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Li K, Fan C, Chen J, Xu X, Lu C, Shao H, Xi Y. Role of oxidative stress-induced ferroptosis in cancer therapy. J Cell Mol Med 2024; 28:e18399. [PMID: 38757920 PMCID: PMC11100387 DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.18399] [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: 10/05/2023] [Revised: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Ferroptosis is a distinct mode of cell death, distinguishing itself from typical apoptosis by its reliance on the accumulation of iron ions and lipid peroxides. Cells manifest an imbalance between oxidative stress and antioxidant equilibrium during certain pathological contexts, such as tumours, resulting in oxidative stress. Notably, recent investigations propose that heightened intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) due to oxidative stress can heighten cellular susceptibility to ferroptosis inducers or expedite the onset of ferroptosis. Consequently, comprehending role of ROS in the initiation of ferroptosis has significance in elucidating disorders related to oxidative stress. Moreover, an exhaustive exploration into the mechanism and control of ferroptosis might offer novel targets for addressing specific tumour types. Within this context, our review delves into recent fundamental pathways and the molecular foundation of ferroptosis. Four classical ferroptotic molecular pathways are well characterized, namely, glutathione peroxidase 4-centred molecular pathway, nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 molecular pathway, mitochondrial molecular pathway, and mTOR-dependent autophagy pathway. Furthermore, we seek to elucidate the regulatory contributions enacted by ROS. Additionally, we provide an overview of targeted medications targeting four molecular pathways implicated in ferroptosis and their potential clinical applications. Here, we review the role of ROS and oxidative stress in ferroptosis, and we discuss opportunities to use ferroptosis as a new strategy for cancer therapy and point out the current challenges persisting within the domain of ROS-regulated anticancer drug research and development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keqing Li
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Health Science CenterNingbo UniversityNingboChina
| | - Chengjiang Fan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Health Science CenterNingbo UniversityNingboChina
| | - Jianing Chen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Health Science CenterNingbo UniversityNingboChina
| | - Xin Xu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Health Science CenterNingbo UniversityNingboChina
| | - Chuwei Lu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Health Science CenterNingbo UniversityNingboChina
| | - Hanjie Shao
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Health Science CenterNingbo UniversityNingboChina
| | - Yang Xi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Health Science CenterNingbo UniversityNingboChina
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2
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Jiang M, Wu W, Xiong Z, Yu X, Ye Z, Wu Z. Targeting autophagy drug discovery: Targets, indications and development trends. Eur J Med Chem 2024; 267:116117. [PMID: 38295689 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2023.116117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Revised: 12/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
Autophagy plays a vital role in sustaining cellular homeostasis and its alterations have been implicated in the etiology of many diseases. Drugs development targeting autophagy began decades ago and hundreds of agents were developed, some of which are licensed for the clinical usage. However, no existing intervention specifically aimed at modulating autophagy is available. The obstacles that prevent drug developments come from the complexity of the actual impact of autophagy regulators in disease scenarios. With the development and application of new technologies, several promising categories of compounds for autophagy-based therapy have emerged in recent years. In this paper, the autophagy-targeted drugs based on their targets at various hierarchical sites of the autophagic signaling network, e.g., the upstream and downstream of the autophagosome and the autophagic components with enzyme activities are reviewed and analyzed respectively, with special attention paid to those at preclinical or clinical trials. The drugs tailored to specific autophagy alone and combination with drugs/adjuvant therapies widely used in clinical for various diseases treatments are also emphasized. The emerging drug design and development targeting selective autophagy receptors (SARs) and their related proteins, which would be expected to arrest or reverse the progression of disease in various cancers, inflammation, neurodegeneration, and metabolic disorders, are critically reviewed. And the challenges and perspective in clinically developing autophagy-targeted drugs and possible combinations with other medicine are considered in the review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengjia Jiang
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy, China Jiliang University, China
| | - Wayne Wu
- College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York Institute of Technology, USA
| | - Zijie Xiong
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy, China Jiliang University, China
| | - Xiaoping Yu
- Department of Biology, China Jiliang University, China
| | - Zihong Ye
- Department of Biology, China Jiliang University, China
| | - Zhiping Wu
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy, China Jiliang University, China.
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3
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Mu C, Gao M, Xu W, Sun X, Chen T, Xu H, Qiu H. Mechanisms of microRNA-132 in central neurodegenerative diseases: A comprehensive review. Biomed Pharmacother 2024; 170:116029. [PMID: 38128185 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2023.116029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
MicroRNA-132 (miR-132) is a highly conserved molecule that plays a crucial regulatory role in central nervous system (CNS) disorders. The expression levels of miR-132 exhibit variability in various neurological disorders and have been closely linked to disease onset and progression. The expression level of miR-132 in the CNS is regulated by a diverse range of stimuli and signaling pathways, including neuronal migration and integration, dendritic outgrowth, and complexity, synaptogenesis, synaptic plasticity, as well as inflammation and apoptosis activation. The aberrant expression of miR-132 in various central neurodegenerative diseases has garnered widespread attention. Clinical studies have revealed altered miR-132 expression levels in both chronic and acute CNS diseases, positioning miR-132 as a potential biomarker or therapeutic target. An in-depth exploration of miR-132 holds the promise of enhancing our understanding of the mechanisms underlying CNS diseases, thereby offering novel insights and strategies for disease diagnosis and treatment. It is anticipated that this review will assist researchers in recognizing the potential value of miR-132 and in generating innovative ideas for clinical trials related to CNS degenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenxi Mu
- Basic Medical College, Jiamusi University, Jiamusi 154007, Heilongjiang, China; Key Laboratory of Microecology-Immune Regulatory Network and Related Diseases, Jiamusi 154007, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Meng Gao
- Basic Medical College, Jiamusi University, Jiamusi 154007, Heilongjiang, China; Key Laboratory of Microecology-Immune Regulatory Network and Related Diseases, Jiamusi 154007, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Weijing Xu
- Key Laboratory of Microecology-Immune Regulatory Network and Related Diseases, Jiamusi 154007, Heilongjiang, China; School of Public Health, Jiamusi University, Jiamusi 154007, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Xun Sun
- Basic Medical College, Jiamusi University, Jiamusi 154007, Heilongjiang, China; Key Laboratory of Microecology-Immune Regulatory Network and Related Diseases, Jiamusi 154007, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Tianhao Chen
- Basic Medical College, Jiamusi University, Jiamusi 154007, Heilongjiang, China; Key Laboratory of Microecology-Immune Regulatory Network and Related Diseases, Jiamusi 154007, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Hui Xu
- Key Laboratory of Microecology-Immune Regulatory Network and Related Diseases, Jiamusi 154007, Heilongjiang, China.
| | - Hongbin Qiu
- School of Public Health, Jiamusi University, Jiamusi 154007, Heilongjiang, China.
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4
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Lin CY, Wu KY, Chi LM, Tang YH, Huang HJ, Lai CH, Tsai CN, Tsai CL. Starvation-inactivated MTOR triggers cell migration via a ULK1-SH3PXD2A/TKS5-MMP14 pathway in ovarian carcinoma. Autophagy 2023; 19:3151-3168. [PMID: 37505094 PMCID: PMC10621272 DOI: 10.1080/15548627.2023.2239633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023] Open
Abstract
ABBREVIATIONS AMPK: AMP-activated protein kinase; CHX: cycloheximide; RAD001: everolimus; HBSS: Hanks' balanced salt solution; LC-MS/MS: liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry; MMP14: matrix metallopeptidase 14; MTOR: mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase; MAPK: mitogen-activated protein kinase; RB1CC1/FIP200: RB1 inducible coiled-coil 1; PtdIns3P: phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate; PX: phox homology; SH3: Src homology 3; SH3PXD2A/TKS5: SH3 and PX domains 2A; SH3PXD2A-[6A]: S112A S142A S146A S147A S175A S348A mutant; ULK1: unc-51 like autophagy activating kinase 1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiao-Yun Lin
- Gynecologic Cancer Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan City, Guishan District, Taiwan
| | - Kai-Yun Wu
- Gynecologic Cancer Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan City, Guishan District, Taiwan
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Medical Center And Chang Gung University, Taoyuan City, Guishan District, Taiwan
| | - Lang-Ming Chi
- Molecular Medicine Research Center, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan City, Guishan District, Taiwan
| | - Yun-Hsin Tang
- Gynecologic Cancer Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan City, Guishan District, Taiwan
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Medical Center And Chang Gung University, Taoyuan City, Guishan District, Taiwan
| | - Huei-Jean Huang
- Gynecologic Cancer Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan City, Guishan District, Taiwan
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Medical Center And Chang Gung University, Taoyuan City, Guishan District, Taiwan
| | - Chyong-Huey Lai
- Gynecologic Cancer Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan City, Guishan District, Taiwan
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Medical Center And Chang Gung University, Taoyuan City, Guishan District, Taiwan
| | - Chi-Neu Tsai
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medical Science, Chang-Gung University, Taoyuan City, Guishan District, Taiwan
- Department of Surgery, New Taipei Municipal Tucheng Hospital, New Taipei City, Tucheng District, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Lung Tsai
- Genomic Medicine Core Laboratory, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan City, Guishan District, Taiwan
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5
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Nguyen TH, Nguyen TM, Ngoc DTM, You T, Park MK, Lee CH. Unraveling the Janus-Faced Role of Autophagy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Implications for Therapeutic Interventions. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:16255. [PMID: 38003445 PMCID: PMC10671265 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242216255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2023] [Revised: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
This review aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying autophagy and mitophagy in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Autophagy is an essential cellular process in maintaining cell homeostasis. Still, its dysregulation is associated with the development of liver diseases, including HCC, which is one of leading causes of cancer-related death worldwide. We focus on elucidating the dual role of autophagy in HCC, both in tumor initiation and progression, and highlighting the complex nature involved in the disease. In addition, we present a detailed analysis of a small subset of autophagy- and mitophagy-related molecules, revealing their specific functions during tumorigenesis and the progression of HCC cells. By understanding these mechanisms, we aim to provide valuable insights into potential therapeutic strategies to manipulate autophagy effectively. The goal is to improve the therapeutic response of liver cancer cells and overcome drug resistance, providing new avenues for improved treatment options for HCC patients. Overall, this review serves as a valuable resource for researchers and clinicians interested in the complex role of autophagy in HCC and its potential as a target for innovative therapies aimed to combat this devastating disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thi Ha Nguyen
- College of Pharmacy, Dongguk University, Seoul 04620, Republic of Korea
| | - Tuan Minh Nguyen
- College of Pharmacy, Dongguk University, Seoul 04620, Republic of Korea
| | | | - Taesik You
- College of Pharmacy, Dongguk University, Seoul 04620, Republic of Korea
| | - Mi Kyung Park
- Department of Cancer Biomedical Science, Graduate School of Cancer Science and Policy National Cance Center, Goyang 10408, Republic of Korea
- Department of Bio-Healthcare, Hwasung Medi-Science University, Hwaseong-si 18274, Republic of Korea
| | - Chang Hoon Lee
- College of Pharmacy, Dongguk University, Seoul 04620, Republic of Korea
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Wang Y, Li J, Zheng H, Wang K, Ren X, Wang G, Du J. Cezanne promoted autophagy through PIK3C3 stabilization and PIK3C2A transcription in lung adenocarcinoma. Cell Death Discov 2023; 9:302. [PMID: 37596251 PMCID: PMC10439204 DOI: 10.1038/s41420-023-01599-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 08/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Osimertinib is a promising approved third-generation epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) for treating patients with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) harboring EGFR-activating mutations, however, almost all patients develop resistance to Osimertinib eventually limiting the long-term efficacy. Autophagy is a vital cellular recycling process promoting Osimertinib resistance. Identifying accurate and efficient autophagy-regulatory factors is of great significance in reducing Osimertinib resistance. This study identified Cezanne, a member of the ovarian tumor protease (OTU)-deubiquitinating family, as an autophagy regulator. Cezanne was highly expressed in Osimertinib-resistant cells, and Cezanne overexpression promoted Osimertinib resistance, while chloroquine (CQ), an autophagy inhibitor, reverted this process. In the Cezanne-overexpressing cells, autophagy was activated even in the absence of autophagy inducers rapamycin and Earle's Balanced Salt Solution (EBSS). Further study showed that Cezanne stabilized PIK3C3 by deubiquitinating K48-linked ubiquitination at Lysine 322. Surprisingly, as a compensatory mechanism of PI3P generation, PIK3C2A was shown to be upregulated by Cezanne by promoting its transcription in a POLR2A-dependent way. Based on these results, Cezanne also accelerates EGFR recycling which may explain the mechanism mediating Cezanne expression and Osimertinib resistance. In conclusion, this study establishes a new model connecting Cezanne, autophagy, and Osimertinib resistance, opening new avenues to explore the effect of Cezanne and autophagy in LUAD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yadong Wang
- Institute of Oncology, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiahao Li
- Institute of Oncology, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, People's Republic of China
| | - Haotian Zheng
- Institute of Oncology, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, People's Republic of China
| | - Kai Wang
- Institute of Oncology, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaoyang Ren
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, People's Republic of China
| | - Guanghui Wang
- Institute of Oncology, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, People's Republic of China.
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, People's Republic of China.
| | - Jiajun Du
- Institute of Oncology, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, People's Republic of China.
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, People's Republic of China.
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7
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Bestion E, Raymond E, Mezouar S, Halfon P. Update on Autophagy Inhibitors in Cancer: Opening up to a Therapeutic Combination with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors. Cells 2023; 12:1702. [PMID: 37443736 PMCID: PMC10341243 DOI: 10.3390/cells12131702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Revised: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Autophagy is a highly conserved and natural degradation process that helps maintain cell homeostasis through the elimination of old, worn, and defective cellular components, ensuring proper cell energy intake. The degradative pathway constitutes a protective barrier against diverse human diseases including cancer. Autophagy basal level has been reported to be completely dysregulated during the entire oncogenic process. Autophagy influences not only cancer initiation, development, and maintenance but also regulates cancer response to therapy. Currently, autophagy inhibitor candidates mainly target the early autophagy process without any successful preclinical/clinical development. Lessons learned from autophagy pharmaceutical manipulation as a curative option progressively help to improve drug design and to encounter new targets of interest. Combinatorial strategies with autophagy modulators are supported by abundant evidence, especially dealing with immune checkpoint inhibitors, for which encouraging preclinical results have been recently published. GNS561, a PPT1 inhibitor, is a promising autophagy modulator as it has started a phase 2 clinical trial in liver cancer indication, combined with atezolizumab and bevacizumab, an assessment without precedent in the field. This approach paves a new road, leading to the resurgence of anticancer autophagy inhibitors as an attractive therapeutic target in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eloïne Bestion
- Genoscience Pharma, 13006 Marseille, France; (E.R.); (S.M.); (P.H.)
| | - Eric Raymond
- Genoscience Pharma, 13006 Marseille, France; (E.R.); (S.M.); (P.H.)
- Department of Medical Oncology, Paris Saint-Joseph Hospital Group, 75014 Paris, France
| | - Soraya Mezouar
- Genoscience Pharma, 13006 Marseille, France; (E.R.); (S.M.); (P.H.)
- Établissement Français du Sang, Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur et Corse, Marseille, France; «Biologie des Groupes Sanguins», Aix Marseille Univ-CNRS-EFS-ADÉS, 13005 Marseille, France
| | - Philippe Halfon
- Genoscience Pharma, 13006 Marseille, France; (E.R.); (S.M.); (P.H.)
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8
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Jain V, Singh MP, Amaravadi RK. Recent advances in targeting autophagy in cancer. Trends Pharmacol Sci 2023; 44:290-302. [PMID: 36931971 PMCID: PMC10106406 DOI: 10.1016/j.tips.2023.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/17/2023]
Abstract
Autophagy is a cellular homeostasis mechanism that fuels the proliferation and survival of advanced cancers by degrading and recycling organelles and proteins. Preclinical studies have identified that within an established tumor, tumor cell autophagy and host cell autophagy conspire to support tumor growth. A growing body of evidence suggests that autophagy inhibition can augment the efficacy of chemotherapy, targeted therapy, or immunotherapy to enhance tumor shrinkage. First-generation autophagy inhibition trials in cancer using the lysosomal inhibitor hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) have produced mixed results but have guided the way for the development of more potent and specific autophagy inhibitors in clinical trials. In this review, we will discuss the role of autophagy in cancer, newly discovered molecular mechanisms of the autophagy pathway, the effects of autophagy modulation in cancer and host cells, and novel autophagy inhibitors that are entering clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vaibhav Jain
- Abramson Cancer Center and Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Mahendra Pal Singh
- Abramson Cancer Center and Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Ravi K Amaravadi
- Abramson Cancer Center and Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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9
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Jahangiri L. Metastasis in Neuroblastoma and Its Link to Autophagy. Life (Basel) 2023; 13:life13030818. [PMID: 36983973 PMCID: PMC10056181 DOI: 10.3390/life13030818] [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: 02/22/2023] [Revised: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma is a paediatric malignancy originating from the neural crest that commonly occurs in the abdomen and adrenal gland, leading to cancer-related deaths in children. Distant metastasis can be encountered at diagnosis in greater than half of these neuroblastoma patients. Autophagy, a self-degradative process, plays a key role in stress-related responses and the survival of cells and has been studied in neuroblastoma. Accordingly, in the early stages of metastasis, autophagy may suppress cancer cell invasion and migration, while its role may be reversed in later stages, and it may facilitate metastasis by enhancing cancer cell survival. To that end, a body of literature has revealed the mechanistic link between autophagy and metastasis in neuroblastoma in multiple steps of the metastatic cascade, including cancer cell invasion and migration, anoikis resistance, cancer cell dormancy, micrometastasis, and metastatic outbreak. This review aims to take a step forward and discuss the significance of multiple molecular players and compounds that may link autophagy to metastasis and map their function to various metastatic steps in neuroblastoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leila Jahangiri
- School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Clifton Site, Nottingham NG11 8NS, UK
- Division of Cellular and Molecular Pathology, Department of Pathology, Addenbrooke's Hospital, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, UK
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10
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Mitochondrial Lon-induced mitophagy benefits hypoxic resistance via Ca 2+-dependent FUNDC1 phosphorylation at the ER-mitochondria interface. Cell Death Dis 2023; 14:199. [PMID: 36927870 PMCID: PMC10020552 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-023-05723-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Revised: 02/18/2023] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023]
Abstract
During hypoxia, FUNDC1 acts as a mitophagy receptor and accumulates at the ER (endoplasmic reticulum)-mitochondria contact sites (EMC), also called mitochondria-associated membranes (MAM). In mitophagy, the ULK1 complex phosphorylates FUNDC1(S17) at the EMC site. However, how mitochondria sense the stress and send the signal from the inside to the outside of mitochondria to trigger mitophagy is still unclear. Mitochondrial Lon was reported to be localized at the EMC under stress although the function remained unknown. In this study, we explored the mechanism of how mitochondrial sensors of hypoxia trigger and stabilize the FUNDC1-ULK1 complex by Lon in the EMC for cell survival and cancer progression. We demonstrated that Lon is accumulated in the EMC and associated with FUNDC1-ULK1 complex to induce mitophagy via chaperone activity under hypoxia. Intriguingly, we found that Lon-induced mitophagy is through binding with mitochondrial Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCLX) to promote FUNDC1-ULK1-mediated mitophagy at the EMC site in vitro and in vivo. Accordingly, our findings highlight a novel mechanism responsible for mitophagy initiation under hypoxia by chaperone Lon in mitochondria through the interaction with FUNDC1-ULK1 complex at the EMC site. These findings provide a direct correlation between Lon and mitophagy on cell survival and cancer progression.
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11
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Alhasan B, Mikeladze M, Guzhova I, Margulis B. Autophagy, molecular chaperones, and unfolded protein response as promoters of tumor recurrence. Cancer Metastasis Rev 2023; 42:217-254. [PMID: 36723697 DOI: 10.1007/s10555-023-10085-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Tumor recurrence is a paradoxical function of a machinery, whereby a small proportion of the cancer cell population enters a resistant, dormant state, persists long-term in this condition, and then transitions to proliferation. The dormant phenotype is typical of cancer stem cells, tumor-initiating cells, disseminated tumor cells, and drug-tolerant persisters, which all demonstrate similar or even equivalent properties. Cancer cell dormancy and its conversion to repopulation are regulated by several protein signaling systems that inhibit or induce cell proliferation and provide optimal interrelations between cancer cells and their special niche; these systems act in close connection with tumor microenvironment and immune response mechanisms. During dormancy and reawakening periods, cell proteostasis machineries, autophagy, molecular chaperones, and the unfolded protein response are recruited to protect refractory tumor cells from a wide variety of stressors and therapeutic insults. Proteostasis mechanisms functionally or even physically interfere with the main regulators of tumor relapse, and the significance of these interactions and implications in the tumor recurrence phases are discussed in this review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bashar Alhasan
- Institute of Cytology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Tikhoretsky Ave. 4, 194064, St. Petersburg, Russia.
| | - Marina Mikeladze
- Institute of Cytology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Tikhoretsky Ave. 4, 194064, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Irina Guzhova
- Institute of Cytology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Tikhoretsky Ave. 4, 194064, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Boris Margulis
- Institute of Cytology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Tikhoretsky Ave. 4, 194064, St. Petersburg, Russia
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12
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Small Molecule Inhibitors for Unc-51-like Autophagy-Activating Kinase Targeting Autophagy in Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24020953. [PMID: 36674464 PMCID: PMC9866249 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24020953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Revised: 12/29/2022] [Accepted: 12/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Autophagy is a cellular process that removes damaged components of cells and recycles them as biochemical building blocks. Autophagy can also be induced to protect cells in response to intra- and extracellular stresses, including damage to cellular components, nutrient deprivation, hypoxia, and pathogenic invasion. Dysregulation of autophagy has been attributed to various diseases. In particular, autophagy protects cancer cells by supporting tumor cell survival and the development of drug resistance. Understanding the pathophysiological mechanisms of autophagy in cancer has stimulated the research on discovery and development of specific inhibitors targeting various stages of autophagy. In recent years, Unc-51-like autophagy-activating kinase (ULK) inhibitors have become an attractive strategy to treat cancer. This review summarizes recent discoveries and developments in small-molecule ULK inhibitors and their potential as anticancer agents. We focused on structural features, interactions with binding sites, and biological effects of these inhibitors. Overall, this review will provide guidance for using ULK inhibitors as chemical probes for autophagy in various cancers and developing improved ULK inhibitors that would enhance therapeutic benefits in the clinic.
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13
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Wang J, Meng X, Chen K, Feng J. An autophagy-related four-lncRNA signature helps to predict progression-free survival of neuroblastoma patients. Front Oncol 2022; 12:1014845. [PMID: 36530992 PMCID: PMC9753905 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.1014845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 09/14/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND This study aimed to identify autophagy-related long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) associated with progression of neuroblastoma (NB), and to build an autophagy-related lncRNA signature that helps to predict progression-free survival (PFS) of NB. METHODS Three independent gene expression datasets were utilized in this study. Autophagy-related genes (ARG) associated with PFS of NB patients were firstly identified by univariate Cox survival analysis. lncRNAs correlated with those PFS-related ARGs were then identified. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to select out those lncRNAs with the best prognostic value for PFS. The Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) and Area Under Curve (AUC) analyses were performed to assess the prediction accuracy. RESULTS Four autophagy-related lncRNAs (AL356599.1, AC022075.1, AC020928.1 and LINC02076) were found to be with the best prognostic value and integrated into a four-lncRNA risk signature for predicting PFS of NB patients. The four-lncRNA signature significantly stratify NB patients into two risk groups, with high-risk group has significantly poorer PFS than the low-risk group. The prognostic role of the lncRNA signature was independent with other clinical risk factors. The ROC curves revealed that the lncRNA signature has a good performance in predicting PFS (AUC > 0.70). A nomogram based on COG (Children's Oncology Group) risk and the lncRNA risk score was constructed, showing good prediction accuracy (C-index = 0.700). The prognostic ability of the nomogram was better than that of COG risk alone (AUC = 0.790 versus AUC = 0.748). GSEA analyses revealed that multiple autophagy-related gene sets are significantly enriched in the low-risk group. CONCLUSIONS We identified an autophagy-related four-lncRNA signature that could help to predict the PFS of NB patients. Autophagy-related gene sets are significantly enriched in low-risk group, suggesting tumor suppressive roles of autophagy in NB.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Jiexiong Feng
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
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14
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Peng F, Liao M, Qin R, Zhu S, Peng C, Fu L, Chen Y, Han B. Regulated cell death (RCD) in cancer: key pathways and targeted therapies. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2022; 7:286. [PMID: 35963853 PMCID: PMC9376115 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-022-01110-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 180] [Impact Index Per Article: 90.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Revised: 07/04/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Regulated cell death (RCD), also well-known as programmed cell death (PCD), refers to the form of cell death that can be regulated by a variety of biomacromolecules, which is distinctive from accidental cell death (ACD). Accumulating evidence has revealed that RCD subroutines are the key features of tumorigenesis, which may ultimately lead to the establishment of different potential therapeutic strategies. Hitherto, targeting the subroutines of RCD with pharmacological small-molecule compounds has been emerging as a promising therapeutic avenue, which has rapidly progressed in many types of human cancers. Thus, in this review, we focus on summarizing not only the key apoptotic and autophagy-dependent cell death signaling pathways, but the crucial pathways of other RCD subroutines, including necroptosis, pyroptosis, ferroptosis, parthanatos, entosis, NETosis and lysosome-dependent cell death (LCD) in cancer. Moreover, we further discuss the current situation of several small-molecule compounds targeting the different RCD subroutines to improve cancer treatment, such as single-target, dual or multiple-target small-molecule compounds, drug combinations, and some new emerging therapeutic strategies that would together shed new light on future directions to attack cancer cell vulnerabilities with small-molecule drugs targeting RCD for therapeutic purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fu Peng
- West China School of Pharmacy, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Minru Liao
- West China School of Pharmacy, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Rui Qin
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 611137, China
| | - Shiou Zhu
- West China School of Pharmacy, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China.,Sichuan Engineering Research Center for Biomimetic Synthesis of Natural Drugs, School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, 610031, China
| | - Cheng Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 611137, China
| | - Leilei Fu
- Sichuan Engineering Research Center for Biomimetic Synthesis of Natural Drugs, School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, 610031, China.
| | - Yi Chen
- West China School of Pharmacy, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China.
| | - Bo Han
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 611137, China.
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15
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Function and regulation of ULK1: From physiology to pathology. Gene 2022; 840:146772. [PMID: 35905845 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2022.146772] [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: 05/30/2022] [Revised: 07/03/2022] [Accepted: 07/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The expression of ULK1, a core protein of autophagy, is closely related to autophagic activity. Numerous studies have shown that pathological abnormal expression of ULK1 is associated with various human diseases such as neurological disorders, infections, cardiovascular diseases, liver diseases and cancers. In addition, new advances in the regulation of ULK1 have been identified. Furthermore, targeting ULK1 as a therapeutic strategy for diseases is gaining attention as new corresponding activators or inhibitors are being developed. In this review, we describe the structure and regulation of ULK1 as well as the current targeted activators and inhibitors. Moreover, we highlight the pathological disorders of ULK1 expression and its critical role in human diseases.
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16
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Desai JM, Karve AS, Gudelsky GA, Gawali MV, Seibel W, Sallans L, DasGupta B, Desai PB. Brain pharmacokinetics and metabolism of the AMP-activated protein kinase selective inhibitor SBI-0206965, an investigational agent for the treatment of glioblastoma. Invest New Drugs 2022; 40:944-952. [PMID: 35802287 PMCID: PMC10154080 DOI: 10.1007/s10637-022-01278-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Emerging evidence suggests that 5' Adenosine Monophosphate-Activated Protein Kinase (AMPK), a key regulator of cellular bioenergetics, is a novel target for the treatment of glioblastoma (GBM), a lethal brain tumor. SBI-0206965, an aminopyrimidine derivative, is a potent AMPK inhibitor being investigated for the treatment of GBM. Here we characterized the systemic and brain pharmacokinetics (PK) and hepatic metabolism of SBI-0206965. METHODS We performed intracerebral microdialysis to determine brain partitioning of SBI-0206965 in jugular vein cannulated rats. We assessed systemic PK of SBI-0206965 in rats and C57BL/6 mice following oral administration. Employing human, mouse, and rat liver microsomes we characterized the metabolism of SBI-0206965. RESULTS SBI-0206965 is quickly absorbed, achieving plasma and brain extracellular fluid (ECF) peak levels within 0.25 - 0.65 h. Based on the ratio of Cmax and AUC in brain ECF to plasma (corrected for protein binding), brain partitioning is ~ 0.6-0.9 in rats. However, the compound has a short elimination half-life (1-2 h) and low relative oral bioavailability (~ 0.15). The estimated in-vitro hepatic intrinsic clearance of SBI-0206965 in mouse, rat and human was 325, 76 and 68 mL/min/kg, respectively. SBI-0206965 metabolites included desmethylated products, and the metabolism was strongly inhibited by ketoconazole, a CYP3A inhibitor. CONCLUSION SBI-0206965 has adequate brain permeability but low relative oral bioavailability which may be due to rapid hepatic metabolism, likely catalyzed by CYP3A enzymes. Our observations will facilitate further development of SBI-0206965, and/or other structurally related molecules, for the treatment of GBM and other brain tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janki M Desai
- Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Aniruddha S Karve
- Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Gary A Gudelsky
- Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Mruniya V Gawali
- Center for Immunotherapy and Precision Immuno-Oncology (CITI), Lerner Research Institute - Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - William Seibel
- Division of Oncology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Larry Sallans
- R. Marshall Wilson Mass Spectrometry Facility, Rieveschl Laboratories for Mass Spectrometry, Department of Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Biplab DasGupta
- Division of Oncology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Pankaj B Desai
- Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
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17
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Fusobacterium nucleatum and Malignant Tumors of the Digestive Tract: A Mechanistic Overview. Bioengineering (Basel) 2022; 9:bioengineering9070285. [PMID: 35877336 PMCID: PMC9312082 DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering9070285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Revised: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Fusobacterium nucleatum (F. nucleatum) is an oral anaerobe that plays a role in several oral diseases. However, F. nucleatum is also found in other tissues of the digestive tract, and several studies have recently reported that the level of F. nucleatum is significantly elevated in malignant tumors of the digestive tract. F. nucleatum is proposed as one of the risk factors in the initiation and progression of digestive tract malignant tumors. In this review, we summarize recent reports on F. nucleatum and its role in digestive tract cancers and evaluate the mechanisms underlying the action of F. nucleatum in digestive tract cancers.
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18
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Ravi S, Alencar AM, Arakelyan J, Xu W, Stauber R, Wang CCI, Papyan R, Ghazaryan N, Pereira RM. An Update to Hallmarks of Cancer. Cureus 2022; 14:e24803. [PMID: 35686268 PMCID: PMC9169686 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.24803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
In the last decade, there has been remarkable progress in research toward understanding and refining the hallmarks of cancer. In this review, we propose a new hallmark - “pro-survival autophagy.” The importance of pro-survival autophagy is well established in tumorigenesis, as it is related to multiple steps in cancer progression and vital for some cancers. Autophagy is a potential anti-cancer therapeutic target. For this reason, autophagy is a good candidate as a new hallmark of cancer. We describe two enabling characteristics that play a major role in enabling cells to acquire the hallmarks of cancer - “tumor-promoting microenvironment and macroenvironment” and “cancer epigenetics, genome instability and mutation.” We also discuss the recent updates, therapeutic and prognostic implications of the eight hallmarks of cancer described by Hanahan et al. in 2011. Understanding these hallmarks and enabling characteristics is key not only to developing new ways to treat cancer efficiently but also to exploring options to overcome cancer resistance to treatment.
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19
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Discovery of a signaling feedback circuit that defines interferon responses in myeloproliferative neoplasms. Nat Commun 2022; 13:1750. [PMID: 35365653 PMCID: PMC8975834 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29381-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2020] [Accepted: 03/03/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Interferons (IFNs) are key initiators and effectors of the immune response against malignant cells and also directly inhibit tumor growth. IFNα is highly effective in the treatment of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), but the mechanisms of action are unclear and it remains unknown why some patients respond to IFNα and others do not. Here, we identify and characterize a pathway involving PKCδ-dependent phosphorylation of ULK1 on serine residues 341 and 495, required for subsequent activation of p38 MAPK. We show that this pathway is essential for IFN-suppressive effects on primary malignant erythroid precursors from MPN patients, and that increased levels of ULK1 and p38 MAPK correlate with clinical response to IFNα therapy in these patients. We also demonstrate that IFNα treatment induces cleavage/activation of the ULK1-interacting ROCK1/2 proteins in vitro and in vivo, triggering a negative feedback loop that suppresses IFN responses. Overexpression of ROCK1/2 is seen in MPN patients and their genetic or pharmacological inhibition enhances IFN-anti-neoplastic responses in malignant erythroid precursors from MPN patients. These findings suggest the clinical potential of pharmacological inhibition of ROCK1/2 in combination with IFN-therapy for the treatment of MPNs. Interferon alpha (IFNalpha) therapy is showing promising results to treat myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). Here, the authors show that IFNalpha response requires ULK1 phosphorylation to induce p38-MAPK signalling but it is counteracted by ROCK1-2 activation suggesting combination therapy of IFNalpha-ROCK1-2 inhibition may improve MPNs treatment.
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20
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Zhang H, Gao C, Zhang L, Yu R, Kang C. Homology modeling, virtual screening and MD simulations for identification of NUAK1 and ULK1 potential dual inhibitors. NEW J CHEM 2022. [DOI: 10.1039/d1nj03690d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Cancer cells produce more reactive oxygen species (ROS) due to their severe metabolic stress. SNF1 like kinase 1 (NUAK1) is the key part of the cellular antioxidant system. Inhibiting the...
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21
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Synthetic Heterocyclic Derivatives as Kinase Inhibitors Tested for the Treatment of Neuroblastoma. Molecules 2021; 26:molecules26237069. [PMID: 34885651 PMCID: PMC8658969 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26237069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Revised: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In the last few years, small molecules endowed with different heterocyclic scaffolds have been developed as kinase inhibitors. Some of them are being tested at preclinical or clinical levels for the potential treatment of neuroblastoma (NB). This disease is the most common extracranial solid tumor in childhood and is responsible for 10% to 15% of pediatric cancer deaths. Despite the availability of some treatments, including the use of very toxic cytotoxic chemotherapeutic agents, high-risk (HR)-NB patients still have a poor prognosis and a survival rate below 50%. For these reasons, new pharmacological options are urgently needed. This review focuses on synthetic heterocyclic compounds published in the last five years, which showed at least some activity on this severe disease and act as kinase inhibitors. The specific mechanism of action, selectivity, and biological activity of these drug candidates are described, when established. Moreover, the most remarkable clinical trials are reported. Importantly, kinase inhibitors approved for other diseases have shown to be active and endowed with lower toxicity compared to conventional cytotoxic agents. The data collected in this article can be particularly useful for the researchers working in this area.
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22
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Understanding the Role of Autophagy in Cancer Formation and Progression Is a Real Opportunity to Treat and Cure Human Cancers. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13225622. [PMID: 34830777 PMCID: PMC8616104 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13225622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Revised: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary The modulation of autophagy represents a potential therapeutic strategy for cancer. More than one hundred clinical trials have been conducted or are ongoing to explore the efficacy of autophagy modulators to reduce the tumor growth and potentiate the anti-cancer effects of conventional therapy. Despite this, the effective role of autophagy during tumor initiation, growth, and metastasis remains not well understood. Depending on the cancer type and stage of cancer, autophagy may have tumor suppressor properties as well as help cancer cells to proliferate and evade cancer therapy. The current review aims to summarize the current knowledge about the autophagy implications in cancer and report the therapeutic opportunities based on the modulation of the autophagy process. Abstract The malignant transformation of a cell produces the accumulation of several cellular adaptions. These changes determine variations in biological processes that are necessary for a cancerous cell to survive during stressful conditions. Autophagy is the main nutrient recycling and metabolic adaptor mechanism in eukaryotic cells, represents a continuous source of energy and biomolecules, and is fundamental to preserve the correct cellular homeostasis during unfavorable conditions. In recent decades, several findings demonstrate a close relationship between autophagy, malignant transformation, and cancer progression. The evidence suggests that autophagy in the cancer context has a bipolar role (it may act as a tumor suppressor and as a mechanism of cell survival for established tumors) and demonstrates that the targeting of autophagy may represent novel therapeutic opportunities. Accordingly, the modulation of autophagy has important clinical benefits in patients affected by diverse cancer types. Currently, about 30 clinical trials are actively investigating the efficacy of autophagy modulators to enhance the efficacy of cytotoxic chemotherapy treatments. A deeper understanding of the molecular pathways regulating autophagy in the cancer context will provide new ways to target autophagy for improving the therapeutic benefits. Herein, we describe how autophagy participates during malignant transformation and cancer progression, and we report the ultimate efforts to translate this knowledge into specific therapeutic approaches to treat and cure human cancers.
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23
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miR-132-5p regulates apoptosis and autophagy in MPTP model of Parkinson's disease by targeting ULK1. Neuroreport 2021; 31:959-965. [PMID: 32658123 DOI: 10.1097/wnr.0000000000001494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that is characterized by a loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra of the brain. Numerous investigations have focused on the underlying mechanism involved in the progression of PD in recent decades. miR-132 is abnormal expression in many diseases including PD. However, the functional role and molecular mechanism of miR-132-5p in PD pathogenesis are still not elucidated. In our study, we found miR-132-5p was upregulated in 1-methyl-4-pheny-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) model of PD. MTT assay and flow cytometric analysis revealed that inhibition of miR-132-5p increased cell survival ability and reduced MPTP-induced apoptosis of SH-SY5Y cells. Furthermore, inhibition of miR-132-5p could significantly suppressed mRNA and protein expression levels of LC3 and Beclin 1, indicating inhibition of miR-132-5p might restrain autophagy in PD. Subsequently, ULK1 was identified as a target of miR-132-5p and positively regulated by miR-132-5p at both mRNA and protein levels. Additionally, ectopic expression of ULK1 was able to reverse the effects of miR-132-5p inhibition. Taken together, our results demonstrated that miR-132-5p inhibition might exert a protective role in MPTP-treated PD models by targeting ULK1, indicating that miR-132-5p may be a prospective therapeutic target for PD.
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Mukhopadhyay S, Mahapatra KK, Praharaj PP, Patil S, Bhutia SK. Recent progress of autophagy signaling in tumor microenvironment and its targeting for possible cancer therapeutics. Semin Cancer Biol 2021; 85:196-208. [PMID: 34500075 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2021.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Revised: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/03/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Autophagy, a lysosomal catabolic process, involves degradation of cellular materials, protein aggregate, and dysfunctional organelles to maintain cellular homeostasis. Strikingly, autophagy exhibits a dual-sided role in cancer; on the one hand, it promotes clearance of transformed cells and inhibits tumorigenesis, while cytoprotective autophagy has a role in sustaining cancer. The autophagy signaling in the tumor microenvironment (TME) during cancer growth and therapy is not adequately understood. The review highlights the role of autophagy signaling pathways to support cancer growth and progression in adaptation to the oxidative and hypoxic context of TME. Furthermore, autophagy contributes to regulating the metabolic switch for generating sufficient levels of high-energy metabolites, including amino acids, ketones, glutamine, and free fatty acids for cancer cell survival. Interestingly, autophagy has a critical role in modulating the tumor-associated fibroblast resulting in different cytokines and paracrine signaling mediated angiogenesis and invasion of pre-metastatic niches to secondary tumor sites. Moreover, autophagy promotes immune evasion to inhibit antitumor immunity, and autophagy inhibitors enhance response to immunotherapy with infiltration of immune cells to the TME niche. Furthermore, autophagy in TME maintains and supports the survival of cancer stem cells resulting in chemoresistance and therapy recurrence. Presently, drug repurposing has enabled the use of lysosomal inhibitor-based antimalarial drugs like chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine as clinically available autophagy inhibitors in cancer therapy. We focus on the recent developments of multiple autophagy modulators from pre-clinical trials and the challenges in developing autophagy-based cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Subhadip Mukhopadhyay
- Cancer and Cell Death Laboratory, Department of Life Science, National Institute of Technology Rourkela, Rourkela 769008, Odisha, India
| | - Kewal Kumar Mahapatra
- Cancer and Cell Death Laboratory, Department of Life Science, National Institute of Technology Rourkela, Rourkela 769008, Odisha, India
| | - Prakash Priyadarshi Praharaj
- Cancer and Cell Death Laboratory, Department of Life Science, National Institute of Technology Rourkela, Rourkela 769008, Odisha, India
| | - Shankargouda Patil
- Department of Maxillofacial Surgery and Diagnostic Sciences, Division of Oral Pathology, College of Dentistry, Jazan University, Saudi Arabia
| | - Sujit Kumar Bhutia
- Cancer and Cell Death Laboratory, Department of Life Science, National Institute of Technology Rourkela, Rourkela 769008, Odisha, India.
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Qiu X, Zheng L, Liu X, Hong D, He M, Tang Z, Tian C, Tan G, Hwang S, Shi Z, Wang L. ULK1 Inhibition as a Targeted Therapeutic Strategy for Psoriasis by Regulating Keratinocytes and Their Crosstalk With Neutrophils. Front Immunol 2021; 12:714274. [PMID: 34421918 PMCID: PMC8371267 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.714274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 07/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Psoriasis is a common inflammatory skin disease resulting from an interplay of keratinocytes and immune cells. Previous studies have identified an essential role of autophagy in the maintenance of epidermal homeostasis including proliferation and differentiation. However, much less is known about the role of autophagy-related proteins in the cutaneous immune response. Herein, we showed that ULK1, the key autophagic initiator, and its phosphorylation at Ser556 were distinctively decreased in the epidermis from lesional skin of psoriasis patients. Topical application of SBI0206965, a selective ULK1 inhibitor, significantly attenuated epidermal hyperplasia, infiltration of neutrophils, and transcripts of the psoriasis-related markers in imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriasiform dermatitis (PsD). In vitro, ULK1 impairment by siRNA and SBI0206965 arrested cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis of keratinocytes but had a marginal effect on the expression of proinflammatory mediators under steady status. Surprisingly, SBI0206965 blocked the production of chemokines and cytokines in keratinocytes stimulated by neutrophils. Of interest, the pro-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory effects of ULK1 inhibition cannot be fully replicated by autophagic inhibitors. Our findings suggest a self-regulatory process by downregulating ULK1 to maintain the immune homeostasis of psoriatic skin via regulating keratinocytes and their crosstalk with neutrophils, possibly through both autophagy-dependent and independent mechanisms. ULK1 might be a potential target for preventing or treating psoriasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaonan Qiu
- Department of Dermatology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lin Zheng
- Department of Dermatology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Institute of Dermatology, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiuting Liu
- Department of Dermatology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Dan Hong
- Department of Dermatology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Mintong He
- Department of Dermatology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zengqi Tang
- Department of Dermatology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Cuicui Tian
- Department of Dermatology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Guozhen Tan
- Department of Dermatology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Sam Hwang
- Department of Dermatology, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA, United States
| | - Zhenrui Shi
- Department of Dermatology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Liangchun Wang
- Department of Dermatology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
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26
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Autophagy Modulators in Cancer: Focus on Cancer Treatment. Life (Basel) 2021; 11:life11080839. [PMID: 34440583 PMCID: PMC8401266 DOI: 10.3390/life11080839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Revised: 08/11/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Uncontrolled autophagy has been associated with the development and progression of various cancers that are resistant to cancer therapy. Therefore, many efforts to modulate uncontrolled autophagy as a cancer treatment have been attempted, from basic science to clinical trials. However, it remains difficult to equally apply autophagy modulators to cancer therapy because autophagy is a double-edged sword in cancer: it can be tumor-suppressive or tumor-protective. Therefore, the precise mechanisms of autophagy modulators and their varied responsiveness to each cancer type should be addressed in detail. This study will describe the precise mechanisms of developing various autophagy modulators, their current therapeutic applications and future perspectives.
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27
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Li Y, Gao S, Du X, Ji J, Xi Y, Zhai G. Advances in autophagy as a target in the treatment of tumours. J Drug Target 2021; 30:166-187. [PMID: 34319838 DOI: 10.1080/1061186x.2021.1961792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Autophagy is a multi-step lysosomal degradation process, which regulates energy and material metabolism and has been used to maintain homeostasis. Autophagy has been shown to be involved in the regulation of health and disease. But at present, there is no consensus on the relationship between autophagy and tumour, and we consider that it plays a dual role in the occurrence and development of tumour. That is to say, under certain conditions, it can inhibit the occurrence of tumour, but it can also promote the process of tumour. Therefore, autophagy could be used as a target for tumour treatment. The regulation of autophagy plays a synergistic role in the radiotherapy, chemotherapy, phototherapy and immunotherapy of tumour, and nano drug delivery system provides a promising strategy for improving the efficacy of autophagy regulation. This review summarised the progress in the regulatory pathways and factors of autophagy as well as nanoformulations as carriers for the delivery of autophagy modulators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingying Li
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan, PR China
| | - Shan Gao
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan, PR China
| | - Xiyou Du
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan, PR China
| | - Jianbo Ji
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan, PR China
| | - Yanwei Xi
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan, PR China
| | - Guangxi Zhai
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan, PR China
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Liu X, Huang X, Bai Y, Zhang Z, Jin T, Wu H, Liang Z. Next-generation sequencing revealed recurrent ZFPM1 mutations in encapsulated papillary carcinoma of the breast. NPJ Precis Oncol 2021; 5:42. [PMID: 34007008 PMCID: PMC8131604 DOI: 10.1038/s41698-021-00180-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2020] [Accepted: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Encapsulated papillary carcinoma (EPC) of the breast is a rare subtype of tumor. To date, the genetic abnormalities underlying EPC remain elusive. The purpose of this study was to gain further insight into EPC mutation profile. Forty-one EPCs diagnosed from 2015 to 2018 were included. Twenty-six EPCs were submitted to whole-exome sequencing (WES), and a 185 gene-targeted sequencing panel was designed to validate the results of the 26 EPCs that underwent WES and 15 additional cases. Recurrently mutated genes were further confirmed by Sanger sequencing. Our study revealed multiple recurrently mutated genes including PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway genes (PIK3CA, AKT1, ULK1, MAP3K1, MAP2K4, RHOA, and PTEN) (27/41, 65.8%) and chromatin modification genes (ZFPM1, GATA3, CTCF, and KMT2C) (21/41, 51.2%) in EPC. Importantly, somatic ZFPM1 mutations existed in 9/41 (21.9%) of the EPCs. The frequency of ZFPM1 mutations in the EPCs was significantly higher than that of other tumor types. Of the nine ZFPM1 mutations, seven were frameshift mutations, and the remaining two were nonsense mutations. Moreover, a significant concurrence of ZFPM1 and PI3K-AKT-mTOR mutations were revealed in the EPCs. Of note, no TP53 mutations were detected in our EPCs, whereas it was detected in a considerable proportion of the luminal A invasive ductal carcinomas of no special type (IDC-NSTs) from TCGA. We reveal that recurrent somatic ZFPM1 mutation is characteristic of EPC and concurred with mutations in the PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway. The distinctive genetic features of EPC might underlie its special histological structures and indolent behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuguang Liu
- Department of Pathology, Complex Severe and Rare Disease, Molecular Pathology Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- Department of Pathology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Xin Huang
- Department of Breast Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Yan Bai
- Department of Pathology, Complex Severe and Rare Disease, Molecular Pathology Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Zhiwen Zhang
- Department of Pathology, Complex Severe and Rare Disease, Molecular Pathology Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Tiefeng Jin
- Department of Pathology and Cancer Research Center, Yanbian University Medical College, Yanji, China
| | - Huanwen Wu
- Department of Pathology, Complex Severe and Rare Disease, Molecular Pathology Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
| | - Zhiyong Liang
- Department of Pathology, Complex Severe and Rare Disease, Molecular Pathology Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
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Zada S, Hwang JS, Ahmed M, Lai TH, Pham TM, Elashkar O, Kim DR. Cross talk between autophagy and oncogenic signaling pathways and implications for cancer therapy. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2021; 1876:188565. [PMID: 33992723 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2021.188565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Revised: 05/05/2021] [Accepted: 05/08/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Autophagy is a highly conserved metabolic process involved in the degradation of intracellular components including proteins and organelles. Consequently, it plays a critical role in recycling metabolic energy for the maintenance of cellular homeostasis in response to various stressors. In cancer, autophagy either suppresses or promotes cancer progression depending on the stage and cancer type. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cancer metastasis are directly mediated by oncogenic signal proteins including SNAI1, SLUG, ZEB1/2, and NOTCH1, which are functionally correlated with autophagy. In this report, we discuss the crosstalk between oncogenic signaling pathways and autophagy followed by possible strategies for cancer treatment via regulation of autophagy. Although autophagy affects EMT and cancer metastasis, the overall signaling pathways connecting cancer progression and autophagy are still illusive. In general, autophagy plays a critical role in cancer cell survival by providing a minimum level of energy via self-digestion. Thus, cancer cells face nutrient limitations and challenges under stress during EMT and metastasis. Conversely, autophagy acts as a potential cancer suppressor by degrading oncogenic proteins, which are essential for cancer progression, and by removing damaged components such as mitochondria to enhance genomic stability. Therefore, autophagy activators or inhibitors represent possible cancer therapeutics. We further discuss the regulation of autophagy-dependent degradation of oncogenic proteins and its functional correlation with oncogenic signaling pathways, with potential applications in cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sahib Zada
- Department of Biochemistry and Convergence Medical Sciences and Institute of Health Sciences, Gyeongsang National University College of Medicine, Jinju 527-27, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin Seok Hwang
- Department of Biochemistry and Convergence Medical Sciences and Institute of Health Sciences, Gyeongsang National University College of Medicine, Jinju 527-27, Republic of Korea
| | - Mahmoud Ahmed
- Department of Biochemistry and Convergence Medical Sciences and Institute of Health Sciences, Gyeongsang National University College of Medicine, Jinju 527-27, Republic of Korea
| | - Trang Huyen Lai
- Department of Biochemistry and Convergence Medical Sciences and Institute of Health Sciences, Gyeongsang National University College of Medicine, Jinju 527-27, Republic of Korea
| | - Trang Minh Pham
- Department of Biochemistry and Convergence Medical Sciences and Institute of Health Sciences, Gyeongsang National University College of Medicine, Jinju 527-27, Republic of Korea
| | - Omar Elashkar
- Department of Biochemistry and Convergence Medical Sciences and Institute of Health Sciences, Gyeongsang National University College of Medicine, Jinju 527-27, Republic of Korea
| | - Deok Ryong Kim
- Department of Biochemistry and Convergence Medical Sciences and Institute of Health Sciences, Gyeongsang National University College of Medicine, Jinju 527-27, Republic of Korea.
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You J, Wang X. Circ_HIPK3 Knockdown Inhibits Cell Proliferation, Migration and Invasion of Cholangiocarcinoma Partly via Mediating the miR-148a-3p/ULK1 Pathway. Cancer Manag Res 2021; 13:3827-3839. [PMID: 34007215 PMCID: PMC8123961 DOI: 10.2147/cmar.s293823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2020] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The incidence of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is on the rise in recent years, and its pathogenesis may be associated with the deregulation of circular RNAs (circRNAs). Hence, we aimed to investigate the role of circRNA homeodomain interacting protein kinase 3 (circ_HIPK3) in CCA. Methods The expression of circ_HIPK3, miR-148a-3p and unc-51 like kinase 3 (ULK1) mRNA was detected using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The role of circ_HIPK3 in cell proliferation was detected by 3-[4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2, 5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and colony formation assay. Cell apoptosis and cell cycle progression were investigated using flow cytometry assay. Cell migration and invasion were detected by transwell assay. The protein levels of ULK1 and migration/invasion-associated markers were measured using Western blot. The putative relationship between miR-148a-3p and circ_HIPK3 or ULK1 was validated by dual-luciferase reporter assay. The role of circ_HIPK3 was also investigated in vivo. Results Circ_HIPK3 was overexpressed in CCA tissues and cells. In function, circ_HIPK3 knockdown inhibited CCA cell proliferation, migration and invasion and induced apoptosis and cycle arrest. It was confirmed that miR-148a-3p was a target of circ_HIPK3, and ULK1 was a target of miR-148a-3p. Circ_HIPK3 regulated ULK1 expression by targeting miR-148a-3p. Rescue experiments showed that miR-148a-3p inhibition reversed the effects of circ_HIPK3 knockdown. Besides, miR-148a-3p enrichment-blocked cell proliferation, migration and invasion were recovered by ULK1 overexpression. In vivo, circ_HIPK3 knockdown inhibited solid tumor growth. Conclusion Circ_HIPK3 knockdown blocked CCA malignant development partly via regulating the miR-148a-3p/ULK1 pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junning You
- Department of Emergency, Xianyang Hosptial, Yan'an University, XianYang, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaolin Wang
- Department of General Surgery, Yulin No.2 Hospital, Yulin, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
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Chmurska A, Matczak K, Marczak A. Two Faces of Autophagy in the Struggle against Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:2981. [PMID: 33804163 PMCID: PMC8000091 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22062981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2021] [Revised: 03/10/2021] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Autophagy can play a double role in cancerogenesis: it can either inhibit further development of the disease or protect cells, causing stimulation of tumour growth. This phenomenon is called "autophagy paradox", and is characterised by the features that the autophagy process provides the necessary substrates for biosynthesis to meet the cell's energy needs, and that the over-programmed activity of this process can lead to cell death through apoptosis. The fight against cancer is a difficult process due to high levels of resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. More and more research is indicating that autophagy may play a very important role in the development of resistance by protecting cancer cells, which is why autophagy in cancer therapy can act as a "double-edged sword". This paper attempts to analyse the influence of autophagy and cancer stem cells on tumour development, and to compare new therapeutic strategies based on the modulation of these processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Chmurska
- Doctoral School of Exact and Natural Sciences, University of Lodz, Banacha Street 12/16, 90-237 Lodz, Poland
| | - Karolina Matczak
- Department of Medical Biophysics, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, Institute of Biophysics, University of Lodz, Pomorska Street 141/143, 90-236 Lodz, Poland; (K.M.); (A.M.)
| | - Agnieszka Marczak
- Department of Medical Biophysics, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, Institute of Biophysics, University of Lodz, Pomorska Street 141/143, 90-236 Lodz, Poland; (K.M.); (A.M.)
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Rajak S, Raza S, Tewari A, Yadav S, Ghosh S, Yen PM, Sinha RA. Autophagic protein ULK1 regulates FOXM1 signalling in human hepatoma cells. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2020; 532:570-575. [PMID: 32900486 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2020.08.068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Hepatocellular cancer (HCC) is one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide. Unfortunately, a limited choice of anti-cancer drugs is available for treatment, owing to their minimal efficacy and development of acquired resistance. Autophagy, a cellular survival pathway, often exhibits a pleiotropic role in HCC progression. Studies show increased autophagy in established HCC, promoting the survival of HCC cells in the tumour microenvironment. Therefore, novel anti-autophagy drugs hold promise for preventing HCC progression. Here, using a non-biased transcriptomics analysis in HepG2 cells we demonstrate the existence of an autophagy-FOXM1 nexus regulating growth in HepG2 cells. Additionally, we show that suppression of autophagy by an Unc-51 Like Autophagy Activating Kinase 1(ULK1) inhibitor not only attenuates the expression of FOXM1 and its transcriptional targets, but also has a synergistic effect on the inhibition of HepG2 growth when combined with FOXM1 inhibitors. Thus, the autophagic protein, ULK1, is a promising candidate for preventing HCC progression. Collectively, our results provide new insight into the role of autophagy in HCC growth and are a proof-of concept for combinatorial therapy using ULK1 and FOXM1 inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sangam Rajak
- Department of Endocrinology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, 226014, India
| | - Sana Raza
- Department of Endocrinology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, 226014, India
| | - Archana Tewari
- Department of Endocrinology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, 226014, India
| | - Shivmurat Yadav
- Department of Endocrinology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, 226014, India
| | - Sujoy Ghosh
- Centre for Computational Biology, Duke-NUS Medical School, 8 College Road, 169857, Singapore
| | - Paul M Yen
- Program of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disorders, Duke-NUS Medical School, 8 College Road, 169587, Singapore
| | - Rohit A Sinha
- Department of Endocrinology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, 226014, India.
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Ji X, Zhang X, Li Z. ULK1 inhibitor induces spindle microtubule disorganization and inhibits phosphorylation of Ser10 of histone H3. FEBS Open Bio 2020; 10:2452-2463. [PMID: 33040463 PMCID: PMC7609780 DOI: 10.1002/2211-5463.13000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2020] [Revised: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Certain tumors are dependent on autophagy for survival; thus, the use of unc‐51‐like autophagy activating kinase (ULK) 1 inhibitors to block autophagy has the potential for tumor treatment. However, ULK1 inhibitors affect processes other than autophagy. Herein, we report that the ULK1 inhibitors SBI‐0206965/MRT68921 not only inhibit phosphorylation of histone H3 (Ser10) and delay chromatin condensation but also induce spindle microtubule disorganization to form short and fragmented microtubule polymers. Although the delay in chromatin condensation also delayed mitotic entry, the disorganized microtubule polymers resulted in unsegregated chromosomes and polyploidy. Although the effect on mitotic entry was moderate, polyploidy formation was decreased in ULK1 knockout cells with or without ULK2 knockdown. In conclusion, it will be helpful to consider the roles of ULK1 inhibitors in mitotic dysregulation, as well as autophagy, when evaluating their antitumor efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinmiao Ji
- High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Key Laboratory of High Magnetic Field and Ion Beam Physical Biology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, China
| | - Xin Zhang
- High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Key Laboratory of High Magnetic Field and Ion Beam Physical Biology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, China.,Institute of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei, China
| | - Zhiyuan Li
- High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Key Laboratory of High Magnetic Field and Ion Beam Physical Biology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, China
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Cerulli RA, Shehaj L, Brown H, Pace J, Mei Y, Kritzer JA. Stapled Peptide Inhibitors of Autophagy Adapter LC3B. Chembiochem 2020; 21:2777-2785. [PMID: 32406996 PMCID: PMC7872222 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202000212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2020] [Revised: 05/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
A growing body of evidence suggests that autophagy inhibition enhances the effectiveness of chemotherapy, especially in difficult-to-treat cancers. Existing autophagy inhibitors are primarily lysosomotropic agents. More specific autophagy inhibitors are highly sought-after. The microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B light chain 3B protein, LC3B, is an adapter protein that mediates key protein-protein interactions at several points in autophagy pathways. In this work, we used a known peptide ligand as a starting point to develop improved LC3B inhibitors. We obtained structure-activity relationships that quantify the binding contributions of peptide termini, individual charged residues, and hydrophobic interactions. Based on these data, we used artificial amino acids and diversity-oriented stapling to improve affinity and resistance to biological degradation, while maintaining or improving LC3B affinity and selectivity. These peptides represent the highest-affinity LC3B-selective ligands reported to date, and they will be useful tools for further elucidation of LC3B's role in autophagy and in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert A Cerulli
- Cell, Molecular and Developmental Biology Program Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111, USA
| | - Livia Shehaj
- Department of Chemistry, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
| | - Hawley Brown
- Department of Chemistry, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
| | - Jennifer Pace
- Department of Chemistry, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
| | - Yang Mei
- Department of Chemistry, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
| | - Joshua A Kritzer
- Department of Chemistry, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
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Sun D, Yang Z, Zhen Y, Yang Y, Chen Y, Yuan Y, Zhang L, Zeng X, Chen L. Discovery of 5-bromo-4-phenoxy-N-phenylpyrimidin-2-amine derivatives as novel ULK1 inhibitors that block autophagy and induce apoptosis in non-small cell lung cancer. Eur J Med Chem 2020; 208:112782. [PMID: 32961380 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2020.112782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2020] [Revised: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 08/20/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
UNC51-like kinase1 (ULK1) recruits its binding partners and initiates the autophagy process in cancer. ULK1 is significantly overexpressed in Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and negatively correlated with clinical prognosis in NSCLC patients. Based upon the binding features of ULK1, we explored the pharmacophore modeling to discover the common anchoring features. It was verified by synthesizing 5-bromo-4-phenoxy-N-phenylpyrimidin-2-amine derivatives, as well as subsequently elucidating the structure-activity relationships (SAR). Among all the obtained ULK1 inhibitors, 5-bromo-4-(2-fluoro-4-nitrophenoxy)-N-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl) pyrimidin-2-amine (3s), was the most active one. The docking analysis was conducted to compare 3s and SBI-0206965, which further elucidated the roles of the H-bond donor. This compound inhibited the proliferation of A549 cells and showed strong inhibitory activity against ULK1 kinase. Moreover, we found that compound 3s could induce apoptosis while simultaneously blocking autophagy. Collectively, these findings shed new light on compound 3s that would be utilized as a promising candidate drug for the future NSCLC therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dejuan Sun
- Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design & Discovery of Ministry of Education, Wuya College of Innovation, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, 110016, China
| | - Zijian Yang
- Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design & Discovery of Ministry of Education, Wuya College of Innovation, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, 110016, China
| | - Yongqi Zhen
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, 610031, China
| | - Yushang Yang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Yanmei Chen
- Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design & Discovery of Ministry of Education, Wuya College of Innovation, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, 110016, China
| | - Yong Yuan
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Lan Zhang
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, 610031, China.
| | - Xiaoxi Zeng
- West China Biomedical Big Data Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China.
| | - Lixia Chen
- Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design & Discovery of Ministry of Education, Wuya College of Innovation, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, 110016, China.
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Huang S, Gu S. Targeting autophagy in neuroblastoma. WORLD JOURNAL OF PEDIATRIC SURGERY 2020; 3:e000121. [DOI: 10.1136/wjps-2020-000121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2020] [Revised: 07/02/2020] [Accepted: 07/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BackgroundNeuroblastoma (NB) is the most common extracellular solid tumor among children accounting for serious mortality. Macroautophagy, a common housekeeping mechanism to maintain cellular homeostasis in eukaryotic cells, is involved in tumorigenesis and chemoresistance in a spectrum of cancers.Data resourcesBased on the terms of ‘autophagy’ and ‘neuroblastoma’, all the recent literature was searched and reviewed through PubMed.ResultsAutophagy is associated with apoptosis, histone modifications, angiogenesis, metabolism in NB. With those facts we assume that NB is an autophagy-dependent tumor, which means that autophagy inhibition therapy is desirable.ConclusionAutophagy in NB is pro-oncogenic, so inhibiting autophagy in high-risk NB may benefit treatment outcomes.
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Meng X, Li H, Fang E, Feng J, Zhao X. Comparison of Stage 4 and Stage 4s Neuroblastoma Identifies Autophagy-Related Gene and LncRNA Signatures Associated With Prognosis. Front Oncol 2020; 10:1411. [PMID: 32974147 PMCID: PMC7466450 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2020.01411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2020] [Accepted: 07/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: The spontaneous regression of neuroblastoma (NB) is most prevalent and well-documented in stage 4s NB patients. However, whether autophagy plays roles in the spontaneous regression of NB is unknown. Objective: This study aimed to identify autophagy-related genes (ARGs) and autophagy-related long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) differentially expressed in stage 4 and stage 4s NB and to build prognostic risk signatures on the basis of the ARGs and autophagy-related lncRNAs. Methods: One RNA-sequence (RNA-Seq) dataset (TARGET NBL, n = 153) was utilized as discovery cohort, and two microarray datasets (n = 498 and n = 223) were used as validation cohorts. Differentially expressed ARGs were identified by comparing stage 4s and stage 4 NB samples. An ARG signature risk score and an autophagy-related lncRNA signature risk score were constructed. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were used to evaluate the survival prediction ability of the two signatures. Gene function annotation and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) were performed to clarify the autophagic biological processes enriched in different risk groups. Results: Nine ARGs were integrated into the ARG signature. Patients in the high-risk group of the ARG signature had significantly poorer overall survival (OS) than patients in the low-risk group. The ROC curves analyses revealed that the ARG signature performed very well in predicting OS [5-year area under the curve (AUC) = 0.81]. Seven autophagy-related lncRNAs were integrated into the autophagy-related lncRNA signature. Patients in the high-risk group of the lncRNA signature had significantly poorer OS than patients in the low-risk group. The ROC curve analyses also revealed that the lncRNA signature performed well in predicting OS (5-year AUC = 0.77). Both the ARG signature and lncRNA signature are independent with other clinical risk factors in the multivariate Cox regression survival analyses. GSEAs revealed that autophagy-related biological processes are enriched in low-risk groups. Conclusions: Autophagy-related genes and lncRNAs are differentially expressed between stage 4 and stage 4s NB. The ARG signature and autophagy-related lncRNA signature successfully stratified NB patients into two risk groups. Autophagy-related biological processes are highly enriched in low-risk NB groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyao Meng
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Honglin Li
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Erhu Fang
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Jiexiong Feng
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Xiang Zhao
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
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Demeter A, Romero-Mulero MC, Csabai L, Ölbei M, Sudhakar P, Haerty W, Korcsmáros T. ULK1 and ULK2 are less redundant than previously thought: computational analysis uncovers distinct regulation and functions of these autophagy induction proteins. Sci Rep 2020; 10:10940. [PMID: 32616830 PMCID: PMC7331686 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-67780-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2020] [Accepted: 06/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Macroautophagy, the degradation of cytoplasmic content by lysosomal fusion, is an evolutionary conserved process promoting homeostasis and intracellular defence. Macroautophagy is initiated primarily by a complex containing ULK1 or ULK2 (two paralogs of the yeast Atg1 protein). To understand the differences between ULK1 and ULK2, we compared the human ULK1 and ULK2 proteins and their regulation. Despite the similarity in their enzymatic domain, we found that ULK1 and ULK2 have major differences in their autophagy-related interactors and their post-translational and transcriptional regulators. We identified 18 ULK1-specific and 7 ULK2-specific protein motifs serving as different interaction interfaces. We found that interactors of ULK1 and ULK2 all have different tissue-specific expressions partially contributing to diverse and ULK-specific interaction networks in various tissues. We identified three ULK1-specific and one ULK2-specific transcription factor binding sites, and eight sites shared by the regulatory region of both genes. Importantly, we found that both their post-translational and transcriptional regulators are involved in distinct biological processes-suggesting separate functions for ULK1 and ULK2. Unravelling differences between ULK1 and ULK2 could lead to a better understanding of how ULK-type specific dysregulation affects autophagy and other cellular processes that have been implicated in diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease and cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Demeter
- Earlham Institute, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UZ, UK
- Quadram Institute Bioscience, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UQ, UK
| | - Mari Carmen Romero-Mulero
- Earlham Institute, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UZ, UK
- Faculty of Biology, University of Seville, 41012, Seville, Spain
| | - Luca Csabai
- Earlham Institute, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UZ, UK
- Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, 1117, Hungary
| | - Márton Ölbei
- Earlham Institute, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UZ, UK
- Quadram Institute Bioscience, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UQ, UK
| | - Padhmanand Sudhakar
- Earlham Institute, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UZ, UK
- Quadram Institute Bioscience, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UQ, UK
| | - Wilfried Haerty
- Earlham Institute, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UZ, UK
| | - Tamás Korcsmáros
- Earlham Institute, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UZ, UK.
- Quadram Institute Bioscience, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UQ, UK.
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Hwang DY, Eom JI, Jang JE, Jeung HK, Chung H, Kim JS, Cheong JW, Min YH. ULK1 inhibition as a targeted therapeutic strategy for FLT3-ITD-mutated acute myeloid leukemia. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL & CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH : CR 2020; 39:85. [PMID: 32393312 PMCID: PMC7212592 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-020-01580-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2020] [Accepted: 04/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Background In acute myeloid leukemia (AML), internal tandem duplication mutations in the FLT3 tyrosine kinase receptor (FLT3-ITD) are associated with a dismal outcome. Although uncoordinated 51-like kinase 1 (ULK1), which plays a central role in the autophagy pathway, has emerged as a novel therapeutic target for various cancers, its role in FLT3-ITD AML remains elusive. In this study, we evaluated the effects of ULK1 inhibition on leukemia cell death in FLT3-ITD AML. Method We evaluated ULK1 expression and the levels of apoptosis and autophagy following ULK1 inhibition in FLT3-ITD AML cell lines and investigated the mechanism underlying apoptosis induced by ULK1 inhibition. Statistical analysis was performed using GraphPad Prism 4.0 (GraphPad Software Inc). Results FLT3-ITD AML cells showed significantly higher ULK1 expression than FLT3-wild-type (WT) AML cells. Two ULK1 inhibitors, MRT 68921 and SBI-0206965, induced apoptosis in FLT3-ITD AML cells, with relatively minimal effects on FLT3-WT AML cells and normal CD34-positive cells. Apoptosis induction by ULK1 inhibition was associated with caspase pathway activation. Interestingly, ULK1 inhibition paradoxically also induced autophagy, showing synergistic interaction with autophagy inhibitors. Hence, autophagy may act as a prosurvival mechanism in FLT3-ITD AML cells. FLT3-ITD protein degradation and inhibition of the ERK, AKT, and STAT5 pathways were also observed in FLT3-ITD AML cells following treatment with ULK1 inhibitors. Conclusion ULK1 is a viable drug target and ULK1 inhibition may represent a promising therapeutic strategy against FLT3-ITD AML.
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Affiliation(s)
- Doh Yu Hwang
- Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 50-1 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 03722, South Korea
| | - Ju-In Eom
- Avison Biomedical Research Center, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, South Korea
| | - Ji Eun Jang
- Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 50-1 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 03722, South Korea
| | - Hoi-Kyung Jeung
- Avison Biomedical Research Center, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, South Korea
| | - Haerim Chung
- Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 50-1 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 03722, South Korea
| | - Jin Seok Kim
- Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 50-1 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 03722, South Korea
| | - June-Won Cheong
- Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 50-1 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 03722, South Korea
| | - Yoo Hong Min
- Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 50-1 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 03722, South Korea.
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Lv P, Luo YF, Zhou WY, Liu B, Zhou Z, Shi YZ, Huang R, Peng C, He ZL, Wang J, Zhang HH, Nie SD. miR-373 inhibits autophagy and further promotes apoptosis of cholangiocarcinoma cells by targeting ULK1. Kaohsiung J Med Sci 2020; 36:429-440. [PMID: 32125086 DOI: 10.1002/kjm2.12191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2019] [Accepted: 01/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma is a malignant tumor originating from intrahepatic bile ducts. Surgical therapy, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy are taken to treat this disease, but it is prone to recurrence and metastasis, with poor prognosis. Therefore, it is of great significance to explore new targets and molecular mechanisms for the development of cholangiocarcinoma cells. Clinical cholangiocarcinoma tissues from patients and four human cholangiocarcinoma cell lines were analyzed for microRNA-373 (miR-373) expression. For investigating whether miR-373 directly modulated unc-51 like autophagy activating kinase 1 (ULK1), dual-luciferase reporter assay was performed. In addition, CCK-8 assay, flow cytometry, western blot, and immunofluorescence were applied to evaluate the proliferation, apoptosis, and autophagy of cholangiocytic hepatocellular carcinoma cells. miR-373 downregulation was observed in clinical tissues and cell lines of cholangiocarcinoma. Overexpression of miR-373 reduced proliferation, enhanced apoptosis, and raised expression levels of pro-apoptosis proteins including BCL2 associated X (Bax), Caspase-3, and Caspase-9. Moreover, overexpression of miR-373 downregulated expression levels of microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B-light chain 3 (LC3)-II, Beclin-1, and promoted P62 expression on mRNA and protein levels. After miR-373 knockdown, all indexes of apoptosis and autophagy mentioned above were reversed. Luciferase activity was decreased after cotransfection of miR-373 mimic and wild-type ULK1 vector. Also, miR-373 overexpression inhibited ULK1 expression. Importantly, overexpression of miR-373 weakened expressions of ULK1, LC3, Beclin-1, and Bcl-2, and enhanced expressions of P62, Bax, Caspase-3, and Caspase-9. miR-373 mimic treatment and subsequent ULK1 overexpression, induced reverse regulation in expressions of these proteins, compared with overexpression of miR-373 only. miR-373 targeted ULK1 to initiate inhibition of autophagy and subsequent promotion of apoptosis in cholangiocarcinoma cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pin Lv
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China.,Research Laboratory of Biliary Diseases, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Yi-Fan Luo
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China.,Research Laboratory of Biliary Diseases, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Wen-Yi Zhou
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China.,Research Laboratory of Biliary Diseases, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Ben Liu
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China.,Research Laboratory of Biliary Diseases, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Zheng Zhou
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Yong-Zhong Shi
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Ren Huang
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Chuang Peng
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China.,Research Laboratory of Biliary Diseases, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Zi-Li He
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China.,Laboratory of Hepatobiliary Molecular Oncology, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Jun Wang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Hong-Hui Zhang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Sheng-Dan Nie
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China
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Chen Y, Chen Y, Zhang J, Cao P, Su W, Deng Y, Zhan N, Fu X, Huang Y, Dong W. Fusobacterium nucleatum Promotes Metastasis in Colorectal Cancer by Activating Autophagy Signaling via the Upregulation of CARD3 Expression. Theranostics 2020; 10:323-339. [PMID: 31903123 PMCID: PMC6929621 DOI: 10.7150/thno.38870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2019] [Accepted: 09/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Aims: We aimed to measure the abundance of Fusobacterium nucleatum (F. nucleatum) in colorectal cancer (CRC) tissues from patients and to uncover the function of this bacterium in colorectal tumor metastasis. Methods: We collected metastatic and non-metastatic CRC tissues to analyze F. nucleatum abundance. Cells were incubated with F. nucleatum or chloroquine (CQ) or were transfected with CARD3-targeting siRNA; the expression of mRNAs and proteins was then measured. CRC cells stably transfected with shRNA-luc were mixed with F. nucleatum and intravenously injected into BALB/cJ mice. APCMin/+, CARD3-/-and CARD3wt C57BL mice were given F. nucleatum; some mice were given azoxymethane (AOM) and dextran sodium sulfate (DSS). Results: F. nucleatum was abundant in CRC tissues from patients with metastasis. F. nucleatum infection increased CRC cell motility and upregulated the expression of CARD3, LC3-II, Beclin1 and Vimentin, and downregulated the expression of E-cadherin and P62 in CRC cells. These effects were attenuated by treatment with CQ, siCARD3 or both. APCMin/+ mice gavaged with F. nucleatum developed more aggressive tumors than control mice. After AOM/DSS administration, the colorectums of CARD3-/- mice had fewer tumors than those of control mice. Tumors from CARD3-/- mice had lower levels of LC3-II and Beclin1 and higher levels of P62 than those from control mice. BALB/cJ mice injected with both CT26-luc cells and F. nucleatum formed more metastases than control mice. CQ treatment, CARD3 knockdown or both reduced the ability of CT26-luc cells to form metastases in vivo. Conclusions: F. nucleatum is enriched in CRC tissues from patients with metastasis. F. nucleatum orchestrates CARD3 and autophagy to control CRC metastasis. Measuring and targeting F. nucleatum and its associated pathways will yield approaches for the prevention and treatment of CRC metastasis.
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Qiu L, Zhou G, Cao S. Targeted inhibition of ULK1 enhances daunorubicin sensitivity in acute myeloid leukemia. Life Sci 2019; 243:117234. [PMID: 31887299 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2019.117234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2019] [Revised: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 12/24/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE In acute myeloid leukemia (AML), complete remission can be achieved in parts of patients using cytarabine/anthracycline combination-based chemotherapy, however, drug resistance-related recurrence is still a common cause of treatment failure, leading to high mortality among patients. In our research, we revealed the molecular mechanisms that were sufficient to improve sensitivity of AML cells to the anthracycline daunorubicin (DNR). METHODS We evaluated the effects of autophagy and apoptosis induced by DNR using two AML cell lines HL60 and U937.Western blot was preformed to analyze the apoptotic pathway protein expression and flow cytometric analysis was used to detect the level of apoptosis in AML cells. The levels of autophagy-related proteins were detected by western blotting and autophagic vesicles were observed by electron microscopy. RESULTS DNR effectively induced autophagy in two AML cell lines HL60 and U937 confirming by upregulation of LC3-II lipidation, formation of autophagosomes. Inhibition of autophagy by pharmacologic inhibitor HCQ promoted apoptosis induced by DNR, suggesting that autophagy played a vital role in pro-survival in AML. Furthermore, ULK1 inhibition by a highly selective kinase inhibitor SBI-0206965 and shRNA enhanced cytotoxicity of DNR against AML cells. Independent of mTOR -ULK1 signaling pathway, activation of autophagy of DNR was proved to be mediated by AMPK (pThr172)/ULK1 pathway. CONCLUSIONS These results revealed that pro-survival autophagy induced by ULK1 activation was one of the potential mechanisms of AML resistance to DNR. Targeting ULK1 selectively could be a promising therapeutic strategy to enhance sensitivity of DNR for AML therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Qiu
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410008, China; Hunan Key Laboratory of Pharmacogenetics, Changsha, Hunan 410078, China
| | - Gan Zhou
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410008, China; Hunan Key Laboratory of Pharmacogenetics, Changsha, Hunan 410078, China; National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China; National Institution of Drug Clinical Trial, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, 110 Xiang Ya Road, Changsha, Hunan 410078, China; Engineering Research Center of Applied Technology of Pharmacogenomics, Ministry of Education, 110 Xiangya Road, Changsha 410078, China
| | - Shan Cao
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410008, China; Hunan Key Laboratory of Pharmacogenetics, Changsha, Hunan 410078, China; National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China; National Institution of Drug Clinical Trial, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, 110 Xiang Ya Road, Changsha, Hunan 410078, China.
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Khan T, Relitti N, Brindisi M, Magnano S, Zisterer D, Gemma S, Butini S, Campiani G. Autophagy modulators for the treatment of oral and esophageal squamous cell carcinomas. Med Res Rev 2019; 40:1002-1060. [PMID: 31742748 DOI: 10.1002/med.21646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2019] [Revised: 10/16/2019] [Accepted: 11/08/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC) and esophageal squamous cell carcinomas (ESCC) exhibit a survival rate of less than 60% and 40%, respectively. Late-stage diagnosis and lack of effective treatment strategies make both OSCC and ESCC a significant health burden. Autophagy, a lysosome-dependent catabolic process, involves the degradation of intracellular components to maintain cell homeostasis. Targeting autophagy has been highlighted as a feasible therapeutic strategy with clinical utility in cancer treatment, although its associated regulatory mechanisms remain elusive. The detection of relevant biomarkers in biological fluids has been anticipated to facilitate early diagnosis and/or prognosis for these tumors. In this context, recent studies have indicated the presence of specific proteins and small RNAs, detectable in circulating plasma and serum, as biomarkers. Interestingly, the interplay between biomarkers (eg, exosomal microRNAs) and autophagic processes could be exploited in the quest for targeted and more effective therapies for OSCC and ESCC. In this review, we give an overview of the available biomarkers and innovative targeted therapeutic strategies, including the application of autophagy modulators in OSCC and ESCC. Additionally, we provide a viewpoint on the state of the art and on future therapeutic perspectives combining the early detection of relevant biomarkers with drug discovery for the treatment of OSCC and ESCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tuhina Khan
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry, and Pharmacy, Department of Excellence 2018-2022, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
| | - Nicola Relitti
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry, and Pharmacy, Department of Excellence 2018-2022, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
| | - Margherita Brindisi
- Department of Pharmacy, Department of Excellence 2018-2022, University of Napoli Federico IL, Napoli, Italy
| | - Stefania Magnano
- School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, 152-160, Pearse Street, Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Daniela Zisterer
- School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, 152-160, Pearse Street, Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Sandra Gemma
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry, and Pharmacy, Department of Excellence 2018-2022, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
| | - Stefania Butini
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry, and Pharmacy, Department of Excellence 2018-2022, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Campiani
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry, and Pharmacy, Department of Excellence 2018-2022, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
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Targeting Autophagy for Cancer Treatment and Tumor Chemosensitization. Cancers (Basel) 2019; 11:cancers11101599. [PMID: 31635099 PMCID: PMC6826429 DOI: 10.3390/cancers11101599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2019] [Revised: 10/14/2019] [Accepted: 10/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Autophagy is a tightly regulated catabolic process that facilitates nutrient recycling from damaged organelles and other cellular components through lysosomal degradation. Deregulation of this process has been associated with the development of several pathophysiological processes, such as cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. In cancer, autophagy has opposing roles, being either cytoprotective or cytotoxic. Thus, deciphering the role of autophagy in each tumor context is crucial. Moreover, autophagy has been shown to contribute to chemoresistance in some patients. In this regard, autophagy modulation has recently emerged as a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment and chemosensitization of tumors, and has already demonstrated positive clinical results in patients. In this review, the dual role of autophagy during carcinogenesis is discussed and current therapeutic strategies aimed at targeting autophagy for the treatment of cancer, both under preclinical and clinical development, are presented. The use of autophagy modulators in combination therapies, in order to overcome drug resistance during cancer treatment, is also discussed as well as the potential challenges and limitations for the use of these novel therapeutic strategies in the clinic.
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45
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Kwon Y, Kim M, Jung HS, Kim Y, Jeoung D. Targeting Autophagy for Overcoming Resistance to Anti-EGFR Treatments. Cancers (Basel) 2019; 11:cancers11091374. [PMID: 31527477 PMCID: PMC6769649 DOI: 10.3390/cancers11091374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2019] [Revised: 08/30/2019] [Accepted: 09/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) plays critical roles in cell proliferation, tumorigenesis, and anti-cancer drug resistance. Overexpression and somatic mutations of EGFR result in enhanced cancer cell survival. Therefore, EGFR can be a target for the development of anti-cancer therapy. Patients with cancers, including non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC), have been shown to response to EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) and anti-EGFR antibodies. However, resistance to these anti-EGFR treatments has developed. Autophagy has emerged as a potential mechanism involved in the acquired resistance to anti-EGFR treatments. Anti-EGFR treatments can induce autophagy and result in resistance to anti-EGFR treatments. Autophagy is a programmed catabolic process stimulated by various stimuli. It promotes cellular survival under these stress conditions. Under normal conditions, EGFR-activated phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT serine/threonine kinase (AKT)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling inhibits autophagy while EGFR/rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (RAS)/mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK)/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling promotes autophagy. Thus, targeting autophagy may overcome resistance to anti-EGFR treatments. Inhibitors targeting autophagy and EGFR signaling have been under development. In this review, we discuss crosstalk between EGFR signaling and autophagy. We also assess whether autophagy inhibition, along with anti-EGFR treatments, might represent a promising approach to overcome resistance to anti-EGFR treatments in various cancers. In addition, we discuss new developments concerning anti-autophagy therapeutics for overcoming resistance to anti-EGFR treatments in various cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoojung Kwon
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Natural Sciences, Kangwon National University, Chunchon 24341, Korea.
| | - Misun Kim
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Natural Sciences, Kangwon National University, Chunchon 24341, Korea.
| | - Hyun Suk Jung
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Natural Sciences, Kangwon National University, Chunchon 24341, Korea.
| | - Youngmi Kim
- Institute of New Frontier Research, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Chunchon 24251, Korea.
| | - Dooil Jeoung
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Natural Sciences, Kangwon National University, Chunchon 24341, Korea.
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Das CK, Banerjee I, Mandal M. Pro-survival autophagy: An emerging candidate of tumor progression through maintaining hallmarks of cancer. Semin Cancer Biol 2019; 66:59-74. [PMID: 31430557 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2019.08.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2019] [Revised: 07/30/2019] [Accepted: 08/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Autophagy is an evolutionary conserved catabolic process that regulates the cellular homeostasis by targeting damaged cellular contents and organelles for lysosomal degradation and sustains genomic integrity, cellular metabolism, and cell survival during diverse stress and adverse conditions. Recently, the role of autophagy is extremely debated in the regulation of cancer initiation and progression. Although autophagy has a dichotomous role in the regulation of cancer, growing numbers of studies largely indicate the pro-survival role of autophagy in cancer progression and metastasis. In this review, we discuss the detailed mechanisms of autophagy, the role of pro-survival autophagy that positively drives several classical as well as emerging hallmarks of cancer for tumorigenic progression, and also we address various autophagy inhibitors that could be harnessed against pro-survival autophagy for effective cancer therapeutics. Finally, we highlight some outstanding problems that need to be deciphered extensively in the future to unravel the role of autophagy in tumor progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chandan Kanta Das
- School of Medical Science and Technology, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal, India
| | - Indranil Banerjee
- School of Medical Science and Technology, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal, India
| | - Mahitosh Mandal
- School of Medical Science and Technology, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal, India.
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Deng LM, Tan T, Zhang TY, Xiao XF, Gu H. miR‑1 reverses multidrug resistance in gastric cancer cells via downregulation of sorcin through promoting the accumulation of intracellular drugs and apoptosis of cells. Int J Oncol 2019; 55:451-461. [PMID: 31268161 PMCID: PMC6615921 DOI: 10.3892/ijo.2019.4831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2018] [Accepted: 05/22/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide and results in the second greatest rate of cancer-associated mortality globally. Multidrug resistance (MDR) often develops during the chemotherapy, resulting in the failure of treatment. To investigate the molecular mechanism of MDR, the roles of microRNA (miR)-1 were studied in GC. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting were used to investigate the expression levels of miR-1 and sorcin in SGC7901/ADM and SGC7901/VCR cell lines. The effect of miR-1 on the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50), cell apoptosis rates and drug accumulation was uncovered by MTT assay and flow cytometric analysis. Furthermore, dual-luciferase assay and western blotting were used to determine the target of miR-1 in GC. It was demonstrated that miR-1 was highly downregulated in MDR GC cell lines, including SGC7901/ADM and SGC7901/VCR. Overexpression of miR-1 in MDR GC cells decreased IC50, but increased the cell apoptosis rates and promoted the drug accumulation in cancer cells. Dual-luciferase activity assay indicated that sorcin was the target of miR-1 in GC. In addition, overexpression of sorcin could partially reverse the effect of miR-1 in MDR GC cells. The role of miR-1 in MDR GC cells makes it a potential therapeutic target for a successful clinical outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lang-Mei Deng
- Critical Care Center, The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410013, P.R. China
| | - Tan Tan
- Department of Inspection, Chenzhou No.1 People's Hospital, Chenzhou, Hunan 423000, P.R. China
| | - Tian-Yi Zhang
- Critical Care Center, The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410013, P.R. China
| | - Xue-Fei Xiao
- Critical Care Center, The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410013, P.R. China
| | - Huan Gu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410008, P.R. China
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Conservation of structure, function and inhibitor binding in UNC-51-like kinase 1 and 2 (ULK1/2). Biochem J 2019; 476:875-887. [PMID: 30782972 DOI: 10.1042/bcj20190038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2019] [Revised: 02/14/2019] [Accepted: 02/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Autophagy is essential for cellular homeostasis and when deregulated this survival mechanism has been associated with disease development. Inhibition of autophagy initiation by inhibiting the kinase ULK1 (Unc-51-like autophagy activating kinase 1) has been proposed as a potential cancer therapy. While inhibitors and crystal structures of ULK1 have been reported, little is known about the other closely related kinase ULK2 (Unc-51-like autophagy activating kinase 2). Here, we present the crystal structure of ULK2 in complex with ATP competitive inhibitors. Surprisingly, the ULK2 structure revealed a dimeric assembly reminiscent of dimeric arrangements of auto-activating kinases suggesting a role for this association in ULK activation. Screening of a kinase focused library of pre-clinical and clinical compounds revealed several potent ULK1/2 inhibitors and good correlation of inhibitor-binding behavior with both ULK kinases. Aurora A was identified as a major off-target of currently used ULK1 inhibitors. Autophagic flux assays demonstrated that this off-target activity by strongly inducing autophagy in different cellular systems conferred an additional layer of complexity in the interpretation of cellular data. The data presented here provide structural models and chemical starting points for the development of ULK1/2 dual inhibitors with improved selectivity for future exploitation of autophagy inhibition.
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