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Xie X, Yu T, Li X, Zhang N, Foster LJ, Peng C, Huang W, He G. Recent advances in targeting the "undruggable" proteins: from drug discovery to clinical trials. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2023; 8:335. [PMID: 37669923 PMCID: PMC10480221 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-023-01589-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Revised: 07/22/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Undruggable proteins are a class of proteins that are often characterized by large, complex structures or functions that are difficult to interfere with using conventional drug design strategies. Targeting such undruggable targets has been considered also a great opportunity for treatment of human diseases and has attracted substantial efforts in the field of medicine. Therefore, in this review, we focus on the recent development of drug discovery targeting "undruggable" proteins and their application in clinic. To make this review well organized, we discuss the design strategies targeting the undruggable proteins, including covalent regulation, allosteric inhibition, protein-protein/DNA interaction inhibition, targeted proteins regulation, nucleic acid-based approach, immunotherapy and others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, College of Medical Technology and School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 611137, Chengdu, China
- Michael Smith Laboratories, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Tingting Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, College of Medical Technology and School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 611137, Chengdu, China
| | - Xiang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, College of Medical Technology and School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 611137, Chengdu, China
| | - Nan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, College of Medical Technology and School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 611137, Chengdu, China
- Department of Dermatology and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, 610041, Chengdu, China
| | - Leonard J Foster
- Michael Smith Laboratories, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Cheng Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, College of Medical Technology and School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 611137, Chengdu, China.
| | - Wei Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, College of Medical Technology and School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 611137, Chengdu, China.
| | - Gu He
- Department of Dermatology and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, 610041, Chengdu, China.
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Zhang L, Wang Y, Chen P, Wang D, Sun T, Zhang Z, Wang R, Kang X, Fang Y, Lu H, Cai J, Ren M, Dong SS, Zhang K. A mechanistic study on the cellular uptake, intracellular trafficking, and antisense gene regulation of bottlebrush polymer-conjugated oligonucleotides. RSC Chem Biol 2023; 4:138-145. [PMID: 36794022 PMCID: PMC9906284 DOI: 10.1039/d2cb00149g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
We have developed a non-cationic transfection vector in the form of bottlebrush polymer-antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) conjugates. Termed pacDNA (polymer-assisted compaction of DNA), these agents show improved biopharmaceutical characteristics and antisense potency in vivo while suppressing non-antisense side effects. Nonetheless, there still is a lack of the mechanistic understanding of the cellular uptake, subcellular trafficking, and gene knockdown with pacDNA. Here, we show that the pacDNA enters human non-small cell lung cancer cells (NCI-H358) predominantly by scavenger receptor-mediated endocytosis and macropinocytosis and trafficks via the endolysosomal pathway within the cell. The pacDNA significantly reduces a target gene expression (KRAS) in the protein level but not in the mRNA level, despite that the transfection of certain free ASOs causes ribonuclease H1 (RNase H)-dependent degradation of KRAS mRNA. In addition, the antisense activity of pacDNA is independent of ASO chemical modification, suggesting that the pacDNA always functions as a steric blocker.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Zhang
- Chemicobiology and Functional Materials Institute, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology Nanjing 210094 P. R. China
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern University Boston Massachusetts 02115 USA
| | - Yuyan Wang
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern University Boston Massachusetts 02115 USA
| | - Peiru Chen
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern University Boston Massachusetts 02115 USA
| | - Dali Wang
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern University Boston Massachusetts 02115 USA
| | - Tingyu Sun
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern University Boston Massachusetts 02115 USA
| | - Zheyu Zhang
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern University Boston Massachusetts 02115 USA
| | - Ruimeng Wang
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern University Boston Massachusetts 02115 USA
| | - Xi Kang
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern University Boston Massachusetts 02115 USA
| | - Yang Fang
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern University Boston Massachusetts 02115 USA
| | - Hao Lu
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern University Boston Massachusetts 02115 USA
| | - Jiansong Cai
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern University Boston Massachusetts 02115 USA
| | - Mengqi Ren
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern University Boston Massachusetts 02115 USA
| | - Sijia S Dong
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern University Boston Massachusetts 02115 USA
| | - Ke Zhang
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern University Boston Massachusetts 02115 USA
- Departments of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, Northeastern University Boston Massachusetts 02115 USA
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Dai H, Abdullah R, Wu X, Li F, Ma Y, Lu A, Zhang G. Pancreatic Cancer: Nucleic Acid Drug Discovery and Targeted Therapy. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:855474. [PMID: 35652096 PMCID: PMC9149368 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.855474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2022] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of the most lethal cancers with an almost 10% 5-year survival rate. Because PC is implicated in high heterogeneity, desmoplastic tumor-microenvironment, and inefficient drug-penetration, the chemotherapeutic strategy currently recommended for the treatment of PC has limited clinical benefit. Nucleic acid-based targeting therapies have become strong competitors in the realm of drug discovery and targeted therapy. A vast evidence has demonstrated that antibody-based or alternatively aptamer-based strategy largely contributed to the elevated drug accumulation in tumors with reduced systematic cytotoxicity. This review describes the advanced progress of antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs), small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), microRNAs (miRNAs), messenger RNA (mRNAs), and aptamer-drug conjugates (ApDCs) in the treatment of PC, revealing the bright application and development direction in PC therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong Dai
- Law Sau Fai Institute for Advancing Translational Medicine in Bone and Joint Diseases, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Institute of Integrated Bioinfomedicine and Translational Science, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Razack Abdullah
- Law Sau Fai Institute for Advancing Translational Medicine in Bone and Joint Diseases, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Institute for the Advancement of Chinese medicine (IACM) .Ltd, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Xiaoqiu Wu
- Law Sau Fai Institute for Advancing Translational Medicine in Bone and Joint Diseases, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Institute of Integrated Bioinfomedicine and Translational Science, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Fangfei Li
- Law Sau Fai Institute for Advancing Translational Medicine in Bone and Joint Diseases, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Institute of Integrated Bioinfomedicine and Translational Science, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Institute of Precision Medicine and Innovative Drug Discovery, HKBU Institute for Research and Continuing Education, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yuan Ma
- Law Sau Fai Institute for Advancing Translational Medicine in Bone and Joint Diseases, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Institute of Integrated Bioinfomedicine and Translational Science, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Institute of Precision Medicine and Innovative Drug Discovery, HKBU Institute for Research and Continuing Education, Shenzhen, China
| | - Aiping Lu
- Law Sau Fai Institute for Advancing Translational Medicine in Bone and Joint Diseases, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Institute of Integrated Bioinfomedicine and Translational Science, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Institute of Precision Medicine and Innovative Drug Discovery, HKBU Institute for Research and Continuing Education, Shenzhen, China
| | - Ge Zhang
- Law Sau Fai Institute for Advancing Translational Medicine in Bone and Joint Diseases, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Institute of Integrated Bioinfomedicine and Translational Science, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Institute of Precision Medicine and Innovative Drug Discovery, HKBU Institute for Research and Continuing Education, Shenzhen, China
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Xue C, Wang L, Huang H, Wang R, Yuan P, Wu ZS. Stimuli-Induced Upgrade of Nuclease-Resistant DNA Nanostructure Composed of a Single Molecular Beacon for Detecting Mutant Genes. ACS Sens 2021; 6:4029-4037. [PMID: 34731570 DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.1c01423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
As a kind of cell-free DNA in the bloodstream liberated from tumor cells, circulating tumor DNAs (ctDNAs) have been recognized as promising biomarkers in the field of early cancer diagnosis. However, robust, sensitive, and accurate detection of ctDNA in serum remains extremely challenging, especially toward the mutant KRAS gene, one of the most frequently mutated genes. Although DNA oligonucleotides as emerging practical signaling materials have been developed as sensitive and accurate tools, some intrinsic defects need to be overcome, such as fragility in complex biological environments. In this work, on the basis of the hydrophilicity-promoted assembly, a core/shell DNA nanostructure (DNS-MB) probe is constructed from only one hairpin-shaped probe (cholesterol-modified palindromic molecular beacon, Chol-PMB) for the amplification detection of KRAS mutation in serum without the need for any auxiliary probe. Chol-PMB is designed to recognize target DNA and serve as a polymerization primer and template, and thus target species can initiate polymerization-based strand displacement amplification (SDA). Moreover, target DNA is able to induce further aggregation of DNS-MB particles due to the enzymatic cross-linking effect, leading to a structural upgrade. The DNS-MB probe exhibits a detection limit of 50 fM and a wide quantitative range (from 50 fM to 160 nM). In addition, single nucleotide polymorphisms can be discriminated, such as mutant KRAS G12D (KRAS-M), providing a desirable platform for screening ctDNAs. More excitingly, because the termini of DNA components are hidden inward from nuclease attack, DNS-MB circumvents a false-positive signal even in freshly sampled serum and is suitable for application in the complex biological milieu. As a proof of concept, the DNS-MB probe is expected to provide useful insight into the development of simple and degradation-resistant DNA probes for substantially amplified detection of ctDNAs in complex serum, showing potential applications in the field of early tumor diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chang Xue
- College of Chemical Engineering, Cancer Metastasis Alert and Prevention Center, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Cancer Metastasis Chemoprevention and Chemotherapy, Pharmaceutical Photocatalysis of State Key Laboratory of Photocatalysis on Energy and Environment, College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, China
| | - Lei Wang
- College of Chemical Engineering, Cancer Metastasis Alert and Prevention Center, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Cancer Metastasis Chemoprevention and Chemotherapy, Pharmaceutical Photocatalysis of State Key Laboratory of Photocatalysis on Energy and Environment, College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, China
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Phytohormones and Growth Development, College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China
| | - Hong Huang
- College of Chemical Engineering, Cancer Metastasis Alert and Prevention Center, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Cancer Metastasis Chemoprevention and Chemotherapy, Pharmaceutical Photocatalysis of State Key Laboratory of Photocatalysis on Energy and Environment, College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, China
| | - Ruozhong Wang
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Phytohormones and Growth Development, College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China
| | - Pei Yuan
- College of Chemical Engineering, Cancer Metastasis Alert and Prevention Center, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Cancer Metastasis Chemoprevention and Chemotherapy, Pharmaceutical Photocatalysis of State Key Laboratory of Photocatalysis on Energy and Environment, College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, China
| | - Zai-Sheng Wu
- College of Chemical Engineering, Cancer Metastasis Alert and Prevention Center, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Cancer Metastasis Chemoprevention and Chemotherapy, Pharmaceutical Photocatalysis of State Key Laboratory of Photocatalysis on Energy and Environment, College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, China
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Petanidis S, Anestakis D, Argyraki M, Hadzopoulou-Cladaras M, Salifoglou A. Differential expression of IL-17, 22 and 23 in the progression of colorectal cancer in patients with K-ras mutation: Ras signal inhibition and crosstalk with GM-CSF and IFN-γ. PLoS One 2013; 8:e73616. [PMID: 24040001 PMCID: PMC3765247 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0073616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2013] [Accepted: 07/23/2013] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent studies have suggested that aberrant K-ras signaling is responsible for triggering immunological responses and inflammation-driven tumorigenesis. Interleukins IL-17, IL-22, and IL-23 have been reported in various types of malignancies, but the exact mechanistic role of these molecules remains to be elucidated. Given the role of K-ras and the involvement of interleukins in colorectal tumorigenesis, research efforts are reported for the first time, showing that differentially expressed interleukin IL-17, IL-22, and IL-23 levels are associated with K-ras in a stage-specific fashion along colorectal cancer progression. Specifically, a) the effect of K-ras signaling was investigated in the overall expression of interleukins in patients with colorectal cancer and healthy controls, and b) an association was established between mutant K-ras and cytokines GM-CSF and IFN-γ. The results indicate that specific interleukins are differentially expressed in K-ras positive patients and the use of K-ras inhibitor Manumycin A decreases both interleukin levels and apoptosis in Caco-2 cells by inhibiting cell viability. Finally, inflammation-driven GM-CSF and IFN-γ levels are modulated through interleukin expression in tumor patients, with interleukin expression in the intestinal lumen and cancerous tissue mediated by aberrant K-ras signaling. Collectively, the findings a) indicate that interleukin expression is influenced by ras signaling and specific interleukins play an oncogenic promoter role in colorectal cancer, highlighting the molecular link between inflammation and tumorigenesis, and b) accentuate the interwoven molecular correlations as leads to new therapeutic approaches in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Savvas Petanidis
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Doxakis Anestakis
- Laboratory of General Biology, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Maria Argyraki
- Laboratory of General Biology, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Margarita Hadzopoulou-Cladaras
- Department of Genetics, Development and Molecular Biology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Athanasios Salifoglou
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
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Kothari V, Wei I, Shankar S, Kalyana-Sundaram S, Wang L, Ma LW, Vats P, Grasso CS, Robinson DR, Wu YM, Cao X, Simeone DM, Chinnaiyan AM, Kumar-Sinha C. Outlier kinase expression by RNA sequencing as targets for precision therapy. Cancer Discov 2013; 3:280-93. [PMID: 23384775 DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.cd-12-0336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Protein kinases represent the most effective class of therapeutic targets in cancer; therefore, determination of kinase aberrations is a major focus of cancer genomic studies. Here, we analyzed transcriptome sequencing data from a compendium of 482 cancer and benign samples from 25 different tissue types, and defined distinct "outlier kinases" in individual breast and pancreatic cancer samples, based on highest levels of absolute and differential expression. Frequent outlier kinases in breast cancer included therapeutic targets like ERBB2 and FGFR4, distinct from MET, AKT2, and PLK2 in pancreatic cancer. Outlier kinases imparted sample-specific dependencies in various cell lines, as tested by siRNA knockdown and/or pharmacologic inhibition. Outlier expression of polo-like kinases was observed in a subset of KRAS-dependent pancreatic cancer cell lines, and conferred increased sensitivity to the pan-PLK inhibitor BI-6727. Our results suggest that outlier kinases represent effective precision therapeutic targets that are readily identifiable through RNA sequencing of tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vishal Kothari
- Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
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The therapeutic effect of cytokine-induced killer cells on pancreatic cancer enhanced by dendritic cells pulsed with K-ras mutant peptide. Clin Dev Immunol 2011; 2011:649359. [PMID: 22347323 PMCID: PMC3278929 DOI: 10.1155/2011/649359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2011] [Accepted: 09/22/2011] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study is to investigate the role of the CIKs cocultured with K-ras-DCs in killing of pancreatic cancer cell lines, PANC-1 (K-ras(+)) and SW1990 (K-ras(-)). METHODS CIKs induced by IFN-γ, IL-2, and anti-CD3 monoantibody, K-ras-DCCIKs obtained by cocultivation of k-ras-DCs and CIKs. Surface markers examined by FACS. IFN-γ IL-12 ,CCL19 and CCL22 detected by ELISA. Proliferation of various CIKs tested via 3H-TdR. Killing activities of k-ras-DCCIKs and CTLs examined with 125IUdR. RESULTS CD3(+)CD56(+) and CD3(+)CD8(+) were highly expressed by K-ras-DCCIKs. In its supernatant, IFN-γ, IL-12, CCL19 and CCL22 were significantly higher than those in DCCIK and CIK. The killing rate of K-ras-DCCIK was greater than those of CIK and CTL. CTL induced by K-ras-DCs only inhibited the PANC-1 cells. CONCLUSIONS The k-ras-DC can enhance CIK's proliferation and increase the killing effect on pancreatic cancer cell. The CTLs induced by K-ras-DC can only inhibit PANC-1 cells. In this study, K-ras-DCCIKs also show the specific inhibition to PANC-1 cells, their tumor suppression is almost same with the CTLs, their total tumor inhibitory efficiency is higher than that of the CTLs.
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Yoshimura K, Olino K, Edil BH, Schulick RD, Oka M. Immuno- and gene-therapeutic strategies targeted against cancer (mainly focusing on pancreatic cancer). Surg Today 2010; 40:404-10. [PMID: 20425541 DOI: 10.1007/s00595-009-4120-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2009] [Accepted: 07/26/2009] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Current treatment modalities of surgical resection and chemotherapy against cancers have improved survival. However, mortality from tumor recurrence remains high. Immunotherapy and gene therapy are potential additions to the treatment arsenal in the care of cancer patients. These novel therapeutic approaches need further investigation in in vitro and in vivo models as they are developed for potential use in humans. Here we reviewed immunotherapies and gene therapies that included clinical trials against cancers (mainly focusing on pancreatic cancer) suggesting the strong possibility of using these novel approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiyoshi Yoshimura
- Department of Surgery II, Yamaguchi University School of Medicine, Ube, Yamaguchi, Japan
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Gene expression profiling of adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette transporters in response to K-ras activation and hypoxia in human pancreatic cancer cell cultures. Pancreas 2009; 38:85-93. [PMID: 19117087 DOI: 10.1097/mpa.0b013e318184aa8a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Pancreatic cancer (PC) is hypoxic and highly resistant to conventional chemotherapy. We sought to determine whether K-ras oncogene and/or hypoxia can induce expression of drug resistance-promoting adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette (ABC) transporters in human PC cell lines. METHODS Immortalized near-normal human pancreatic ductal epithelial(HPDE) cells, HPDE cells expressing K-rasG12V oncogene, and PCcell lines (MIA PaCa-2, PANC-1, BxPC-3) were subjected to hypoxia and examined for messenger RNA expression of 48 ABC transporters. RESULTS Mutant K-ras activation and/or hypoxia of HPDE cells led to induction of various ABC transporters. In the case of PC cell lines, no clear correlation was found between expression of constitutively active K-ras and global ABC transporter expression. Moreover, hypoxic treatment of PC cell lines had different effects on ABC transporter expression.Importantly, PC cell lines did not express the multidrug resistance 1 ABC transporter, a major mechanism of drug resistance. However, multi drug resistance 1 expression in the cells was up-regulated in response to continuous exposure to low doses of vincristine, indicating that drug resistance could be induced. CONCLUSIONS Expression of K-ras oncogene and hypoxia, as well as exposure to drugs, can contribute to drug resistance in PC cells.
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Shen YM, Yang XC, Yang C, Shen JK. Enhanced therapeutic effects for human pancreatic cancer by application K-ras and IGF-IR antisense oligodeoxynucleotides. World J Gastroenterol 2008; 14:5176-85. [PMID: 18777594 PMCID: PMC2744007 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.14.5176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
AIM: To investigate the combined effects of K-ras antisense oligodeoxynucleotide (K-ras ASODN) specific to GTT point mutation at codon 12 and type Iinsulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF-IR) antisense oligodeoxynucleotide (IGF-IR ASODN) on proliferation and apoptosis of human pancreatic cancer Patu8988 cells in vitro and in vivo.
METHODS: K-ras gene point mutation and its style at codon 12 of human pancreatic cancer cell line Patu8988 were detected by using polymerase chain reaction with special sequence primers (PCR-SSP) and sequence analysis. According to the mutation style, K-ras mutation ASODN specific to K-ras point mutation at codon 12 was designed and composed. After K-ras ASODN and IGF-IR ASODN treated on Patu8988 cells respectively or cooperatively, the proliferation and morphological change of Patu8988 cells were analyzed by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazole-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, colony forming assay and transmission electron microscopy; the expression of K-ras and IGF-IR mRNA and protein in the treated cells was measured by reverse-transcript polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and flow cytometry respectively; apoptosis was determined by flow cytometry. The combined antitumor activity of K-ras ASODN and IGF-IR ASODN was evaluated in BALB/c nude mice bearing human pancreatic cancer inoculated with Patu8988 cells.
RESULTS: The results of PCR-SSP and sequence analysis showed that the human pancreatic cancer cell line Patu8988 had point mutation at codon 12, and the mutation style was GGT→GTT. 2-32 μg/mL K-ras ASODN and 2-32 μg/mL IGF-IR ASODN could inhibit Patu8988 cells’ growth, induce apoptosis and decrease the expression of K-ras and IGF-IR mRNA and protein alone. However, there was much more effective inhibition of growth and induction of apoptosis by their combination than by each one alone. In tumor bearing mice, the combination of K-ras ASODN and IGF-IR ASODN showed a significant inhibitory effect on the growth of transplanted pancreatic cancer, resulting in a statistically significant difference compared with each alone.
CONCLUSION: It has been found that K-ras ASODN combined with IGF-IR ASODN could cooperatively inhibit the growth of Patu8988 cells, and induce their apoptosis via reinforcing specific down regulation of K-ras and IGF-IR mRNA and protein expression.
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Rayburn E, Wang W, Zhang R, Wang H. Antisense approaches in drug discovery and development. PROGRESS IN DRUG RESEARCH. FORTSCHRITTE DER ARZNEIMITTELFORSCHUNG. PROGRES DES RECHERCHES PHARMACEUTIQUES 2006; 63:227-74. [PMID: 16265883 DOI: 10.1007/3-7643-7414-4_10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Rayburn
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Division of Clinical Pharmacology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, VH 112, Box 600, 1670 University Blvd., Birmingham, AL 35294-0019, USA
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Abstract
The ras genes give rise to a family of related GTP-binding proteins that exhibit potent transforming potential. Mutational activation of Ras proteins promotes oncogenesis by disturbing a multitude of cellular processes, such as gene expression, cell cycle progression and cell proliferation, as well as cell survival, and cell migration. Ras signalling pathways are well known for their involvement in tumour initiation, but less is known about their contribution to invasion and metastasis. This review summarises the role and mechanisms of Ras signalling, especially the role of the Ras effector cascade Raf/MEK/ERK, as well as the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt pathway in Ras-mediated transformation and tumour progression. In addition, it discusses the impact of Rho GTPases on Ras-mediated transformation and metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klaudia Giehl
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Ulm, D-89069 Ulm, Germany
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13
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Agbunag C, Bar-Sagi D. Oncogenic K-ras drives cell cycle progression and phenotypic conversion of primary pancreatic duct epithelial cells. Cancer Res 2004; 64:5659-63. [PMID: 15313904 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-04-0807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
We have established a primary pancreatic duct epithelial cell culture (PDEC) system to investigate the relationship between oncogenic activation of K-ras and pancreatic ductal tumorigenesis. We have found that the acute introduction of physiological levels of oncogenic K-ras (K-rasV12) into quiescent PDECs stimulates S-phase entry and induces a pronounced increase in cell size. Both effects are dependent on the functional integrity of the phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase (PI3K)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway. In addition, K-rasV12 promotes the loss of epithelial E-cadherin and the gain of mesenchymal N-cadherin in PDEC. Our observations indicate that the oncogenic activation of K-ras is sufficient to elicit mitogenic and morphogenic responses in pancreatic ductal cells and hence is likely to play an instructive role in the initiation of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Agbunag
- Graduate Program in Molecular and Cellular Biology, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York 11794-5222, USA
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