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Zhang Y, Shan L, Tang W, Ge Y, Li C, Zhang J. Recent Discovery and Development of Inhibitors that Target CDK9 and Their Therapeutic Indications. J Med Chem 2024; 67:5185-5215. [PMID: 38564299 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.4c00312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
CDK9 is a cyclin-dependent kinase that plays pivotal roles in multiple cellular functions including gene transcription, cell cycle regulation, DNA damage repair, and cellular differentiation. Targeting CDK9 is considered an attractive strategy for antitumor therapy, especially for leukemia and lymphoma. Several potent small molecule inhibitors, exemplified by TG02 (4), have progressed to clinical trials. However, many of them face challenges such as low clinical efficacy and multiple adverse reactions and may necessitate the exploration of novel strategies to lead to success in the clinic. In this perspective, we present a comprehensive overview of the structural characteristics, biological functions, and preclinical status of CDK9 inhibitors. Our focus extends to various types of inhibitors, including pan-inhibitors, selective inhibitors, dual-target inhibitors, degraders, PPI inhibitors, and natural products. The discussion encompasses chemical structures, structure-activity relationships (SARs), biological activities, selectivity, and therapeutic potential, providing detailed insight into the diverse landscape of CDK9 inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuming Zhang
- Department of Neurology, Neuro-system and Multimorbidity Laboratory and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center and National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041 Sichuan, China
- West China College of Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041 Sichuan, China
| | - Lianhai Shan
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, 610031 Sichuan, China
| | - Wentao Tang
- Department of Neurology, Neuro-system and Multimorbidity Laboratory and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center and National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041 Sichuan, China
| | - Yating Ge
- Department of Neurology, Neuro-system and Multimorbidity Laboratory and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center and National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041 Sichuan, China
| | - ChengXian Li
- Department of Neurology, Neuro-system and Multimorbidity Laboratory and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center and National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041 Sichuan, China
| | - Jifa Zhang
- Department of Neurology, Neuro-system and Multimorbidity Laboratory and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center and National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041 Sichuan, China
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2
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Salimi A, Schemionek‐Reinders M, Huber M, Vieri M, Patterson JB, Alten J, Brümmendorf TH, Kharabi Masouleh B, Appelmann I. XBP1 promotes NRAS G12D pre-B acute lymphoblastic leukaemia through IL-7 receptor signalling and provides a therapeutic vulnerability for oncogenic RAS. J Cell Mol Med 2023; 27:3363-3377. [PMID: 37753803 PMCID: PMC10623536 DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.17904] [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: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Activating point mutations of the RAS gene act as driver mutations for a subset of precursor-B cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemias (pre-B ALL) and represent an ambitious target for therapeutic approaches. The X box-binding protein 1 (XBP1), a key regulator of the unfolded protein response (UPR), is critical for pre-B ALL cell survival, and high expression of XBP1 confers poor prognosis in ALL patients. However, the mechanism of XBP1 activation has not yet been elucidated in RAS mutated pre-B ALL. Here, we demonstrate that XBP1 acts as a downstream linchpin of the IL-7 receptor signalling pathway and that pharmacological inhibition or genetic ablation of XBP1 selectively abrogates IL-7 receptor signalling via inhibition of its downstream effectors, JAK1 and STAT5. We show that XBP1 supports malignant cell growth of pre-B NRASG12D ALL cells and that genetic loss of XBP1 consequently leads to cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Our findings reveal that active XBP1 prevents the cytotoxic effects of a dual PI3K/mTOR pathway inhibitor (BEZ235) in pre-B NRASG12D ALL cells. This implies targeting XBP1 in combination with BEZ235 as a promising new targeted strategy against the oncogenic RAS in NRASG12D -mutated pre-B ALL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Azam Salimi
- Department of Hematology, Oncology, Hemostaseology and Stem Cell Transplantation, Medical FacultyRWTH Aachen UniversityAachenGermany
- Department of Preclinical Imaging and Radiopharmacy, Werner Siemens Imaging CenterEberhard Karls University TübingenTübingenGermany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) "Image Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies"TübingenGermany
| | - Mirle Schemionek‐Reinders
- Department of Hematology, Oncology, Hemostaseology and Stem Cell Transplantation, Medical FacultyRWTH Aachen UniversityAachenGermany
| | - Michael Huber
- Medical Faculty, Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular ImmunologyRWTH Aachen UniversityAachenGermany
| | - Margherita Vieri
- Department of Hematology, Oncology, Hemostaseology and Stem Cell Transplantation, Medical FacultyRWTH Aachen UniversityAachenGermany
| | | | - Julia Alten
- Department of PediatricsUniversity Medical Centre Schleswig‐HolsteinKielGermany
| | - Tim H. Brümmendorf
- Department of Hematology, Oncology, Hemostaseology and Stem Cell Transplantation, Medical FacultyRWTH Aachen UniversityAachenGermany
| | - Behzad Kharabi Masouleh
- Department of Hematology, Oncology, Hemostaseology and Stem Cell Transplantation, Medical FacultyRWTH Aachen UniversityAachenGermany
| | - Iris Appelmann
- Department of Hematology, Oncology, Hemostaseology and Stem Cell Transplantation, Medical FacultyRWTH Aachen UniversityAachenGermany
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3
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Li J, Dong T, Wu Z, Zhu D, Gu H. The effects of MYC on tumor immunity and immunotherapy. Cell Death Discov 2023; 9:103. [PMID: 36966168 PMCID: PMC10039951 DOI: 10.1038/s41420-023-01403-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2023] [Revised: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The oncogene MYC is dysregulated in a host of human cancers, and as an important point of convergence in multitudinous oncogenic signaling pathways, it plays a crucial role in tumor immune regulation in the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME). Specifically, MYC promotes the expression of immunosuppressive factors and inhibits the expression of immune activation regulators. Undoubtedly, a therapeutic strategy that targets MYC can initiate a new era of cancer treatment. In this review, we summarize the essential role of the MYC signaling pathway in tumor immunity and the development status of MYC-related therapies, including therapeutic strategies targeting MYC and combined MYC-based immunotherapy. These studies have reported extraordinary insights into the translational application of MYC in cancer treatment and are conducive to the emergence of more effective immunotherapies for cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiajin Li
- Department of Pediatrics, Second Clinical School of Medicine, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Tingyu Dong
- Department of Pediatrics, Second Clinical School of Medicine, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Zhen Wu
- Department of Clinical Medicine, First Clinical School of Medicine, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Dacheng Zhu
- Department of Clinical Medicine, First Clinical School of Medicine, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Hao Gu
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.
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4
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Ferrigno A, Cagna M, Bosco O, Trucchi M, Berardo C, Nicoletti F, Vairetti M, Di Pasqua LG. MPEP Attenuates Intrahepatic Fat Accumulation in Obese Mice. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24076076. [PMID: 37047048 PMCID: PMC10094379 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24076076] [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: 03/01/2023] [Revised: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The blockade of metabotropic glutamate receptor type 5 (mGluR5) was previously found to reduce fat accumulation in HEPG2 cells. Here, we evaluated the effects of mGluR5 blockade in a mouse model of steatosis. Male ob/ob mice fed a high-fat diet were treated with MPEP or vehicle. After 7 weeks, liver biopsies were collected, and nuclei were isolated from fresh tissue. Lipid droplet area and collagen deposition were evaluated on tissue slices; total lipids, lipid peroxidation, and ROS were evaluated on tissue homogenates; PPARα, SREBP-1, mTOR, and NF-κB were assayed on isolated nuclei by Western Blot. Target genes of the above-mentioned factors were assayed by RT-PCR. Reduced steatosis and hepatocyte ballooning were observed in the MPEP group with respect to the vehicle group. Concomitantly, increased nuclear PPARα and reduced nuclear SREBP-1 levels were observed in the MPEP group. Similar trends were obtained in target genes of PPARα and SREBP-1, Acox1 and Acc1, respectively. MPEP administration also reduced oxidative stress and NF-κB activation, probably via NF-κB inhibition. Levels of common markers of inflammation (Il-6, Il1β and Tnf-α) and oxidative stress (Nrf2) were significantly reduced. mTOR, as well as collagen deposition, were unchanged. Concluding, MPEP, a selective mGluR5 negative allosteric modulator, reduces both fat accumulation and oxidative stress in a 7-week murine model of steatosis. Although underlying mechanisms need to be further investigated, this is the first in vivo study showing the beneficial effects of MPEP in a murine model of steatosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Ferrigno
- Unit of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology and Toxicology, Department of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
- Interuniversity Center for the Promotion of the 3Rs Principles in Teaching and Research (Centro 3R), 56122 Pisa, Italy
| | - Marta Cagna
- Unit of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology and Toxicology, Department of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Oriana Bosco
- Unit of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology and Toxicology, Department of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Michelangelo Trucchi
- Unit of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology and Toxicology, Department of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Clarissa Berardo
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Science, University of Milano, 20157 Milano, Italy
| | - Ferdinando Nicoletti
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University, 00185 Rome, Italy
- IRCCS Neuromed, 86077 Pozzilli, Italy
| | - Mariapia Vairetti
- Unit of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology and Toxicology, Department of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Laura G Di Pasqua
- Unit of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology and Toxicology, Department of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
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A pyridinesulfonamide derivative FD268 suppresses cell proliferation and induces apoptosis via inhibiting PI3K pathway in acute myeloid leukemia. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0277893. [PMID: 36413544 PMCID: PMC9681083 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0277893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Aberration of PI3K signaling pathway has been confirmed to be associated with several hematological malignancies including acute myeloid leukemia (AML). FD268, a pyridinesulfonamide derivative characterized by the conjugation of 7-azaindole group, is a newly identified PI3K inhibitor showing high potent enzyme activity at nanomole concentration. In this study, we demonstrated that FD268 dose-dependently inhibits survival of AML cells with the efficacy superior to that of PI-103 (pan-PI3K inhibitor) and CAL-101 (selective PI3Kδ inhibitor) in the tested HL-60, MOLM-16, Mv-4-11, EOL-1 and KG-1 cell lines. Further mechanistic studies focused on HL-60 revealed that FD268 significantly inhibits the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway, promotes the activation of pro-apoptotic protein Bad and downregulates the expression of anti-apoptotic protein Mcl-1, thus suppressing the cell proliferation and inducing caspase-3-dependent apoptosis. The bioinformatics analysis of the transcriptome sequencing data also indicated a potential involvement of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. These studies indicated that FD268 possesses high potent activity toward AML cells via inhibition of PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway, which sheds some light on the pyridinesulfonamide scaffold for further optimization and investigation.
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Ikeda D, Chi S, Uchiyama S, Nakamura H, Guo YM, Yamauchi N, Yuda J, Minami Y. Molecular Classification and Overcoming Therapy Resistance for Acute Myeloid Leukemia with Adverse Genetic Factors. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:5950. [PMID: 35682627 PMCID: PMC9180585 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23115950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2022] [Revised: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
The European LeukemiaNet (ELN) criteria define the adverse genetic factors of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). AML with adverse genetic factors uniformly shows resistance to standard chemotherapy and is associated with poor prognosis. Here, we focus on the biological background and real-world etiology of these adverse genetic factors and then describe a strategy to overcome the clinical disadvantages in terms of targeting pivotal molecular mechanisms. Different adverse genetic factors often rely on common pathways. KMT2A rearrangement, DEK-NUP214 fusion, and NPM1 mutation are associated with the upregulation of HOX genes. The dominant tyrosine kinase activity of the mutant FLT3 or BCR-ABL1 fusion proteins is transduced by the AKT-mTOR, MAPK-ERK, and STAT5 pathways. Concurrent mutations of ASXL1 and RUNX1 are associated with activated AKT. Both TP53 mutation and mis-expressed MECOM are related to impaired apoptosis. Clinical data suggest that adverse genetic factors can be found in at least one in eight AML patients and appear to accumulate in relapsed/refractory cases. TP53 mutation is associated with particularly poor prognosis. Molecular-targeted therapies focusing on specific genomic abnormalities, such as FLT3, KMT2A, and TP53, have been developed and have demonstrated promising results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daisuke Ikeda
- Department of Hematology, National Cancer Center Hospital East, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8577, Japan; (D.I.); (S.C.); (S.U.); (H.N.); (Y.-M.G.); (N.Y.); (J.Y.)
- Department of Hematology, Kameda Medical Center, Kamogawa 296-8602, Japan
| | - SungGi Chi
- Department of Hematology, National Cancer Center Hospital East, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8577, Japan; (D.I.); (S.C.); (S.U.); (H.N.); (Y.-M.G.); (N.Y.); (J.Y.)
| | - Satoshi Uchiyama
- Department of Hematology, National Cancer Center Hospital East, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8577, Japan; (D.I.); (S.C.); (S.U.); (H.N.); (Y.-M.G.); (N.Y.); (J.Y.)
| | - Hirotaka Nakamura
- Department of Hematology, National Cancer Center Hospital East, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8577, Japan; (D.I.); (S.C.); (S.U.); (H.N.); (Y.-M.G.); (N.Y.); (J.Y.)
| | - Yong-Mei Guo
- Department of Hematology, National Cancer Center Hospital East, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8577, Japan; (D.I.); (S.C.); (S.U.); (H.N.); (Y.-M.G.); (N.Y.); (J.Y.)
| | - Nobuhiko Yamauchi
- Department of Hematology, National Cancer Center Hospital East, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8577, Japan; (D.I.); (S.C.); (S.U.); (H.N.); (Y.-M.G.); (N.Y.); (J.Y.)
| | - Junichiro Yuda
- Department of Hematology, National Cancer Center Hospital East, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8577, Japan; (D.I.); (S.C.); (S.U.); (H.N.); (Y.-M.G.); (N.Y.); (J.Y.)
| | - Yosuke Minami
- Department of Hematology, National Cancer Center Hospital East, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8577, Japan; (D.I.); (S.C.); (S.U.); (H.N.); (Y.-M.G.); (N.Y.); (J.Y.)
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7
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Liu H, Hussain Z, Xie Q, Yan X, Zeng C, Zhou G, Cao S. Targeting PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway to enhance the anti-leukemia efficacy of venetoclax. Exp Cell Res 2022; 417:113192. [PMID: 35568072 DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2022.113192] [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: 01/19/2022] [Revised: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is developing towards "targeted therapy", which faces challenges such as low sensitivity and drug resistance. Therefore, targeted drugs need to be used in combination with other drugs to overcome clinical problems. OBJECTIVE AML cells and animal models were used to determine the synergistic anti-leukemic effect of Dactolisib (BEZ235) and Venetoclax (ABT199) and explore its mechanism. METHODS In vitro experiments, we used cell counting kit-8 (CCK8), flow cytometry, real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR), and Western blot to detect the anti-leukemic effects of ABT199 and BEZ235. In vivo experiments, female nude mice were injected subcutaneously with THP-1 cells to form tumors, evaluate the combined effect of ABT199 and BEZ235 by indicators such as tumor size, tumor weight, Ki67 and cleaved-Caspase3 staining. The mice's body weight and HE staining were used to evaluate the liver injury and adverse drug reactions. RESULTS The combination of BEZ235 and ABT199 has a synergistic effect through promoting apoptosis and inhibiting proliferation. The BEZ235 increased the drug sensitivity of ABT199 by reducing the MCL-1 protein synthesis and promoted the degradation of MCL-1 protein, which is considered as the mechanism of reversing ABT199 resistance. Furthermore, the BEZ235 and ABT199 can synergistically enhance the inhibition of PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. CONCLUSION The combination of BEZ235 and ABT199 exhibits a synergistic anti-tumor effect in AML by down-regulating MCL-1 protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongcai Liu
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, 87 Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410008, PR China; Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Central South University, Hunan Key Laboratory of Pharmacogenetics, 110 Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410078, PR China; Engineering Research Center of Applied Technology of Pharmacogenomics, Ministry of Education, 110 Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410078, PR China; National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, 87 Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, PR China
| | - Zubair Hussain
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, 410013, China
| | - Qingqing Xie
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, 87 Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410008, PR China; Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Central South University, Hunan Key Laboratory of Pharmacogenetics, 110 Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410078, PR China; Engineering Research Center of Applied Technology of Pharmacogenomics, Ministry of Education, 110 Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410078, PR China; National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, 87 Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, PR China
| | - Xueying Yan
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, 87 Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410008, PR China; Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Central South University, Hunan Key Laboratory of Pharmacogenetics, 110 Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410078, PR China; Engineering Research Center of Applied Technology of Pharmacogenomics, Ministry of Education, 110 Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410078, PR China; National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, 87 Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, PR China
| | - Chenxing Zeng
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, 87 Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410008, PR China; Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Central South University, Hunan Key Laboratory of Pharmacogenetics, 110 Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410078, PR China; Engineering Research Center of Applied Technology of Pharmacogenomics, Ministry of Education, 110 Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410078, PR China; National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, 87 Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, PR China
| | - Gan Zhou
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, 87 Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410008, PR China; Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Central South University, Hunan Key Laboratory of Pharmacogenetics, 110 Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410078, PR China; Engineering Research Center of Applied Technology of Pharmacogenomics, Ministry of Education, 110 Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410078, PR China; National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, 87 Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, PR China; Phase I Clinical Trial Research Center, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, 87 Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, PR China
| | - Shan Cao
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, 87 Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410008, PR China; Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Central South University, Hunan Key Laboratory of Pharmacogenetics, 110 Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410078, PR China; Engineering Research Center of Applied Technology of Pharmacogenomics, Ministry of Education, 110 Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410078, PR China; National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, 87 Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, PR China.
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8
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Stengel S, Petrie KR, Sbirkov Y, Stanko C, Ghazvini Zadegan F, Gil V, Skopek R, Kamiński P, Szymański Ł, Brioli A, Zelent A, Schenk T. Suppression of MYC by PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway inhibition in combination with all-trans retinoic acid treatment for therapeutic gain in acute myeloid leukaemia. Br J Haematol 2022; 198:338-348. [PMID: 35468223 DOI: 10.1111/bjh.18187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2022] [Revised: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Aberrant activity of the phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K/AKT/mTOR [PAM]) pathway, as well as suppressed retinoic acid signalling, contribute to enhanced proliferation and the differentiation blockade of immature myeloid cells in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). Inhibition of the PAM pathway was shown to affect especially mixed-lineage leukaemia-rearranged AML. Here, we sought to test a combined strategy using small molecule inhibitors against members of the PAM signalling pathway in conjunction with all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) to target a larger group of different AML subtypes. We find that ATRA treatment in combination with inhibition of PI3K (ZSTK474), mTOR (WYE132) or PI3K/mTOR (BEZ235, dactolisib) drastically reduces protein levels of the proto-oncogene MYC. In combination with BEZ235, ATRA treatment led to almost complete eradication of cellular MYC, G1 arrest, loss of clonal capacity and terminal granulocytic differentiation. We demonstrate that PAM inhibitor/ATRA treatment targets MYC via independent mechanisms. While inhibition of the PAM pathway causes MYC phosphorylation at threonine 58 via glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta and subsequent degradation, ATRA reduces its expression. Here, we present an approach using a combination of known drugs to synergistically reduce aberrant MYC levels, thereby effectively blocking proliferation and enabling differentiation in various AML subtypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sven Stengel
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine IV, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | - Kevin R Petrie
- School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences and Wellbeing University of Sunderland, Sunderland, UK
| | - Yordan Sbirkov
- Medical University of Plovdiv, Plovdiv, Bulgaria.,Research Institute at Medical University of Plovdiv, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
| | - Clara Stanko
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Clinic of Internal Medicine II, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.,Institute of Molecular Cell Biology, CMB, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | - Faezeh Ghazvini Zadegan
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Clinic of Internal Medicine II, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.,Institute of Molecular Cell Biology, CMB, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | - Veronica Gil
- The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK.,The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Sutton, UK
| | - Rafał Skopek
- Department of Molecular Biology, Institute of Genetics and Animal Biotechnology, Polish Academy of Science, Magdalenka, Poland
| | - Paweł Kamiński
- Department of Gynecology and Oncological Gynecology, Military Institute of Medicine, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Łukasz Szymański
- Department of Molecular Biology, Institute of Genetics and Animal Biotechnology, Polish Academy of Science, Magdalenka, Poland
| | - Annamaria Brioli
- Clinic of Internal Medicine C, Hematology and Oncology, Stem Cell Transplantation and Palliative Care, Greifswald University Medicine, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Arthur Zelent
- Department of Molecular Biology, Institute of Genetics and Animal Biotechnology, Polish Academy of Science, Magdalenka, Poland
| | - Tino Schenk
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Clinic of Internal Medicine II, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.,Institute of Molecular Cell Biology, CMB, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
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9
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Tang X, Chen F, Xie LC, Liu SX, Mai HR. Targeting metabolism: A potential strategy for hematological cancer therapy. World J Clin Cases 2022; 10:2990-3004. [PMID: 35647127 PMCID: PMC9082716 DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v10.i10.2990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2021] [Revised: 11/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/27/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Most hematological cancer-related relapses and deaths are caused by metastasis; thus, the importance of this process as a target of therapy should be considered. Hematological cancer is a type of cancer in which metabolism plays an essential role in progression. Therefore, we are required to block fundamental metastatic processes and develop specific preclinical and clinical strategies against those biomarkers involved in the metabolic regulation of hematological cancer cells, which do not rely on primary tumor responses. To understand progress in this field, we provide a summary of recent developments in the understanding of metabolism in hematological cancer and a general understanding of biomarkers currently used and under investigation for clinical and preclinical applications involving drug development. The signaling pathways involved in cancer cell metabolism are highlighted and shed light on how we could identify novel biomarkers involved in cancer development and treatment. This review provides new insights into biomolecular carriers that could be targeted as anticancer biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Tang
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Shenzhen Children’s Hospital, Shenzhen 518038, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Fen Chen
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Shenzhen Children’s Hospital, Shenzhen 518038, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Li-Chun Xie
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Shenzhen Children’s Hospital, Shenzhen 518038, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Si-Xi Liu
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Shenzhen Children’s Hospital, Shenzhen 518038, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Hui-Rong Mai
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Shenzhen Children’s Hospital, Shenzhen 518038, Guangdong Province, China
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10
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Cuesta-Casanovas L, Delgado-Martínez J, Cornet-Masana JM, Carbó JM, Clément-Demange L, Risueño RM. Lysosome-mediated chemoresistance in acute myeloid leukemia. CANCER DRUG RESISTANCE (ALHAMBRA, CALIF.) 2022; 5:233-244. [PMID: 35582535 PMCID: PMC8992599 DOI: 10.20517/cdr.2021.122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Despite the outstanding advances in understanding the biology underlying the pathophysiology of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and the promising preclinical data published lastly, AML treatment still relies on a classic chemotherapy regimen largely unchanged for the past five decades. Recently, new drugs have been approved for AML, but the real clinical benefit is still under evaluation. Nevertheless, primary refractory and relapse AML continue to represent the main clinical challenge, as the majority of AML patients will succumb to the disease despite achieving a complete remission during the induction phase. As such, treatments for chemoresistant AML represent an unmet need in this disease. Although great efforts have been made to decipher the biological basis for leukemogenesis, the mechanism by which AML cells become resistant to chemotherapy is largely unknown. The identification of the signaling pathways involved in resistance may lead to new combinatory therapies or new therapeutic approaches suitable for this subset of patients. Several mechanisms of chemoresistance have been identified, including drug transporters, key secondary messengers, and metabolic regulators. However, no therapeutic approach targeting chemoresistance has succeeded in clinical trials, especially due to broad secondary effects in healthy cells. Recent research has highlighted the importance of lysosomes in this phenomenon. Lysosomes' key role in resistance to chemotherapy includes the potential to sequester drugs, central metabolic signaling role, and gene expression regulation. These results provide further evidence to support the development of new therapeutic approaches that target lysosomes in AML.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laia Cuesta-Casanovas
- Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (IJC), Barcelona 08916, Spain
- Faculty of Biosciences, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès) 08193, Spain
| | - Jennifer Delgado-Martínez
- Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (IJC), Barcelona 08916, Spain
- Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Barcelona, Barcelona 08028, Spain
| | | | - José M. Carbó
- Leukos Biotech, Muntaner, 383, Barcelona 08036, Spain
| | | | - Ruth M. Risueño
- Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (IJC), Barcelona 08916, Spain
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11
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Van Dort ME, Jang Y, Bonham CA, Heist K, Palagama DSW, McDonald L, Zhang EZ, Chenevert TL, Luker GD, Ross BD. Structural effects of morpholine replacement in ZSTK474 on Class I PI3K isoform inhibition: Development of novel MEK/PI3K bifunctional inhibitors. Eur J Med Chem 2022; 229:113996. [PMID: 34802837 PMCID: PMC8792322 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2021.113996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2021] [Revised: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Established roles for PI3K and MAPK signaling pathways in tumorigenesis has prompted extensive research towards the discovery of small-molecule inhibitors as cancer therapeutics. However, significant compensatory regulation exists between these two signaling cascades, leading to redundancy among survival pathways. Consequently, initial clinical trials aimed at either PI3K or MEK inhibition alone have proven ineffective and highlight the need for development of targeted and innovative therapeutic combination strategies. We designed a series of PI3K inhibitor derivatives wherein a single morpholine group of the PI3K inhibitor ZSTK474 was substituted with a variety of 2-aminoethyl functional groups. Analogs with pendant hydroxyl or methoxy groups maintained low nanomolar inhibition towards PI3Kα, PI3Kγ, and PI3Kδ isoforms in contrast to those with pendant amino groups which were significantly less inhibitory. Synthesis of prototype PI3K/MEK bifunctional inhibitors (6r, 6s) was guided by the structure-activity data, where a MEK-targeting inhibitor was tethered directly via a short PEG linker to the triazine core of the PI3K inhibitor analogs. These compounds (6r, 6s) displayed nanomolar inhibition towards PI3Kα, δ, and MEK (IC50 ∼105-350 nM), and low micromolar inhibition for PI3Kβ and PI3Kγ (IC50 ∼1.5-3.9 μM) in enzymatic inhibition assays. Cell viability assays demonstrated superior anti-proliferative activity for 6s over 6r in three tumor-derived cell lines (A375, D54, SET-2), which correlated with inhibition of downstream AKT and ERK1/2 phosphorylation. Compounds 6r and 6s also demonstrated in vivo tolerability with therapeutic efficacy through reduction of kinase activation and amelioration of disease phenotypes in the JAK2V617F mutant myelofibrosis mouse cancer model. Taken together, these results support further structure optimization of 6r and 6s as promising leads for combination therapy in human cancer as a new class of PI3K/MEK bifunctional inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcian E Van Dort
- Center for Molecular Imaging, The University of Michigan Medical School, MI, 48109, USA; Department of Radiology, The University of Michigan Medical School, MI, 48109, USA.
| | - Youngsoon Jang
- Center for Molecular Imaging, The University of Michigan Medical School, MI, 48109, USA; Department of Radiology, The University of Michigan Medical School, MI, 48109, USA.
| | - Christopher A Bonham
- Center for Molecular Imaging, The University of Michigan Medical School, MI, 48109, USA; Department of Radiology, The University of Michigan Medical School, MI, 48109, USA.
| | - Kevin Heist
- Center for Molecular Imaging, The University of Michigan Medical School, MI, 48109, USA; Department of Radiology, The University of Michigan Medical School, MI, 48109, USA.
| | - Dilrukshika S W Palagama
- Center for Molecular Imaging, The University of Michigan Medical School, MI, 48109, USA; Department of Radiology, The University of Michigan Medical School, MI, 48109, USA.
| | - Lucas McDonald
- Center for Molecular Imaging, The University of Michigan Medical School, MI, 48109, USA; Department of Radiology, The University of Michigan Medical School, MI, 48109, USA.
| | - Edward Z Zhang
- Center for Molecular Imaging, The University of Michigan Medical School, MI, 48109, USA; Department of Radiology, The University of Michigan Medical School, MI, 48109, USA.
| | - Thomas L Chenevert
- Center for Molecular Imaging, The University of Michigan Medical School, MI, 48109, USA; Department of Radiology, The University of Michigan Medical School, MI, 48109, USA.
| | - Gary D Luker
- Center for Molecular Imaging, The University of Michigan Medical School, MI, 48109, USA; Department of Radiology, The University of Michigan Medical School, MI, 48109, USA.
| | - Brian D Ross
- Center for Molecular Imaging, The University of Michigan Medical School, MI, 48109, USA; Department of Radiology, The University of Michigan Medical School, MI, 48109, USA; Department of Biological Chemistry, The University of Michigan Medical School, MI, 48109, USA.
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12
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Murase Y, Hosoya K, Sato T, Kim S, Okumura M. Antitumor activity of the dual PI3K/mTOR inhibitor gedatolisib and the involvement of ABCB1 in gedatolisib resistance in canine tumor cells. Oncol Rep 2022; 47:61. [PMID: 35088890 PMCID: PMC8848474 DOI: 10.3892/or.2022.8272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2019] [Accepted: 02/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K/mTOR) signaling pathway is a therapeutic target for various types of human tumors, and dual PI3K/mTOR inhibitors demonstrate antitumor activities in both preclinical and clinical studies. However, resistance mechanisms limit their abilities. As the molecular mechanisms involved in the cellular resistance are not clear in any canine tumors, an understanding of resistance mechanisms would support the potential use of dual PI3K/mTOR inhibitors in canine tumors. The antitumor activity of gedatolisib on cell viability, protein phosphorylation, and cell cycle distribution was assessed using 12 canine tumor cell lines from 6 types of tumors. In addition, the molecular determinants involved in the cellular sensitivity to gedatolisib were explored by investigating the involvement of serum-and-glucocorticoid-induced kinase 1 (SGK1), PIK3CA, and ATP-binding cassette, subfamily B, member 1 (ABCB1). The results demonstrated that gedatolisib decreased cell viability in all cell lines, with IC50 values <1 µM in 10 of the 12 lines. Gedatolisib inhibited Akt and mTOR complex 1 substrate phosphorylation and induced G0/G1 cell cycle arrest. However, certain cell lines with higher IC50 values were more resistant to these effects. These cell lines exhibited higher ABCB1 activity and the ABCB1 inhibitor cyclosporin A enhanced the decrease of cell viability caused by gedatolisib. SGK1 overexpression did not confer resistance to gedatolisib. The mutations of E545K and H1047R in PIK3CA were not observed. The present results indicated that gedatolisib decreased cell viability in canine tumor cell lines and ABCB1 played an important role in gedatolisib resistance, supporting the potential use of gedatolisib for canine tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yusuke Murase
- Laboratory of Veterinary Surgery, Department of Clinical Sciences, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060‑0818, Japan
| | - Kenji Hosoya
- Laboratory of Veterinary Surgery, Department of Clinical Sciences, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060‑0818, Japan
| | - Takachika Sato
- Laboratory of Veterinary Surgery, Department of Clinical Sciences, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060‑0818, Japan
| | - Sangho Kim
- Laboratory of Veterinary Surgery, Department of Clinical Sciences, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060‑0818, Japan
| | - Masahiro Okumura
- Laboratory of Veterinary Surgery, Department of Clinical Sciences, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060‑0818, Japan
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13
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Huang C, Radi RH, Arbiser JL. Mitochondrial Metabolism in Melanoma. Cells 2021; 10:cells10113197. [PMID: 34831420 PMCID: PMC8618235 DOI: 10.3390/cells10113197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Revised: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Melanoma and its associated alterations in cellular pathways have been growing areas of interest in research, especially as specific biological pathways are being elucidated. Some of these alterations include changes in the mitochondrial metabolism in melanoma. Many mitochondrial metabolic changes lead to differences in the survivability of cancer cells and confer resistance to targeted therapies. While extensive work has gone into characterizing mechanisms of resistance, the role of mitochondrial adaptation as a mode of resistance is not completely understood. In this review, we wish to explore mitochondrial metabolism in melanoma and how it impacts modes of resistance. There are several genes that play a major role in melanoma mitochondrial metabolism which require a full understanding to optimally target melanoma. These include BRAF, CRAF, SOX2, MCL1, TRAP1, RHOA, SRF, SIRT3, PTEN, and AKT1. We will be discussing the role of these genes in melanoma in greater detail. An enhanced understanding of mitochondrial metabolism and these modes of resistance may result in novel combinatorial and sequential therapies that may lead to greater therapeutic benefit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Huang
- Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; (C.H.); (R.H.R.)
| | - Rakan H. Radi
- Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; (C.H.); (R.H.R.)
| | - Jack L. Arbiser
- Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; (C.H.); (R.H.R.)
- Atlanta Veterans Administration Medical Center, Decatur, GA 30033, USA
- Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-(404)-727-5063; Fax: +1-(404)-727-0923
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14
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Jee HY, Lee YG, Lee S, Elvira R, Seo HE, Lee JY, Han J, Lee K. Activation of ERK and p38 Reduces AZD8055-Mediated Inhibition of Protein Synthesis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma HepG2 Cell Line. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222111824. [PMID: 34769253 PMCID: PMC8584319 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222111824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2021] [Revised: 10/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Protein synthesis is important for maintaining cellular homeostasis under various stress responses. In this study, we screened an anticancer drug library to select compounds with translational repression functions. AZD8055, an ATP-competitive mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1/2 (mTORC1/2) inhibitor, was selected as a translational suppressor. AZD8055 inhibited protein synthesis in mouse embryonic fibroblasts and hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells. Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) were activated during the early phase of mTORC1/2 inhibition by AZD8055 treatment. Combined treatment of AZD8055 with the MAPK kinase1/2 (MEK1/2) inhibitor refametinib or the p38 inhibitor SB203580 markedly decreased translation in HepG2 cells. Thus, the inhibition of ERK1/2 or p38 may enhance the efficacy of AZD8055-mediated inhibition of protein synthesis. In addition, AZD8055 down-regulated the phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor 4E-binding protein 1 (4E-BP1), and AZD8055-induced phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and p38 had no effect on phosphorylation status of 4E-BP1. Interestingly, AZD8055 modulated the 4E-BP1 mRNA pool by up-regulating ERK1/2 and p38 pathways. Together, these results suggest that AZD8055-induced activation of MAPKs interferes with inhibition of protein synthesis at an early stage of mTORC1/2 inhibition, and that it may contribute to the development of resistance to mTORC1/2 inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ha-yeon Jee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Korea; (H.-y.J.); (Y.-G.L.); (S.L.); (H.-e.S.); (J.-Y.L.)
| | - Yoon-Gyeong Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Korea; (H.-y.J.); (Y.-G.L.); (S.L.); (H.-e.S.); (J.-Y.L.)
| | - Sol Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Korea; (H.-y.J.); (Y.-G.L.); (S.L.); (H.-e.S.); (J.-Y.L.)
| | - Rosalie Elvira
- Soonchunhyang Institute of Medi-Bio Science (SIMS), Soonchunhyang University, Cheonan 31151, Korea; (R.E.); (J.H.)
| | - Hye-eun Seo
- Department of Biological Sciences, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Korea; (H.-y.J.); (Y.-G.L.); (S.L.); (H.-e.S.); (J.-Y.L.)
| | - Ji-Yeon Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Korea; (H.-y.J.); (Y.-G.L.); (S.L.); (H.-e.S.); (J.-Y.L.)
| | - Jaeseok Han
- Soonchunhyang Institute of Medi-Bio Science (SIMS), Soonchunhyang University, Cheonan 31151, Korea; (R.E.); (J.H.)
| | - Kyungho Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Korea; (H.-y.J.); (Y.-G.L.); (S.L.); (H.-e.S.); (J.-Y.L.)
- Korea Hemp Institute, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Korea
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +82-2-450-3423; Fax: +82-2-3436-5432
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15
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Mian AA, Zafar U, Ahmed SMA, Ottmann OG, Lalani ENMA. Oncogene-independent resistance in Philadelphia chromosome - positive (Ph +) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is mediated by activation of AKT/mTOR pathway. Neoplasia 2021; 23:1016-1027. [PMID: 34403880 PMCID: PMC8368770 DOI: 10.1016/j.neo.2021.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2021] [Revised: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 07/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) such as imatinib, nilotinib, dasatinib, and ponatinib have significantly improved the life expectancy of Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) patients; however, resistance to TKIs remains a major clinical challenge. Point mutations in the tyrosine kinase domain (TKD) of BCR-ABL1 have emerged as the predominant cause of acquired resistance. In approximately 30% of patients, the mechanism of resistance to TKIs remains elusive. This study aimed to investigate mechanisms of nonmutational resistance in Ph+ ALL. Here we report the development of a nonmutational resistance cell line SupB15-RT; conferring resistance to approved ABL kinase inhibitors (AKIs) and allosteric inhibitors GNF-2, ABL001, and crizotinib, except for dasatinib (IC90 50nM), a multitarget kinase inhibitor. We found that the AKT/mTOR pathway is activated in these cells and their proliferation inhibited by Torin-1 with an IC50 of 24.7 nM. These observations were confirmed using 3 different ALL patient-derived long term cultures (PDLTCs): (1) HP (BCR-ABL1 negative), (2) PH (BCR-ABL1 positive and responsive to TKIs) and (3) BV (BCR-ABL1 positive and nonmutational resistant to TKIs). Furthermore, Torin-1 and NVP-BEZ235 induced apoptosis in PH and BV cells but not in HP cells. Our experiments provide evidence of the involvement of AKT/mTOR pathway in the evolution of nonmutational resistance in Ph+ ALL which will assist in developing novel targeted therapy for Ph+ ALL patients with BCR-ABL1 independent nonmutational resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Afsar Ali Mian
- Centre for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.
| | - Usva Zafar
- Centre for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
| | | | | | - El-Nasir M A Lalani
- Centre for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
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16
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Bjelosevic S, Gruber E, Newbold A, Shembrey C, Devlin JR, Hogg SJ, Kats L, Todorovski I, Fan Z, Abrehart TC, Pomilio G, Wei A, Gregory GP, Vervoort SJ, Brown KK, Johnstone RW. Serine Biosynthesis Is a Metabolic Vulnerability in FLT3-ITD-Driven Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Cancer Discov 2021; 11:1582-1599. [PMID: 33436370 DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.cd-20-0738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2020] [Revised: 11/29/2020] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Internal tandem duplication of the FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 gene (FLT3-ITD) occurs in 30% of all acute myeloid leukemias (AML). Limited clinical efficacy of FLT3 inhibitors highlights the need for alternative therapeutic modalities in this subset of disease. Using human and murine models of FLT3-ITD-driven AML, we demonstrate that FLT3-ITD promotes serine synthesis and uptake via ATF4-dependent transcriptional regulation of genes in the de novo serine biosynthesis pathway and neutral amino acid transport. Genetic or pharmacologic inhibition of PHGDH, the rate-limiting enzyme of de novo serine biosynthesis, selectively inhibited proliferation of FLT3-ITD AMLs in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, pharmacologic inhibition of PHGDH sensitized FLT3-ITD AMLs to the standard-of-care chemotherapeutic cytarabine. Collectively, these data reveal novel insights into FLT3-ITD-induced metabolic reprogramming and reveal a targetable vulnerability in FLT3-ITD AML. SIGNIFICANCE: FLT3-ITD mutations are common in AML and are associated with poor prognosis. We show that FLT3-ITD stimulates serine biosynthesis, thereby rendering FLT3-ITD-driven leukemias dependent upon serine for proliferation and survival. This metabolic dependency can be exploited pharmacologically to sensitize FLT3-ITD-driven AMLs to chemotherapy.This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 1307.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Bjelosevic
- Cancer Research Division, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia.,The Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Emily Gruber
- Cancer Research Division, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia.,The Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Andrea Newbold
- Cancer Research Division, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Carolyn Shembrey
- Centre for Cancer Research, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.,Department of Clinical Pathology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Jennifer R Devlin
- Cancer Research Division, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia.,The Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Simon J Hogg
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
| | - Lev Kats
- Cancer Research Division, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia.,The Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Izabela Todorovski
- Cancer Research Division, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia.,The Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Zheng Fan
- Cancer Research Division, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia.,The Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Thomas C Abrehart
- Cancer Research Division, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Giovanna Pomilio
- Australian Centre for Blood Diseases, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.,Department of Clinical Haematology, The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Andrew Wei
- Australian Centre for Blood Diseases, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.,Department of Clinical Haematology, The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.,Department of Pathology, The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Gareth P Gregory
- Cancer Research Division, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia.,School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
| | - Stephin J Vervoort
- Cancer Research Division, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia.,The Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Kristin K Brown
- Cancer Research Division, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia. .,The Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.,Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Ricky W Johnstone
- Cancer Research Division, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia. .,The Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
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17
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Liu Y, Zhu C, Tang L, Chen Q, Guan N, Xu K, Guan X. MYC dysfunction modulates stemness and tumorigenesis in breast cancer. Int J Biol Sci 2021; 17:178-187. [PMID: 33390842 PMCID: PMC7757029 DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.51458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2020] [Accepted: 09/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
As a transcription factor and proto-oncogene, MYC is known to be deregulated in a variety of tumors, including breast cancer. However, no consistent conclusion on the role and mechanism of MYC deregulation during breast cancer carcinogenesis has been formed. Here, we used the UALCAN, bc-GenExMiner, TCGA, cBioportal, STRING and Kaplan-Meier Plotter databases to explore the mRNA expression, prognosis, transcriptional profile changes, signal pathway rewiring and interaction with the cancer stem cells of MYC in breast cancer. We found that the expression of MYC varies in different subtypes of breast cancer, with relatively high frequency in TNBC. As a transcription factor, MYC not only participates in the rewiring of cancer signaling pathways, such as estrogen, WNT, NOTCH and other pathways, but also interacts with cancer stem cells. MYC is significantly positively correlated with breast cancer stem cell markers such as CD44, CD24, and ALDH1. Collectively, our results highlight that MYC plays an important regulatory role in the occurrence of breast cancer, and its amplification can be used as a predictor of diagnosis and prognosis. The interaction between MYC and cancer stem cells may play a crucial role in regulating the initiation and metastasis of breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiqiu Liu
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing 210029, China
| | - Chengjun Zhu
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing 210029, China
| | - Lin Tang
- Department of Medical Oncology, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210002, China
| | - Qin Chen
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing 210029, China
| | - Nan Guan
- College of Letters and Science, University of California, Los Angeles, 405 Hilgard Avenue, California, 90095, USA
| | - Kun Xu
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing 210029, China
| | - Xiaoxiang Guan
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing 210029, China
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18
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Mologni L, Marzaro G, Redaelli S, Zambon A. Dual Kinase Targeting in Leukemia. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:E119. [PMID: 33401428 PMCID: PMC7796318 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13010119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2020] [Revised: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 12/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Pharmacological cancer therapy is often based on the concurrent inhibition of different survival pathways to improve treatment outcomes and to reduce the risk of relapses. While this strategy is traditionally pursued only through the co-administration of several drugs, the recent development of multi-targeting drugs (i.e., compounds intrinsically able to simultaneously target several macromolecules involved in cancer onset) has had a dramatic impact on cancer treatment. This review focuses on the most recent developments in dual-kinase inhibitors used in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), and lymphoid tumors, giving details on preclinical studies as well as ongoing clinical trials. A brief overview of dual-targeting inhibitors (kinase/histone deacetylase (HDAC) and kinase/tubulin polymerization inhibitors) applied to leukemia is also given. Finally, the very recently developed Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras (PROTAC)-based kinase inhibitors are presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Mologni
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20900 Monza, Italy; (L.M.); (S.R.)
| | - Giovanni Marzaro
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padova, via Marzolo 5, I-35131 Padova, Italy;
| | - Sara Redaelli
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20900 Monza, Italy; (L.M.); (S.R.)
| | - Alfonso Zambon
- Department of Chemistry and Geological Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy
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19
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A phase I study of a dual PI3-kinase/mTOR inhibitor BEZ235 in adult patients with relapsed or refractory acute leukemia. BMC Pharmacol Toxicol 2020; 21:70. [PMID: 32993794 PMCID: PMC7523358 DOI: 10.1186/s40360-020-00446-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2020] [Accepted: 09/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Combined inhibition of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) and the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) complexes may be an efficient treatment for acute leukemia. The primary objective of this phase I single center open label study was to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and recommended phase II dose (RP2D) of the dual pan-class I PI3K and mTOR inhibitor BEZ235 in patients with advanced leukemia. Methods Herein patients > 18 years of age who had relapsed or showed refractory leukemia were treated with BEZ235 (orally at 300–400 mg BID (cohort − 1/1)) to assess safety, tolerability, preliminary efficacy and pharmacokinetic (PK). Adverse events data and serious adverse events were analyzed and haematological and clinical biochemistry toxicities were assessed from laboratory test parameters. Response was assessed for the first time at the end of cycle 1 (day 29) and after every subsequent cycle. Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic analyses of BEZ235 were also included (BEZ235 plasma levels, phosphorylation of AKT, S6 and 4EBP1). On statistics this trial is a multiple ascending dose study in which a following variant of the 3 + 3 rule (“Rolling Six”), a minimum of 6 and a maximum of 12 patients was recruited for the dose escalation and another 5 were planned for the expansion phase. Results Twenty-four patients with ALL (n = 11) or AML (n = 12) or CML-BP (n = 1) were enrolled. All patients had failed one (n = 5) or more lines of therapy (n = 5) and 14 patients were in refractory / refractory relapse. No formal MTD was defined, stomatitis and gastrointestinal toxicity at 400 mg BID dose was considered incompatible with prolonged treatment. The RP2D of BEZ235 was defined as 300 mg BID. Four of 24 patients showed clinical benefit. Twenty-two of 24 patients discontinued because of progression, (median time to progression 27 days (4d-112d). There was no association between PK parameters and efficacy or tolerability. Conclusions Combined inhibition of PI3K and mTOR inhibits a clinically meaningful driver pathway in a small subset of patients with ALL, with no benefit in patients with AML. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT01756118. retrospectively registered 19th December 2012, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01756118.
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20
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Darici S, Alkhaldi H, Horne G, Jørgensen HG, Marmiroli S, Huang X. Targeting PI3K/Akt/mTOR in AML: Rationale and Clinical Evidence. J Clin Med 2020; 9:E2934. [PMID: 32932888 PMCID: PMC7563273 DOI: 10.3390/jcm9092934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2020] [Revised: 09/07/2020] [Accepted: 09/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a highly heterogeneous hematopoietic malignancy characterized by excessive proliferation and accumulation of immature myeloid blasts in the bone marrow. AML has a very poor 5-year survival rate of just 16% in the UK; hence, more efficacious, tolerable, and targeted therapy is required. Persistent leukemia stem cell (LSC) populations underlie patient relapse and development of resistance to therapy. Identification of critical oncogenic signaling pathways in AML LSC may provide new avenues for novel therapeutic strategies. The phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt and the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway, is often hyperactivated in AML, required to sustain the oncogenic potential of LSCs. Growing evidence suggests that targeting key components of this pathway may represent an effective treatment to kill AML LSCs. Despite this, accruing significant body of scientific knowledge, PI3K/Akt/mTOR inhibitors have not translated into clinical practice. In this article, we review the laboratory-based evidence of the critical role of PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway in AML, and outcomes from current clinical studies using PI3K/Akt/mTOR inhibitors. Based on these results, we discuss the putative mechanisms of resistance to PI3K/Akt/mTOR inhibition, offering rationale for potential candidate combination therapies incorporating PI3K/Akt/mTOR inhibitors for precision medicine in AML.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salihanur Darici
- Haemato-Oncology/Systems Medicine Group, Paul O’Gorman Leukaemia Research Centre, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 0ZD, UK; (H.A.); (G.H.); (H.G.J.)
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41124 Modena, Italy;
| | - Hazem Alkhaldi
- Haemato-Oncology/Systems Medicine Group, Paul O’Gorman Leukaemia Research Centre, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 0ZD, UK; (H.A.); (G.H.); (H.G.J.)
| | - Gillian Horne
- Haemato-Oncology/Systems Medicine Group, Paul O’Gorman Leukaemia Research Centre, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 0ZD, UK; (H.A.); (G.H.); (H.G.J.)
| | - Heather G. Jørgensen
- Haemato-Oncology/Systems Medicine Group, Paul O’Gorman Leukaemia Research Centre, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 0ZD, UK; (H.A.); (G.H.); (H.G.J.)
| | - Sandra Marmiroli
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41124 Modena, Italy;
| | - Xu Huang
- Haemato-Oncology/Systems Medicine Group, Paul O’Gorman Leukaemia Research Centre, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 0ZD, UK; (H.A.); (G.H.); (H.G.J.)
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21
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Mäkelä R, Arjonen A, Suryo Rahmanto A, Härmä V, Lehtiö J, Kuopio T, Helleday T, Sangfelt O, Kononen J, Rantala JK. Ex vivo assessment of targeted therapies in a rare metastatic epithelial-myoepithelial carcinoma. Neoplasia 2020; 22:390-398. [PMID: 32645560 PMCID: PMC7341452 DOI: 10.1016/j.neo.2020.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2019] [Revised: 06/12/2020] [Accepted: 06/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Epithelial-myoepithelial carcinoma (EMC) is a rare subtype of salivary gland neoplasms. Since the initial description of the cancer, just over 300 cases have been reported. EMCs occupy a biphasic cellular differentiation-state defined by the constitution of two cell types representing epithelial and myoepithelial lineages, yet the functional consequence of the differentiation-state heterogeneity with respect to therapy resistance of the tumors remains unclear. The reported local recurrence rate of the cases is approximately 30%, and while distant metastases are rare, a significant fraction of these cases are reported to receive no survival benefit from radio- or chemotherapy given in addition to surgery. Moreover, no targeted therapies have been reported for these neoplasms. We report here the first use and application of ex vivo drug screening together with next generation sequencing to assess targeted treatment strategies for a rare metastatic epithelial-myoepithelial carcinoma. Results of the ex vivo drug screen demonstrate significant differential therapeutic sensitivity between the epithelial and myoepithelial intra-tumor cell lineages suggesting that differentiation-state heterogeneity within epithelial-myoepithelial carcinomas may present an outlet to partial therapeutic responses to targeted therapies including MEK and mTOR inhibitors. These results suggest that the intra-tumor lineage composition of EMC could be an important factor to be assessed when novel treatments are being evaluated for management of metastatic EMC.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Ville Härmä
- Misvik Biology Oy, Turku, Finland; University of Sheffield, Department of Oncology and Metabolism, South Yorkshire, Sheffield, UK.
| | - Janne Lehtiö
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Science for Life Laboratory, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Teijo Kuopio
- Central Finland Health Care District, Jyväskylä Medical Centre, Jyväskylä, Finland.
| | - Thomas Helleday
- University of Sheffield, Department of Oncology and Metabolism, South Yorkshire, Sheffield, UK
| | - Olle Sangfelt
- Karolinska Institutet, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Juha Kononen
- Central Finland Health Care District, Jyväskylä Medical Centre, Jyväskylä, Finland; Docrates Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
| | - Juha K Rantala
- Misvik Biology Oy, Turku, Finland; University of Sheffield, Department of Oncology and Metabolism, South Yorkshire, Sheffield, UK.
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22
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Chaturvedi NK, Kling MJ, Griggs CN, Kesherwani V, Shukla M, McIntyre EM, Ray S, Liu Y, McGuire TR, Sharp JG, Band H, Joshi SS, Coulter DW. A Novel Combination Approach Targeting an Enhanced Protein Synthesis Pathway in MYC-driven (Group 3) Medulloblastoma. Mol Cancer Ther 2020; 19:1351-1362. [PMID: 32371591 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-19-0996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2019] [Revised: 01/15/2020] [Accepted: 03/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The MYC oncogene is frequently amplified in patients with medulloblastoma, particularly in group 3 patients, who have the worst prognosis. mTOR signaling-driven deregulated protein synthesis is very common in various cancers, including medulloblastoma, that can promote MYC stabilization. As a transcription factor, MYC itself is further known to regulate transcription of several components of protein synthesis machinery, leading to an enhanced protein synthesis rate and proliferation. Thus, inhibiting enhanced protein synthesis by targeting the MYC and mTOR pathways together may represent a highly relevant strategy for the treatment of MYC-driven medulloblastoma. Here, using siRNA and small-molecule inhibitor approaches, we evaluated the effects of combined inhibition of MYC transcription and mTOR signaling on medulloblastoma cell growth/survival and associated molecular mechanism(s) in MYC-amplified (group 3) medulloblastoma cell lines and xenografts. Combined inhibition of MYC and mTOR synergistically suppressed medulloblastoma cell growth and induced G1 cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis. Mechanistically, the combined inhibition significantly downregulated the expression levels of key target proteins of MYC and mTOR signaling. Our results with RNA-sequencing revealed that combined inhibition synergistically modulated global gene expression including MYC/mTOR components. In addition, the combination treatment significantly delayed tumor growth and prolonged survival of MYC-amplified medulloblastoma xenografted mice by downregulating expression of MYC and the key downstream components of mTOR signaling, compared with single-agent therapy. Together, our findings demonstrated that dual inhibition of MYC (transcription) and mTOR (translation) of the protein synthesis pathway can be a novel therapeutic approach against MYC-driven medulloblastoma.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Matthew J Kling
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska
| | - Connor N Griggs
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska
| | - Varun Kesherwani
- Child Health Research Institute Cancer, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska
| | - Mamta Shukla
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska
| | - Erin M McIntyre
- Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska
| | - Sutapa Ray
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska
| | - Yutong Liu
- Department of Radiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska
| | - Timothy R McGuire
- Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska
| | - J Graham Sharp
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska
| | - Hamid Band
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska.,Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska.,Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska
| | - Shantaram S Joshi
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska
| | - Don W Coulter
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska
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23
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Prazosin inhibits the proliferation and survival of acute myeloid leukaemia cells through down-regulating TNS1. Biomed Pharmacother 2020; 124:109731. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2019.109731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2019] [Revised: 11/28/2019] [Accepted: 12/04/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
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24
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Fakhri S, Moradi SZ, Farzaei MH, Bishayee A. Modulation of dysregulated cancer metabolism by plant secondary metabolites: A mechanistic review. Semin Cancer Biol 2020; 80:276-305. [PMID: 32081639 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2020.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2019] [Revised: 02/08/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Several signaling pathways and basic metabolites are responsible for the control of metabolism in both normal and cancer cells. As emerging hallmarks of cancer metabolism, the abnormal activities of these pathways are of the most noticeable events in cancer. This altered metabolism expedites the survival and proliferation of cancer cells, which have attracted a substantial amount of interest in cancer metabolism. Nowadays, targeting metabolism and cross-linked signaling pathways in cancer has been a hot topic to investigate novel drugs against cancer. Despite the efficiency of conventional drugs in cancer therapy, their associated toxicity, resistance, and high-cost cause limitations in their application. Besides, considering the numerous signaling pathways cross-linked with cancer metabolism, discovery, and development of multi-targeted and safe natural compounds has been a high priority. Natural secondary metabolites have exhibited promising anticancer effects by targeting dysregulated signaling pathways linked to cancer metabolism. The present review reveals the metabolism and cross-linked dysregulated signaling pathways in cancer. The promising therapeutic targets in cancer, as well as the critical role of natural secondary metabolites for significant anticancer enhancements, have also been highlighted to find novel/potential therapeutic agents for cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sajad Fakhri
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Health Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah 6734667149, Iran
| | - Seyed Zachariah Moradi
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Health Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah 6734667149, Iran; Medical Biology Research Center, Health Technology Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah 6734667149, Iran
| | - Mohammad Hosein Farzaei
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Health Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah 6734667149, Iran.
| | - Anupam Bishayee
- Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Bradenton, FL 34211, USA.
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25
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Kennedy SP, O'Neill M, Cunningham D, Morris PG, Toomey S, Blanco-Aparicio C, Martinez S, Pastor J, Eustace AJ, Hennessy BT. Preclinical evaluation of a novel triple-acting PIM/PI3K/mTOR inhibitor, IBL-302, in breast cancer. Oncogene 2020; 39:3028-3040. [PMID: 32042115 PMCID: PMC7118022 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-020-1202-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2019] [Revised: 01/20/2020] [Accepted: 01/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The proviral integration of Moloney virus (PIM) family of protein kinases are overexpressed in many haematological and solid tumours. PIM kinase expression is elevated in PI3K inhibitor-treated breast cancer samples, suggesting a major resistance pathway for PI3K inhibitors in breast cancer, potentially limiting their clinical utility. IBL-302 is a novel molecule that inhibits both PIM and PI3K/AKT/mTOR signalling. We thus evaluated the preclinical activity of IBL-302, in a range of breast cancer models. Our results demonstrate in vitro efficacy of IBL-302 in a range of breast cancer cell lines, including lines with acquired resistance to trastuzumab and lapatinib. IBL-302 demonstrated single-agent, anti-tumour efficacy in suppression of pAKT, pmTOR and pBAD in the SKBR-3, BT-474 and HCC-1954 HER2+/PIK3CA-mutated cell lines. We have also shown the in vivo single-agent efficacy of IBL-302 in the subcutaneous BT-474 and HCC-1954 xenograft model in BALB/c nude mice. The combination of trastuzumab and IBL-302 significantly increased the anti-proliferative effect in HER2+ breast cancer cell line, and matched trastuzumab-resistant line, relative to testing either drug alone. We thus believe that the novel PIM and PI3K/mTOR inhibitor, IBL-302, represents an exciting new potential treatment option for breast cancer, and that it should be considered for clinical investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean P Kennedy
- Medical Oncology Group, Department of Molecular Medicine, Royal College of Surgeons Ireland, Smurfit Building Beaumont Hospital, Beaumont, Dublin, Ireland.
| | - Michael O'Neill
- Inflection Biosciences, Anglesea House, Blackrock, Dublin, Ireland
| | | | - Patrick G Morris
- Medical Oncology Group, Department of Molecular Medicine, Royal College of Surgeons Ireland, Smurfit Building Beaumont Hospital, Beaumont, Dublin, Ireland.,Cancer Clinical Trials and Research Unit, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Sinead Toomey
- Medical Oncology Group, Department of Molecular Medicine, Royal College of Surgeons Ireland, Smurfit Building Beaumont Hospital, Beaumont, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Carmen Blanco-Aparicio
- Experimental Therapeutics Programme, Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Madrid, Spain
| | - Sonia Martinez
- Experimental Therapeutics Programme, Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Madrid, Spain
| | - Joaquin Pastor
- Experimental Therapeutics Programme, Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Madrid, Spain
| | - Alex J Eustace
- Molecular Therapeutics for Cancer in Ireland, National Institute for Cellular Biotechnology, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Bryan T Hennessy
- Medical Oncology Group, Department of Molecular Medicine, Royal College of Surgeons Ireland, Smurfit Building Beaumont Hospital, Beaumont, Dublin, Ireland.,Cancer Clinical Trials and Research Unit, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.,Cancer Trials Ireland, Innovation House, Old Finglas Road, Botanic, Dublin, Ireland
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26
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Ruan B, Liu W, Chen P, Cui R, Li Y, Ji M, Hou P, Yang Q. NVP-BEZ235 inhibits thyroid cancer growth by p53- dependent/independent p21 upregulation. Int J Biol Sci 2020; 16:682-693. [PMID: 32025215 PMCID: PMC6990918 DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.37592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2019] [Accepted: 11/30/2019] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
NVP-BEZ235 is a novel dual PI3K/mTOR inhibitor, currently in phase 1/2 clinical trials, exhibiting clinical efficiency in treatment of numerous malignancies including thyroid cancer. Cancer cells harboring mutant p53 was widely reported to be blunt to pharmaceutical therapies. However, whether this genotype dependent effect also presents in thyroid cancer when treated with NVP-BEZ235 remains unknown. Therefore, in this study, the tumor suppressing effects of NVP-BEZ235 in thyroid cancer cell lines and in-vivo xenograft mouse model harboring different p53 status were examined. The antitumor effects were confirmed in p53 mutant thyroid cancer cells, though less prominent than p53 wild type cells. And for the p53 mutant cells, p53-independent upregulation of p21 plays a critical role in their response to NVP-BEZ235. Moreover, GSK3β/β-catenin signaling inhibition was implicated in the p21-mediated G0/G1 cell cycle arrest in both p53 wild type and mutant thyroid cancer cells treated with NVP-BEZ235.
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Affiliation(s)
- Banjun Ruan
- Department of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P.R. China
| | - Wei Liu
- Department of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P.R. China
| | - Pu Chen
- Department of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P.R. China
| | - Rongrong Cui
- Department of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P.R. China
| | - Yu Li
- Department of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P.R. China
| | - Meiju Ji
- Center for Translational Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P.R. China
| | - Peng Hou
- Department of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P.R. China.,Key Laboratory for Tumor Precision Medicine of Shaanxi Province, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P.R. China
| | - Qi Yang
- Department of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P.R. China.,Key Laboratory for Tumor Precision Medicine of Shaanxi Province, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P.R. China
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27
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Mak DW, Li S, Minchom A. Challenging the recalcitrant disease—developing molecularly driven treatments for small cell lung cancer. Eur J Cancer 2019; 119:132-150. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejca.2019.04.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2019] [Revised: 04/11/2019] [Accepted: 04/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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28
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The Role of Forkhead Box Proteins in Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Cancers (Basel) 2019; 11:cancers11060865. [PMID: 31234353 PMCID: PMC6627614 DOI: 10.3390/cancers11060865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2019] [Revised: 05/29/2019] [Accepted: 06/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Forkhead box (FOX) proteins are a group of transcriptional factors implicated in different cellular functions such as differentiation, proliferation and senescence. A growing number of studies have focused on the relationship between FOX proteins and cancers, particularly hematological neoplasms such as acute myeloid leukemia (AML). FOX proteins are widely involved in AML biology, including leukemogenesis, relapse and drug sensitivity. Here we explore the role of FOX transcription factors in the major AML entities, according to "The 2016 revision to the World Health Organization classification of myeloid neoplasms and acute leukemia", and in the context of the most recurrent gene mutations identified in this heterogeneous disease. Moreover, we report the new evidences about the role of FOX proteins in drug sensitivity, mechanisms of chemoresistance, and possible targeting for personalized therapies.
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29
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Dhall A, Zee BM, Yan F, Blanco MA. Intersection of Epigenetic and Metabolic Regulation of Histone Modifications in Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Front Oncol 2019; 9:432. [PMID: 31192132 PMCID: PMC6540842 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2019.00432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2018] [Accepted: 05/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is one of the most lethal blood cancers, accounting for close to a quarter of a million annual deaths worldwide. Even though genetically heterogeneous, all AMLs are characterized by two interrelated features—blocked differentiation and high proliferative capacity. Despite significant progress in our understanding of the molecular and genetic basis of AML, the treatment of AMLs with chemotherapeutic regimens has remained largely unchanged in the past 30 years. In this review, we will consider the role of two cellular processes, metabolism and epigenetics, in the development and progression of AML and highlight the studies that suggest an interconnection of therapeutic importance between the two. Large-scale whole-exome sequencing of AML patients has revealed the presence of mutations, translocations or duplications in several epigenetic effectors such as DNMT3, MLL, ASXL1, and TET2, often times co-occuring with mutations in metabolic enzymes such as IDH1 and IDH2. These mutations often result in impaired enzymatic activity which leads to an altered epigenetic landscape through dysregulation of chromatin modifications such as DNA methylation, histone acetylation and methylation. We will discuss the role of enzymes that are responsible for establishing these modifications, namely histone acetyl transferases (HAT), histone methyl transferases (HMT), demethylases (KDMs), and deacetylases (HDAC), and also highlight the merits and demerits of using inhibitors that target these enzymes. Furthermore, we will tie in the metabolic regulation of co-factors such as acetyl-CoA, SAM, and α-ketoglutarate that are utilized by these enzymes and examine the role of metabolic inhibitors as a treatment option for AML. In doing so, we hope to stimulate interest in this topic and help generate a rationale for the consideration of the combinatorial use of metabolic and epigenetic inhibitors for the treatment of AML.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abhinav Dhall
- Newborn Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Barry M Zee
- Newborn Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Fangxue Yan
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - M Andres Blanco
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
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30
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Batool A, Majeed ST, Aashaq S, Majeed R, Shah G, Nazir N, Andrabi KI. Eukaryotic Initiation Factor 4E (eIF4E) sequestration mediates 4E-BP1 response to rapamycin. Int J Biol Macromol 2019; 125:651-659. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2018.12.102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2018] [Revised: 12/06/2018] [Accepted: 12/11/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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31
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Identification and targeting of novel CDK9 complexes in acute myeloid leukemia. Blood 2018; 133:1171-1185. [PMID: 30587525 DOI: 10.1182/blood-2018-08-870089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2018] [Accepted: 12/07/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Aberrant activation of mTOR signaling in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) results in a survival advantage that promotes the malignant phenotype. To improve our understanding of factors that contribute to mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling activation and identify novel therapeutic targets, we searched for unique interactors of mTOR complexes through proteomics analyses. We identify cyclin dependent kinase 9 (CDK9) as a novel binding partner of the mTOR complex scaffold protein, mLST8. Our studies demonstrate that CDK9 is present in distinct mTOR-like (CTOR) complexes in the cytoplasm and nucleus. In the nucleus, CDK9 binds to RAPTOR and mLST8, forming CTORC1, to promote transcription of genes important for leukemogenesis. In the cytoplasm, CDK9 binds to RICTOR, SIN1, and mLST8, forming CTORC2, and controls messenger RNA (mRNA) translation through phosphorylation of LARP1 and rpS6. Pharmacological targeting of CTORC complexes results in suppression of growth of primitive human AML progenitors in vitro and elicits strong antileukemic responses in AML xenografts in vivo.
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32
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Counihan JL, Grossman EA, Nomura DK. Cancer Metabolism: Current Understanding and Therapies. Chem Rev 2018; 118:6893-6923. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.7b00775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jessica L. Counihan
- Departments of Chemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology, and Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Elizabeth A. Grossman
- Departments of Chemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology, and Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Daniel K. Nomura
- Departments of Chemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology, and Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
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Orsini M, Morceau F, Dicato M, Diederich M. Autophagy as a pharmacological target in hematopoiesis and hematological disorders. Biochem Pharmacol 2018; 152:347-361. [PMID: 29656115 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2018.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2018] [Accepted: 04/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Autophagy is involved in many cellular processes, including cell homeostasis, cell death/survival balance and differentiation. Autophagy is essential for hematopoietic stem cell survival, quiescence, activation and differentiation. The deregulation of this process is associated with numerous hematological disorders and pathologies, including cancers. Thus, the use of autophagy modulators to induce or inhibit autophagy emerges as a potential therapeutic approach for treating these diseases and could be particularly interesting for differentiation therapy of leukemia cells. This review presents therapeutic strategies and pharmacological agents in the context of hematological disorders. The pros and cons of autophagy modulators in therapy will also be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marion Orsini
- Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire du Cancer, Hôpital Kirchberg, 9, rue Edward Steichen, L-2540 Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - Franck Morceau
- Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire du Cancer, Hôpital Kirchberg, 9, rue Edward Steichen, L-2540 Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - Mario Dicato
- Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire du Cancer, Hôpital Kirchberg, 9, rue Edward Steichen, L-2540 Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - Marc Diederich
- College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea.
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34
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Lai ZY, Yeo HY, Chen YT, Chang KM, Chen TC, Chuang YJ, Chang SJ. PI3K inhibitor enhances the cytotoxic response to etoposide and cisplatin in a newly established neuroendocrine cervical carcinoma cell line. Oncotarget 2018; 8:45323-45334. [PMID: 28484083 PMCID: PMC5542189 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.17335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2017] [Accepted: 04/12/2017] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neuroendocrine cervical carcinoma (NECC) is a rare and aggressive subtype of cervical cancer. To date, no NECC cell-based model is available, which hinders the development of new therapeutic strategies for NECC. In this study, we derived a new NECC cell line from an ex vivo biopsy and used it to explore novel drug combination approach for NECC. RESULTS The stable HM-1 cell line displayed high expression levels of the neuroendocrine marker, synaptophysin. HM-1 cell transplantation could induce tumor growth in nude mice. As expected, the combination of etoposide and cisplatin synergistically inhibited HM-1 cell proliferation. Strikingly, when etoposide and cisplatin were combined with PI3K inhibitor BEZ235, the growth of HM-1 cells was significantly reduced. Taken together, the data implied the combination of etoposide and cisplatin with BEZ235 not only inhibited HM-1 cell proliferation but also increased cell apoptosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS A NECC tissue sample from a 75-year-old female patient was processed to derive a primary cell line annotated as HM-1. The features of HM-1 were analyzed to establish its characteristic profile. Next, HM-1 was treated with PI3K inhibitors, BKM120 and/or BEZ235, in combination with two well-known genotoxic drugs, etoposide and/or cisplatin, to evaluate which combination could serve as a more effective treatment approach. Their inhibiting effects on HM-1 were evaluated by cell viability, apoptosis, and target kinase expression. CONCLUSIONS The newly established NECC cell line HM-1 could serve as a cell-based model for NECC research. The synergistic drug combination of PI3K inhibitor with genotoxic drugs might become a potential new treatment strategy against NECC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zih-Yin Lai
- Department of Medical Science and Institute of Bioinformatics and Structural Biology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
| | - Hsin-Yueh Yeo
- Department of Medical Science and Institute of Bioinformatics and Structural Biology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
| | - Ya-Tse Chen
- Department of Medical Science and Institute of Bioinformatics and Structural Biology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
| | - Kuo-Ming Chang
- Department of Pathology, Hsinchu MacKay Memorial Hospital, Hsinchu, 30071, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
| | - Tze-Chien Chen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, MacKay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, 10449, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
| | - Yung-Jen Chuang
- Department of Medical Science and Institute of Bioinformatics and Structural Biology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
| | - Shing-Jyh Chang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hsinchu MacKay Memorial Hospital, Hsinchu, 30071, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
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35
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Low Autophagy (ATG) Gene Expression Is Associated with an Immature AML Blast Cell Phenotype and Can Be Restored during AML Differentiation Therapy. OXIDATIVE MEDICINE AND CELLULAR LONGEVITY 2018; 2018:1482795. [PMID: 29743969 PMCID: PMC5878891 DOI: 10.1155/2018/1482795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2017] [Revised: 12/21/2017] [Accepted: 12/31/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Autophagy is an intracellular degradation system that ensures a dynamic recycling of a variety of building blocks required for self-renewal, homeostasis, and cell survival under stress. We used primary acute myeloid leukemia (AML) samples and human AML cell lines to investigate the regulatory mechanisms of autophagy and its role in AML differentiation. We found a significantly lower expression of key autophagy- (ATG-) related genes in primary AML as compared to healthy granulocytes, an increased autophagic activity during all-trans retinoic acid- (ATRA-) induced neutrophil differentiation, and an impaired AML differentiation upon inhibition of ATG3, ATG4D, and ATG5. Supporting the notion of noncanonical autophagy, we found that ATRA-induced autophagy was Beclin1-independent compared to starvation- or arsenic trioxide- (ATO-) induced autophagy. Furthermore, we identified PU.1 as positive transcriptional regulator of ATG3, ATG4D, and ATG5. Low PU.1 expression in AML may account for low ATG gene expression in this disease. Low expression of the autophagy initiator ULK1 in AML can partially be attributed to high expression of the ULK1-targeting microRNA-106a. Our data clearly suggest that granulocytic AML differentiation relies on noncanonical autophagy pathways and that restoring autophagic activity might be beneficial in differentiation therapies.
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36
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Targeting mTOR pathway inhibits tumor growth in different molecular subtypes of triple-negative breast cancers. Oncotarget 2018; 7:48206-48219. [PMID: 27374081 PMCID: PMC5217012 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.10195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2016] [Accepted: 06/09/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) are characterized by frequent alterations in the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. In this study, we analyzed PI3K pathway activation in 67 patient-derived xenografts (PDX) of breast cancer and investigated the anti-tumor activity of the mTOR inhibitor everolimus in 15 TNBC PDX with different expression and mutational status of PI3K pathway markers. Expression of the tumor suppressors PTEN and INPP4B was lost in 55% and 76% of TNBC PDX, respectively, while mutations in PIK3CA and AKT1 genes were rare. In 7 PDX treatment with everolimus resulted in a tumor growth inhibition higher than 50%, while 8 models were classified as low responder or resistant. Basal-like, LAR (Luminal AR), mesenchymal and HER2-enriched tumors were present in both responder and resistant groups, suggesting that tumor response to everolimus is not restricted to a specific TNBC subtype. Analysis of treated tumors showed a correlation between tumor response and post-treatment phosphorylation of AKT, increased in responder PDX, while PI3K pathway markers at baseline were not sufficient to predict everolimus response. In conclusion, targeting mTOR decreased tumor growth in 7 out of 15 TNBC PDX tested. Response to everolimus occurred in different TNBC subtypes and was associated with post-treatment increase of P-AKT.
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37
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Abstract
The MYC family oncogene is deregulated in >50% of human cancers, and this deregulation is frequently associated with poor prognosis and unfavorable patient survival. Myc has a central role in almost every aspect of the oncogenic process, orchestrating proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation, and metabolism. Although Myc inhibition would be a powerful approach for the treatment of many types of cancers, direct targeting of Myc has been a challenge for decades owing to its "undruggable" protein structure. Hence, alternatives to Myc blockade have been widely explored to achieve desirable anti-tumor effects, including Myc/Max complex disruption, MYC transcription and/or translation inhibition, and Myc destabilization as well as the synthetic lethality associated with Myc overexpression. In this review, we summarize the latest advances in targeting oncogenic Myc, particularly for cancer therapeutic purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Chen
- 1Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China.,2Medical Research Institute, Wuhan University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
| | - Hudan Liu
- 1Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China.,2Medical Research Institute, Wuhan University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
| | - Guoliang Qing
- 1Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China.,2Medical Research Institute, Wuhan University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
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38
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Implication of 4E-BP1 protein dephosphorylation and accumulation in pancreatic cancer cell death induced by combined gemcitabine and TRAIL. Cell Death Dis 2017; 8:3204. [PMID: 29233971 PMCID: PMC5870593 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-017-0001-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2017] [Revised: 09/22/2017] [Accepted: 09/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer cells show varying sensitivity to the anticancer effects of gemcitabine. However, as a chemotherapeutic agent, gemcitabine can cause intolerably high levels of toxicity and patients often develop resistance to the beneficial effects of this drug. Combination studies show that use of gemcitabine with the pro-apoptotic cytokine TRAIL can enhance the inhibition of survival and induction of apoptosis of pancreatic cancer cells. Additionally, following combination treatment there is a dramatic increase in the level of the hypophosphorylated form of the tumour suppressor protein 4E-BP1. This is associated with inhibition of mTOR activity, resulting from caspase-mediated cleavage of the Raptor and Rictor components of mTOR. Use of the pan-caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK indicates that the increase in level of 4E-BP1 is also caspase-mediated. ShRNA-silencing of 4E-BP1 expression renders cells more resistant to cell death induced by the combination treatment. Since the levels of 4E-BP1 are relatively low in untreated pancreatic cancer cells these results suggest that combined therapy with gemcitabine and TRAIL could improve the responsiveness of tumours to treatment by elevating the expression of 4E-BP1.
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39
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Herschbein L, Liesveld JL. Dueling for dual inhibition: Means to enhance effectiveness of PI3K/Akt/mTOR inhibitors in AML. Blood Rev 2017; 32:235-248. [PMID: 29276026 DOI: 10.1016/j.blre.2017.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2017] [Revised: 11/10/2017] [Accepted: 11/30/2017] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B (Akt)/mechanistic target of rapamycin (PI3K/Akt/mTOR) pathway is amplified in 60-80% of patients with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). Since this complex pathway is crucial to cell functions such as growth, proliferation, and survival, inhibition of this pathway would be postulated to inhibit leukemia initiation and propagation. Inhibition of the mTORC1 pathway has met with limited success in AML due to multiple resistance mechanisms including direct insensitivity of the mTORC1 complex, feedback activation of the PI3k/Akt signaling network, insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1) activation of PI3K, and others. This review explores the role of mTOR inhibition in AML, mechanisms of resistance, and means to improve outcomes through use of dual mTORC1/2 inhibitors or dual TORC/PI3K inhibitors. How these inhibitors interface with currently available therapies in AML will require additional preclinical experiments and conduct of well-designed clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Herschbein
- Department of Medicine, The James P. Wilmot Cancer Institute, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA.
| | - Jane L Liesveld
- Department of Medicine, The James P. Wilmot Cancer Institute, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA.
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40
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Ricciardi MR, Mirabilii S, Licchetta R, Piedimonte M, Tafuri A. Targeting the Akt, GSK-3, Bcl-2 axis in acute myeloid leukemia. Adv Biol Regul 2017; 65:36-58. [PMID: 28549531 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbior.2017.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2017] [Revised: 05/16/2017] [Accepted: 05/16/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Over the last few decades, there has been significant progress in the understanding of the pathogenetic mechanisms of the Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). However, despite important advances in elucidating molecular mechanisms, the treatment of AML has not improved significantly, remaining anchored at the standard chemotherapy regimen "3 + 7", with the prognosis of patients remaining severe, especially for the elderly and for those not eligible for transplant procedures. The biological and clinical heterogeneity of AML represents the major obstacle that hinders the improvement of prognosis and the identification of new effective therapeutic approaches. To date, abundant information has been collected on the genetic and molecular alterations of AML carrying prognostic significance. However, not enough is known on how AML progenitors regulate proliferation and survival by redundant and cross-talking signal transduction pathways (STP). Furthermore, it remains unclear how such complicated network affects prognosis and therapeutic treatment options, although many of these molecular determinants are potentially attractive for their druggable characteristics. In this review, some of the key STP frequently deregulated in AML, such as PI3k/Akt/mTOR pathway, GSK3 and components of Bcl-2 family of proteins, are summarized, highlighting in addition their interplay. Based on this information, we reviewed new targeted therapeutic approaches, focusing on the aberrant networks that sustain the AML blast proliferation, survival and drug resistance, aiming to improve disease treatment. Finally, we reported the approaches aimed at disrupting key signaling cross-talk overcoming resistances based on the combination of different targeting therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Rosaria Ricciardi
- Hematology, "Sant'Andrea" Hospital-Sapienza, University of Rome, Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Rome, Italy
| | - Simone Mirabilii
- Hematology, "Sant'Andrea" Hospital-Sapienza, University of Rome, Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Rome, Italy.
| | - Roberto Licchetta
- Hematology, "Sant'Andrea" Hospital-Sapienza, University of Rome, Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Rome, Italy
| | - Monica Piedimonte
- Hematology, "Sant'Andrea" Hospital-Sapienza, University of Rome, Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Rome, Italy
| | - Agostino Tafuri
- Hematology, "Sant'Andrea" Hospital-Sapienza, University of Rome, Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Rome, Italy
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41
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McArthur K, D'Cruz AA, Segal D, Lackovic K, Wilks AF, O'Donnell JA, Nowell CJ, Gerlic M, Huang DCS, Burns CJ, Croker BA. Defining a therapeutic window for kinase inhibitors in leukemia to avoid neutropenia. Oncotarget 2017; 8:57948-57963. [PMID: 28938529 PMCID: PMC5601625 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.19678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2017] [Accepted: 06/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Neutropenia represents one of the major dose-limiting toxicities of many current cancer therapies. To circumvent the off-target effects of cytotoxic chemotherapeutics, kinase inhibitors are increasingly being used as an adjunct therapy to target leukemia. In this study, we conducted a screen of leukemic cell lines in parallel with primary neutrophils to identify kinase inhibitors with the capacity to induce apoptosis of myeloid and lymphoid cell lines whilst sparing primary mouse and human neutrophils. We have utilized a high-throughput live cell imaging platform to demonstrate that cytotoxic drugs have limited effects on neutrophil viability but are toxic to hematopoietic progenitor cells, with the exception of the topoisomerase I inhibitor SN-38. The parallel screening of kinase inhibitors revealed that mouse and human neutrophil viability is dependent on cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) activity but surprisingly only partially dependent on PI3 kinase and JAK/STAT signaling, revealing dominant pathways contributing to neutrophil viability. Mcl-1 haploinsufficiency sensitized neutrophils to CDK inhibition, demonstrating that Mcl-1 is a direct target for CDK inhibitors. This study reveals a therapeutic window for the kinase inhibitors BEZ235, BMS-3, AZD7762, and (R)-BI-2536 to induce apoptosis of leukemia cell lines whilst maintaining immunocompetence and hemostasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate McArthur
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Akshay A D'Cruz
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David Segal
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Kurt Lackovic
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Andrew F Wilks
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Joanne A O'Donnell
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Cameron J Nowell
- Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Motti Gerlic
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - David C S Huang
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Christopher J Burns
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,School of Chemistry, Bio21, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Ben A Croker
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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42
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Reappraisal to the study of 4E-BP1 as an mTOR substrate – A normative critique. Eur J Cell Biol 2017; 96:325-336. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejcb.2017.03.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2017] [Revised: 03/31/2017] [Accepted: 03/31/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
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43
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Targeting MYC Dependence by Metabolic Inhibitors in Cancer. Genes (Basel) 2017; 8:genes8040114. [PMID: 28362357 PMCID: PMC5406861 DOI: 10.3390/genes8040114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2017] [Revised: 03/23/2017] [Accepted: 03/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
MYC is a critical growth regulatory gene that is commonly overexpressed in a wide range of cancers. Therapeutic targeting of MYC transcriptional activity has long been a goal, but it has been difficult to achieve with drugs that directly block its DNA-binding ability. Additional approaches that exploit oncogene addiction are promising strategies against MYC-driven cancers. Also, drugs that target metabolic regulatory pathways and enzymes have potential for indirectly reducing MYC levels. Glucose metabolism and oxidative phosphorylation, which can be targeted by multiple agents, promote cell growth and MYC expression. Likewise, modulation of the signaling pathways and protein synthesis regulated by adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) can also be an effective route for suppressing MYC translation. Furthermore, recent data suggest that metabolism of nucleotides, fatty acids and glutamine are exploited to alter MYC levels. Combination therapies offer potential new approaches to overcome metabolic plasticity caused by single agents. Although potential toxicities must be carefully controlled, new inhibitors currently being tested in clinical trials offer significant promise. Therefore, as both a downstream target of metabolism and an upstream regulator, MYC is a prominent central regulator of cancer metabolism. Exploiting metabolic vulnerabilities of MYC-driven cancers is an emerging research area with translational potential.
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44
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Verbrugge SE, Al M, Assaraf YG, Kammerer S, Chandrupatla DMSH, Honeywell R, Musters RPJ, Giovannetti E, O'Toole T, Scheffer GL, Krige D, de Gruijl TD, Niessen HWM, Lems WF, Kramer PA, Scheper RJ, Cloos J, Ossenkoppele GJ, Peters GJ, Jansen G. Multifactorial resistance to aminopeptidase inhibitor prodrug CHR2863 in myeloid leukemia cells: down-regulation of carboxylesterase 1, drug sequestration in lipid droplets and pro-survival activation ERK/Akt/mTOR. Oncotarget 2017; 7:5240-57. [PMID: 26496029 PMCID: PMC4868683 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.6169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2015] [Accepted: 10/04/2015] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Aminopeptidase inhibitors are receiving attention as combination chemotherapeutic agents for the treatment of refractory acute myeloid leukemia. However, the factors determining therapeutic efficacy remain elusive. Here we identified the molecular basis of acquired resistance to CHR2863, an orally available hydrophobic aminopeptidase inhibitor prodrug with an esterase-sensitive motif, in myeloid leukemia cells. CHR2863 enters cells by diffusion and is retained therein upon esterase activity-mediated conversion to its hydrophilic active metabolite drug CHR6768, thereby exerting amino acid depletion. Carboxylesterases (CES) serve as candidate prodrug activating enzymes given CES1 expression in acute myeloid leukemia specimens. We established two novel myeloid leukemia sublines U937/CHR2863(200) and U937/CHR2863(5uM), with low (14-fold) and high level (270-fold) CHR2863 resistance. The latter drug resistant cells displayed: (i) complete loss of CES1-mediated drug activation associated with down-regulation of CES1 mRNA and protein, (ii) marked retention/sequestration of the prodrug, (iii) a substantial increase in intracellular lipid droplets, and (iv) a dominant activation of the pro-survival Akt/mTOR pathway. Remarkably, the latter feature coincided with a gain of sensitivity to the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin. These finding delineate the molecular basis of CHR2863 resistance and offer a novel modality to overcome this drug resistance in myeloid leukemia cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sue Ellen Verbrugge
- Department of Rheumatology, Amsterdam Rheumatology and Immunology Center, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Present address: Department of Clinical Chemistry, UMCU, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Marjon Al
- Department of Rheumatology, Amsterdam Rheumatology and Immunology Center, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Yehuda G Assaraf
- The Fred Wyszkowsky Cancer Research Laboratory, Faculty of Biology, The Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Sarah Kammerer
- Department of Rheumatology, Amsterdam Rheumatology and Immunology Center, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Medical Oncology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Present address: Institute of Biophysics, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Durga M S H Chandrupatla
- Department of Rheumatology, Amsterdam Rheumatology and Immunology Center, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Medical Oncology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Richard Honeywell
- Department of Medical Oncology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Rene P J Musters
- Department of Physiology, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Elisa Giovannetti
- Department of Medical Oncology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Tom O'Toole
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - George L Scheffer
- Departments of Pathology and Cardiac Surgery, ICaR-VU, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - David Krige
- Chroma Therapeutics Ltd, Abingdon, United Kingdom.,Present address: Immunocore Ltd, Oxford, UK
| | - Tanja D de Gruijl
- Department of Medical Oncology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Hans W M Niessen
- Departments of Pathology and Cardiac Surgery, ICaR-VU, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Willem F Lems
- Department of Rheumatology, Amsterdam Rheumatology and Immunology Center, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Rik J Scheper
- Departments of Pathology and Cardiac Surgery, ICaR-VU, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Jacqueline Cloos
- Department of Pediatric Oncology/Hematology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Gert J Ossenkoppele
- Department of Hematology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Godefridus J Peters
- Department of Medical Oncology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Gerrit Jansen
- Department of Rheumatology, Amsterdam Rheumatology and Immunology Center, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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45
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Tan P, Tiong IS, Fleming S, Pomilio G, Cummings N, Droogleever M, McManus J, Schwarer A, Catalano J, Patil S, Avery S, Spencer A, Wei A. The mTOR inhibitor everolimus in combination with azacitidine in patients with relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia: a phase Ib/II study. Oncotarget 2016; 8:52269-52280. [PMID: 28881728 PMCID: PMC5581027 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.13699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2016] [Accepted: 11/20/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Therapeutic options are limited in relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We evaluated the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and preliminary efficacy of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor, everolimus (days 5–21) in combination with azacitidine 75 mg/m2 subcutaneously (days 1–5 and 8–9 every 28 days) in 40 patients with relapsed (n = 27), primary refractory (n = 11) or elderly patients unfit for intensive chemotherapy (n = 2). MTD was not reached following everolimus dose escalation (2.5, 5 or 10 mg; n = 19) to the 10 mg dose level which was expanded (n = 21). Major adverse events (grade > 2) were mostly disease-related: neutropenia (73%), thrombocytopenia (67%), mucositis (24%) and febrile neutropenia (19%). Overall survival (OS) of the entire cohort was 8.5 months, and overall response rate (ORR; including CR/CRi/PR/MLFS) was 22.5%. Furthermore, a landmark analysis beyond cycle 1 revealed superior OS and ORR in patients receiving 2.5 mg everolimus with azoles, compared to those without azoles (median OS 12.8 vs. 6.0 months, P = 0.049, and ORR 50% vs. 16%, P = 0.056), potentially due to achievement of higher everolimus blood levels. This study demonstrates that everolimus in combination with azacitidine is tolerable, with promising clinical activity in advanced AML.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Tan
- Malignant Haematology and Stem Cell Transplantation Service, Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Ing Soo Tiong
- Malignant Haematology and Stem Cell Transplantation Service, Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.,Australian Centre for Blood Diseases, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Shaun Fleming
- Malignant Haematology and Stem Cell Transplantation Service, Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Giovanna Pomilio
- Australian Centre for Blood Diseases, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Nik Cummings
- Department of Pathology, Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Mark Droogleever
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Julie McManus
- Department of Pathology, Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Anthony Schwarer
- Eastern Health Clinical School, Monash University, Box Hill, Australia
| | - John Catalano
- Clinical Haematology, Frankston Hospital, Frankston, Australia
| | - Sushrut Patil
- Malignant Haematology and Stem Cell Transplantation Service, Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Sharon Avery
- Malignant Haematology and Stem Cell Transplantation Service, Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Andrew Spencer
- Malignant Haematology and Stem Cell Transplantation Service, Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.,Australian Centre for Blood Diseases, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Andrew Wei
- Malignant Haematology and Stem Cell Transplantation Service, Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.,Australian Centre for Blood Diseases, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
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46
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Ghosh J, Kapur R. Regulation of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Self-Renewal and Leukemia Maintenance by the PI3K-mTORC1 Pathway. CURRENT STEM CELL REPORTS 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s40778-016-0067-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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Chavez-Gonzalez A, Bakhshinejad B, Pakravan K, Guzman ML, Babashah S. Novel strategies for targeting leukemia stem cells: sounding the death knell for blood cancer. Cell Oncol (Dordr) 2016; 40:1-20. [PMID: 27678246 DOI: 10.1007/s13402-016-0297-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/31/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cancer stem cells (CSCs), also known as tumor-initiating cells (TICs), are characterized by high self-renewal and multi-lineage differentiation capacities. CSCs are thought to play indispensable roles in the initiation, progression and metastasis of many types of cancer. Leukemias are thought to be initiated and maintained by a specific sub-type of CSC, the leukemia stem cell (LSC). An important feature of LSCs is their resistance to standard therapy, which may lead to relapse. Increasing efforts are aimed at developing novel therapeutic strategies that selectively target LSCs, while sparing their normal counterparts and, thus, minimizing adverse treatment-associated side-effects. These LSC targeting therapies aim to eradicate LSCs through affecting mechanisms that control their survival, self-renewal, differentiation, proliferation and cell cycle progression. Some LSC targeting therapies have already been proven successful in pre-clinical studies and they are now being tested in clinical studies, mainly in combination with conventional treatment regimens. CONCLUSIONS A growing body of evidence indicates that the selective targeting of LSCs represents a promising approach to improve disease outcome. Beyond doubt, the CSC hypothesis has added a new dimension to the area of anticancer research, thereby paving the way for shaping a new trend in cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Babak Bakhshinejad
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, P.O. Box: 14115-154, Tehran, Iran
| | - Katayoon Pakravan
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, P.O. Box: 14115-154, Tehran, Iran
| | - Monica L Guzman
- Department of Medicine, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, 1300 York Ave, Box 113, New York, NY, 10065, USA.
| | - Sadegh Babashah
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, P.O. Box: 14115-154, Tehran, Iran.
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48
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Dual targeting of acute myeloid leukemia progenitors by catalytic mTOR inhibition and blockade of the p110α subunit of PI3 kinase. Oncotarget 2016; 6:8062-70. [PMID: 25823922 PMCID: PMC4480735 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.3509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2015] [Accepted: 02/03/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K) pathways are often aberrantly activated in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and play critical roles in proliferation and survival of leukemia cells. We provide evidence that simultaneous targeting of mTOR complexes with the catalytic mTOR inhibitor OSI-027 and of the p110α subunit of PI3K with the specific inhibitor BYL-719 results in efficient suppression of effector pathways and enhanced induction of apoptosis of leukemia cells. Importantly, such a combined targeting approach results in enhanced suppression of primitive leukemic progenitors from patients with AML. Taken together, these findings raise the possibility of combination treatments of mTOR and p110α inhibitors as a unique approach to enhance responses in refractory AML.
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49
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Shull AY, Noonepalle SK, Awan FT, Liu J, Pei L, Bollag RJ, Salman H, Ding Z, Shi H. RPPA-based protein profiling reveals eIF4G overexpression and 4E-BP1 serine 65 phosphorylation as molecular events that correspond with a pro-survival phenotype in chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Oncotarget 2016; 6:14632-45. [PMID: 25999352 PMCID: PMC4546493 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.4104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2015] [Accepted: 04/08/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), the most common adult leukemia, remains incurable despite advancements in treatment regimens over the past decade. Several expression profile studies have been pursued to better understand CLL pathogenesis. However, these large-scale studies only provide information at the transcriptional level. To better comprehend the differential protein changes that take place in CLL, we performed a reverse-phase protein array (RPPA) analysis using 167 different antibodies on B-cell lysates from 18 CLL patients and 6 normal donors. From our analysis, we discovered an enrichment of protein alterations involved with mRNA translation, specifically upregulation of the translation initiator eIF4G and phosphorylation of the cap-dependent translation inhibitor 4E-BP1 at serine 65. Interestingly, 4E-BP1 phosphorylation occurred independently of AKT phosphorylation, suggesting a disconnect between PI3K/AKT pathway activation and 4E-BP1 phosphorylation. Based on these results, we treated primary CLL samples with NVP-BEZ235, a PI3K/mTOR dual inhibitor, and compared its apoptotic-inducing potential against the BTK inhibitor Ibrutinib and the PI3Kδ inhibitor Idelalisib. We demonstrated that treatment with NVP-BEZ235 caused greater apoptosis, greater apoptotic cleavage of eIF4G, and greater dephosphorylation of 4E-BP1 in primary CLL cells. Taken together, these results highlight the potential dependence of eIF4G overexpression and 4E-BP1 phosphorylation in CLL survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Austin Y Shull
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, Georgia, USA.,GRU Cancer Center, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, Georgia, USA
| | - Satish K Noonepalle
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, Georgia, USA.,GRU Cancer Center, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, Georgia, USA
| | - Farrukh T Awan
- The Ohio State Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Jimei Liu
- GRU Cancer Center, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, Georgia, USA
| | - Lirong Pei
- GRU Cancer Center, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, Georgia, USA
| | - Roni J Bollag
- GRU Cancer Center, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, Georgia, USA.,Department of Pathology, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, Georgia, USA
| | - Huda Salman
- GRU Cancer Center, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, Georgia, USA.,Deparment of Medicine, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, Georgia, USA
| | - Zhiyong Ding
- Department of Systems Biology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Huidong Shi
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, Georgia, USA.,GRU Cancer Center, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, Georgia, USA
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50
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Zou H, Li L, Garcia Carcedo I, Xu ZP, Monteiro M, Gu W. Synergistic inhibition of colon cancer cell growth with nanoemulsion-loaded paclitaxel and PI3K/mTOR dual inhibitor BEZ235 through apoptosis. Int J Nanomedicine 2016; 11:1947-58. [PMID: 27226714 PMCID: PMC4863683 DOI: 10.2147/ijn.s100744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Colon cancer is the third most common cancer in the world, with drug resistance and metastasis being the major challenges to effective treatments. To overcome this, combination therapy with different chemotherapeutics is a common practice. In this study, we demonstrated that paclitaxel (PTX) together with BEZ235 exhibited a synergetic inhibition effect on colon cancer cell growth. Furthermore, nanoemulsion (NE)-loaded PTX and BEZ235 were more effective than the free drug, and a combination treatment of both NE drugs increased the efficiency of the treatments. BEZ235 pretreatment before adding PTX sensitized the cancer cells further, suggesting a synergistic inhibition effect through the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinases/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin pathway. The 50% inhibitory concentrations for BEZ235 were 127.1 nM and 145.0 nM and for PTX 9.7 nM and 9.5 nM for HCT-116 and HT-29 cells, respectively. When loaded with NE the 50% inhibitory concentrations for BEZ235 decreased to 52.6 nM and 55.6 nM and for PTX to 1.9 nM and 2.3 nM for HCT-116 and HT-29 cells, respectively. Combination treatment with 10 nM NE-BEZ235 and 0.6 nM and 1.78 nM NE-PTX could kill 50% of HCT-116 and HT-29, respectively. The cell death caused by the treatment was through apoptotic cell death, which coincided with decreased expression of anti-apoptotic protein B-cell lymphoma 2. Our data indicate that the combination therapy of PTX with the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinases/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin dual inhibitor BEZ235 using NE delivery may hold promise for a more effective approach for colon cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong Zou
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD, Australia; Department of Pathology, Key Laboratory for Xinjiang Endemic and Ethnic Diseases, Shihezi University School of Medicine, Shihezhi University, Xinjiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Li Li
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Ines Garcia Carcedo
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Zhi Ping Xu
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Michael Monteiro
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Wenyi Gu
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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