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Nalla LV, Khairnar A. Empagliflozin drives ferroptosis in anoikis-resistant cells by activating miR-128-3p dependent pathway and inhibiting CD98hc in breast cancer. Free Radic Biol Med 2024; 220:288-300. [PMID: 38734268 DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2024.05.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 02/18/2024] [Accepted: 05/09/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024]
Abstract
A tumour suppressor miRNA, miR-128-3p, is widely involved in various biological processes and has been found to get downregulated in breast cancer patients. We previously published that ectopically expressed miR-128-3p suppressed migration, invasion, cell cycle arrest, and breast cancer stem cells. In the present study, we explored the role of Empagliflozin (EMPA) as a miR-128-3p functionality-mimicking drug in inducing ferroptosis by inhibiting CD98hc. Given that CD98hc is one of the proteins critical in triggering ferroptosis, we confirmed that miR-128-3p and EMPA inhibited SP1, leading to inhibition of CD98hc expression. Further, transfection with siCD98hc, miR-128-3p mimics, and inhibitors was performed to assess their involvement in the ferroptosis of anoikis-resistant cells. We proved that anoikis-resistant cells possess high ROS and iron levels. Further, miR-128-3p and EMPA treatments induced ferroptosis by inhibiting GSH and enzymatic activity of GPX4 and also induced lipid peroxidation. Moreover, EMPA suppressed bioluminescence of 4T1-Red-FLuc induced thoracic cavity, peritoneal tumour burden and lung nodules in an in-vivo metastatic model of breast cancer. Collectively, we revealed that EMPA sensitized the ECM detached cells to ferroptosis by synergically activating miR-128-3p and lowering the levels of SP1 and CD98hc, making it a potential adjunct drug for breast cancer chemotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lakshmi Vineela Nalla
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India; Department of Pharmacology, GITAM School of Pharmacy, GITAM (Deemed to be University), Rushikonda, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, 530045, India
| | - Amit Khairnar
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India; International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Brno, 602 00, Czech Republic; Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Kamenice 753/5, Brno, 62500, Czech Republic; International Clinical Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Kamenice 753/5, Brno, 6250, Czech Republic.
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Hutchinson K, Schlessinger A. Comprehensive Characterization of LAT1 Cholesterol-Binding Sites. J Chem Theory Comput 2024; 20:3349-3358. [PMID: 38597304 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.3c01391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
The human L-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1; SLC7A5), is an amino acid exchanger protein, primarily found in the blood-brain barrier, placenta, and testis, where it plays a key role in amino acid homeostasis. Cholesterol is an essential lipid that has been highlighted to play a role in regulating the activity of membrane transporters, such as LAT1, yet little is known about the molecular mechanisms driving this phenomenon. Here we perform a comprehensive computational analysis to investigate cholesterol's role in LAT1 structure and function, focusing on four cholesterol-binding sites (CHOL1-4) identified in a recent LAT1-apo inward-open conformation cryo-EM structure. Through a series of independent molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, molecular docking, MM/GBSA free energy calculations, and other analysis tools, we explored the interactions between LAT1 and cholesterol. Our findings suggest that CHOL3 forms the most stable and favorable interactions with LAT1. Principal component analysis (PCA) and center of mass (COM) distance assessments show that CHOL3 binding stabilizes the inward-open state of LAT1 by preserving the spatial arrangement of the hash and bundle domains. Additionally, we propose an alternative cholesterol-binding site for originally assigned CHOL1. Overall, this study improves the understanding of cholesterol's modulatory effect on LAT1 and proposes candidate sites for the discovery of future allosteric ligands with rational design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keino Hutchinson
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, United States
| | - Avner Schlessinger
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, United States
- Department of Artificial Intelligence and Human Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, United States
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Xia P, Dubrovska A. CD98 heavy chain as a prognostic biomarker and target for cancer treatment. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1251100. [PMID: 37823053 PMCID: PMC10562705 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1251100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The SLC3A2 gene encodes for a cell-surface transmembrane protein CD98hc (4F2). CD98hc serves as a chaperone for LAT1 (SLC7A5), LAT2 (SLC7A8), y+LAT1 (SLC7A7), y+LAT2 (SLC7A6), xCT (SLC7A11) and Asc1 (SLC7A10) providing their recruitment to the plasma membrane. Together with the light subunits, it constitutes heterodimeric transmembrane amino acid transporters. CD98hc interacts with other surface molecules, such as extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer CD147 (EMMPRIN) and adhesion receptors integrins, and regulates glucose uptake. In this way, CD98hc connects the signaling pathways sustaining cell proliferation and migration, biosynthesis and antioxidant defense, energy production, and stem cell properties. This multifaceted role makes CD98hc one of the critical regulators of tumor growth, therapy resistance, and metastases. Indeed, the high expression levels of CD98hc were confirmed in various tumor tissues, including head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, glioblastoma, colon adenocarcinoma, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, and others. A high expression of CD98hc has been linked to clinical prognosis and response to chemo- and radiotherapy in several types of cancer. In this mini-review, we discuss the physiological functions of CD98hc, its role in regulating tumor stemness, metastases, and therapy resistance, and the clinical significance of CD98hc as a tumor marker and therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pu Xia
- OncoRay - National Center for Radiation Research in Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden and Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Dresden, Germany
| | - Anna Dubrovska
- OncoRay - National Center for Radiation Research in Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden and Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Dresden, Germany
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Radiooncology-OncoRay, Dresden, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Dresden and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Partner Site Dresden: German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), Dresden, Germany
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4
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Chen Z, Li R, Fang M, Wang Y, Bi A, Yang L, Song T, Li Y, Li Q, Lin B, Jia Y, Fu S, Fu S, Xiong H. Integrated analysis of FKBP1A/SLC3A2 axis in everolimus inducing ferroptosis of breast cancer and anti-proliferation of T lymphocyte. Int J Med Sci 2023; 20:1060-1078. [PMID: 37484811 PMCID: PMC10357440 DOI: 10.7150/ijms.84872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Solute Carrier Family 3 Member 2 (SLC3A2) is a member of the solute carrier family that plays pivotal roles in regulation of intracellular calcium levels and transports L-type amino acids. However, there are insufficient scientific researches on the prognostic and immunological roles of SLC3A2 in breast cancer (BC) and whether everolimus regulates novel SLC3A2 related molecular mechanism in the immuno-oncology context of the tumor microenvironment (TME), therefore, we see a necessity to conduct the current in silico and biological experimental study. Methods: Using diverse online databases, we investigated the role of SLC3A2 in therapy response, clinicopathological characteristics, tumor immune infiltration, genetic alteration, methylation and single cell sequencing in BC. WB, Co-IP, cell proliferation assay, Edu staining, ROS and GSH assay and in vivo tumor xenograft assays were performed to verify FKBP1A/SLC3A2 axis in everolimus inducing ferroptosis of breast cancer. Co-cultures and IL-9 ELISA were performed to demonstrate the T lymphocyte function. Results: We demonstrated that SLC3A2 was aberrantly expressed among various BC cohorts. Our results also suggested that SLC3A2 expression was associated with chemotherapeutic outcome in BC patients. Our results further indicated that SLC3A2 was associated with tumor infiltration of cytotoxic T cell but not other immune cells among BC TME. The alterations in SLC3A2 gene had a significant correlation to relapse free survival and contributed a significant impact on BC tumor mutational burden. Finally, SLC3A2 was illustrated to be expressed in diverse BC cellular populations at single cell level, and negatively linked to angiogenesis, inflammation and quiescence, but positively correlated with other functional phenotypes. Noteworthily, everolimus (a targeted therapy drug for BC) related protein, FK506-binding protein 1A (FKBP1A) was found to bind with SLC3A2, and negatively regulated SLC3A2 expression during the processes of everolimus inducing ferroptosis of BC cells and promoting anti-proliferation of Th9 lymphocytes. Conclusions: Altogether, our study strongly implies that SLC3A2 is an immuno-oncogenic factor and FKBP1A/SLC3A2 axis would provide insights for a novel immunotherapy approach for the treatment of BC in the context of TME.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zihan Chen
- Surgical Intensive Care Unit, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310016, China
| | - Rongxue Li
- Cancer Center, Department of Radiation Oncology, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310014, China
| | - Min Fang
- Cancer Center, Department of Radiation Oncology, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310014, China
| | - Ying Wang
- Cancer Center, Department of Radiation Oncology, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310014, China
| | - Aihong Bi
- Cancer Center, Department of Radiation Oncology, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310014, China
| | - Lixian Yang
- Cancer Center, Department of Radiation Oncology, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310014, China
| | - Tao Song
- Cancer Center, Department of Radiation Oncology, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310014, China
| | - Yucheng Li
- Cancer Center, Department of Radiation Oncology, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310014, China
| | - Qiang Li
- Cancer Center, Department of Radiation Oncology, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310014, China
| | - Baihua Lin
- Cancer Center, Department of Radiation Oncology, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310014, China
| | - Yongshi Jia
- Cancer Center, Department of Radiation Oncology, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310014, China
| | - Shi Fu
- Surgical Intensive Care Unit, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310016, China
| | - Shuiqiao Fu
- Surgical Intensive Care Unit, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310016, China
| | - Hanchu Xiong
- Cancer Center, Department of Radiation Oncology, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310014, China
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Al-Zeheimi N, Gao Y, Greer PA, Adham SA. Neuropilin-1 Knockout and Rescue Confirms Its Role to Promote Metastasis in MDA-MB-231 Breast Cancer Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24097792. [PMID: 37175499 PMCID: PMC10178772 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24097792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer (BC) metastasis remains a leading cause of female mortality. Neuropilin-1 (NRP-1) is a glycoprotein receptor that plays ligand-dependent roles in BC. Clinical studies indicate its correlation with metastatic disease; however, its functional role in BC metastasis remains uncertain. CRISPR-Cas9 was used to knockout the NRP-1 gene in MDA-MB-231 BC cells, and the effects on metastasis were determined using an orthotopic mouse engraftment model. NRP-1 expression in knockout cells was rescued using a recombinant cDNA with a silent mutation in the sgRNA target-adjacent PAM sequence. Differentially expressed genes between NRP-1 knockout and control cells were determined using whole-transcriptome sequencing and validated using real-time PCR. NRP-1KO cells showed a pronounced reduction in the metastasis to the lungs. KEGG pathway analysis of the transcriptome data revealed that PI3K and ECM receptor interactions were among the top altered pathways in the NRP-1KO cells. In addition, reduction in metastasis enhancers proteins, Integrin-β3 and Tenascin-C, and genes CCL20 and FN1 and upregulation of metastasis suppressor genes, ACVRL and GPX3 in NRP-1KO were detected. These findings provide evidence for a functional role for NRP-1 in BC metastasis, supporting further exploration of NRP-1 and the identified genes as targets in treating metastatic BC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noura Al-Zeheimi
- Department of Biology, College of Science, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat 123, Oman
| | - Yan Gao
- Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Peter A Greer
- Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Sirin A Adham
- Department of Biology, College of Science, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat 123, Oman
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Abdelaal G, Carter A, Panayiotides MI, Tetard D, Veuger S. Novel iron chelator SK4 demonstrates cytotoxicity in a range of tumour derived cell lines. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 9:1005092. [PMID: 36213122 PMCID: PMC9540520 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.1005092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Iron is an essential micronutrient due to its involvement in many cellular processes including DNA replication and OXPHOS. Tumors overexpress iron metabolism linked proteins which allow for iron accumulation driving high levels of proliferation. Our group has designed novel iron chelator SK4 which targets cancer’s “iron addiction.” SK4 comprises of two key moieties: an iron chelation moiety responsible for cytotoxicity and an amino acid moiety which allows entry through amino acid transporter LAT1. We selected LAT1 as a route of entry as it is commonly overexpressed in malignant tumors. SK4 has previously demonstrated promising results in an in vitro model for melanoma. We hypothesized SK4 would be effective against a range of tumor types. We have screened a panel of tumor-derived cell lines from different origins including breast, prostate, ovarian and cervical cancer for SK4 sensitivity and we have found a range of differential sensitivities varying from 111.3 to >500 μM. We validated the iron chelation moiety as responsible for inducing cytotoxicity through control compounds; each lacking a key moiety. Following the screen, we conducted a series of assays to elucidate the mechanism of action behind SK4 cytotoxicity. SK4 was shown to induce apoptosis in triple negative breast cancer cell line MDA MB 231 but not ovarian cancer cell line SKOV3 suggesting SK4 may induce different modes of cell death in each cell line. As MDA MB 231 cells harbor a mutation in p53, we conclude SK4 is capable of inducing apoptosis in a p53-independent manner. SK4 upregulated NDRG1 expression in MDA MB 231 and SKOV3 cells. Interestingly, knockdown of NDRG1 antagonized SK4 in MDA MB 231 cells but not SKOV3 cells suggesting SK4’s mechanism of action may be mediated through NDRG1 in MDA MB 231 cells. In conclusion, we have shown tagging iron chelators with an amino acid moiety to allow entry through the LAT1 transporter represents a double pronged approach to cancer therapy, targeting “iron addiction” and amino acid metabolism dysregulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gina Abdelaal
- Department of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
- *Correspondence: Gina Abdelaal, ; Stephany Veuger,
| | - Andrew Carter
- Department of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Mihalis I. Panayiotides
- Department of Cancer Genetics, Therapeutics and Ultrastructural Pathology, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - David Tetard
- Department of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Stephany Veuger
- Department of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
- *Correspondence: Gina Abdelaal, ; Stephany Veuger,
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Msheik ZS, Nassar FJ, Chamandi G, Itani AR, Gadaleta E, Chalala C, Alwan N, Nasr RR. miR-126 Decreases Proliferation and Mammosphere Formation of MCF-7 and Predicts Prognosis of ER+ Breast Cancer. Diagnostics (Basel) 2022; 12:diagnostics12030745. [PMID: 35328298 PMCID: PMC8946945 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics12030745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Revised: 01/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer (BC) is a major health burden that affects over one million women each year. It is the most prevalent cancer in women and the number one cancer killer of them worldwide. Of all BC subtypes, estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) BC is the most commonly diagnosed. The objective of this study is to investigate the contribution of miR-126 in the tumorigenesis of ER+ BC. miR-126 was downregulated in ER+ BC tissues from young breast cancer patients, as shown through miRNA microarray analysis and RT-qPCR. Subsequently, the effect of the modulation of miR-126 levels on the proliferation, cell cycle progression, and spheres formation of the ER+ BC cell line, MCF-7, was assessed by MTT assay, PI analysis, and mammosphere formation assay, respectively. miR-126 overexpression significantly decreased MCF-7 proliferation and mammosphere-forming ability, but did not affect cell cycle progression. Then, in silico analysis determined SLC7A5, PLXNB2, CRK, PLK2, SPRED1, and IRS1 as potential targets of miR-126. RT-qPCR data showed that miR-126 overexpression significantly downregulated SLC7A5 and PLXNB2 mRNA levels in MCF-7. Finally, in silico survival analysis showed that high expression of miR-126 or low expression of SLC7A5 correlated with better overall survival (OS) of ER+ BC patients. Overall, our study suggests that miR-126 might play a tumor suppressor role in ER+ BC. miR-126 and SLC7A5 might also be considered potential prognostic biomarkers in ER+ BC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zahraa S. Msheik
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut 11-0236, Lebanon; (Z.S.M.); (G.C.); (A.R.I.)
| | - Farah J. Nassar
- Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut 11-0236, Lebanon;
| | - Ghada Chamandi
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut 11-0236, Lebanon; (Z.S.M.); (G.C.); (A.R.I.)
- Pathophysiology of Breast Cancer Team, INSERM U976, HIPI, Université de Paris, 75010 Paris, France
| | - Abdul Rahman Itani
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut 11-0236, Lebanon; (Z.S.M.); (G.C.); (A.R.I.)
| | - Emanuala Gadaleta
- Centre for Molecular Oncology, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, Charterhouse Square, London EC1M 6BQ, UK; (E.G.); (C.C.)
| | - Claude Chalala
- Centre for Molecular Oncology, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, Charterhouse Square, London EC1M 6BQ, UK; (E.G.); (C.C.)
| | - Nisreen Alwan
- College of Health Sciences, Abu Dhabi University, Abu Dhabi 59911, United Arab Emirates;
| | - Rihab R. Nasr
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut 11-0236, Lebanon; (Z.S.M.); (G.C.); (A.R.I.)
- Correspondence:
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Zhao X, Sakamoto S, Maimaiti M, Anzai N, Ichikawa T. Contribution of LAT1-4F2hc in Urological Cancers via Toll-like Receptor and Other Vital Pathways. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14010229. [PMID: 35008399 PMCID: PMC8750950 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14010229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2021] [Revised: 12/28/2021] [Accepted: 01/02/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary LAT1-4F2hc complex is an important amino acid transporter. It mainly transports specific amino acids through the cell membrane, provides nutrition for cells, and participates in a variety of metabolic pathways. LAT1 plays a role in transporting essential amino acids including leucine, which regulates the mTOR signaling pathway. However, the importance of SLCs is still not well known in the field of urological cancer. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to report the role of the LAT1-4F2hc complex in urological cancers, as well as their clinical significance and application. Moreover, the inhibitor of LAT1-4F2hc complex is a promising direction as a targeted therapy to improve the treatment and prognosis of urological cancers. Abstract Tumor cells are known for their ability to proliferate. Nutrients are essential for rapidly growing tumor cells. In particular, essential amino acids are essential for tumor cell growth. Tumor cell growth nutrition requires the regulation of membrane transport proteins. Nutritional processes require amino acid uptake across the cell membrane. Leucine, one of the essential amino acids, has recently been found to be closely associated with cancer, which activate mTOR signaling pathway. The transport of leucine into cells requires an L-type amino acid transporter protein 1, LAT1 (SLC7A5), which requires the 4F2 cell surface antigen heavy chain (4F2hc, SLC3A2) to form a heterodimeric amino acid transporter protein complex. Recent evidence identified 4F2hc as a specific downstream target of the androgen receptor splice variant 7 (AR-V7). We stressed the importance of the LAT1-4F2hc complex as a diagnostic and therapeutic target in urological cancers in this review, which covered the recent achievements in research on the involvement of the LAT1-4F2hc complex in urinary system tumors. In addition, JPH203, which is a selective LAT1 inhibitor, has shown excellent inhibitory effects on the proliferation in a variety of tumor cells. The current phase I clinical trials of JPH203 in patients with biliary tract cancer have also achieved good results, which is the future research direction for LAT1 targeted therapy drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Zhao
- Department of Urology, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba 260-8670, Japan; (X.Z.); (T.I.)
- Department of Urology, Tongren Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200336, China
| | - Shinichi Sakamoto
- Department of Urology, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba 260-8670, Japan; (X.Z.); (T.I.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +81-43-226-2134; Fax: +81-43-226-2136
| | - Maihulan Maimaiti
- Department of Tumor Pathology, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba 260-8670, Japan;
| | - Naohiko Anzai
- Department of Pharmacology, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba 260-8670, Japan;
| | - Tomohiko Ichikawa
- Department of Urology, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba 260-8670, Japan; (X.Z.); (T.I.)
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