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Shi Q, Xue C, Zeng Y, Yuan X, Chu Q, Jiang S, Wang J, Zhang Y, Zhu D, Li L. Notch signaling pathway in cancer: from mechanistic insights to targeted therapies. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2024; 9:128. [PMID: 38797752 PMCID: PMC11128457 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-024-01828-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2024] [Revised: 03/31/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Notch signaling, renowned for its role in regulating cell fate, organ development, and tissue homeostasis across metazoans, is highly conserved throughout evolution. The Notch receptor and its ligands are transmembrane proteins containing epidermal growth factor-like repeat sequences, typically necessitating receptor-ligand interaction to initiate classical Notch signaling transduction. Accumulating evidence indicates that the Notch signaling pathway serves as both an oncogenic factor and a tumor suppressor in various cancer types. Dysregulation of this pathway promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition and angiogenesis in malignancies, closely linked to cancer proliferation, invasion, and metastasis. Furthermore, the Notch signaling pathway contributes to maintaining stem-like properties in cancer cells, thereby enhancing cancer invasiveness. The regulatory role of the Notch signaling pathway in cancer metabolic reprogramming and the tumor microenvironment suggests its pivotal involvement in balancing oncogenic and tumor suppressive effects. Moreover, the Notch signaling pathway is implicated in conferring chemoresistance to tumor cells. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of these biological processes is crucial for developing innovative therapeutic strategies targeting Notch signaling. This review focuses on the research progress of the Notch signaling pathway in cancers, providing in-depth insights into the potential mechanisms of Notch signaling regulation in the occurrence and progression of cancer. Additionally, the review summarizes pharmaceutical clinical trials targeting Notch signaling for cancer therapy, aiming to offer new insights into therapeutic strategies for human malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingmiao Shi
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310003, China
| | - Chen Xue
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310003, China
| | - Yifan Zeng
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310003, China
| | - Xin Yuan
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310003, China
| | - Qingfei Chu
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310003, China
| | - Shuwen Jiang
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310003, China
| | - Jinzhi Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310003, China
| | - Yaqi Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310003, China
| | - Danhua Zhu
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310003, China.
| | - Lanjuan Li
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310003, China.
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Qu C, Yuan H, Tian M, Zhang X, Xia P, Shi G, Hou R, Li J, Jiang H, Yang Z, Chen T, Li Z, Wang J, Yuan Y. Precise Photodynamic Therapy by Midkine Nanobody-Engineered Nanoparticles Remodels the Microenvironment of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma and Potentiates the Immunotherapy. ACS NANO 2024; 18:4019-4037. [PMID: 38253029 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.3c07002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is notorious for its resistance against chemotherapy and immunotherapy due to its dense desmoplastic and immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Traditional photodynamic therapy (PDT) was also less effective for PDAC owing to poor selectivity, insufficient penetration, and accumulation of photosensitizers in tumor sites. Here, we designed a light-responsive novel nanoplatform targeting the TME of PDAC through tumor-specific midkine nanobodies (Nbs), which could efficiently deliver semiconducting polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) to the TME of PDAC and locally produce abundant reactive oxygen species (ROS) for precise photoimmunotherapy. The synthesized nanocomposite can not only achieve multimodal imaging of PDAC tumors (fluorescence and photoacoustic imaging) but also lead to apoptosis and immunogenic cell death of tumor cells via ROS under light excitation, ultimately preventing tumor progression and remodeling the immunosuppressive TME with increased infiltration of T lymphocytes. Combined with a PD-1 checkpoint blockade, the targeted PDT platform showed the best antitumor performance and markedly extended mice survival. Conclusively, this work integrating Nbs with photodynamic NPs provides a novel strategy to target formidable PDAC to achieve tumor suppression and activate antitumor immunity, creating possibilities for boosting efficacy of immunotherapy for PDAC tumors through the combination with precise local PDT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chengming Qu
- Department of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Surgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, Hubei, P. R. China
- Clinical Medicine Research Center for Minimally Invasive Procedure of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Diseases of Hubei Province, Wuhan 430071, Hubei, P. R. China
| | - Haitao Yuan
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Shenzhen Institute of Respiratory Diseases, and Shenzhen Clinical Research Centre for Geriatrics, Shenzhen People's Hospital; First Affiliated Hospital of Southern University of Science and Technology, Second Clinical Medical College of Jinan University, Shenzhen 518020, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Ming Tian
- Department of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Surgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, Hubei, P. R. China
- Clinical Medicine Research Center for Minimally Invasive Procedure of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Diseases of Hubei Province, Wuhan 430071, Hubei, P. R. China
| | - Xiaodong Zhang
- Department of Medical Imaging, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University (Academy of Orthopedics· Guangdong Province), Guangzhou 510630, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Peng Xia
- Department of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Surgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, Hubei, P. R. China
- Clinical Medicine Research Center for Minimally Invasive Procedure of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Diseases of Hubei Province, Wuhan 430071, Hubei, P. R. China
| | - Guangwei Shi
- Department of Neurosurgery & Medical Research Center, Shunde Hospital, Southern Medical University (The First People' s Hospital of Shunde Foshan), Guangzhou 528300, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Rui Hou
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Shenzhen Institute of Respiratory Diseases, and Shenzhen Clinical Research Centre for Geriatrics, Shenzhen People's Hospital; First Affiliated Hospital of Southern University of Science and Technology, Second Clinical Medical College of Jinan University, Shenzhen 518020, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Ji Li
- Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, QEII Medical Centre and Centre for Medical Research, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands 6009, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Haibo Jiang
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong 999077, P. R. China
| | - Zhiyong Yang
- Department of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Surgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, Hubei, P. R. China
- Clinical Medicine Research Center for Minimally Invasive Procedure of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Diseases of Hubei Province, Wuhan 430071, Hubei, P. R. China
| | - Tengxiang Chen
- Precision Medicine Research Institute of Guizhou Medical University, Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550009, Guizhou, P. R. China
| | - Zhijie Li
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Shenzhen Institute of Respiratory Diseases, and Shenzhen Clinical Research Centre for Geriatrics, Shenzhen People's Hospital; First Affiliated Hospital of Southern University of Science and Technology, Second Clinical Medical College of Jinan University, Shenzhen 518020, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Jigang Wang
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Shenzhen Institute of Respiratory Diseases, and Shenzhen Clinical Research Centre for Geriatrics, Shenzhen People's Hospital; First Affiliated Hospital of Southern University of Science and Technology, Second Clinical Medical College of Jinan University, Shenzhen 518020, Guangdong, P. R. China
- State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-di Herbs, Artemisinin Research Center, and Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, P. R. China
- Department of Oncology, the Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, Sichuan, P. R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Antiviral Drugs, School of Pharmacy, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, Henan, P. R. China
| | - Yufeng Yuan
- Department of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Surgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, Hubei, P. R. China
- Clinical Medicine Research Center for Minimally Invasive Procedure of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Diseases of Hubei Province, Wuhan 430071, Hubei, P. R. China
- TaiKang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, Hubei, P. R. China
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Neumaier EE, Rothhammer V, Linnerbauer M. The role of midkine in health and disease. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1310094. [PMID: 38098484 PMCID: PMC10720637 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1310094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Midkine (MDK) is a neurotrophic growth factor highly expressed during embryogenesis with important functions related to growth, proliferation, survival, migration, angiogenesis, reproduction, and repair. Recent research has indicated that MDK functions as a key player in autoimmune disorders of the central nervous system (CNS), such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and is a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of brain tumors, acute injuries, and other CNS disorders. This review summarizes the modes of action and immunological functions of MDK both in the peripheral immune compartment and in the CNS, particularly in the context of traumatic brain injury, brain tumors, neuroinflammation, and neurodegeneration. Moreover, we discuss the role of MDK as a central mediator of neuro-immune crosstalk, focusing on the interactions between CNS-infiltrating and -resident cells such as astrocytes, microglia, and oligodendrocytes. Finally, we highlight the therapeutic potential of MDK and discuss potential therapeutic approaches for the treatment of neurological disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Veit Rothhammer
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
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Wang D, Zhang Y, Liao Z, Ge H, Güngör C, Li Y. KDM5 family of demethylases promotes CD44-mediated chemoresistance in pancreatic adenocarcinomas. Sci Rep 2023; 13:18250. [PMID: 37880235 PMCID: PMC10600175 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-44536-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023] Open
Abstract
A growing body of evidence suggests that the histone demethylase-lysine demethylase 5 (KDM5) family is associated with drug resistance in cancer cells. However, it is still not clear whether KDM5 family members promote chemotherapy resistance in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDAC). Comprehensive bioinformatics analysis was performed to investigate the prognostic value, and functional mechanisms of KDM5 family members in PDAC. The effects of KDM5 family members on drug resistance in PDAC cells and the relationship with CD44, as a stem cell marker, were explored by gene knockout and overexpression strategies. Finally, our findings were validated by functional experiments such as cell viability, colony formation and invasion assays. We found that the expression of KDM5A/C was significantly higher in gemcitabine-resistant cells than in sensitive cells, consistent with the analysis of the GSCALite database. The knockdown of KDM5A/C in PDAC cells resulted in diminished drug resistance, less cell colonies and reduced invasiveness, while KDM5A/C overexpression showed the opposite effect. Of note, the expression of KDM5A/C changed accordingly with the knockdown of CD44. In addition, members of the KDM5 family function in a variety of oncogenic pathways, including PI3K/AKT and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition. In conclusion, KDM5 family members play an important role in drug resistance and may serve as new biomarkers or potential therapeutic targets in PDAC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Wang
- Department of General Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Yingjun Zhang
- Hunan Engineering and Technology Research Center for Agricultural Big Data Analysis and Decision-Making, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, China
| | - Zhouning Liao
- Department of Nephrology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
- Division of Translational Immunology, III, Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Heming Ge
- Department of General Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
- Department of General, Visceral and Thoracic Surgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Cenap Güngör
- Department of General, Visceral and Thoracic Surgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Yuqiang Li
- Department of General Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
- NHC Key Laboratory of Cancer Proteomics and Laboratory of Structural Biology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
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Kam NW, Lau CY, Che CM, Lee VHF. Nasopharynx Battlefield: Cellular Immune Responses Mediated by Midkine in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma and COVID-19. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:4850. [PMID: 37835544 PMCID: PMC10571800 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15194850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Clinical evidence suggests that the severe respiratory illness coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is often associated with a cytokine storm that results in dysregulated immune responses. Prolonged COVID-19 positivity is thought to disproportionately affect cancer patients. With COVID-19 disrupting the delivery of cancer care, it is crucial to gain momentum and awareness of the mechanistic intersection between these two diseases. This review discusses the role of the cytokine midkine (MK) as an immunomodulator in patients with COVID-19 and nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), both of which affect the nasal cavity. We conducted a review and analysis of immunocellular similarities and differences based on clinical studies, research articles, and published transcriptomic datasets. We specifically focused on ligand-receptor pairs that could be used to infer intercellular communication, as well as the current medications used for each disease, including NPC patients who have contracted COVID-19. Based on our findings, we recommend close monitoring of the MK axis to maintain the desirable effects of therapeutic regimens in fighting both NPC and COVID-19 infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ngar-Woon Kam
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Centre of Cancer Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China; (N.-W.K.); (C.-Y.L.)
- Laboratory for Synthetic Chemistry and Chemical Biology Ltd., Hong Kong Science Park, New Territories, Hong Kong 999077, China;
| | - Cho-Yiu Lau
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Centre of Cancer Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China; (N.-W.K.); (C.-Y.L.)
- Laboratory for Synthetic Chemistry and Chemical Biology Ltd., Hong Kong Science Park, New Territories, Hong Kong 999077, China;
| | - Chi-Ming Che
- Laboratory for Synthetic Chemistry and Chemical Biology Ltd., Hong Kong Science Park, New Territories, Hong Kong 999077, China;
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
| | - Victor Ho-Fun Lee
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Centre of Cancer Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China; (N.-W.K.); (C.-Y.L.)
- Clinical Oncology Center, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen 518053, China
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Saikia M, Cheung N, Singh AK, Kapoor V. Role of Midkine in Cancer Drug Resistance: Regulators of Its Expression and Its Molecular Targeting. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24108739. [PMID: 37240085 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24108739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2023] [Revised: 05/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Molecules involved in drug resistance can be targeted for better therapeutic efficacies. Research on midkine (MDK) has escalated in the last few decades, which affirms a positive correlation between disease progression and MDK expression in most cancers and indicates its association with multi-drug resistance in cancer. MDK, a secretory cytokine found in blood, can be exploited as a potent biomarker for the non-invasive detection of drug resistance expressed in various cancers and, thereby, can be targeted. We summarize the current information on the involvement of MDK in drug resistance, and transcriptional regulators of its expression and highlight its potential as a cancer therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minakshi Saikia
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - Nathan Cheung
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - Abhay Kumar Singh
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - Vaishali Kapoor
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
- Siteman Cancer Center, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
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Beutel AK, Halbrook CJ. Barriers and opportunities for gemcitabine in pancreatic cancer therapy. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 2023; 324:C540-C552. [PMID: 36571444 PMCID: PMC9925166 DOI: 10.1152/ajpcell.00331.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) has become one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths across the world. A lack of durable responses to standard-of-care chemotherapies renders its treatment particularly challenging and largely contributes to the devastating outcome. Gemcitabine, a pyrimidine antimetabolite, is a cornerstone in PDA treatment. Given the importance of gemcitabine in PDA therapy, extensive efforts are focusing on exploring mechanisms by which cancer cells evade gemcitabine cytotoxicity, but strategies to overcome them have not been translated into patient care. Here, we will introduce the standard treatment paradigm for patients with PDA, highlight mechanisms of gemcitabine action, elucidate gemcitabine resistance mechanisms, and discuss promising strategies to circumvent them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alica K Beutel
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, California
- Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Christopher J Halbrook
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, California
- Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, Orange, California
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Chung WC, Xu K. Notch signaling pathway in pancreatic tumorigenesis. Adv Cancer Res 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.acr.2023.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/04/2023]
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Huang G, Cai G, Hu D, Li J, Xu Q, Chen Z, Xu B. Low SP1 SUMOylation-dependent SNHG17 upregulation promotes drug resistance of gastric cancer through impairing hsa-miR-23b-3p-induced Notch2 inhibition. Cell Oncol (Dordr) 2022; 45:1329-1346. [PMID: 36214997 DOI: 10.1007/s13402-022-00722-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Specificity protein 1 (SP1), a transcription factor mediated by SUMOylation modifiers, is upregulated in gastric cancer (GC) and shares negative correlation with patient prognosis. Here, we paid main attention to the role of SP1 SUMOylation in the drug resistance of GC cells and the possible long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) SNHG17/microRNA-23b-3p (miR-23b-3p)/Notch2 network engaged in this process. METHODS Tumor tissues and non-tumor tissues were isolated from GC patients who received treatment with capecitabine and cisplatin (DDP). Co-immunoprecipitation was utilized to detect the SUMOylation level of SP1. Using gain- and loss-of-function approaches, we assessed the impacts of SNHG17/miR-23b-3p/Notch2 on sensitivity of DDP-resistant GC cells in vitro and in vivo. A series of assays such as luciferase activity detection and RNA pull-down were conducted for mechanistic exploration. RESULTS SP1 expression was increased due to low SP1 SUMOylation level in the recurrent GC tissues. This increase led to upregulated SNHG17 expression and SP1 binding sites existed in the SNHG17 promoter. In addition, SNHG17 could bind to miR-23b-3p while miR-23b-3p targeted Notch2. Loss of SNHG17 reduced the resistance of DDP-resistant GC cells to DDP, which was achieved through miR-23b-3p-dependent Notch2 inhibition. Finally, SP1 silencing attenuated the resistance of GC to DDP in mice. CONCLUSION Low SP1 SUMOylation induces SNHG17 upregulation and blocks miR-23b-3p-induced Notch2 inhibition, contributing to the resistance of GC to DDP. This study may aid in the development of therapeutic targets overcoming the chemoresistance of GC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guoyu Huang
- Department of AnoRectal Surgery, Hainan General Hospital, Hainan, 570105, Haikou, People's Republic of China
| | - Guohao Cai
- Department of AnoRectal Surgery, Hainan General Hospital, Hainan, 570105, Haikou, People's Republic of China
| | - Dongwei Hu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Zhejiang, 325000, Wenzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Jinjie Li
- Department of Hepato-pancreato-biliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Shangcai Village, South Baixiang Street, Ouhai District, Zhejiang, 325000, Wenzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Qigang Xu
- Department of Hepato-pancreato-biliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Shangcai Village, South Baixiang Street, Ouhai District, Zhejiang, 325000, Wenzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Zongjing Chen
- Department of Hepato-pancreato-biliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Shangcai Village, South Baixiang Street, Ouhai District, Zhejiang, 325000, Wenzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Bo Xu
- Department of Hepato-pancreato-biliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Shangcai Village, South Baixiang Street, Ouhai District, Zhejiang, 325000, Wenzhou, People's Republic of China.
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Majaj M, Weckbach LT. Midkine—A novel player in cardiovascular diseases. Front Cardiovasc Med 2022; 9:1003104. [PMID: 36204583 PMCID: PMC9530663 DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2022.1003104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Midkine (MK) is a 13-kDa heparin-binding cytokine and growth factor with anti-apoptotic, pro-angiogenic, pro-inflammatory and anti-infective functions, that enable it to partake in a series of physiological and pathophysiological processes. In the past, research revolving around MK has concentrated on its roles in reproduction and development, tissue protection and repair as well as inflammatory and malignant processes. In the recent few years, MK's implication in a wide scope of cardiovascular diseases has been rigorously investigated. Nonetheless, there is still no broadly accepted consensus on whether MK exerts generally detrimental or favorable effects in cardiovascular diseases. The truth probably resides somewhere in-between and depends on the underlying physiological or pathophysiological condition. It is therefore crucial to thoroughly examine and appraise MK's participation in cardiovascular diseases. In this review, we introduce the MK gene and protein, its multiple receptors and signaling pathways along with its expression in the vascular system and its most substantial functions in cardiovascular biology. Further, we recapitulate the current evidence of MK's expression in cardiovascular diseases, addressing the various sources and modes of MK expression. Moreover, we summarize the most significant implications of MK in cardiovascular diseases with particular emphasis on MK's advantageous and injurious functions, highlighting its ample diagnostic and therapeutic potential. Also, we focus on conflicting roles of MK in a number of cardiovascular diseases and try to provide some clarity and guidance to MK's multifaceted roles. In summary, we aim to pave the way for MK-based diagnostics and therapies that could present promising tools in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Majaj
- Walter Brendel Centre for Experimental Medicine, Biomedical Centre, Institute for Cardiovascular Physiology und Pathophysiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
- Marina Majaj ;
| | - Ludwig T. Weckbach
- Walter Brendel Centre for Experimental Medicine, Biomedical Centre, Institute for Cardiovascular Physiology und Pathophysiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik I, Klinikum der Universität München, Munich, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Herz-Kreislauf-Forschung e. V, Berlin, Germany
- *Correspondence: Ludwig T. Weckbach
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Characterization of RARRES1 Expression on Circulating Tumor Cells as Unfavorable Prognostic Marker in Resected Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Patients. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14184405. [PMID: 36139565 PMCID: PMC9497091 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14184405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Revised: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Our explorative study used a microfluidic-based approach for circulating tumor cell (CTC) detection in 55 pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients before treatment initiation (baseline) and during follow-up (FUP). For the first time, we assessed the expression of retinoic acid receptor responder 1 (RARRES1) on CTCs. CTCs were detected in 25.5% of patients at baseline, while the detection rate during FUP was higher (45.5%). Especially high CTC counts during FUP in resected patients were associated with early tumor relapse (p = 0.02). Combining CTC detection and RARRES1 protein expression showed that RARRES1-positive patients with high CTCs counts after curative operation during FUP had a worse prognosis (p = 0.001). In conclusion, RARRES1 is a new marker of interest for further research investigations on subtypes of CTCs in PDAC. Abstract Background: In pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), the characterization of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) opens new insights into cancer metastasis as the leading cause of cancer-related death. Here, we focused on the expression of retinoic acid receptor responder 1 (RARRES1) on CTCs as a novel marker for treatment failure and early relapse. Methods: The stable isotope labeling of amino acids in cell culture (SILAC)—approach was applied for identifying and quantifying new biomarker proteins in PDAC cell lines HPDE and its chemoresistant counterpart, L3.6pl-Res. Fifty-five baseline and 36 follow-up (FUP) peripheral blood samples were processed via a marker-independent microfluidic-based CTC detection approach using RARRES1 as an additional marker. Results: SILAC-based proteomics identified RARRES1 as an abundantly expressed protein in more aggressive chemoresistant PDAC cells. At baseline, CTCs were detected in 25.5% of all PDAC patients, while FUP analysis (median: 11 months FUP) showed CTC detection in 45.5% of the resected patients. CTC positivity (≥3 CTC) at FUP was significantly associated with short recurrence-free survival (p = 0.002). Furthermore, detection of RARRES1 positive CTCs was indicative of an even earlier relapse after surgery (p = 0.001). Conclusions: CTC detection in resected PDAC patients during FUP is associated with a worse prognosis, and RARRES1 expression might identify an aggressive subtype of CTCs that deserves further investigation.
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12
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Aberrant transcription factors in the cancers of the pancreas. Semin Cancer Biol 2022; 86:28-45. [PMID: 36058426 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2022.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2022] [Revised: 08/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Transcription factors (TFs) are essential for proper activation of gene set during the process of organogenesis, differentiation, lineage specificity. Reactivation or dysregulation of TFs regulatory networks could lead to deformation of organs, diseases including various malignancies. Currently, understanding the mechanism of oncogenesis became necessity for the development of targeted therapeutic strategy for different cancer types. It is evident that many TFs go awry in cancers of the pancreas such as pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (PanNENs). These mutated or dysregulated TFs abnormally controls various signaling pathways in PDAC and PanNENs including RTK, PI3K-PTEN-AKT-mTOR, JNK, TGF-β/SMAD, WNT/β-catenin, SHH, NOTCH and VEGF which in turn regulate different hallmarks of cancer. Aberrant regulation of such pathways have been linked to the initiation, progression, metastasis, and resistance in pancreatic cancer. As of today, a number of TFs has been identified as crucial regulators of pancreatic cancer and a handful of them shown to have potential as therapeutic targets in pre-clinical and clinical settings. In this review, we have summarized the current knowledge on the role and therapeutic usefulness of TFs in PDAC and PanNENs.
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13
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CAF-derived midkine promotes EMT and cisplatin resistance by upregulating lncRNA ST7-AS1 in gastric cancer. Mol Cell Biochem 2022; 477:2493-2505. [PMID: 35588343 DOI: 10.1007/s11010-022-04436-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the role of cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF)-derived midkine (MK) in cisplatin (DDP) resistance. The primary cultures of CAFs and non-cancer fibroblasts (NFs) were isolated and purified. The DDP-resistant gastric cancer (GC) cells were cultured with CAF-conditioned medium. QRT-PCR and Elisa assays were employed to determine MK expression. The expression of ST7-AS1 was measured by qRT-PCR. The impact of CAFs, MK, and ST7-AS1 silencing on DDP resistance was determined by MTT and Annexin V/PI staining assay. Expression of EMT markers and PI3K/AKT was determined by Western blot and qRT-PCR. The role of MK in DDP resistance was confirmed in a xenograft model. Incubation with CAF-conditioned medium increased the IC50 to DDP. Also, incubation with CAF-conditioned medium increased cell viability, reduced cell apoptosis, and promoted EMT in DDP-resistant GC cells, which were all blocked with MK neutralization antibody treatment. MK increased the DDP resistance and upregulated the expression of ST7-AS1 in DDP-resistant GC cells. Additionally, ST7-AS1 knockdown increased the sensitivity to DDP by inhibiting EMT. Moreover, ST7-AS1 knockdown significantly decreased the phosphorylation of PI3K and AKT, and suppressed EMT, which were restored by MK addition. Finally, MK promoted tumor growth and DDP resistance in a mice model bearing the SGC-7901/DDP xenografts. CAF-derived MK promotes EMT-mediated DDP resistance via upregulation of ST7-AS1 and activation of PI3K/AKT pathway.
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14
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Karg MM, John L, Refaian N, Buettner C, Rottmar T, Sommer J, Bock B, Resheq YJ, Ksander BR, Heindl LM, Mackensen A, Bosch JJ. Midkine promotes metastasis and therapeutic resistance via mTOR/RPS6 in uveal melanoma. Mol Cancer Res 2022; 20:1320-1336. [PMID: 35503453 DOI: 10.1158/1541-7786.mcr-20-0692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2020] [Revised: 01/27/2021] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Uveal melanoma is a rare form of melanoma that originates in the eye, exerts widespread therapeutic resistance and displays an inherent propensity for hepatic metastases. Since metastatic disease is characterized by poor survival, there is an unmet clinical need to identify new therapeutic targets in uveal melanoma. Here, we show that the pleiotropic cytokine midkine is expressed in uveal melanoma. Midkine expression in primary uveal melanoma significantly correlates with poor survival and is elevated in patients that develop metastatic disease. Monosomy 3 and histopathological staging parameters are associated with midkine expression. In addition, we demonstrate that midkine promotes survival, migration across a barrier of hepatic sinusoid endothelial cells and resistance to AKT/mTOR inhibition. Furthermore, midkine is secreted and mediates mTOR activation by maintaining phosphorylation of the mTOR target RPS6 in uveal melanoma cells. Therefore, midkine is identified as a uveal melanoma cell survival factor that drives metastasis and therapeutic resistance, and could be exploited as a biomarker as well as a new therapeutic target. Implications: Midkine is identified as a survival factor that drives liver metastasis and therapeutic resistance in melanoma of the eye.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lukas John
- University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Nasrin Refaian
- Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne and Center for Integrated Oncology (CIO) Cologne-Bonn, Cologne, Germany
| | - Christian Buettner
- University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Andreas Mackensen
- Dept. of Internal Medicine 5, Hematology/Oncology, Erlangen, Germany
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15
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Xia T, Chen D, Liu X, Qi H, Wang W, Chen H, Ling T, Otkur W, Zhang CS, Kim J, Lin SC, Piao HL. Midkine noncanonically suppresses AMPK activation through disrupting the LKB1-STRAD-Mo25 complex. Cell Death Dis 2022; 13:414. [PMID: 35487917 PMCID: PMC9054788 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-022-04801-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Revised: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Midkine (MDK), a secreted growth factor, regulates signal transduction and cancer progression by interacting with receptors, and it can be internalized into the cytoplasm by endocytosis. However, its intracellular function and signaling regulation remain unclear. Here, we show that intracellular MDK interacts with LKB1 and STRAD to disrupt the LKB1-STRAD-Mo25 complex. Consequently, MDK decreases the activity of LKB1 to dampen both the basal and stress-induced activation of AMPK by glucose starvation or treatment of 2-DG. We also found that MDK accelerates cancer cell proliferation by inhibiting the activation of the LKB1-AMPK axis. In human cancers, compared to other well-known growth factors, MDK expression is most significantly upregulated in cancers, especially in liver, kidney and breast cancers, correlating with clinical outcomes and inversely correlating with phosphorylated AMPK levels. Our study elucidates an inhibitory mechanism for AMPK activation, which is mediated by the intracellular MDK through disrupting the LKB1-STRAD-Mo25 complex.
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16
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Zhou Q, Cao H, Hang X, Liang H, Zhu M, Fan Y, Shi J, Dong N, He X. Midkine Prevents Calcification of Aortic Valve Interstitial Cells via Intercellular Crosstalk. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 9:794058. [PMID: 34977035 PMCID: PMC8714929 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.794058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Calcified aortic valve disease (CAVD), the most common valvular heart disease, lacks pharmaceutical treatment options because its pathogenesis remains unclear. This disease with a complex macroenvironment characterizes notable cellular heterogeneity. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of cellular diversity and cell-to-cell communication are essential for elucidating the mechanisms driving CAVD progression and developing therapeutic targets. In this study, we used single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) analysis to describe the comprehensive transcriptomic landscape and cell-to-cell interactions. The transitional valvular endothelial cells (tVECs), an intermediate state during the endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT), could be a target to interfere with EndMT progression. Moreover, matrix valvular interstitial cells (mVICs) with high expression of midkine (MDK) interact with activated valvular interstitial cells (aVICs) and compliment-activated valvular interstitial cells (cVICs) through the MK pathway. Then, MDK inhibited calcification of VICs that calcification was validated by Alizarin Red S staining, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), and Western blotting assays in vitro. Therefore, we speculated that mVICs secreted MDK to prevent VICs’ calcification. Together, these findings delineate the aortic valve cells’ heterogeneity, underlining the importance of intercellular cross talk and MDK, which may offer a potential therapeutic strategy as a novel inhibitor of CAVD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Zhou
- Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.,Center for Genomics and Proteomics Research, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.,Hubei Key Laboratory of Drug Target Research and Pharmacodynamic Evaluation, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Hong Cao
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Xiaoyi Hang
- Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.,Center for Genomics and Proteomics Research, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.,Hubei Key Laboratory of Drug Target Research and Pharmacodynamic Evaluation, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Huamin Liang
- Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.,Center for Genomics and Proteomics Research, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.,Hubei Key Laboratory of Drug Target Research and Pharmacodynamic Evaluation, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Miaomiao Zhu
- Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.,Center for Genomics and Proteomics Research, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.,Hubei Key Laboratory of Drug Target Research and Pharmacodynamic Evaluation, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Yixian Fan
- Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.,Center for Genomics and Proteomics Research, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.,Hubei Key Laboratory of Drug Target Research and Pharmacodynamic Evaluation, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Jiawei Shi
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Nianguo Dong
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Ximiao He
- Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.,Center for Genomics and Proteomics Research, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.,Hubei Key Laboratory of Drug Target Research and Pharmacodynamic Evaluation, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
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17
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The Role of Toll-like Receptors (TLRs) Mediated Inflammation in Pancreatic Cancer Pathophysiology. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222312743. [PMID: 34884547 PMCID: PMC8657588 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222312743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Revised: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of the most lethal forms of cancer, characterized by its aggressiveness and metastatic potential. Despite significant improvements in PC treatment and management, the complexity of the molecular pathways underlying its development has severely limited the available therapeutic opportunities. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play a pivotal role in inflammation and immune response, as they are involved in pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and danger-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). Activation of TLRs initiates a signaling cascade, which in turn, leads to the transcription of several genes involved in inflammation and anti-microbial defense. TLRs are also deregulated in several cancers and can be used as prognostic markers and potential targets for cancer-targeted therapy. In this review we discuss the current knowledge about the role of TLRs in PC progression, focusing on the available TLRs-targeting compounds and their possible use in PC therapy.
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18
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Zhdanovskaya N, Firrincieli M, Lazzari S, Pace E, Scribani Rossi P, Felli MP, Talora C, Screpanti I, Palermo R. Targeting Notch to Maximize Chemotherapeutic Benefits: Rationale, Advanced Strategies, and Future Perspectives. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13205106. [PMID: 34680255 PMCID: PMC8533696 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13205106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Revised: 10/03/2021] [Accepted: 10/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary The Notch signaling pathway regulates cell proliferation, apoptosis, stem cell self-renewal, and differentiation in a context-dependent fashion both during embryonic development and in adult tissue homeostasis. Consistent with its pleiotropic physiological role, unproper activation of the signaling promotes or counteracts tumor pathogenesis and therapy response in distinct tissues. In the last twenty years, a wide number of studies have highlighted the anti-cancer potential of Notch-modulating agents as single treatment and in combination with the existent therapies. However, most of these strategies have failed in the clinical exploration due to dose-limiting toxicity and low efficacy, encouraging the development of novel agents and the design of more appropriate combinations between Notch signaling inhibitors and chemotherapeutic drugs with improved safety and effectiveness for distinct types of cancer. Abstract Notch signaling guides cell fate decisions by affecting proliferation, apoptosis, stem cell self-renewal, and differentiation depending on cell and tissue context. Given its multifaceted function during tissue development, both overactivation and loss of Notch signaling have been linked to tumorigenesis in ways that are either oncogenic or oncosuppressive, but always context-dependent. Notch signaling is critical for several mechanisms of chemoresistance including cancer stem cell maintenance, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, tumor-stroma interaction, and malignant neovascularization that makes its targeting an appealing strategy against tumor growth and recurrence. During the last decades, numerous Notch-interfering agents have been developed, and the abundant preclinical evidence has been transformed in orphan drug approval for few rare diseases. However, the majority of Notch-dependent malignancies remain untargeted, even if the application of Notch inhibitors alone or in combination with common chemotherapeutic drugs is being evaluated in clinical trials. The modest clinical success of current Notch-targeting strategies is mostly due to their limited efficacy and severe on-target toxicity in Notch-controlled healthy tissues. Here, we review the available preclinical and clinical evidence on combinatorial treatment between different Notch signaling inhibitors and existent chemotherapeutic drugs, providing a comprehensive picture of molecular mechanisms explaining the potential or lacking success of these combinations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadezda Zhdanovskaya
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (N.Z.); (M.F.); (S.L.); (E.P.); (P.S.R.); (C.T.)
| | - Mariarosaria Firrincieli
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (N.Z.); (M.F.); (S.L.); (E.P.); (P.S.R.); (C.T.)
- Center for Life Nano Science, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Sara Lazzari
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (N.Z.); (M.F.); (S.L.); (E.P.); (P.S.R.); (C.T.)
| | - Eleonora Pace
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (N.Z.); (M.F.); (S.L.); (E.P.); (P.S.R.); (C.T.)
| | - Pietro Scribani Rossi
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (N.Z.); (M.F.); (S.L.); (E.P.); (P.S.R.); (C.T.)
| | - Maria Pia Felli
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy;
| | - Claudio Talora
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (N.Z.); (M.F.); (S.L.); (E.P.); (P.S.R.); (C.T.)
| | - Isabella Screpanti
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (N.Z.); (M.F.); (S.L.); (E.P.); (P.S.R.); (C.T.)
- Correspondence: (I.S.); (R.P.)
| | - Rocco Palermo
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (N.Z.); (M.F.); (S.L.); (E.P.); (P.S.R.); (C.T.)
- Center for Life Nano Science, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 00161 Rome, Italy
- Correspondence: (I.S.); (R.P.)
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19
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Komata Y, Tsubota S, Sakamoto K, Ikematsu S, Kadomatsu K. Screening of novel Midkine binding protein by BioID2-based proximity labeling. NAGOYA JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCE 2021; 83:495-508. [PMID: 34552285 PMCID: PMC8438011 DOI: 10.18999/nagjms.83.3.495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Midkine (MK), a heparin-binding growth factor, is associated with the poor prognosis of the pediatric tumor, neuroblastoma. MK would be a druggable target as many studies showed inhibition of its function in various cancers suppressed tumor developments. To establish the therapy targeting MK, identification of its binding partners, and elucidation of its intracellular signaling are needed. It was reported that exogenous MK induced phosphorylation of ribosomal protein S6 (RPS6) downstream of mTOR signaling. Using RPS6 phosphorylation as a marker of MK response, we searched for MK reactive cell lines. We found that MK cell lines expressing less MK tended to respond better to MK. Next, using an MK reactive neuroblastoma cell line, MK-knocked down SH-SY5Y cells, we employed a proximity-dependent biotin identification method, which was invented to evaluate protein-protein interactions by biotinylation. We confirmed that secreted MK fused to the biotin ligase BioID2 (MK-BioID2) was able to biotinylate proteins from the cells. Biotinylated proteins were identified by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses. Twenty five proteins were found to be overlapped after three independent experiments, among which insulin-like growth binding protein 2 (IGFBP2) was further analyzed. IGFBP2 was indeed detected with immunoblotting after streptavidin pull down of MK-BioID2 labeled cell extract of MK-knocked down SH-SY5Y cells. Our study suggests that the BioID2 method is useful to identify binding partners of growth factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yosuke Komata
- Department of Biochemistry, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Shoma Tsubota
- Department of Biochemistry, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Kazuma Sakamoto
- Department of Biochemistry, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan.,Institute for Glyco-core Research (iGCORE), Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Shinya Ikematsu
- Department of Bioresources Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Okinawa College, Naha, Japan
| | - Kenji Kadomatsu
- Department of Biochemistry, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan.,Institute for Glyco-core Research (iGCORE), Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
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20
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Serum midkine as non-invasive biomarker for detection and prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer. Sci Rep 2021; 11:14616. [PMID: 34272441 PMCID: PMC8285415 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-94272-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Lung cancer continues to be the leading cause for cancer-related deaths in men and women worldwide. Sufficient screening tools enabling early diagnosis are essential to improve patient outcomes. The aim of this study was to evaluate serum midkine (S-MK) both as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This single-center analysis included 59 NSCLC patients counting 30 squamous cell cancers and 29 adenocarcinomas. Preoperative S-MK concentration was determined using ELISA. Patients were followed up to five years. S-MK was found to be significantly overexpressed in patients with NSCLC compared to healthy controls (p < 0.001). The discriminative power of S-MK to differentiate NSCLC subjects from controls was fairly high with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.83 (p < 0.001). Optimal sensitivity of 92% and reasonable specificity of 68% was reached at a threshold of 416 pg/ml S-MK. Patients with high S-MK concentration showed a significantly shorter overall survival compared to patients with low S-MK expression (p < 0.05). In conclusion, S-MK is overexpressed in patients with NSCLC and serves as an independent prognostic factor for overall survival. S-MK may thus be considered as an additional non-invasive biomarker not only for NSCLC screening but also for outcome prediction.
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21
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Hu X, Chen W. Role of epithelial-mesenchymal transition in chemoresistance in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. World J Clin Cases 2021; 9:4998-5006. [PMID: 34307550 PMCID: PMC8283607 DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v9.i19.4998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Revised: 03/11/2021] [Accepted: 05/15/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer (PC) is the seventh leading cause of cancer death worldwide. The vast majority of patients who have PC develop metastases, resulting in poor treatment effects. Although great progress in therapeutic approaches has been achieved in recent decades, extensive drug resistance still persists, representing a major hurdle to effective anticancer therapy for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Therefore, there is an urgent need to better understand the drug resistance mechanisms and develop novel treatment strategies to improve patient outcomes. Numerous studies suggest that chemoresistance is closely related to epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of PDAC cells. Thus, this article summarizes the impact of EMT on PDAC from the perspective of chemotherapy resistance and discusses the possible novel applications of EMT inhibition to develop more effective drugs against PDAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiu Hu
- Department of Pharmacy, Affiliated Hangzhou Cancer Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310002, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Wei Chen
- Cancer Institute of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy Combining Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tongde Hospital of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310012, Zhejiang Province, China
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22
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H. sinensis mycelium inhibits epithelial-mesenchymal transition by inactivating the midkine pathway in pulmonary fibrosis. Front Med 2021; 15:313-329. [PMID: 33908025 DOI: 10.1007/s11684-020-0737-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2019] [Accepted: 11/27/2019] [Indexed: 09/29/2022]
Abstract
The medical fungus Hirsutella sinensis has been used as a Chinese folk health supplement because of its immunomodulatory properties. Our previous studies established the antifibrotic action of Hirsutella sinensis mycelium (HSM) in the lung. The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is involved in the pathogenesis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The present study investigates the role of HSM in mediating EMT during the development of pulmonary fibrosis. HSM significantly inhibits bleomycin (BLM)-induced pulmonary fibrosis by blocking the EMT. In addition, the expression levels of midkine are increased in the lungs of the BLM-induced group. Further analysis of the results indicates that the mRNA level of midkine correlated positively with EMT. HSM markedly abrogates the transforming growth factor β-induced EMT-like phenotype and behavior in vitro. The activation of midkine related signaling pathway is ameliorated following HSM treatment, whereas this extract also caused an effective attenuation of the induction of EMT (caused by midkine overexpression) in vitro. Results further confirm that oral medication of HSM disrupted the midkine pathway in vivo. Overall, findings suggest that the midkine pathway and the regulation of the EMT may be considered novel candidate therapeutic targets for the antifibrotic effects caused by HSM.
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Javadrashid D, Baghbanzadeh A, Derakhshani A, Leone P, Silvestris N, Racanelli V, Solimando AG, Baradaran B. Pancreatic Cancer Signaling Pathways, Genetic Alterations, and Tumor Microenvironment: The Barriers Affecting the Method of Treatment. Biomedicines 2021; 9:373. [PMID: 33918146 PMCID: PMC8067185 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines9040373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Revised: 03/21/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Genetic alterations, especially the K-Ras mutation, carry the heaviest burden in the progression of pancreatic precursor lesions into pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). The tumor microenvironment is one of the challenges that hinder the therapeutic approaches from functioning sufficiently and leads to the immune evasion of pancreatic malignant cells. Mastering the mechanisms of these two hallmarks of PDAC can help us in dealing with the obstacles in the way of treatment. In this review, we have analyzed the signaling pathways involved in PDAC development and the immune system's role in pancreatic cancer and immune checkpoint inhibition as next-generation therapeutic strategy. The direct targeting of the involved signaling molecules and the immune checkpoint molecules, along with a combination with conventional therapies, have reached the most promising results in pancreatic cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darya Javadrashid
- Immunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz 5166614766, Iran; (D.J.); (A.B.); (A.D.)
| | - Amir Baghbanzadeh
- Immunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz 5166614766, Iran; (D.J.); (A.B.); (A.D.)
| | - Afshin Derakhshani
- Immunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz 5166614766, Iran; (D.J.); (A.B.); (A.D.)
- IRCCS Istituto Tumori “Giovanni Paolo II” of Bari, 70124 Bari, Italy;
| | - Patrizia Leone
- Guido Baccelli Unit of Internal Medicine, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, School of Medicine, Aldo Moro University of Bari, 70124 Bari, Italy; (P.L.); (V.R.)
| | - Nicola Silvestris
- IRCCS Istituto Tumori “Giovanni Paolo II” of Bari, 70124 Bari, Italy;
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, School of Medicine, Aldo Moro University of Bari, 70124 Bari, Italy
| | - Vito Racanelli
- Guido Baccelli Unit of Internal Medicine, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, School of Medicine, Aldo Moro University of Bari, 70124 Bari, Italy; (P.L.); (V.R.)
| | - Antonio Giovanni Solimando
- IRCCS Istituto Tumori “Giovanni Paolo II” of Bari, 70124 Bari, Italy;
- Guido Baccelli Unit of Internal Medicine, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, School of Medicine, Aldo Moro University of Bari, 70124 Bari, Italy; (P.L.); (V.R.)
| | - Behzad Baradaran
- Immunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz 5166614766, Iran; (D.J.); (A.B.); (A.D.)
- Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz 5166614766, Iran
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Xu JY, Chang W, Sun Q, Peng F, Yang Y. Pulmonary midkine inhibition ameliorates sepsis induced lung injury. J Transl Med 2021; 19:91. [PMID: 33639987 PMCID: PMC7913048 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-021-02755-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2020] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Midkine is a multi-functional molecule participating in a various key pathological process. We aimed to evaluate the change of midkine in sepsis and its association with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) system, as well as the mechanism by which midkine induced in sepsis and lung injury. Methods The peripheral blood sample of septic patients on admission was obtained and measured for midkine, ACE and angiotensin II. Cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) mouse model was used, and adeno-associated virus (AAV) was stilled trans-trachea for regional targeting midkine expression, comparing the severity of lung injury. Furthermore, we studied the in vitro mechanism of midkine activates ACE system by using inhibitors targeting candidate receptors of midkine, and its effects on the vascular endothelial cells. Results Plasma midkine was significantly elevated in sepsis, and was closely associated with ACE system. Both circulating and lung midkine was increased in CLP mouse, and was related to severe lung injury. Regional interfering midkine expression in lung tissue by AAV could alleviate acute lung injury in CLP model. In vitro study elucidated that Notch 2 participated in the activation of ACE system and angiotensin II release, induced by midkine and triggered vascular endothelial injury by angiotensin II induced reactive oxygen species production. Conclusions Midkine inhibition ameliorates sepsis induced lung injury, which might via ACE/Ang II pathway and the participation of Notch 2 in the stimulation of ACE. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02605681. Registered 12 November 2015
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing-Yuan Xu
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Critical Care Medicine, Zhongda Hospital, School of Medicine, Southeast University, 87 Dingjiaqiao Rd., Nanjing, 210009, People's Republic of China
| | - Wei Chang
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Critical Care Medicine, Zhongda Hospital, School of Medicine, Southeast University, 87 Dingjiaqiao Rd., Nanjing, 210009, People's Republic of China
| | - Qin Sun
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Critical Care Medicine, Zhongda Hospital, School of Medicine, Southeast University, 87 Dingjiaqiao Rd., Nanjing, 210009, People's Republic of China
| | - Fei Peng
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Critical Care Medicine, Zhongda Hospital, School of Medicine, Southeast University, 87 Dingjiaqiao Rd., Nanjing, 210009, People's Republic of China
| | - Yi Yang
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Critical Care Medicine, Zhongda Hospital, School of Medicine, Southeast University, 87 Dingjiaqiao Rd., Nanjing, 210009, People's Republic of China.
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25
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Thakur G, Kumar R, Kim SB, Lee SY, Lee SL, Rho GJ. Therapeutic Status and Available Strategies in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma. Biomedicines 2021; 9:biomedicines9020178. [PMID: 33670230 PMCID: PMC7916947 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines9020178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2020] [Revised: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 02/08/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
One of the most severe and devastating cancer is pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the major pancreatic exocrine cancer with a poor prognosis and growing prevalence. It is the most deadly disease, with an overall five-year survival rate of 6% to 10%. According to various reports, it has been demonstrated that pancreatic cancer stem cells (PCSCs) are the main factor responsible for the tumor development, proliferation, resistance to anti-cancer drugs, and recurrence of tumors after surgery. PCSCs have encouraged new therapeutic methods to be explored that can specifically target cancer cells. Furthermore, stem cells, especially mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), are known as influential anti-cancer agents as they function through anti-inflammatory, paracrine, cytokines, and chemokine's action. The properties of MSCs, such as migration to the site of infection and host immune cell activation by its secretome, seem to control the microenvironment of the pancreatic tumor. MSCs secretome exhibits similar therapeutic advantages as a conventional cell-based therapy. Moreover, the potential for drug delivery could be enhanced by engineered MSCs to increase drug bioactivity and absorption at the tumor site. In this review, we have discussed available therapeutic strategies, treatment hurdles, and the role of different factors such as PCSCs, cysteine, GPCR, PKM2, signaling pathways, immunotherapy, and NK-based therapy in pancreatic cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gitika Thakur
- Department of Theriogenology and Biotechnology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute of Life Science, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Korea; (G.T.); (S.-B.K.); (S.-Y.L.); (S.-L.L.)
| | - Raj Kumar
- Department of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Jaypee University of Information Technology, Waknaghat, Solan 173 234, Himachal Pradesh, India;
| | - Saet-Byul Kim
- Department of Theriogenology and Biotechnology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute of Life Science, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Korea; (G.T.); (S.-B.K.); (S.-Y.L.); (S.-L.L.)
| | - Sang-Yeob Lee
- Department of Theriogenology and Biotechnology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute of Life Science, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Korea; (G.T.); (S.-B.K.); (S.-Y.L.); (S.-L.L.)
| | - Sung-Lim Lee
- Department of Theriogenology and Biotechnology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute of Life Science, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Korea; (G.T.); (S.-B.K.); (S.-Y.L.); (S.-L.L.)
| | - Gyu-Jin Rho
- Department of Theriogenology and Biotechnology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute of Life Science, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Korea; (G.T.); (S.-B.K.); (S.-Y.L.); (S.-L.L.)
- Correspondence:
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Younis MA, Khalil IA, Elewa YHA, Kon Y, Harashima H. Ultra-small lipid nanoparticles encapsulating sorafenib and midkine-siRNA selectively-eradicate sorafenib-resistant hepatocellular carcinoma in vivo. J Control Release 2021; 331:335-349. [PMID: 33484779 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2021.01.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Revised: 12/24/2020] [Accepted: 01/14/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a fatal disease with limited therapeutic choices. The stroma-rich tumor microenvironment hinders the in vivo delivery of most nanomedicines. Ultra-small lipid nanoparticles (usLNPs) were designed for the selective co-delivery of the cytotoxic drug, sorafenib (SOR), and siRNA against the Midkine gene (MK-siRNA) to HCC in mice. The usLNPs composed of a novel pH-sensitive lipid, a diversity of phospholipids and a highly-selective targeting peptide. A microfluidic device, iLiNP, was used and a variety of factors were controlled to tune particle size aiming at maximizing tumor penetration efficiency. Optimizing the composition and physico-chemical properties of the usLNPs resulted in an enhanced tumor accumulation, selectivity and in vivo gene silencing. The optimized usLNPs exerted potent gene silencing in the tumor (median effective dose, ED50~0.1 mg/Kg) with limited effect on the healthy liver. The novel combination synergistically-eradicated HCC in mice (~85%) at a surprisingly-low dose of SOR (2.5 mg/Kg) which could not be achieved via individual monotherapy. Toxicity studies revealed the biosafety of the usLNPs upon either acute or chronic treatment. Furthermore, the SOR-resistant HCC established in mice was eradicated by 70% using this approach. We conclude that our strategy is promising for potential clinical applications in HCC treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahmoud A Younis
- Laboratory of Innovative Nanomedicine, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University, Kita-12, Nishi-6, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0812, Japan; Faculty of Pharmacy, Assiut University, Assiut 71526, Egypt.
| | - Ikramy A Khalil
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Assiut University, Assiut 71526, Egypt.
| | - Yaser H A Elewa
- Department of Histology and Cytology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44511, Egypt; Laboratory of Anatomy, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita-18, Nishi-9, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan
| | - Yasuhiro Kon
- Laboratory of Anatomy, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita-18, Nishi-9, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan
| | - Hideyoshi Harashima
- Laboratory of Innovative Nanomedicine, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University, Kita-12, Nishi-6, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0812, Japan.
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Yu S, Zhang C, Xie KP. Therapeutic resistance of pancreatic cancer: Roadmap to its reversal. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2020; 1875:188461. [PMID: 33157162 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2020.188461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2020] [Revised: 10/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/24/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer is a lethal disease with limited opportunity for resectable surgery as the first choice for cure due to its late diagnosis and early metastasis. The desmoplastic stroma and cellular genetic or epigenetic alterations of pancreatic cancer impose physical and biological barriers to effective therapies, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy. Here, we review the current therapeutic options for pancreatic cancer, and underlying mechanisms and potential reversal of therapeutic resistance, a hallmark of this deadly disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sen Yu
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Guangzhou First People's Hospital Affiliated to the South China University of Technology, School of Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China
| | - Chunyu Zhang
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Guangzhou First People's Hospital Affiliated to the South China University of Technology, School of Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China
| | - Ke-Ping Xie
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Guangzhou First People's Hospital Affiliated to the South China University of Technology, School of Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
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28
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Dong Z, Li C, Coates D. PTN-PTPRZ signalling is involved in deer antler stem cell regulation during tissue regeneration. J Cell Physiol 2020; 236:3752-3769. [PMID: 33111346 DOI: 10.1002/jcp.30115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Revised: 10/06/2020] [Accepted: 10/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
A growing deer antler contains a stem cell niche that can drive endochondral bone regeneration at up to 2 cm/day. Pleiotrophin (PTN), as a multifunctional growth factor, is found highly expressed at the messenger RNA level within the active antler stem cell tissues. This study aims to map the expression patterns of PTN protein and its receptors in a growing antler and investigate the effects of PTN on antler stem cells in vitro. Immunohistochemistry was employed to localise PTN/midkine (MDK) and their functional receptors, protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor type Z (PTPRZ), anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK), NOTCH2, and integrin αV β3, on serial slides of the antler growth centre. PTN was found to be the dominantly expressed growth factor in the PTN/MDK family. High expression of PTPRZ and ALK co-localised with PTN was found suggesting a potential interaction. The high levels of PTN and PTPRZ reflected the antler stem cell activation status during the regenerative process. When antler stem cells were cultured in vitro under the normoxic condition, no PTN protein was detected and exogenous PTN did not induce differentiation or proliferation but rather stem cell maintenance. Collectively, the antler stem cell niche appears to upregulate PTN and PTPRZ in vivo, and PTN-PTPRZ signalling may be involved in regulating antler stem cell behaviour during rapid antler regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen Dong
- Faculty of Dentistry, Sir John Walsh Research Institute, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Chunyi Li
- Institute of Antler Science and Product Technology, Changchun Sci-Tech University, Changchun, China
| | - Dawn Coates
- Faculty of Dentistry, Sir John Walsh Research Institute, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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29
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Zhuang H, Zhou Z, Ma Z, Li Z, Liu C, Huang S, Zhang C, Hou B. Characterization of the prognostic and oncologic values of ITGB superfamily members in pancreatic cancer. J Cell Mol Med 2020; 24:13481-13493. [PMID: 33073486 PMCID: PMC7701563 DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.15990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2020] [Revised: 09/16/2020] [Accepted: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Integrin β (ITGB) superfamily members have been reported to play important roles in multiple biological functions in various cancers. However, the prognostic and oncologic values of ITGB superfamily members have not been systematically investigated in pancreatic cancer (PC). In this study, the mRNA expression and biological functions of ITGB superfamily members in PC were evaluated by bioinformatic analysis. Our results demonstrated that ITGB1, ITGB4, ITGB5 and ITGB6 overexpressions were significantly associated with advanced AJCC stage and histologic grade, and worse prognosis in PC. A prognostic signature based on ITGB1, ITGB4, ITGB5 and ITGB6 showed a reliable predictive performance. Furthermore, one CpGs (cg20545410) in promoter region of ITGB1, four (cg18709893, cg15700850, cg20667796 and cg18326022) of ITGB4, two (cg10977398 and cg03518058) of ITGB5 and one (cg23008083) of ITGB6 were negatively associated with their corresponding mRNA expression, and positively associated with prognosis in PC. We also identified TFAP2A as the potential transcription factor for ITGB4, SP1 for ITGB1 and ITGB6, and FHL2 for ITGB5 and ITGB6. ITGB1, ITGB4, ITGB5 and ITGB6 overexpressions were all significantly involved in focal adhesion signalling pathway. ITGB1 and ITGB5 overexpressions also associated with up-regulation of TGF-β and WNT signalling pathway, whereas ITGB4 and ITGB6 overexpressions associated with up-regulation of Notch signalling pathway. Besides, ITGB1, ITGB5 and ITGB6 overexpressions significantly correlated with immunosuppression in PC. In summary, our study investigated the multilevel prognostic and biological values of ITGB superfamily members in PC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongkai Zhuang
- Department of General Surgery, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, China.,Shantou University of Medical College, Shantou, China
| | - Zixuan Zhou
- Department of General Surgery, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zuyi Ma
- Department of General Surgery, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, China.,Shantou University of Medical College, Shantou, China
| | - Zhenchong Li
- Department of General Surgery, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chunsheng Liu
- Department of General Surgery, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, China.,Shantou University of Medical College, Shantou, China
| | - Shanzhou Huang
- Department of General Surgery, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chuanzhao Zhang
- Department of General Surgery, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Baohua Hou
- Department of General Surgery, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, China.,The Second School of Clinical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
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Gu Y, Zhang B, Gu G, Yang X, Qian Z. Metformin Increases the Chemosensitivity of Pancreatic Cancer Cells to Gemcitabine by Reversing EMT Through Regulation DNA Methylation of miR-663. Onco Targets Ther 2020; 13:10417-10429. [PMID: 33116621 PMCID: PMC7569251 DOI: 10.2147/ott.s261570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2020] [Accepted: 09/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Pancreatic cancer is a devastating malignancy with poor prognosis. Metformin, a classic anti-diabetes drug, seems to improve survival of pancreatic cancer patients in some studies. Methods Cell counting kit-8 assay was used to detect the BxPC-3 and MIAPaCa-2 cell viability after treatment with gemcitabine only or with different concentrations of metformin. The methylation state and expression level of miR-663 were detected by methylation analysis and RT-PCR. Dual-luciferase reporter gene analysis, Western blot and RT-PCR were used to confirm the target of miR-663. Moreover, xenograft experiment was also performed to validate the role of metformin in chemosensitivity in vivo. Results We found that metformin increased the chemosensitivity of pancreatic cancer cells to gemcitabine, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) progress caused by gemcitabine was suppressed by metformin. We further explored the possible molecular mechanisms and it was demonstrated that CpG islands of miR-663 were hypomethylated and relative expression level of miR-663 was up-regulated after treatment of metformin. miR-663, an important cancer suppressor miRNA, was confirmed to increase the chemosensitivity of pancreatic cancer cells by reversing EMT directly targeted TGF-β1. Moreover, we identified that metformin increased the chemosensitivity through up-regulating expression of miR-663. Conclusion We demonstrated that metformin increased the chemosensitivity of pancreatic cancer cells to gemcitabine by reversing EMT through regulation DNA methylation of miR-663.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuqing Gu
- Pancreas Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210003, People's Republic of China
| | - Bin Zhang
- Pancreas Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210003, People's Republic of China
| | - Guangliang Gu
- Pancreas Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210003, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaojun Yang
- Pancreas Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210003, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhuyin Qian
- Pancreas Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210003, People's Republic of China
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Midkine Is a Potential Therapeutic Target of Tumorigenesis, Angiogenesis, and Metastasis in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12092402. [PMID: 32847073 PMCID: PMC7563676 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12092402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2020] [Revised: 08/03/2020] [Accepted: 08/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) induced by reduced O2 availability activate the transcription of target genes encoding proteins that play important roles in communication between cancer and stromal cells. Cancer cells were incubated under hypoxic conditions: H1299, A549 (NSCLC); Hep3B, HepG2 (HCC); HCT116, CT26 (Colon cancer); MCF-7, MDAMB231 (Breast cancer); MKN1, MKN5 (Gastric cancer); U87MG, SHSY5Y (Brain cancer); and SKOV3, SNU840 (Ovary cancer). All cells expressed HIF-1α and HIF-2α mRNA and proteins. However, cell proliferation of NSCLC, breast, gastric, and brain cancer cells under hypoxia was more dependent on HIF-1α except for HCC cells where it was more dependent on HIF-2α. Among HIF-1α dependent cells H1299 was the most affected in terms of cell proliferation by HIF-1α knockdown. To examine which cytokines are secreted in NSCLC cells by HIF-1α to communicate with stromal cells, we performed a cytokine-profiling array with H1299. We screened the top 14 cytokines which were dependent on the HIF-1α expression pattern. Among them, midkine (MDK) expression was affected the most in response to HIF-1α. MDK is a heparin-binding growth factor that promotes angiogenesis and carcinogenesis. Indeed, MDK significantly increased HUVEV endothelial cell migration and neo- vascularization in chick chorioallantoic membrane assay (CAM) assay via paracrine signaling. In addition, MDK secreted from NSCLC cells interacted with Notch2 which activated the Notch signaling pathway and induced EMT, upregulated NF-κB, and increased cancer promotion. However, in response to MDK knock down, siRNA or the MDK inhibitor, iMDK treatment not only decreased MDK-induced migration and angiogenesis of endothelial cells but also abrogated the progression and metastasis of NSCLC cells in in vitro and in vivo orthotopic and spontaneous lung metastasis models. Consequently, iMDK treatment significantly increased mice survival rates compared with the control or MDK expression group. MDK plays a very important role in the progression and metastasis of NSCLC cells. Moreover, the MDK targeting strategy provides a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of MDK-expressing lung cancers.
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Cai YQ, Lv Y, Mo ZC, Lei J, Zhu JL, Zhong QQ. Multiple pathophysiological roles of midkine in human disease. Cytokine 2020; 135:155242. [PMID: 32799009 DOI: 10.1016/j.cyto.2020.155242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2020] [Revised: 08/07/2020] [Accepted: 08/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Midkine (MK) is a low molecular-weight protein that was first identified as the product of a retinoic acid-responsive gene involved in embryonic development. Recent studies have indicated that MK levels are related to various diseases, including cardiovascular disease (CVD), renal disease and autoimmune disease. MK is a growth factor involved in multiple pathophysiological processes, such as inflammation, the repair of damaged tissues and cancer. The pathophysiological roles of MK are diverse. MK enhances the recruitment and migration of inflammatory cells upon inflammation directly and also through induction of chemokines, and contributes to tissue damage. In lung endothelial cells, oxidative stress increased the expression of MK, which induced angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) expression and the consequent conversion from Ang I to Ang II, leading to further oxidative stress. MK inhibited cholesterol efflux from macrophages by reducing ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) expression, which is involved in lipid metabolism, suggesting that MK is an important positive factor involved in inflammation, oxidative stress and lipid metabolism. Furthermore, MK can regulate the expansion, differentiation and activation of T cells as well as B-cell survival; mediate angiogenic and antibacterial activity; and possess anti-apoptotic activity. In this paper, we summarize the pathophysiological roles of MK in human disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ya-Qin Cai
- Hunan Province Innovative Training Base for Medical Postgraduates, Clinical Anatomy & Reproductive Medicine Application Institute, University of South China, Hengyang 421001, China; Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Guilin Medical University, Guilin 541199, Guangxi, China
| | - Yuncheng Lv
- Hunan Province Innovative Training Base for Medical Postgraduates, Clinical Anatomy & Reproductive Medicine Application Institute, University of South China, Hengyang 421001, China; Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Guilin Medical University, Guilin 541199, Guangxi, China
| | - Zhong-Cheng Mo
- Hunan Province Innovative Training Base for Medical Postgraduates, Clinical Anatomy & Reproductive Medicine Application Institute, University of South China, Hengyang 421001, China; Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Guilin Medical University, Guilin 541199, Guangxi, China
| | - Jiashun Lei
- Hunan Province Innovative Training Base for Medical Postgraduates, Clinical Anatomy & Reproductive Medicine Application Institute, University of South China, Hengyang 421001, China
| | - Jing-Ling Zhu
- Hunan Province Innovative Training Base for Medical Postgraduates, Clinical Anatomy & Reproductive Medicine Application Institute, University of South China, Hengyang 421001, China
| | - Qiao-Qing Zhong
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China.
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Zeng D, Liang YK, Xiao YS, Wei XL, Lin HY, Wu Y, Bai JW, Chen M, Zhang GJ. Inhibition of Notch1 reverses EMT and chemoresistance to cisplatin via direct downregulation of MCAM in triple-negative breast cancer cells. Int J Cancer 2020; 147:490-504. [PMID: 32020593 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.32911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2019] [Revised: 12/22/2019] [Accepted: 01/07/2020] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Resistance to chemotherapy continues to be a critical issue in the clinical therapy of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is thought to contribute to chemoresistance in several cancer types, including breast cancer. Identification of the key signaling pathway that regulates the EMT program and contributes to chemoresistance in TNBC will provide a novel strategy to overcome chemoresistance in this subtype of cancer. Herein, we demonstrate that Notch1 positively associates with melanoma cell adhesion molecule (MCAM), a unique EMT activator, in TNBC tissue samples both at mRNA and protein levels. High expression of Notch1 and MCAM both predicts a poor survival in basal-like/TNBC patients, particularly in those treated with chemotherapy. The expression of Notch1 and MCAM in MDA-MB-231 cells gradually increases in a time-dependent manner when exposing to low dose cisplatin. Moreover, the expressions of Notch1 and MCAM in cisplatin-resistant MDA-MB-231 cells are significantly higher than wild-type counterparts. Notch1 promotes EMT and chemoresistance, as well as invasion and proliferation of TNBC cells via direct activating MCAM promoter. Inhibition of Notch1 significantly downregulates MCAM expression, resulting in the reversion of EMT and chemoresistance to cisplatin in TNBC cells. Our study reveals the regulatory mechanism of the Notch1 pathway and MCAM in TNBC and suggesting that targeting the Notch1/MCAM axis, in conjunction with conventional chemotherapies, might be a potential avenue to enhance the therapeutic efficacy for patients with TNBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- De Zeng
- Department of Medical Oncology, Shantou University Medical College Cancer Hospital, Shantou, China
- Changjiang Scholar's Laboratory, Shantou University Medical College (SUMC), Shantou, China
| | - Yuan-Ke Liang
- Department of Thyroid and Breast Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
- Department of Medical Oncology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Ying-Sheng Xiao
- Changjiang Scholar's Laboratory, Shantou University Medical College (SUMC), Shantou, China
- Department of Thyroid Surgery, Shantou Central Hospital, Shantou, China
| | - Xiao-Long Wei
- Department of Pathology, Cancer Hospital of SUMC, Shantou, China
| | - Hao-Yu Lin
- Department of Thyroid and Breast Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
| | - Yang Wu
- Changjiang Scholar's Laboratory, Shantou University Medical College (SUMC), Shantou, China
| | - Jing-Wen Bai
- The Cancer Center and the Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Xiang'an Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China
| | - Min Chen
- Changjiang Scholar's Laboratory, Shantou University Medical College (SUMC), Shantou, China
| | - Guo-Jun Zhang
- The Cancer Center and the Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Xiang'an Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China
- Fujian Anti-Cancer Center, Fujian, China
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Lee HW, Chung W, Lee HO, Jeong DE, Jo A, Lim JE, Hong JH, Nam DH, Jeong BC, Park SH, Joo KM, Park WY. Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals the tumor microenvironment and facilitates strategic choices to circumvent treatment failure in a chemorefractory bladder cancer patient. Genome Med 2020; 12:47. [PMID: 32460812 PMCID: PMC7251908 DOI: 10.1186/s13073-020-00741-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2019] [Accepted: 04/24/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Tumor cell-intrinsic mechanisms and complex interactions with the tumor microenvironment contribute to therapeutic failure via tumor evolution. It may be possible to overcome treatment resistance by developing a personalized approach against relapsing cancers based on a comprehensive analysis of cell type-specific transcriptomic changes over the clinical course of the disease using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq). METHODS Here, we used scRNA-seq to depict the tumor landscape of a single case of chemo-resistant metastatic, muscle-invasive urothelial bladder cancer (MIUBC) addicted to an activating Harvey rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (HRAS) mutation. In order to analyze tumor evolution and microenvironmental changes upon treatment, we also applied scRNA-seq to the corresponding patient-derived xenograft (PDX) before and after treatment with tipifarnib, a HRAS-targeting agent under clinical evaluation. RESULTS In the parallel analysis of the human MIUBC and the PDX, diverse stromal and immune cell populations recapitulated the cellular composition in the human and mouse tumor microenvironment. Treatment with tipifarnib showed dramatic anticancer effects but was unable to achieve a complete response. Importantly, the comparative scRNA-seq analysis between pre- and post-tipifarnib-treated PDX revealed the nature of tipifarnib-refractory tumor cells and the tumor-supporting microenvironment. Based on the upregulation of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) in surviving tumor cells, and the accumulation of multiple immune-suppressive subsets from post-tipifarnib-treated PDX, a PD-L1 inhibitor, atezolizumab, was clinically applied; this resulted in a favorable response from the patient with acquired resistance to tipifarnib. CONCLUSION We presented a single case report demonstrating the power of scRNA-seq for visualizing the tumor microenvironment and identifying molecular and cellular therapeutic targets in a treatment-refractory cancer patient.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hye Won Lee
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Suwon, 16419, Republic of Korea
- Single Cell Network Research Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Suwon, 16419, Republic of Korea
- Samsung Advanced Institute of Health Science and Technology, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, 06351, Republic of Korea
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Suwon, 16419, Republic of Korea
- Department of Hospital Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Woosung Chung
- Samsung Advanced Institute of Health Science and Technology, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, 06351, Republic of Korea
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Suwon, 16419, Republic of Korea
- Samsung Genome Institute, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, 06351, Republic of Korea
- DCGen Co., Ltd, Seoul, 03170, Republic of Korea
| | - Hae-Ock Lee
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Suwon, 16419, Republic of Korea
- Samsung Genome Institute, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, 06351, Republic of Korea
| | - Da Eun Jeong
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Suwon, 16419, Republic of Korea
- Single Cell Network Research Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Suwon, 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Areum Jo
- Samsung Genome Institute, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, 06351, Republic of Korea
| | - Joung Eun Lim
- Department of Urology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, 06351, Republic of Korea
| | - Jeong Hee Hong
- Department of Urology, Dankook University College of Medicine, Cheonan, 31116, Republic of Korea
| | - Do-Hyun Nam
- Samsung Advanced Institute of Health Science and Technology, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, 06351, Republic of Korea
- Department of Neurosurgery, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, 06351, Republic of Korea
| | - Byong Chang Jeong
- Samsung Advanced Institute of Health Science and Technology, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, 06351, Republic of Korea.
- Department of Urology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, 06351, Republic of Korea.
| | - Se Hoon Park
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, 06351, Republic of Korea.
| | - Kyeung-Min Joo
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Suwon, 16419, Republic of Korea.
- Single Cell Network Research Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Suwon, 16419, Republic of Korea.
- Samsung Advanced Institute of Health Science and Technology, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, 06351, Republic of Korea.
- Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Center, Research Institute for Future Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, 06351, Republic of Korea.
| | - Woong-Yang Park
- Samsung Advanced Institute of Health Science and Technology, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, 06351, Republic of Korea.
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Suwon, 16419, Republic of Korea.
- Samsung Genome Institute, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, 06351, Republic of Korea.
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Shin K, Shin H, Cho HJ, Kang H, Lee JK, Seo YJ, Shin YJ, Kim D, Koo H, Kong DS, Seol HJ, Lee JI, Lee HW, Nam DH. Sphere-Forming Culture for Expanding Genetically Distinct Patient-Derived Glioma Stem Cells by Cellular Growth Rate Screening. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12030549. [PMID: 32120790 PMCID: PMC7139415 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12030549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2019] [Revised: 02/21/2020] [Accepted: 02/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Diffusely infiltrating gliomas (DIGs) are difficult to completely resect and are associated with a high rate of tumor relapse and progression from low- to high-grade glioma. In particular, optimized short-term culture-enriching patient-derived glioma stem cells (GSCs) are essential for customizing the therapeutic strategy based on clinically feasible in vitro drug screening for a wide range of DIGs, owing to the high inter-tumoral heterogeneity. Herein, we constructed a novel high-throughput culture condition screening platform called ‘GFSCAN’, which evaluated the cellular growth rates of GSCs for each DIG sample in 132 serum-free combinations, using 13 previously reported growth factors closely associated with glioma aggressiveness. In total, 72 patient-derived GSCs with available genomic profiles were tested in GFSCAN to explore the association between cellular growth rates in specific growth factor combinations and genomic/molecular backgrounds, including isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) mutation, chromosome arm 1p and 19q co-deletion, ATRX chromatin remodeler alteration, and transcriptional subtype. GSCs were clustered according to the dependency on epidermal growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor (E&F), and isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) wild-type GSCs showed higher E&F dependencies than IDH1 mutant GSCs. More importantly, we elucidated optimal combinations for IDH1 mutant glioblastoma and lower grade glioma GSCs with low dependencies on E&F, which could be an aid in clinical decision-making for these DIGs. Thus, we demonstrated the utility of GFSCAN in personalizing in vitro cultivation to nominate personalized therapeutic options, in a clinically relevant time frame, for individual DIG patients, where standard clinical options have been exhausted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kayoung Shin
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Science and Technology, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul 06531, Korea; (K.S.); (H.K.)
- Research Institute for Future Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul 06351, Korea; (H.S.); (H.J.C.); (Y.J.S.); (Y.J.S.); (D.K.)
| | - Hyemi Shin
- Research Institute for Future Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul 06351, Korea; (H.S.); (H.J.C.); (Y.J.S.); (Y.J.S.); (D.K.)
- Precision Medicine Research Institute, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul 06351, Korea
| | - Hee Jin Cho
- Research Institute for Future Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul 06351, Korea; (H.S.); (H.J.C.); (Y.J.S.); (Y.J.S.); (D.K.)
- Precision Medicine Research Institute, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul 06351, Korea
| | - Hyunju Kang
- Graduate School of Biomedical Science, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon 16499, Korea; (H.K.); (J.-K.L.)
| | - Jin-Ku Lee
- Graduate School of Biomedical Science, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon 16499, Korea; (H.K.); (J.-K.L.)
| | - Yun Jee Seo
- Research Institute for Future Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul 06351, Korea; (H.S.); (H.J.C.); (Y.J.S.); (Y.J.S.); (D.K.)
| | - Yong Jae Shin
- Research Institute for Future Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul 06351, Korea; (H.S.); (H.J.C.); (Y.J.S.); (Y.J.S.); (D.K.)
| | - Donggeon Kim
- Research Institute for Future Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul 06351, Korea; (H.S.); (H.J.C.); (Y.J.S.); (Y.J.S.); (D.K.)
| | - Harim Koo
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Science and Technology, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul 06531, Korea; (K.S.); (H.K.)
- Research Institute for Future Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul 06351, Korea; (H.S.); (H.J.C.); (Y.J.S.); (Y.J.S.); (D.K.)
| | - Doo-Sik Kong
- Department of Neurosurgery, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul 06531, Korea; (D.-S.K.); (H.J.S.); (J.-I.L.)
| | - Ho Jun Seol
- Department of Neurosurgery, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul 06531, Korea; (D.-S.K.); (H.J.S.); (J.-I.L.)
| | - Jung-Il Lee
- Department of Neurosurgery, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul 06531, Korea; (D.-S.K.); (H.J.S.); (J.-I.L.)
| | - Hye Won Lee
- Department of Hospital Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Korea
- Correspondence: (H.W.L.); (D.-H.N.); Tel.: +82-31-5189-8531 (H.W.L.); +82-2-2148-3497 (D.-H.N.); Fax: +82-2-2148-9829 (H.W.L.); +82-2-2149-9829 (D.-H.N.)
| | - Do-Hyun Nam
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Science and Technology, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul 06531, Korea; (K.S.); (H.K.)
- Research Institute for Future Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul 06351, Korea; (H.S.); (H.J.C.); (Y.J.S.); (Y.J.S.); (D.K.)
- Department of Neurosurgery, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul 06531, Korea; (D.-S.K.); (H.J.S.); (J.-I.L.)
- Correspondence: (H.W.L.); (D.-H.N.); Tel.: +82-31-5189-8531 (H.W.L.); +82-2-2148-3497 (D.-H.N.); Fax: +82-2-2148-9829 (H.W.L.); +82-2-2149-9829 (D.-H.N.)
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Arteriogenesis of the Spinal Cord-The Network Challenge. Cells 2020; 9:cells9020501. [PMID: 32098337 PMCID: PMC7072838 DOI: 10.3390/cells9020501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2019] [Revised: 02/19/2020] [Accepted: 02/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Spinal cord ischemia (SCI) is a clinical complication following aortic repair that significantly impairs the quality and expectancy of life. Despite some strategies, like cerebrospinal fluid drainage, the occurrence of neurological symptoms, such as paraplegia and paraparesis, remains unpredictable. Beside the major blood supply through conduit arteries, a huge collateral network protects the central nervous system from ischemia—the paraspinous and the intraspinal compartment. The intraspinal arcades maintain perfusion pressure following a sudden inflow interruption, whereas the paraspinal system first needs to undergo arteriogenesis to ensure sufficient blood supply after an acute ischemic insult. The so-called steal phenomenon can even worsen the postoperative situation by causing the hypoperfusion of the spine when, shortly after thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm (TAAA) surgery, muscles connected with the network divert blood and cause additional stress. Vessels are a conglomeration of different cell types involved in adapting to stress, like endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, and pericytes. This adaption to stress is subdivided in three phases—initiation, growth, and the maturation phase. In fields of endovascular aortic aneurysm repair, pre-operative selective segmental artery occlusion may enable the development of a sufficient collateral network by stimulating collateral vessel growth, which, again, may prevent spinal cord ischemia. Among others, the major signaling pathways include the phosphoinositide 3 kinase (PI3K) pathway/the antiapoptotic kinase (AKT) pathway/the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) pathway, the Erk1, the delta-like ligand (DII), the jagged (Jag)/NOTCH pathway, and the midkine regulatory cytokine signaling pathways.
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Role of JAK/STAT3 Signaling in the Regulation of Metastasis, the Transition of Cancer Stem Cells, and Chemoresistance of Cancer by Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition. Cells 2020; 9:cells9010217. [PMID: 31952344 PMCID: PMC7017057 DOI: 10.3390/cells9010217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 240] [Impact Index Per Article: 60.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2019] [Revised: 01/06/2020] [Accepted: 01/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The JAK/STAT3 signaling pathway plays an essential role in various types of cancers. Activation of this pathway leads to increased tumorigenic and metastatic ability, the transition of cancer stem cells (CSCs), and chemoresistance in cancer via enhancing the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). EMT acts as a critical regulator in the progression of cancer and is involved in regulating invasion, spread, and survival. Furthermore, accumulating evidence indicates the failure of conventional therapies due to the acquisition of CSC properties. In this review, we summarize the effects of JAK/STAT3 activation on EMT and the generation of CSCs. Moreover, we discuss cutting-edge data on the link between EMT and CSCs in the tumor microenvironment that involves a previously unknown function of miRNAs, and also discuss new regulators of the JAK/STAT3 signaling pathway.
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Wang H, Li JM, Wei W, Yang R, Chen D, Ma XD, Jiang GM, Wang BL. Regulation of ATP-binding cassette subfamily B member 1 by Snail contributes to chemoresistance in colorectal cancer. Cancer Sci 2019; 111:84-97. [PMID: 31774615 PMCID: PMC6942434 DOI: 10.1111/cas.14253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2019] [Revised: 10/15/2019] [Accepted: 10/31/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Although accumulating evidence has indicated the intimate association between epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) and acquired resistance to chemotherapy for colorectal cancer (CRC), the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Herein, we reported that Snail, a crucial EMT controller, was upregulated in CRC tissues. Colorectal cancer cells overexpressing Snail were found to be more resistant to 5‐fluorouracil (5‐Fu). Mechanistic studies reveal that Snail could increase the expression of ATP‐binding cassette subfamily B member 1 (ABCB1) rather than the other 23 chemoresistance‐related genes. Additionally, knockdown of ABCB1 significantly attenuated Snail‐induced 5‐Fu resistance in CRC cells. Oxaliplatin increased Snail and ABCB1 expression in CRC cells. Snail and ABCB1 were upregulated in 5‐Fu‐resistant HCT‐8 (HCT‐8/5‐Fu) cells and inhibition of Snail decreased ABCB1 in HCT‐8/5‐Fu cells. These results confirm the vital role played by ABCB1 in Snail‐induced chemoresistance. Further investigation into the relevant molecular mechanism revealed Snail‐mediated ABCB1 upregulation was independent of β‐catenin, STAT3, PXR, CAR and Foxo3a, which are commonly involved in modulating ABCB1 transcription. Instead, Snail upregulated ABCB1 transcription by directly binding to its promoter. Clinical analysis confirms that increased Snail expression correlated significantly with tumor size (P = .018), lymph node metastasis (P = .033), distant metastasis (P = .025), clinical stage grade (P = .024), and poor prognosis (P = .045) of CRC patients. Moreover, coexpression of Snail and ABCB1 was observed in CRC patients. Our study revealed that direct regulation of ABCB1 by Snail was critical for conferring chemoresistance in CRC cells. These findings unraveled the mechanisms underlying the association between EMT and chemoresistance, and provided potential targets for CRC clinical treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Wang
- Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Ji-Min Li
- Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Wei Wei
- Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Rui Yang
- Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Dong Chen
- School of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, China
| | - Xiao-Dong Ma
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, China.,Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Anhui Academy of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, China
| | - Guan-Min Jiang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, China
| | - Bao-Long Wang
- Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
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Midkine (MDK) growth factor: a key player in cancer progression and a promising therapeutic target. Oncogene 2019; 39:2040-2054. [PMID: 31801970 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-019-1124-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 119] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2019] [Revised: 11/15/2019] [Accepted: 11/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Midkine is a heparin-binding growth factor, originally reported as the product of a retinoic acid-responsive gene during embryogenesis, but currently viewed as a multifaceted factor contributing to both normal tissue homeostasis and disease development. Midkine is abnormally expressed at high levels in various human malignancies and acts as a mediator for the acquisition of critical hallmarks of cancer, including cell growth, survival, metastasis, migration, and angiogenesis. Several studies have investigated the role of midkine as a cancer biomarker for the detection, prognosis, and management of cancer, as well as for monitoring the response to cancer treatment. Moreover, several efforts are also being made to elucidate its underlying mechanisms in therapeutic resistance and immunomodulation within the tumor microenvironment. We hereby summarize the current knowledge on midkine expression and function in cancer development and progression, and highlight its promising potential as a cancer biomarker and as a future therapeutic target in personalized cancer medicine.
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Zhou Y, Zhou Y, Wang K, Li T, Zhang M, Yang Y, Wang R, Hu R. ROCK2 Confers Acquired Gemcitabine Resistance in Pancreatic Cancer Cells by Upregulating Transcription Factor ZEB1. Cancers (Basel) 2019; 11:cancers11121881. [PMID: 31783584 PMCID: PMC6966455 DOI: 10.3390/cancers11121881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2019] [Accepted: 11/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Resistance to chemotherapy is a major clinical challenge in the treatment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Here, we provide evidence that Rho associated coiled-coil containing protein kinase 2 (ROCK2) maintains gemcitabine resistance in gemcitabine resistant pancreatic cancer cells (GR cells). Pharmacological inhibition or gene silencing of ROCK2 markedly sensitized GR cells to gemcitabine by suppressing the expression of zinc-finger-enhancer binding protein 1 (ZEB1). Mechanically, ROCK2-induced sp1 phosphorylation at Thr-453 enhanced the ability of sp1 binding to ZEB1 promoter regions in a p38-dependent manner. Moreover, transcriptional activation of ZEB1 facilitated GR cells to repair gemcitabine-mediated DNA damage via ATM/p-CHK1 signaling pathway. Our findings demonstrate the essential role of ROCK2 in EMT-induced gemcitabine resistance in pancreatic cancer cells and provide strong evidence for the clinical application of fasudil, a ROCK2 inhibitor, in gemcitabine-refractory PDAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Basic Medicine and Clinical Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China; (Y.Z.); (Y.Z.); (K.W.); (T.L.); (M.Z.); (Y.Y.); (R.W.)
| | - Yunjiang Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Basic Medicine and Clinical Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China; (Y.Z.); (Y.Z.); (K.W.); (T.L.); (M.Z.); (Y.Y.); (R.W.)
| | - Keke Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Basic Medicine and Clinical Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China; (Y.Z.); (Y.Z.); (K.W.); (T.L.); (M.Z.); (Y.Y.); (R.W.)
| | - Tao Li
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Basic Medicine and Clinical Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China; (Y.Z.); (Y.Z.); (K.W.); (T.L.); (M.Z.); (Y.Y.); (R.W.)
| | - Minda Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Basic Medicine and Clinical Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China; (Y.Z.); (Y.Z.); (K.W.); (T.L.); (M.Z.); (Y.Y.); (R.W.)
| | - Yunjia Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Basic Medicine and Clinical Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China; (Y.Z.); (Y.Z.); (K.W.); (T.L.); (M.Z.); (Y.Y.); (R.W.)
| | - Rui Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Basic Medicine and Clinical Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China; (Y.Z.); (Y.Z.); (K.W.); (T.L.); (M.Z.); (Y.Y.); (R.W.)
| | - Rong Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Basic Medicine and Clinical Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China; (Y.Z.); (Y.Z.); (K.W.); (T.L.); (M.Z.); (Y.Y.); (R.W.)
- School of Basic Medicine and Clinical Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +86-25-8327-1126; Fax: +86-25-8332-1714
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Lin Z, Zhang L, Zhou J, Zheng J. Silencing Smad4 attenuates sensitivity of colorectal cancer cells to cetuximab by promoting epithelial‑mesenchymal transition. Mol Med Rep 2019; 20:3735-3745. [PMID: 31485652 PMCID: PMC6755154 DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2019.10597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2018] [Accepted: 04/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The aberrant expression of tumor suppressor Smad4 often occurs in colorectal cancer (CRC), and this phenomenon is believed to be associated with drug resistance. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of Smad4 on the sensitivity of CRC cells to cetuximab, and the possible mechanism underlying such an effect. A total of 629 colorectal adenocarcinoma cases were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, and a Smad4 mutation rate of ~21% was demonstrated among the cases. Low expression of Smad4 was present in CRC tissues analyzed by TCGA and in four CRC cell lines, as determined by reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR (RT‑qPCR) and western blot analysis. Cell Counting kit‑8 (CCK‑8) was used to measure the effects of different concentrations of cetuximab on SW480 cell viability at 24 and 48 h. The results demonstrated that treatment of SW480 cells with 20 µg/ml cetuximab for 48 h markedly reduced cell viability. In addition, plasmids were transfected into SW480 cells to induce Smad4 silencing or overexpression. Silencing Smad4 attenuated the sensitivity of SW480 CRC cells to cetuximab; this effect was reflected in increased cell viability and slightly increased migration and invasion, as determined by CCK‑8, wound scratch and Transwell analyses. RT‑qPCR and western blotting was performed to assess the expression levels of apoptosis‑ and epithelial‑mesenchymal transition (EMT)‑related genes. Silencing Smad4 partly reversed the effects of cetuximab on the mRNA and protein expression levels of vimentin, Bax/Bcl‑2 and E‑cadherin. However, Smad4 overexpression enhanced SW480 cell sensitivity to cetuximab. In conclusion, Smad4 may serve a vital role in the sensitivity of CRC cells to chemotherapeutic drugs by promoting EMT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenlv Lin
- Department of Surgical Emergency, The First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350005, P.R. China
| | - Lin Zhang
- Department of Surgical Emergency, The First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350005, P.R. China
| | - Junfeng Zhou
- Department of Surgical Emergency, The First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350005, P.R. China
| | - Jiantao Zheng
- Department of Surgical Emergency, The First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350005, P.R. China
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Konczalla L, Perez DR, Wenzel N, Wolters-Eisfeld G, Klemp C, Lüddeke J, Wolski A, Landschulze D, Meier C, Buchholz A, Yao D, Hofmann BT, Graß JK, Spriestersbach SL, Grupp K, Schumacher U, Betzel C, Kapis S, Nuguid T, Steinberg P, Püschel K, Sauter G, Bockhorn M, Uzunoglu FG, Izbicki JR, Güngör C, El Gammal AT. Biperiden and mepazine effectively inhibit MALT1 activity and tumor growth in pancreatic cancer. Int J Cancer 2019; 146:1618-1630. [PMID: 31291468 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.32567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2019] [Revised: 05/31/2019] [Accepted: 06/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
MALT1 is a key mediator of NF-κB signaling and a main driver of B-cell lymphomas. Remarkably, MALT1 is expressed in the majority of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDACs) as well, but absent from normal exocrine pancreatic tissue. Following, MALT1 shows off to be a specific target in cancer cells of PDAC without affecting regular pancreatic cells. Therefore, we studied the impact of pharmacological MALT1 inhibition in pancreatic cancer and showed promising effects on tumor progression. Mepazine (Mep), a phenothiazine derivative, is a known potent MALT1 inhibitor. Newly, we described that biperiden (Bip) is a potent MALT1 inhibitor with even less pharmacological side effects. Thus, Bip is a promising drug leading to reduced proliferation and increased apoptosis in PDAC cells in vitro and in vivo. By compromising MALT1 activity, nuclear translocation of c-Rel is prevented. c-Rel is critical for NF-κB-dependent inhibition of apoptosis. Hence, off-label use of Bip or Mep represents a promising new therapeutic approach to PDAC treatment. Regularly, the Anticholinergicum Bip is used to treat neurological side effects of Phenothiazines, like extrapyramidal symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonie Konczalla
- Department of General, Visceral, and Thoracic Surgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Daniel R Perez
- Department of General, Visceral, and Thoracic Surgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Nadine Wenzel
- Institute for Food Toxicology and Analytical Chemistry, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany
| | - Gerrit Wolters-Eisfeld
- Department of General, Visceral, and Thoracic Surgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Clarissa Klemp
- Department of General, Visceral, and Thoracic Surgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Johanna Lüddeke
- Department of General, Visceral, and Thoracic Surgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Annika Wolski
- Department of General, Visceral, and Thoracic Surgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Dirk Landschulze
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Chris Meier
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Anika Buchholz
- Department of Medical Biometry and Epidemiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Dichao Yao
- Department of General, Visceral, and Thoracic Surgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Bianca T Hofmann
- Department of General, Visceral, and Thoracic Surgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Julia K Graß
- Department of General, Visceral, and Thoracic Surgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sarah L Spriestersbach
- Department of General, Visceral, and Thoracic Surgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Katharina Grupp
- Department of General, Visceral, and Thoracic Surgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Udo Schumacher
- Institute of Anatomy and Experimental Morphology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Christian Betzel
- Laboratory for Structural Biology of Infection and Inflammation, Department of Chemistry, c/o DESY, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Svetlana Kapis
- Laboratory for Structural Biology of Infection and Inflammation, Department of Chemistry, c/o DESY, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Theresa Nuguid
- Laboratory for Structural Biology of Infection and Inflammation, Department of Chemistry, c/o DESY, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Pablo Steinberg
- Institute for Food Toxicology and Analytical Chemistry, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany
| | - Klaus Püschel
- Institute of Legal Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Guido Sauter
- Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Maximillian Bockhorn
- Department of General, Visceral, and Thoracic Surgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Faik G Uzunoglu
- Department of General, Visceral, and Thoracic Surgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jakob R Izbicki
- Department of General, Visceral, and Thoracic Surgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Cenap Güngör
- Department of General, Visceral, and Thoracic Surgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Alexander T El Gammal
- Department of General, Visceral, and Thoracic Surgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
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Swayden M, Iovanna J, Soubeyran P. Pancreatic cancer chemo-resistance is driven by tumor phenotype rather than tumor genotype. Heliyon 2018; 4:e01055. [PMID: 30582059 PMCID: PMC6299038 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2018.e01055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2018] [Revised: 09/28/2018] [Accepted: 12/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the deadliest forms of cancer. A major reason for this situation is the fact that these tumors are already resistant or become rapidly resistant to all conventional therapies. Like any transformation process, initiation and development of PDCA are driven by a well known panel of genetic alterations, few of them are shared with most cancers, but many mutations are specific to PDAC and are partially responsible for the great inter-tumor heterogeneity. Importantly, this knowledge has been inefficient in predicting response to anticancer therapy, or in establishing diagnosis and prognosis. Hence, the pre-existing or rapidly acquired resistance of pancreatic cancer cells to therapeutic drugs rely on other parameters and features developed by the cells and/or the micro-environment, that are independent of their genetic profiles. This review sheds light on all major phenotypic, non genetic, alterations known to play important roles in PDAC cells resistance to treatments and therapeutic escape.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Philippe Soubeyran
- Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Marseille (CRCM), INSERM U1068, CNRS UMR 7258, Aix-Marseille Université and Institut Paoli-Calmettes, Parc Scientifique et Technologique de Luminy, Marseille, France
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44
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Weckbach LT, Preissner KT, Deindl E. The Role of Midkine in Arteriogenesis, Involving Mechanosensing, Endothelial Cell Proliferation, and Vasodilation. Int J Mol Sci 2018; 19:E2559. [PMID: 30158425 PMCID: PMC6163309 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19092559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2018] [Revised: 08/17/2018] [Accepted: 08/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Mechanical forces in blood circulation such as shear stress play a predominant role in many physiological and pathophysiological processes related to vascular responses or vessel remodeling. Arteriogenesis, defined as the growth of pre-existing arterioles into functional collateral arteries compensating for stenosed or occluded arteries, is such a process. Midkine, a pleiotropic protein and growth factor, has originally been identified to orchestrate embryonic development. In the adult organism its expression is restricted to distinct tissues (including tumors), whereby midkine is strongly expressed in inflamed tissue and has been shown to promote inflammation. Recent investigations conferred midkine an important function in vascular remodeling and growth. In this review, we introduce the midkine gene and protein along with its cognate receptors, and highlight its role in inflammation and the vascular system with special emphasis on arteriogenesis, particularly focusing on shear stress-mediated vascular cell proliferation and vasodilatation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ludwig T Weckbach
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik I, Klinikum der Universität, LMU Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany.
- Institute of Cardiovascular Physiology and Pathophysiology, Biomedical Center, LMU Munich, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany.
- Walter-Brendel-Centre of Experimental Medicine, University Hospital, LMU Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany.
| | - Klaus T Preissner
- Institute of Biochemistry, Medical School, Justus-Liebig-University, 35390 Giessen, Germany.
| | - Elisabeth Deindl
- Walter-Brendel-Centre of Experimental Medicine, University Hospital, LMU Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany.
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Pei L, He X, Li S, Sun R, Xiang Q, Ren G, Xiang T. KRAB zinc-finger protein 382 regulates epithelial-mesenchymal transition and functions as a tumor suppressor, but is silenced by CpG methylation in gastric cancer. Int J Oncol 2018; 53:961-972. [PMID: 29956735 PMCID: PMC6065451 DOI: 10.3892/ijo.2018.4446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2018] [Accepted: 06/07/2018] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Several studies have recently reported that KRAB zinc finger protein 382 (ZNF382) is downregulated in multiple carcinoma types due to promoter methylation. The exact role of ZNF382 in gastric carcinogenesis, however, remains elusive. In this study, we investigated the alterations and functions of ZNF382 in the pathogenesis of gastric cancer (GC). Semi-quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), quantitative (real-time) PCR (qPCR) and immunohistochemistry were carried out to detect the expression patterns of ZNF382 in GC cell lines and gastric tissue samples. Furthermore, its methylation status in GC cell lines, tumor tissues and adjacent non-tumor tissues was detected by methylation-specific PCR (MSP). We observed that ZNF382 was silenced due to promoter methylation in MKN45 and SGC7901 cell lines, and that its silencing could be reversed with 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine, indicating that its downregulation in GC is due to promoter methylation. In addition, the ectopic expression of ZNF382 significantly inhibited gastric tumor cell clonogenicity, proliferation, migration and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) through the induction of apoptosis. ZNF382 expression downregulated the expression of SNAIL, Vimentin, Twist, NOTCH1, NOTCH2, NOTCH3, NOTCH4, HES-1, JAG1, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)2 and MMP11, as well as that of the stem cell markers, NANOG, octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (OCT4) and SOX2. ZNF382 also upregulated the expression of E-cadherin. On the whole, the findings of this study suggest that ZNF382 functions as a tumor suppressor in GC cells, but is frequently methylated in both GC cell lines and primary gastric tumors. ZNF382 can reverse the EMT process in GC cells through NOTCH signaling. Our findings further illustrate the molecular pathogenesis of GC and establish potential biomarkers for this type of cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lijiao Pei
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology and Epigenetics, Τhe First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, P.R. China
| | - Xiaoqian He
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology and Epigenetics, Τhe First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, P.R. China
| | - Shuman Li
- Department of Oncology, Τhe Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400010, P.R. China
| | - Ran Sun
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology and Epigenetics, Τhe First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, P.R. China
| | - Qin Xiang
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology and Epigenetics, Τhe First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, P.R. China
| | - Guosheng Ren
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology and Epigenetics, Τhe First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, P.R. China
| | - Tingxiu Xiang
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology and Epigenetics, Τhe First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, P.R. China
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46
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Liu HY, Korc M, Lin CC. Biomimetic and enzyme-responsive dynamic hydrogels for studying cell-matrix interactions in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Biomaterials 2018; 160:24-36. [PMID: 29353105 PMCID: PMC5815383 DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2018.01.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2017] [Revised: 01/03/2018] [Accepted: 01/06/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
The tumor microenvironment (TME) governs all aspects of cancer progression and in vitro 3D cell culture platforms are increasingly developed to emulate the interactions between components of the stromal tissues and cancer cells. However, conventional cell culture platforms are inadequate in recapitulating the TME, which has complex compositions and dynamically changing matrix mechanics. In this study, we developed a dynamic gelatin-hyaluronic acid hybrid hydrogel system through integrating modular thiol-norbornene photopolymerization and enzyme-triggered on-demand matrix stiffening. In particular, gelatin was dually modified with norbornene and 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid to render this bioactive protein photo-crosslinkable (through thiol-norbornene gelation) and responsive to tyrosinase-triggered on-demand stiffening (through HPA dimerization). In addition to the modified gelatin that provides basic cell adhesive motifs and protease cleavable sequences, hyaluronic acid (HA), an essential tumor matrix, was modularly and covalently incorporated into the cell-laden gel network. We systematically characterized macromer modification, gel crosslinking, as well as enzyme-triggered stiffening and degradation. We also evaluated the influence of matrix composition and dynamic stiffening on pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cell fate in 3D. We found that either HA-containing matrix or a dynamically stiffened microenvironment inhibited PDAC cell growth. Interestingly, these two factors synergistically induced cell phenotypic changes that resembled cell migration and/or invasion in 3D. Additional mRNA expression array analyses revealed changes unique to the presence of HA, to a stiffened microenvironment, or to the combination of both. Finally, we presented immunostaining and mRNA expression data to demonstrate that these irregular PDAC cell phenotypes were a result of matrix-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT).
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Affiliation(s)
- Hung-Yi Liu
- Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Murray Korc
- Department of Medicine and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA; Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center, and The Pancreatic Cancer Signature Center, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - Chien-Chi Lin
- Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA; Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center, and The Pancreatic Cancer Signature Center, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue School of Engineering & Technology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA.
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47
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Shao Q, Zhang P, Ma Y, Lu Z, Meng J, Li H, Wang X, Chen D, Zhang M, Han Y, Liu H, Ma S. MicroRNA-139-5p affects cisplatin sensitivity in human nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells by regulating the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. Gene 2018; 652:48-58. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2018.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2017] [Revised: 01/05/2018] [Accepted: 02/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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48
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Ma MC, Chen YJ, Chiu TJ, Lan J, Liu CT, Chen YC, Tien HH, Chen YY. Positive expression of Midkine predicts early recurrence and poor prognosis of initially resectable combined hepatocellular cholangiocarcinoma. BMC Cancer 2018; 18:227. [PMID: 29486735 PMCID: PMC5830052 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-018-4146-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2017] [Accepted: 02/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Post-surgical prognosis is usually poor for combined hepatocellular cholangiocarcinoma (CHCC-CC), a rare primary liver cancer. Although midkine (MK) is a prognostic biomarker for several known cancers, it is not known whether it can be used as such in resectable CHCC-CC. This study examined whether MK expression can predict recurrence and survival in patients with resectable CHCC-CC. Methods We retrospectively enrolled 52 patients with resectable CHCC-CC who had received curative hepatic resections. MK expression was assessed in post-surgical immunohistochemical studies of specimens in paraffin blocks. Clinical outcomes were analyzed from medical records. Results Two-year disease-free and three-year overall survival rates were 42.1% and 44.6%. MK was expressed in 30 patients. Univariate analysis showed patients positively expressing MK had a significantly poorer 2-year disease free and three-year overall survival. Multivariate analysis found positive MK expression independently predicted recurrence. Conclusions Positive expression of MK predicts poor prognosis in patients with resectable CHCC-CC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming-Chun Ma
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, 123 Ta-Pei Road, Niaosong District, Kaohsiung, 833, Taiwan.,Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Ju Chen
- Department of Anatomic Pathology, E-Da hospital, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Tai-Jan Chiu
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, 123 Ta-Pei Road, Niaosong District, Kaohsiung, 833, Taiwan.,Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.,Kaohsiung Chang Gung Cholangiocarcinoma and Pancreatic Cancer Group, Cancer Center, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.,Institute of Clinical Medical Sciences, Chang Gung University, Kaohsiung, 833, Taiwan
| | - Jui Lan
- Department of Pathology, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Chien-Ting Liu
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, 123 Ta-Pei Road, Niaosong District, Kaohsiung, 833, Taiwan.,Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Ching Chen
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, 123 Ta-Pei Road, Niaosong District, Kaohsiung, 833, Taiwan.,Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Hsin-Ho Tien
- Department of Nursing, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Cancer Center, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Yen-Yang Chen
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, 123 Ta-Pei Road, Niaosong District, Kaohsiung, 833, Taiwan. .,Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. .,Kaohsiung Chang Gung Cholangiocarcinoma and Pancreatic Cancer Group, Cancer Center, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
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49
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Li B, Chen M, Lu M, Xin-Xiang J, Meng-Xiong P, Jun-Wu M. Glutaredoxin 3 promotes migration and invasion via the Notch signalling pathway in oral squamous cell carcinoma. Free Radic Res 2018; 52:390-401. [PMID: 29397791 DOI: 10.1080/10715762.2018.1435871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Substantial evidence indicates that the alteration of the cellular redox status is a critical factor involved in cell growth and death and results in tumourigenesis. Cancer cells have an efficient antioxidant system to counteract the increased generation of ROS. However, whether this ability to survive high levels of ROS has an important role in the growth and metastasis of tumours is not well understood. Glutaredoxin 3 (GLRX3), also known as TXNL2, Grx3 and PICOT, maintains a low level of ROS, thus contributing to the survival and metastasis of several types of cancer. However, little is known about the role of GLRX3 and the underlying mechanisms that suppress oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) progression. Here, by using immunohistochemical staining, we demonstrated that GLRX3 was overexpressed in human OSCC, and enhanced GLRX3 expression correlated with metastasis and with decreased overall patient survival. Knockdown of GLRX3 in human OSCC cell lines reduced Notch activity by reversing the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), resulting in the inhibition of in vitro migration and invasion. Importantly, knockdown of GLRX3 triggered the generation of ROS. Furthermore, N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), an ROS scavenger, enhanced the effects of GLRX3 knockdown on Notch-dependent EMT. Collectively, these findings suggested the vital roles of GLRX3 in OSCC progression through its relationship with EMT progression, and these data also suggest that a strategy of blocking ROS to enhance the activity of GLRX3 knockdown warrants further attention in the treatment of OSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Li
- a Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery , Affiliated Hospital of Guilin, Medical University , Guilin , PR China
| | - Mei Chen
- a Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery , Affiliated Hospital of Guilin, Medical University , Guilin , PR China
| | - Mei Lu
- a Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery , Affiliated Hospital of Guilin, Medical University , Guilin , PR China
| | - Jiang Xin-Xiang
- a Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery , Affiliated Hospital of Guilin, Medical University , Guilin , PR China
| | - Pan Meng-Xiong
- a Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery , Affiliated Hospital of Guilin, Medical University , Guilin , PR China
| | - Mao Jun-Wu
- a Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery , Affiliated Hospital of Guilin, Medical University , Guilin , PR China
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50
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Lu Y, Yan B, Guo H, Qiu L, Sun X, Wang X, Shi Q, Bao Y. Effect of midkine on gemcitabine resistance in biliary tract cancer. Int J Mol Med 2018; 41:2003-2011. [PMID: 29344648 PMCID: PMC5810218 DOI: 10.3892/ijmm.2018.3399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2017] [Accepted: 01/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Gemcitabine-based chemotherapy is one of the most effective and commonly used chemotherapeutic regimens for biliary tract cancer (BTC). However, development of resistance to this drug limits its efficacy. The present study aimed to explore the effects of midkine (MDK) on the resistance of BTC cells to gemcitabine. Cell viability and proliferation were measured by a Cell Counting Kit-8 assay and 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine staining, respectively. Western blot analysis was used to detect the expression of E-cadherin and vimentin. The results indicated that BTC cell lines were more resistant to gemcitabine plus MDK compared with gemcitabine alone. In terms of the underlying mechanism, MDK promoted the epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) of BTC cells and the enhancing effect of MDK on gemcitabine resistance was abrogated when the EMT was blocked with small interfering (si)RNA targeting Twist. In addition, MDK promoted the expression of Notch-1, while knockdown of Notch-1 by siRNA blocked the EMT process in the BTC cell lines. Taken together, these results indicated that MDK promoted gemcitabine resistance of BTC through inducing EMT via upregulating Notch-1. It was suggested that inhibition of the EMT is a promising strategy to overcome MDK-induced drug resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongliang Lu
- Department of Medicine, Huzhou University, Huzhou, Zhejiang 313000, P.R. China
| | - Bing Yan
- Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Huzhou University, The First People's Hospital of Huzhou, Huzhou, Zhejiang 313000, P.R. China
| | - Huihui Guo
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Huzhou University, The First People's Hospital of Huzhou, Huzhou, Zhejiang 313000, P.R. China
| | - Li Qiu
- Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Huzhou University, The First People's Hospital of Huzhou, Huzhou, Zhejiang 313000, P.R. China
| | - Xinrong Sun
- Department of Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Huzhou University, The First People's Hospital of Huzhou, Huzhou, Zhejiang 313000, P.R. China
| | - Xiang Wang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Huzhou University, The First People's Hospital of Huzhou, Huzhou, Zhejiang 313000, P.R. China
| | - Qian Shi
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Huzhou University, The First People's Hospital of Huzhou, Huzhou, Zhejiang 313000, P.R. China
| | - Ying Bao
- Department of Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Huzhou University, The First People's Hospital of Huzhou, Huzhou, Zhejiang 313000, P.R. China
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