests phenotypic plasticity as a new paradigm for understanding cancer initiation, progression, and resistance to therapy. Here, we discuss how cells acquire plasticity and the role of plasticity in initiating cancer, cancer progression, and metastasis and in developing therapy resistance. We also highlight the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and known molecular mechanisms underlying plasticity and we consider potential therapeutic avenues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piyush B Gupta
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
| | - Ievgenia Pastushenko
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Laboratory of Stem Cells and Cancer, Brussels 1070, Belgium
| | - Adam Skibinski
- Department of Developmental, Chemical and Molecular Biology, Tufts University School of Medicine, 136 Harrison Ave., Boston, MA 02111, USA; Raymond and Beverly Sackler Convergence Laboratory, Tufts University School of Medicine, 136 Harrison Ave., Boston, MA 02111, USA; Molecular Oncology Research Institute, Tufts Medical Center, 800 Washington St., Boston, MA 02111, USA
| | - Cedric Blanpain
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Laboratory of Stem Cells and Cancer, Brussels 1070, Belgium; WELBIO, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels 1070, Belgium.
| | - Charlotte Kuperwasser
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Laboratory of Stem Cells and Cancer, Brussels 1070, Belgium; Department of Developmental, Chemical and Molecular Biology, Tufts University School of Medicine, 136 Harrison Ave., Boston, MA 02111, USA; Raymond and Beverly Sackler Convergence Laboratory, Tufts University School of Medicine, 136 Harrison Ave., Boston, MA 02111, USA.
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22
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Navas T, Pfister TD, Colantonio S, Aziz A, Dieckman L, Saul RG, Kaczmarczyk J, Borgel S, Alcoser SY, Hollingshead MG, Lee YH, Bottaro DP, Hiltke T, Whiteley G, Takebe N, Kinders RJ, Parchment RE, Tomaszewski JE, Doroshow JH. Novel antibody reagents for characterization of drug- and tumor microenvironment-induced changes in epithelial-mesenchymal transition and cancer stem cells. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0199361. [PMID: 29928062 PMCID: PMC6013203 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0199361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2018] [Accepted: 06/06/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The presence of cancer stem cells (CSCs) and the induction of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in tumors are associated with tumor aggressiveness, metastasis, drug resistance, and poor prognosis, necessitating the development of reagents for unambiguous detection of CSC- and EMT-associated proteins in tumor specimens. To this end, we generated novel antibodies to EMT- and CSC-associated proteins, including Goosecoid, Sox9, Slug, Snail, and CD133. Importantly, unlike several widely used antibodies to CD133, the anti-CD133 antibodies we generated recognize epitopes distal to known glycosylation sites, enabling analyses that are not confounded by differences in CD133 glycosylation. For all target proteins, we selected antibodies that yielded the expected target protein molecular weights by Western analysis and the correct subcellular localization patterns by immunofluorescence microscopy assay (IFA); binding selectivity was verified by immunoprecipitation−mass spectrometry and by immunohistochemistry and IFA peptide blocking experiments. Finally, we applied these reagents to assess modulation of the respective markers of EMT and CSCs in xenograft tumor models by IFA. We observed that the constitutive presence of human hepatocyte growth factor (hHGF) in the tumor microenvironment of H596 non-small cell lung cancer tumors implanted in homozygous hHGF knock-in transgenic mice induced a more mesenchymal-like tumor state (relative to the epithelial-like state when implanted in control SCID mice), as evidenced by the elevated expression of EMT-associated transcription factors detected by our novel antibodies. Similarly, our new anti-CD133 antibody enabled detection and quantitation of drug-induced reductions in CD133-positive tumor cells following treatment of SUM149PT triple-negative breast cancer xenograft models with the CSC/focal adhesion kinase (FAK) inhibitor VS-6063. Thus, our novel antibodies to CSC- and EMT-associated factors exhibit sufficient sensitivity and selectivity for immunofluorescence microscopy studies of these processes in preclinical xenograft tumor specimens and the potential for application with clinical samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tony Navas
- Clinical Pharmacodynamics Biomarker Program, Applied/Developmental Research Directorate, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Thomas D. Pfister
- Clinical Pharmacodynamics Biomarker Program, Applied/Developmental Research Directorate, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Simona Colantonio
- Antibody Characterization Laboratory, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Amina Aziz
- Biosciences Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Lynda Dieckman
- Biosciences Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Richard G. Saul
- Antibody Characterization Laboratory, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Jan Kaczmarczyk
- Antibody Characterization Laboratory, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Suzanne Borgel
- Biological Testing Branch, Developmental Therapeutics Program, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Sergio Y. Alcoser
- Biological Testing Branch, Developmental Therapeutics Program, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Melinda G. Hollingshead
- Biological Testing Branch, Developmental Therapeutics Program, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Young H. Lee
- Urologic Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Donald P. Bottaro
- Urologic Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Tara Hiltke
- Office of Cancer Clinical Proteomics Research, Center for Strategic Scientific Initiatives, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Gordon Whiteley
- Antibody Characterization Laboratory, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Naoko Takebe
- Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Robert J. Kinders
- Clinical Pharmacodynamics Biomarker Program, Applied/Developmental Research Directorate, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Ralph E. Parchment
- Clinical Pharmacodynamics Biomarker Program, Applied/Developmental Research Directorate, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Joseph E. Tomaszewski
- Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - James H. Doroshow
- Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
- Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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23
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The p21-activated kinase 4-Slug transcription factor axis promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition and worsens prognosis in prostate cancer. Oncogene 2018; 37:5147-5159. [PMID: 29849120 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-018-0327-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2017] [Revised: 03/22/2018] [Accepted: 04/17/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) facilitates cancer invasion and metastasis and thus accelerates cancer progression. p21-activated kinase 4 (PAK4) is a critical regulator of prostate cancer (PC) progression. Here, we report that PAK4 activation promotes PC progression through the EMT regulator Slug. We find that phosphorylated PAK4S474 (pPAK4) levels, an index of PAK4 activation, were tightly associated with Gleason score (p < 0.001), a clinical indicator of PC progression, but not with prostate serum antigen levels or tumor stage. Stable silencing of PAK4 in PC cells reduced their potential for EMT, cellular invasion, and metastasis in vivo. PAK4 bound and directly phosphorylated Slug at two previously unknown sites, S158 and S254, which resulted in its stabilization. The non-phosphorylatable form SlugS158A/S254A upregulated transcription of CDH1, which encodes E-cadherin, and thus suppressed EMT and invasion, to a greater extent than did wild-type Slug. The strong EMT inducer TGF-β elevated pPAK4 and pSlugS158 levels; PAK4 knockdown or introduction of a dominant-negative form of PAK4 inhibited both TGF-β-stimulated EMT and an increase in pSlugS158 levels. Finally, immunohistochemistry revealed a positive correlation between pPAK4 and pSlugS158 but an inverse correlation between pSlugS158 and E-cadherin. The results suggest that the PAK4-Slug axis represents a novel pathway that promotes PC progression.
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24
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Cui N, Yang WT, Zheng PS. Slug inhibits the proliferation and tumor formation of human cervical cancer cells by up-regulating the p21/p27 proteins and down-regulating the activity of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway via the trans-suppression Akt1/p-Akt1 expression. Oncotarget 2018; 7:26152-67. [PMID: 27036045 PMCID: PMC5041971 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.8434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2016] [Accepted: 03/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Slug (Snai2) has been demonstrated to act as an oncogene or tumor suppressor in different human cancers, but the function of Slug in cervical cancer remains poorly understood. In this study, we demonstrated that Slug could suppress the proliferation of cervical cancer cells in vitro and tumor formation in vivo. Further experiments found that Slug could trans-suppress the expression of Akt1/p-Akt1 by binding to E-box motifs in the promoter of the Akt1 gene and then inhibit the cell proliferation and tumor formation of cervical cancer cells by up-regulating p21/p27 and/or down-regulating the activity of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Therefore, Slug acts as a tumor suppressor during cervical carcinogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan Cui
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University Medical School, Xi'an, The People's Republic of China.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Xi'an Jiaotong University Medical School, Xi'an, The People's Republic of China
| | - Wen-Ting Yang
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University Medical School, Xi'an, The People's Republic of China.,Section of Cancer Stem Cell Research, Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Diseases, Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, Xi'an, The People's Republic of China
| | - Peng-Sheng Zheng
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University Medical School, Xi'an, The People's Republic of China.,Section of Cancer Stem Cell Research, Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Diseases, Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, Xi'an, The People's Republic of China
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25
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Liao TT, Yang MH. Revisiting epithelial-mesenchymal transition in cancer metastasis: the connection between epithelial plasticity and stemness. Mol Oncol 2017. [PMID: 28649800 PMCID: PMC5496497 DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.12096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 149] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) is an important process in embryonic development, fibrosis, and cancer metastasis. During cancer progression, the activation of EMT permits cancer cells to acquire migratory, invasive, and stem‐like properties. A growing body of evidence supports the critical link between EMT and cancer stemness. However, contradictory results have indicated that the inhibition of EMT also promotes cancer stemness, and that mesenchymal‐epithelial transition, the reverse process of EMT, is associated with the tumor‐initiating ability required for metastatic colonization. The concept of ‘intermediate‐state EMT’ provides a possible explanation for this conflicting evidence. In addition, recent studies have indicated that the appearance of ‘hybrid’ epithelial‐mesenchymal cells is favorable for the establishment of metastasis. In summary, dynamic changes or plasticity between the epithelial and the mesenchymal states rather than a fixed phenotype is more likely to occur in tumors in the clinical setting. Further studies aimed at validating and consolidating the concept of intermediate‐state EMT and hybrid tumors are needed for the establishment of a comprehensive profile of cancer metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tsai-Tsen Liao
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Muh-Hwa Yang
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Genome Research Center, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Oncology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan
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26
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Santiago L, Daniels G, Wang D, Deng FM, Lee P. Wnt signaling pathway protein LEF1 in cancer, as a biomarker for prognosis and a target for treatment. Am J Cancer Res 2017; 7:1389-1406. [PMID: 28670499 PMCID: PMC5489786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2017] [Accepted: 04/08/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Transcription factors are regulatory proteins that either activate or repress the transcription of genes via binding to DNA regulatory sequences and regulating recruitment of transcriptional complexes. Lymphoid enhancer-binding factor 1 (LEF1), a member of the T-cell Factor (TCF)/LEF1 family of high-mobility group transcription factors, is a downstream mediator of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, but can also modulate gene transcription independently. LEF1 is essential in stem cell maintenance and organ development, especially in its role in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) by activating the transcription of hallmark EMT effectors including N-Cadherin, Vimentin, and Snail. Aberrant expression of LEF1 is implicated in tumorigenesis and cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. LEF1's activity in particular cancer cell types, such as chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), Burkitt lymphoma (BL), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), and colorectal cancer (CRC), makes it a valuable biomarker in predicting patient prognosis. Additionally, due to aberrant LEF1 activity resulting in cancer progression, knockdown and inhibition treatments designed to target LEF1 have proven effective in alleviating cancer growth, migration, and invasion in CLL, CRC, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), and renal cell carcinoma (RCC). In prostate cancer cells, LEF1 promotes androgen receptor expression and activity in an androgen-independent manner, ultimately increasing prostate cancer growth regardless of androgen ablation therapy. In this review, we review LEF1 regulation, its role in tumorigenesis in several cancer types, and its clinical value as a biomarker for predicting prognoses and as a target for treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Larion Santiago
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, New York UniversityNew York, American
| | - Garrett Daniels
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, New York UniversityNew York, American
| | - Dongwen Wang
- Department of Urology, First Hospital of Shanxi Medical UniversityTaiyuan, Shanxi, China
| | - Fang-Ming Deng
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, New York UniversityNew York, American
- Association of Chinese American PhysiciansFlushing, New York, American
| | - Peng Lee
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, New York UniversityNew York, American
- Department of Urology, School of Medicine, New York UniversityNew York, American
- Department of NYU Cancer Institute, School of Medicine, New York UniversityNew York, American
- Department of New York Harbor Healthcare System, School of Medicine, New York UniversityNew York, American
- Association of Chinese American PhysiciansFlushing, New York, American
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27
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Gould R, Bassen DM, Chakrabarti A, Varner JD, Butcher J. Population Heterogeneity in the Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition Is Controlled by NFAT and Phosphorylated Sp1. PLoS Comput Biol 2016; 12:e1005251. [PMID: 28027307 PMCID: PMC5189931 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2015] [Accepted: 11/17/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is an essential differentiation program during tissue morphogenesis and remodeling. EMT is induced by soluble transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) family members, and restricted by vascular endothelial growth factor family members. While many downstream molecular regulators of EMT have been identified, these have been largely evaluated individually without considering potential crosstalk. In this study, we created an ensemble of dynamic mathematical models describing TGF-β induced EMT to better understand the operational hierarchy of this complex molecular program. We used ordinary differential equations (ODEs) to describe the transcriptional and post-translational regulatory events driving EMT. Model parameters were estimated from multiple data sets using multiobjective optimization, in combination with cross-validation. TGF-β exposure drove the model population toward a mesenchymal phenotype, while an epithelial phenotype was enhanced following vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) exposure. Simulations predicted that the transcription factors phosphorylated SP1 and NFAT were master regulators promoting or inhibiting EMT, respectively. Surprisingly, simulations also predicted that a cellular population could exhibit phenotypic heterogeneity (characterized by a significant fraction of the population with both high epithelial and mesenchymal marker expression) if treated simultaneously with TGF-β and VEGF-A. We tested this prediction experimentally in both MCF10A and DLD1 cells and found that upwards of 45% of the cellular population acquired this hybrid state in the presence of both TGF-β and VEGF-A. We experimentally validated the predicted NFAT/Sp1 signaling axis for each phenotype response. Lastly, we found that cells in the hybrid state had significantly different functional behavior when compared to VEGF-A or TGF-β treatment alone. Together, these results establish a predictive mechanistic model of EMT susceptibility, and potentially reveal a novel signaling axis which regulates carcinoma progression through an EMT versus tubulogenesis response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Russell Gould
- Nancy E. and Peter C. Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
| | - David M. Bassen
- Nancy E. and Peter C. Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
| | - Anirikh Chakrabarti
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
| | - Jeffrey D. Varner
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
| | - Jonathan Butcher
- Nancy E. and Peter C. Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
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28
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Gallardo M, Calaf GM. Curcumin inhibits invasive capabilities through epithelial mesenchymal transition in breast cancer cell lines. Int J Oncol 2016; 49:1019-27. [DOI: 10.3892/ijo.2016.3598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2016] [Accepted: 03/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
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29
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Gallardo M, Calaf GM. Curcumin and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in breast cancer cells transformed by low doses of radiation and estrogen. Int J Oncol 2016; 48:2534-42. [PMID: 27082017 DOI: 10.3892/ijo.2016.3477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2016] [Accepted: 02/20/2016] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is a major cause of global mortality in women. Curcumin exerts anti-proliferative, anti-migratory and apoptotic effects. The aim of this study was to evaluate gene expression involved in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). An in vitro model was developed with the MCF-10F immortalized breast epithelial cell line exposed to low radiation doses of high LET (linear energy transfer) α-particles (150 keV/µm) and cultured in the presence of 17β-estradiol (estrogen). The following cell lines were used: i) MCF-10F, normal; ii) Alpha5, pre-tumorigenic, and iii) Tumor2 derived from Alpha5 injected into the nude mice. Our previous results have shown that Alpha5 and Tumor2 increased cell proliferation, anchorage independency, invasive capabilities and tumor formation in nude mice in comparison to control. Results indicated that curcumin decreased expression of EMT-related genes in Tumor2 cell line when compared to its counterpart as E-cadherin, N-cadherin, ZEB2, Twist1, Slug, Axl, vimentin, STAT-3, fibronectin; and genes p53 and caveolin-1, as well as apoptotic genes caspase-3, caspase-8, and others such as cyclin D1 and NFκB. All these changes induced a decrease in migratory and invasive capabilities of such a cell line. Thus, it seems that curcumin may impinge upon apoptosis and metastatic properties of the malignant cells exerting antitumor activity in breast cancer cells transformed by low doses of α-particles and estrogen in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcela Gallardo
- Instituto de Alta Investigación, Universidad de Tarapacá, Arica 8097877, Chile
| | - Gloria M Calaf
- Instituto de Alta Investigación, Universidad de Tarapacá, Arica 8097877, Chile
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30
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Wei CR, Liu J, Yu XJ. Targeting SLUG sensitizes leukemia cells to ADR-induced apoptosis. Int J Clin Exp Med 2015; 8:22139-22148. [PMID: 26885188 PMCID: PMC4729974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2015] [Accepted: 12/12/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Slug is an E-cadherin repressor and a suppressor of PUMA (p53 upregulated modulator of apoptosis) and it has recently been demonstrated that Slug plays an important role in controlling apoptosis. In this study, we examined whether Slug's ability to silence expression suppresses the growth of leukemia HL-60 cells and/or sensitizes leukemia HL-60 cells to adriamycin (ADR) through induction of apoptosis. METHODS SLUG siRNA was transfected into the HL-60 and HL-60(ADR) cell lines (an adriamycin resistant cell line). The stably SLUG siRNA transfected HL-60 and HL-60(ADR) cells was transiently transfected with PUMA siRNA. The mRNA and protein expression of SLUG and PUMA were determined by Quantitative real-time RT-PCR and Western blot assay. The effects of SLUG siRNA alone or combined with ADR or PUMA siRNA on growth and apoptosis in HL-60 and HL-60(ADR) cells was detected by MTT, ELISA and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay. RESULTS The results showed that SLUG was less expressed in the HL-60 cells, and high expressed in the HL-60(ADR) cells. Obvious down-regulation of SLUG mRNA and protein levels and up-regulation of PUMA mRNA and protein levels after SLUG siRNA transfection was showed in the HL-60(ADR) cells. Treatment with ADR induced SLUG mRNA and protein in the HL-60 cells. Significant positive correlation was observed between basal SLUG mRNA and protein and ADR sensitivity. SLUG gene silencing by SLUG siRNA transfection inhibited growth and induced apoptosis, and increased ADR killing of the HL-60 and HL-60(ADR) cell lines. After the SLUG siRNA transfected HL-60 and HL-60(ADR) cells was transiently transfected with PUMA siRNA, did not increase ADR killing of the HL-60 and HL-60(ADR) cell lines. CONCLUSION SLUG level positively correlated with sensitivity to ADR. SLUG siRNA could effectively reduce SLUG expression and induce PUMA expression and restore the drug sensitivity of resistant leukemic cells to conventional chemotherapeutic agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chang-Rong Wei
- Department of Haematology, People’s Hospital of LinyiLinyi, Shandong, China
| | - Jun Liu
- Department of Pharmacy, Chest Hospital of LinyiLinyi, Shandong, China
| | - Xiao-Jun Yu
- Department of Infection Emergency, People’s Hospital of LinyiLinyi, Shandong, China
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31
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Zhang T, Chen XU, Chu X, Shen YI, Jiao W, Wei Y, Qiu T, Yan G, Wang X, Xu L. Slug overexpression is associated with poor prognosis in thymoma patients. Oncol Lett 2015; 11:306-310. [PMID: 26870208 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2015.3851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2014] [Accepted: 05/22/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Slug, a member of the Snail family of transcriptional factors, is a newly identified suppressive transcriptional factor of E-cadherin. The present study investigated the expression pattern of Slug in thymomas to evaluate its clinical significance. Immunohistochemistry was used to investigate the expression pattern of the Slug protein in archived tissue sections from 100 thymoma and 60 histologically normal thymus tissue samples. The associations between Slug expression and clinicopathological factors, such as prognosis, were analyzed. Positive expression of Slug was detected in a greater proportion of thymoma samples [51/100 (51%) patients, P<0.001] compared with normal thymus tissues [9/60 (15%) cases]. Of the 100 patients with thymoma, 42 (42%) displayed high levels of Slug expression (high-level group) and 58 (58%) displayed low levels of Slug expression (low-level group). The 10-year survival rate was improved for patients in the low-level group when compared with those in the high-level group (P=0.002). A multivariate analysis using the Cox proportional hazards regression model demonstrated that Slug overexpression was not an independent prognostic factor. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that Slug overexpression was associated with poor prognosis in patients with thymoma. Therefore, Slug may be a potential diagnostic biomarker and a predictor of poor prognosis in thymoma patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianqiang Zhang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital, Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong 266003, P.R. China
| | - X U Chen
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital, Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong 266003, P.R. China
| | - Xiumei Chu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital, Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong 266003, P.R. China
| | - Y I Shen
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital, Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong 266003, P.R. China
| | - Wenjie Jiao
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital, Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong 266003, P.R. China
| | - Yucheng Wei
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital, Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong 266003, P.R. China
| | - Tong Qiu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital, Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong 266003, P.R. China
| | - Guanzhong Yan
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital, Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong 266003, P.R. China
| | - Xiaofei Wang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital, Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong 266003, P.R. China
| | - Linhao Xu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital, Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong 266003, P.R. China
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Phillips S, Kuperwasser C. SLUG: Critical regulator of epithelial cell identity in breast development and cancer. Cell Adh Migr 2015; 8:578-87. [PMID: 25482617 DOI: 10.4161/19336918.2014.972740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
SLUG, a member of the SNAIL family of transcriptional repressors, is known to play a diverse number of roles in the cell, and its deregulation has been observed in a variety of cancers including breast. Here, we focus on SLUG's role as a master regulator of mammary epithelial cell (MEC) fate and lineage commitment in the normal mammary gland, and discuss how aberrant SLUG expression can influence breast tumor formation, phenotype, and progression. Specifically, we discuss SLUG's involvement in MEC differentiation, stemness, cellular plasticity, and the epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), and highlight the complex connection between these programs during development and disease progression. Undoubtedly, delineating how molecular factors influence lineage identity and cell-state dynamics in the normal mammary gland will contribute to our understanding of breast tumor heterogeneity.
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Key Words
- BCSC, Breast Cancer Stem Cell
- BM, Basement Membrane
- BRCA1, Breast Cancer Associated 1
- CK, Cytokeratin
- CSC, Cancer Stem Cell
- E-CAD, E-Cadherin
- EMT
- EMT, Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition
- ERα, Estrogen Receptor
- HDAC, Histone Deacetylasae
- HMECs, Human Mammary Epithelial Cells
- IHC, Immunohistochemical
- LSD1, Lysine Specific Demethylase 1.
- ME, Myoepithelial
- MEC, Mammary Epithelial Cell
- MaSC, Mammary Stem Cell
- SLUG
- SMA, Smooth Muscle Actin
- SNAG, Snai.Gfi-1
- WT, Wild type
- breast cancer
- cellular plasticity
- differentiation
- mammary stem cells
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Phillips
- a Department of Developmental, Molecular & Chemical Biology ; Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences ; Tufts University School of Medicine ; Boston , MA USA
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Loza-Coll MA, Southall TD, Sandall SL, Brand AH, Jones DL. Regulation of Drosophila intestinal stem cell maintenance and differentiation by the transcription factor Escargot. EMBO J 2014; 33:2983-96. [PMID: 25433031 DOI: 10.15252/embj.201489050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Tissue stem cells divide to self-renew and generate differentiated cells to maintain homeostasis. Although influenced by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors, the genetic mechanisms coordinating the decision between self-renewal and initiation of differentiation remain poorly understood. The escargot (esg) gene encodes a transcription factor that is expressed in stem cells in multiple tissues in Drosophila melanogaster, including intestinal stem cells (ISCs). Here, we demonstrate that Esg plays a pivotal role in intestinal homeostasis, maintaining the stem cell pool while influencing fate decisions through modulation of Notch activity. Loss of esg induced ISC differentiation, a decline in Notch activity in daughter enteroblasts (EB), and an increase in differentiated enteroendocrine (EE) cells. Amun, an inhibitor of Notch in other systems, was identified as a target of Esg in the intestine. Decreased expression of esg resulted in upregulation of Amun, while downregulation of Amun rescued the ectopic EE cell phenotype resulting from loss of esg. Thus, our findings provide a framework for further comparative studies addressing the conserved roles of Snail factors in coordinating self-renewal and differentiation of stem cells across tissues and species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariano A Loza-Coll
- Laboratory of Genetics, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | - Sharsti L Sandall
- Laboratory of Genetics, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Andrea H Brand
- The Gurdon Institute University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - D Leanne Jones
- Laboratory of Genetics, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Lolli A, Lambertini E, Penolazzi L, Angelozzi M, Morganti C, Franceschetti T, Pelucchi S, Gambari R, Piva R. Pro-Chondrogenic Effect of miR-221 and Slug Depletion in Human MSCs. Stem Cell Rev Rep 2014; 10:841-55. [DOI: 10.1007/s12015-014-9532-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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35
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Rembold M, Ciglar L, Yáñez-Cuna JO, Zinzen RP, Girardot C, Jain A, Welte MA, Stark A, Leptin M, Furlong EEM. A conserved role for Snail as a potentiator of active transcription. Genes Dev 2014; 28:167-81. [PMID: 24402316 PMCID: PMC3909790 DOI: 10.1101/gad.230953.113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The transcription factors of the Snail family are key regulators of epithelial-mesenchymal transitions, cell morphogenesis, and tumor metastasis. Since its discovery in Drosophila ∼25 years ago, Snail has been extensively studied for its role as a transcriptional repressor. Here we demonstrate that Drosophila Snail can positively modulate transcriptional activation. By combining information on in vivo occupancy with expression profiling of hand-selected, staged snail mutant embryos, we identified 106 genes that are potentially directly regulated by Snail during mesoderm development. In addition to the expected Snail-repressed genes, almost 50% of Snail targets showed an unanticipated activation. The majority of "Snail-activated" genes have enhancer elements cobound by Twist and are expressed in the mesoderm at the stages of Snail occupancy. Snail can potentiate Twist-mediated enhancer activation in vitro and is essential for enhancer activity in vivo. Using a machine learning approach, we show that differentially enriched motifs are sufficient to predict Snail's regulatory response. In silico mutagenesis revealed a likely causative motif, which we demonstrate is essential for enhancer activation. Taken together, these data indicate that Snail can potentiate enhancer activation by collaborating with different activators, providing a new mechanism by which Snail regulates development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Rembold
- Institute of Genetics, University of Cologne, 50674 Cologne, Germany
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Mahabir R, Tanino M, Elmansuri A, Wang L, Kimura T, Itoh T, Ohba Y, Nishihara H, Shirato H, Tsuda M, Tanaka S. Sustained elevation of Snail promotes glial-mesenchymal transition after irradiation in malignant glioma. Neuro Oncol 2013; 16:671-85. [PMID: 24357458 DOI: 10.1093/neuonc/not239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 133] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ionizing irradiation is an effective treatment for malignant glioma (MG); however, a higher rate of recurrence with more aggressive phenotypes is a vital issue. Although epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is involved in irradiation-induced cancer progression, the role for such phenotypic transition in MG remains unknown. METHODS To investigate the mechanism of irradiation-dependent tumor progression in MG, we performed immunohistochemistry (IHC) and qRT-PCR using primary and recurrent MG specimens, MG cell lines, and primary culture cells of MG. siRNA technique was used for MG cell lines. RESULTS In 22 cases of clinically recurrent MG, the expression of the mesenchymal markers vimentin and CD44 was found to be increased by IHC. In paired identical MG of 7 patients, the expression of collagen, MMPs, and YKL-40 were also elevated in the recurrent MGs, suggesting the The Cancer Genome Atlas-based mesenchymal subtype. Among EMT regulators, sustained elevation of Snail was observed in MG cells at 21 days after irradiation. Cells exhibited an upregulation of migration, invasion, numbers of focal adhesion, and MMP-2 production, and all of these mesenchymal features were abrogated by Snail knockdown. Intriguingly, phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and GSK-3β were increased after irradiation in a Snail-dependent manner, and TGF-β was elevated in both fibroblasts and macrophages but not in MG cells after irradiation. It was noteworthy that irradiated cells also expressed stemness features such as SOX2 expression and tumor-forming potential in vivo. CONCLUSIONS We here propose a novel concept of glial-mesenchymal transition after irradiation in which the sustained Snail expression plays an essential role.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roshan Mahabir
- Department of Cancer Pathology, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan (R.M., M.T., A.E., T.K., M.T., S.T.); Department of Translational Pathology, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan (L.W., H.N., S.T.); Department of Cell Physiology, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan (Y.O.); Department of Radiology, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan (H.S.); Department of Neurosurgery, Nakamura Memorial Hospital, Sapporo, Japan (T.I)
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Villarejo A, Cortés-Cabrera A, Molina-Ortíz P, Portillo F, Cano A. Differential role of Snail1 and Snail2 zinc fingers in E-cadherin repression and epithelial to mesenchymal transition. J Biol Chem 2013; 289:930-41. [PMID: 24297167 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m113.528026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Snail1 (Snail) and Snail2 (Slug) are transcription factors that share a similar DNA binding structure of four and five C2H2 zinc finger motifs (ZF), respectively. Both factors bind specifically to a subset of E-box motifs (E2-box: CAGGTG/CACCTG) in target promoters like the E-cadherin promoter and are key mediators of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). However, there are differences in the biological actions, in binding affinities to E-cadherin promoter, and in the target genes of Snail1 and Snail2, although the molecular bases are presently unknown. In particular, the role of each Snail1 and Snail2 ZF in the binding to E-boxes and in EMT induction has not been previously explored. We have approached this question by modeling Snail1 and Snail2 protein-DNA interactions and through mutational and functional assays of different ZFs. Results show that Snail1 efficient repression and binding to human and mouse E-cadherin promoter as well as EMT-inducing ability require intact ZF1 and ZF2, while for Snail2, either ZF3 or ZF4 is essential for those functions. Furthermore, the differential distribution of E2-boxes in mouse and human E-cadherin promoters also contributes to the differential Snail factor activity. These data indicate a non-equivalent role of Snail1 and Snail2 ZFs in gene repression, contributing to the elucidation of the molecular differences between these important EMT regulators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Villarejo
- From the Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas "Alberto Sols" CSIC-UAM, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), IdiPAZ, Arzobispo Morcillo, 2, 28029 Madrid, Spain and
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38
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Yang C, Chen H, Tan G, Gao W, Cheng L, Jiang X, Yu L, Tan Y. FOXM1 promotes the epithelial to mesenchymal transition by stimulating the transcription of Slug in human breast cancer. Cancer Lett 2013; 340:104-12. [PMID: 23856032 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2013.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2013] [Revised: 06/05/2013] [Accepted: 07/08/2013] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
The Forkhead Box M1 (FOXM1) transcription factor is involved in tumorigenesis and tumor progression in multiple human carcinomas. In this study, we found that FOXM1 promoted the epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) in human breast cancer. We observed a strong correlation between the expression levels of FOXM1 and the mesenchymal phenotype. Knockdown of FOXM1 inhibited the mesenchymal phenotype, whereas stable overexpression of FOXM1 induced EMT in breast cancer cells. FOXM1 was found to endogenously bind to and stimulate the promoter of Slug that is crucial for EMT progression. The knockdown of Slug abolished the EMT-inducing function of FOXM1. The stable overexpression of FOXM1 promoted metastasis of breast cancer cells in vivo. This study confirmed that FOXM1 promoted EMT in breast cancer cells by stimulating the transcription of EMT-related genes such as Slug.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Biology, Collaborative Innovation Center for Chemistry and Molecular Medicine, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan 410082, China
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39
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Chiang C, Ayyanathan K. Snail/Gfi-1 (SNAG) family zinc finger proteins in transcription regulation, chromatin dynamics, cell signaling, development, and disease. Cytokine Growth Factor Rev 2012; 24:123-31. [PMID: 23102646 DOI: 10.1016/j.cytogfr.2012.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2012] [Accepted: 09/24/2012] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The Snail/Gfi-1 (SNAG) family of zinc finger proteins is a group of transcriptional repressors that have been intensively studied in mammals. SNAG family members are similarly structured with an N-terminal SNAG repression domain and a C-terminal zinc finger DNA binding domain, however, the spectrum of target genes they regulate and the ranges of biological functions they govern vary widely between them. They play active roles in transcriptional regulation, formation of repressive chromatin structure, cellular signaling and developmental processes. They can also result in disease states due to deregulation. We have performed a thorough investigation of the relevant literature and present a comprehensive mini-review. Based on the available information, we also propose a mechanism by which SNAG family members may function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cindy Chiang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton, FL 33431, USA
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40
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Wang Y, Shang Y. Epigenetic control of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and cancer metastasis. Exp Cell Res 2012; 319:160-9. [PMID: 22935683 DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2012.07.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2012] [Revised: 07/23/2012] [Accepted: 07/25/2012] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is vital for morphogenesis during embryonic development and is also critical for the conversion of early stage tumors into invasive malignancies. Several key inducers of EMT are transcription factors that repress the expression of E-cadherin, whose loss is a hallmark of EMT. Epigenetic regulation encompasses three types of changes: DNA methylation, histone modifications, and microRNAs, each of which has been shown to play a key role in controlling epithelial-mesenchymal transition and cancer metastasis. As we gain deeper understanding of epigenetic mechanisms controlling EMT processes and orchestrating all the metastatic steps, we broaden the therapeutic potentials of epigenetic drugs, such as DNA demethylating drugs and histone deacetylase/demethylase inhibitors, which can act upon metastasis-related genes, restoring their expression and biological functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Wang
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tianjin Medical University, 22 Qixiangtai Road, Tianjin 300070, China
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41
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EMT as the ultimate survival mechanism of cancer cells. Semin Cancer Biol 2012; 22:194-207. [DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2012.02.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 354] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2011] [Revised: 02/27/2012] [Accepted: 02/28/2012] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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42
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Childs AJ, McNeilly AS. Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in granulosa cells: a key to activation of follicle growth? Biol Reprod 2012; 86:152, 1-2. [PMID: 22402964 DOI: 10.1095/biolreprod.112.100156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Childs
- MRC Centre for Reproductive Health, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
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43
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Molina-Ortiz P, Villarejo A, MacPherson M, Santos V, Montes A, Souchelnytskyi S, Portillo F, Cano A. Characterization of the SNAG and SLUG domains of Snail2 in the repression of E-cadherin and EMT induction: modulation by serine 4 phosphorylation. PLoS One 2012; 7:e36132. [PMID: 22567133 PMCID: PMC3342263 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0036132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2012] [Accepted: 03/26/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Snail1 and Snail2, two highly related members of the Snail superfamily, are direct transcriptional repressors of E-cadherin and EMT inducers. Previous comparative gene profiling analyses have revealed important differences in the gene expression pattern regulated by Snail1 and Snail2, indicating functional differences between both factors. The molecular mechanism of Snail1-mediated repression has been elucidated to some extent, but very little is presently known on the repression mediated by Snail2. In the present work, we report on the characterization of Snail2 repression of E-cadherin and its regulation by phosphorylation. Both the N-terminal SNAG and the central SLUG domains of Snail2 are required for efficient repression of the E-cadherin promoter. The co-repressor NCoR interacts with Snail2 through the SNAG domain, while CtBP1 is recruited through the SLUG domain. Interestingly, the SNAG domain is absolutely required for EMT induction while the SLUG domain plays a negative modulation of Snail2 mediated EMT. Additionally, we identify here novel in vivo phosphorylation sites at serine 4 and serine 88 of Snail2 and demonstrate the functional implication of serine 4 in the regulation of Snail2-mediated repressor activity of E-cadherin and in Snail2 induction of EMT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Molina-Ortiz
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (UAM), Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas “Alberto Sols” CSIC-UAM, IdiPAZ, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ana Villarejo
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (UAM), Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas “Alberto Sols” CSIC-UAM, IdiPAZ, Madrid, Spain
| | - Matthew MacPherson
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (UAM), Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas “Alberto Sols” CSIC-UAM, IdiPAZ, Madrid, Spain
| | - Vanesa Santos
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (UAM), Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas “Alberto Sols” CSIC-UAM, IdiPAZ, Madrid, Spain
| | - Amalia Montes
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (UAM), Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas “Alberto Sols” CSIC-UAM, IdiPAZ, Madrid, Spain
| | - Serhiy Souchelnytskyi
- Karolinska Biomics Center, Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Francisco Portillo
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (UAM), Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas “Alberto Sols” CSIC-UAM, IdiPAZ, Madrid, Spain
| | - Amparo Cano
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (UAM), Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas “Alberto Sols” CSIC-UAM, IdiPAZ, Madrid, Spain
- * E-mail:
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Ochoa SD, Salvador S, LaBonne C. The LIM adaptor protein LMO4 is an essential regulator of neural crest development. Dev Biol 2011; 361:313-25. [PMID: 22119055 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2011.10.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2011] [Revised: 10/18/2011] [Accepted: 10/21/2011] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The neural crest (NC) is a population of multipotent stem cell-like progenitors that arise at the neural plate border in vertebrates and migrate extensively before giving rise to diverse derivatives. A number of components of the neural crest gene regulatory network (NC-GRN) are used reiteratively to control multiple steps in the development of these cells. It is therefore important to understand the mechanisms that control the distinct function of reiteratively used factors in different cellular contexts, and an important strategy for doing so is to identify and characterize the regulatory factors they interact with. Here we report that the LIM adaptor protein, LMO4, is a Slug/Snail interacting protein that is essential for NC development. LMO4 is expressed in NC forming regions of the embryo, as well as in the central nervous system and the cranial placodes. LMO4 is necessary for normal NC development as morpholino-mediated knockdown of this factor leads to loss of NC precursor formation at the neural plate border. Misexpression of LMO4 leads to ectopic expression of some neural crest markers, but a reduction in the expression of others. LMO4 binds directly to Slug and Snail, but not to other components of the NC-GRN and can modulate Slug-mediated neural crest induction, suggesting a mechanistic link between these factors. Together these findings implicate LMO4 as a critical component of the NC-GRN and shed new light on the control of Snail family repressors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stacy D Ochoa
- Dept. of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
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45
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Wu CY, Jhingory S, Taneyhill LA. The tight junction scaffolding protein cingulin regulates neural crest cell migration. Dev Dyn 2011; 240:2309-23. [PMID: 21905165 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.22735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/21/2011] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Neural crest cells give rise to a diverse range of structures during vertebrate development. These cells initially exist in the dorsal neuroepithelium and subsequently acquire the capacity to migrate. Although studies have documented the importance of adherens junctions in regulating neural crest cell migration, little attention has been paid to tight junctions during this process. We now identify the tight junction protein cingulin as a key regulator of neural crest migration. Cingulin knock-down increases the migratory neural crest cell domain, which is correlated with a disruption of the neural tube basal lamina. Overexpression of cingulin also augments neural crest cell migration and is associated with similar basal lamina changes and an expansion of the premigratory neural crest population. Cingulin overexpression causes aberrant ventrolateral neuroepithelial cell delamination, which is linked to laminin loss and a decrease in RhoA. Together, our results highlight a novel function for cingulin in the neural crest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chyong-Yi Wu
- Department of Animal and Avian Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
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46
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Gjorevski N, Boghaert E, Nelson CM. Regulation of Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition by Transmission of Mechanical Stress through Epithelial Tissues. CANCER MICROENVIRONMENT 2011; 5:29-38. [PMID: 21748438 DOI: 10.1007/s12307-011-0076-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2010] [Accepted: 06/30/2011] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a phenotypic shift wherein epithelial cells lose or loosen attachments to their neighbors and assume a mesenchymal-like morphology. EMT drives a variety of developmental processes, but may also be adopted by tumor cells during neoplastic progression. EMT is regulated by both biochemical and physical signals from the microenvironment, including mechanical stress, which is increasingly recognized to play a major role in development and disease progression. Biological systems generate, transmit and concentrate mechanical stress into spatial patterns; these gradients in mechanical stress may serve to spatially pattern developmental and pathologic EMTs. Here we review how epithelial tissues generate and respond to mechanical stress gradients, and highlight the mechanisms by which mechanical stress regulates and patterns EMT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolce Gjorevski
- Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, Princeton University, A321 Engineering Quadrangle, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA
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47
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RNA interference targeting slug increases cholangiocarcinoma cell sensitivity to cisplatin via upregulating PUMA. Int J Mol Sci 2011; 12:385-400. [PMID: 21339993 PMCID: PMC3039959 DOI: 10.3390/ijms12010385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2010] [Revised: 01/06/2011] [Accepted: 01/07/2011] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Slug is an E-cadherin repressor and a suppressor of PUMA (p53 upregulated modulator of apoptosis) and it has recently been demonstrated that Slug plays an important role in controlling apoptosis. In this study, we examined whether Slug's ability to silence expression suppresses the growth of cholangiocarcinoma cells and/or sensitizes cholangiocarcinoma cells to chemotherapeutic agents through induction of apoptosis. We targeted the Slug gene using siRNA (Slug siRNA) via full Slug cDNA plasmid (Slug cDNA) transfection of cholangiocarcinoma cells. Slug siRNA, cisplatin, or Slug siRNA in combination with cisplatin, were used to treat cholangiocarcinoma cells in vitro. Western blot was used to detect the expression of Slug, PUMA, and E-cadherin protein. TUNEL, Annexin V Staining, and cell cycle analysis were used to detect apoptosis. A nude mice subcutaneous xenograft model of QBC939 cells was used to assess the effect of Slug silencing and/or cisplatin on tumor growth. Immunohistochemical staining was used to analyze the expression of Slug and PUMA. TUNEL was used to detect apoptosis in vivo. The results showed that PUMA and E-cadherin expression in cholangiocarcinoma cells is Slug dependent. We demonstrated that Slug silencing and cisplatin both promote apoptosis by upregulation of PUMA, not by upregulation of E-cadherin. Slug silencing significantly sensitized cholangiocarcinoma cells to cisplatin through upregulation of PUMA. Finally, we showed that Slug silencing suppressed the growth of QBC939 xenograft tumors and sensitized the tumor cells to cisplatin through PUMA upregulation and induction of apoptosis. Our findings indicate that Slug is an important modulator of the therapeutic response of cholangiocarcinoma cells and is potentially useful as a sensitizer in cholangiocarcinoma therapy. One of the mechanisms is the regulation of PUMA by Slug.
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Expression of Snail2 in long bone osteosarcomas correlates with tumour malignancy. Tumour Biol 2011; 32:515-26. [PMID: 21207222 PMCID: PMC3109975 DOI: 10.1007/s13277-010-0146-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2010] [Accepted: 12/06/2010] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Snail2 is a marker of malignancy in epithelial tumours; however, in sarcomas, it is not known if this protein is present. Here we examine the expression of Snail2 in one type of sarcoma, osteosarcoma, and explore its relationship to tumour grade, subtype and anatomical location in cases of long bone and cranial bone osteosarcoma. Long bone osteosarcomas typically have a much greater metastatic capability and a poorer prognosis. We find that Snail2 is expressed in the three main subtypes of long bone osteosarcoma—osteoblastic, chondroblastic and fibroblastic. Regression analysis showed that Snail 2 expression was statistically correlated with tumour grade (p = 0.014) in all of these subtypes. Snail2 was only expressed in high-grade cranial bone osteosarcomas, suggesting a link between Snail2 expression and metastasis. This is the first time Snail2 has been associated with any sarcoma, and this study shows that Snail2 may be a useful prognostic marker for this disease.
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Abstract
Cancer is a complex disease in which cells have circumvented normal restraints on tissue growth and have acquired complex abnormalities in their genomes, posing a considerable challenge to identifying the pathways and mechanisms that drive fundamental aspects of the malignant phenotype. Genetic analyses of the normal development of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans have revealed evolutionarily conserved mechanisms through which individual cells establish their fates, and how they make and execute the decision to survive or undergo programmed cell death. The pathways identified through these studies have mammalian counterparts that are co-opted by malignant cells. Effective cancer drugs now target some of these pathways, and more are likely to be discovered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malia B Potts
- Departments of Pediatrics and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, 75390-9148, USA
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Abstract
The zinc finger transcription factor Slug (Snai2) serves a wide variety of functions in the epidermis, with roles in skin development, hair growth, wound healing, skin cancer, and sunburn. Slug is expressed in basal keratinocytes and hair follicles where it is important in maintaining epidermal homeostasis. Slug also helps coordinate the skin response to exogenous stimuli. Slug is rapidly induced by a variety of growth factors and injurious agents and Slug controls, directly or indirectly, a variety of keratinocyte responses, including changes in differentiation, adhesion, motility, and production of inflammatory mediators. Slug thus modulates the interactions of the keratinocyte with its environment and with surrounding cells. The function of Slug in the epidermis appears to be distinct from that of the closely related Snail transcription factor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie H Shirley
- Department of Carcinogenesis, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Science Park Research Division, Smithville, Texas 78957, USA
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