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Beikbaghban T, Proietti L, Ebner J, Sango R, Rattei T, Weichhart T, Grebien F, Sternberg F, Pohl EE. Differential regulation of mitochondrial uncoupling protein 2 in cancer cells. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. BIOENERGETICS 2024; 1865:149486. [PMID: 38986826 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbabio.2024.149486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2024] [Accepted: 06/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/12/2024]
Abstract
The persistent growth of cancer cells is underscored by complex metabolic reprogramming, with mitochondria playing a key role in the transition to aerobic glycolysis and representing new therapeutic targets. Mitochondrial uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) has attracted interest because of its abundance in rapidly proliferating cells, including cancer cells, and its involvement in cellular metabolism. However, the specific contributions of UCP2 to cancer biology remain poorly defined. Our investigation of UCP2 expression in various human and mouse cancer cell lines aimed to elucidate its links to metabolic states, proliferation, and adaptation to environmental stresses such as hypoxia and nutrient deprivation. We observed significant variability in UCP2 expression across cancer types, with no direct correlation to their metabolic activity or proliferation rates. UCP2 abundance was also differentially affected by nutrient availability in different cancer cells, but UCP2 was generally downregulated under hypoxia. These findings challenge the notion that UCP2 is a marker of malignant potential and suggest its more complex involvement in the metabolic landscape of cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taraneh Beikbaghban
- Physiology and Biophysics, Department of Biological Sciences and Pathobiology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ludovica Proietti
- Institute for Medical Biochemistry, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Jessica Ebner
- Institute for Medical Biochemistry, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Roko Sango
- Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Center of Pathobiochemistry and Genetics, Institute of Medical Genetics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Doctoral School in Microbiology and Environmental Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Rattei
- Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Weichhart
- Center of Pathobiochemistry and Genetics, Institute of Medical Genetics, Medical University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Florian Grebien
- Institute for Medical Biochemistry, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria; St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria; CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Felix Sternberg
- Physiology and Biophysics, Department of Biological Sciences and Pathobiology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria; Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Austria.
| | - Elena E Pohl
- Physiology and Biophysics, Department of Biological Sciences and Pathobiology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria.
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Bruserud Ø, Selheim F, Hernandez-Valladares M, Reikvam H. Monocytic Differentiation in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells: Diagnostic Criteria, Biological Heterogeneity, Mitochondrial Metabolism, Resistance to and Induction by Targeted Therapies. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:6356. [PMID: 38928061 PMCID: PMC11203697 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25126356] [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: 05/05/2024] [Revised: 05/31/2024] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
We review the importance of monocytic differentiation and differentiation induction in non-APL (acute promyelocytic leukemia) variants of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a malignancy characterized by proliferation of immature myeloid cells. Even though the cellular differentiation block is a fundamental characteristic, the AML cells can show limited signs of differentiation. According to the French-American-British (FAB-M4/M5 subset) and the World Health Organization (WHO) 2016 classifications, monocytic differentiation is characterized by morphological signs and the expression of specific molecular markers involved in cellular communication and adhesion. Furthermore, monocytic FAB-M4/M5 patients are heterogeneous with regards to cytogenetic and molecular genetic abnormalities, and monocytic differentiation does not have any major prognostic impact for these patients when receiving conventional intensive cytotoxic therapy. In contrast, FAB-M4/M5 patients have decreased susceptibility to the Bcl-2 inhibitor venetoclax, and this seems to be due to common molecular characteristics involving mitochondrial regulation of the cellular metabolism and survival, including decreased dependency on Bcl-2 compared to other AML patients. Thus, the susceptibility to Bcl-2 inhibition does not only depend on general resistance/susceptibility mechanisms known from conventional AML therapy but also specific mechanisms involving the molecular target itself or the molecular context of the target. AML cell differentiation status is also associated with susceptibility to other targeted therapies (e.g., CDK2/4/6 and bromodomain inhibition), and differentiation induction seems to be a part of the antileukemic effect for several targeted anti-AML therapies. Differentiation-associated molecular mechanisms may thus become important in the future implementation of targeted therapies in human AML.
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MESH Headings
- Humans
- Cell Differentiation
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/metabolism
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/pathology
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/diagnosis
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/drug therapy
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/genetics
- Mitochondria/metabolism
- Monocytes/metabolism
- Monocytes/pathology
- Drug Resistance, Neoplasm/genetics
- Molecular Targeted Therapy
- Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology
- Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use
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Affiliation(s)
- Øystein Bruserud
- Acute Leukemia Research Group, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, 5007 Bergen, Norway; (M.H.-V.); (H.R.)
- Section for Hematology, Department of Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, 5009 Bergen, Norway
| | - Frode Selheim
- Proteomics Unit of University of Bergen (PROBE), University of Bergen, Jonas Lies vei 91, 5009 Bergen, Norway;
| | - Maria Hernandez-Valladares
- Acute Leukemia Research Group, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, 5007 Bergen, Norway; (M.H.-V.); (H.R.)
- Department of Physical Chemistry, University of Granada, Avenida de la Fuente Nueva S/N, 18071 Granada, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria ibs.GRANADA, 18012 Granada, Spain
| | - Håkon Reikvam
- Acute Leukemia Research Group, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, 5007 Bergen, Norway; (M.H.-V.); (H.R.)
- Section for Hematology, Department of Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, 5009 Bergen, Norway
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Chen Z, Wang W, Hu S, Sun H, Chen C, Zhang Z, Sun X, Jia B, Hu J, Wang C, Liu Y, Sun Z. YTHDF2-mediated circYAP1 drives immune escape and cancer progression through activating YAP1/TCF4-PD-L1 axis. iScience 2024; 27:108779. [PMID: 38292420 PMCID: PMC10825049 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Revised: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Immune escape is identified as one of the reasons for the poor prognosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. Circular RNAs are considered to promote tumor progression by mediating tumor immune escape. We discovered that higher expression of circYAP1 was associated with a worse prognosis of CRC patients. Functional experiments in vitro and in vivo showed that circYAP1 upregulation inhibited the cytotoxicity of CD8+ T cells by upregulating programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1). Mechanistically, we found that circYAP1 directly binds to the YAP1 protein to prevent its phosphorylation, enhancing proportion of YAP1 protein in the nucleus, and that YAP1 interacts with TCF4 to target the PD-L1 promoter and initiate PD-L1 transcription in CRC cells. Taken together, circYAP1 promotes CRC immune escape and tumor progression by activating the YAP1/TCF4-PD-L1 axis and may provide a new strategy for combination immunotherapy of CRC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhuang Chen
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
- Henan Institute of Interconnected Intelligent Health Management, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
| | - Wenkang Wang
- Department of Breast Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
| | - Shengyun Hu
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
| | - Haifeng Sun
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
| | - Chen Chen
- Henan Institute of Interconnected Intelligent Health Management, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
| | - Zhiyong Zhang
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
| | - Xinzhi Sun
- Department of Orthopaedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
| | - Bin Jia
- Department of Oncology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
| | - Junhong Hu
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
| | - Chengzeng Wang
- Henan Institute of Interconnected Intelligent Health Management, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
- Department of Ultrasound, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
| | - Yang Liu
- Department of Radiotherapy, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University & Henan Cancer Hospital, Zhengzhou 450008, China
| | - Zhenqiang Sun
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
- Henan Institute of Interconnected Intelligent Health Management, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
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Kim SW, Kim CW, Kim HS. Scoparone attenuates PD-L1 expression in human breast cancer cells by MKP-3 upregulation. Anim Cells Syst (Seoul) 2024; 28:55-65. [PMID: 38348341 PMCID: PMC10860470 DOI: 10.1080/19768354.2024.2315950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is a frequently occurring malignant tumor that is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in women worldwide. Monoclonal antibodies that block programed cell death 1 (PD-1)/programed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) - a typical immune checkpoint - are currently the recommended standard therapies for many advanced and metastatic tumors such as triple-negative breast cancer. However, some patients develop drug resistance, leading to unfavorable treatment outcomes. Therefore, other approaches are required for anticancer treatments, such as downregulation of PD-L1 expression and promotion of degradation of PD-L1. Scoparone (SCO) is a bioactive compound isolated from Artemisia capillaris that exhibits antitumor activity. However, the effect of SCO on PD-L1 expression in cancer has not been confirmed yet. This study aimed to evaluate the role of SCO in PD-L1 expression in breast cancer cells in vitro. Our results show that SCO downregulated PD-L1 expression in a dose-dependent manner, via AKT inhibition. Interestingly, SCO treatment did not alter PTEN expression, but increased the expression of mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase-3 (MKP-3). In addition, the SCO-induced decrease in PD-L1 expression was reversed by siRNA-mediated MKP-3 knockdown. Collectively, these findings suggest that SCO inhibited the expression of PD-L1 in breast cancer cells by upregulating MKP-3 expression. Therefore, SCO may serve as an innovative combinatorial agent for cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seung-Woo Kim
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Inha University College of Medicine, Incheon, Republic of Korea
| | - Chan Woo Kim
- Cancer Immunotherapy Evaluation Team, Non-Clinical Evaluation Center, Osong Medical Innovation Foundation (KBIO Health), Cheongju, Republic of Korea
| | - Hong Seok Kim
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Inha University College of Medicine, Incheon, Republic of Korea
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Bolkun L, Tynecka M, Walewska A, Bernatowicz M, Piszcz J, Cichocka E, Wandtke T, Czemerska M, Wierzbowska A, Moniuszko M, Grubczak K, Eljaszewicz A. The Association between Immune Checkpoint Proteins and Therapy Outcomes in Acute Myeloid Leukaemia Patients. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:4487. [PMID: 37760457 PMCID: PMC10526931 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15184487] [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: 08/07/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The development of novel drugs with different mechanisms of action has dramatically changed the treatment landscape of AML patients in recent years. Considering a significant dysregulation of the immune system, inhibitors of immune checkpoint (ICI) proteins provide a substantial therapeutic option for those subjects. However, use of ICI in haematological malignancies remains very limited, in contrast to their wide use in solid tumours. Here, we analysed expression patterns of the most promising selected checkpoint-based therapeutic targets in AML patients. Peripheral blood of 72 untreated AML patients was used for flow cytometric analysis. Expression of PD-1, PD-L1, CTLA-4, and B7-H3 was assessed within CD4+ (Th) lymphocytes and CD33+ blast cells. Patients were stratified based on therapy outcome and cytogenetic molecular risk. AML non-responders (NR) showed a higher frequency of PD-1 in Th cells compared to those with complete remission (CR). Reduced blast cell level of CTLA-4 was another factor differentiating CR from NR subjects. Elevated levels of PD-1 were associated with a trend for poorer patients' survival. Additionally, prognosis for AML patients was worse in case of a higher frequency of B7-H3 in Th lymphocytes. In summary, we showed the significance of selected ICI as outcome predictors in AML management. Further, multicentre studies are required for validation of those data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukasz Bolkun
- Department of Haematology, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-276 Bialystok, Poland (J.P.)
| | - Marlena Tynecka
- Department of Regenerative Medicine and Immune Regulation, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-269 Bialystok, Poland (A.W.); (M.M.)
| | - Alicja Walewska
- Department of Regenerative Medicine and Immune Regulation, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-269 Bialystok, Poland (A.W.); (M.M.)
| | - Malgorzata Bernatowicz
- Department of Haematology, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-276 Bialystok, Poland (J.P.)
| | - Jaroslaw Piszcz
- Department of Haematology, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-276 Bialystok, Poland (J.P.)
| | - Edyta Cichocka
- Department of Haematology, Rydygiera Hospital in Torun, 87-100 Torun, Poland;
| | - Tomasz Wandtke
- Department of Lung Diseases, Neoplasms and Tuberculosis, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, 85-326 Bydgoszcz, Poland;
| | - Magdalena Czemerska
- Department of Hematology, Medical University of Lodz, 93-510 Lodz, Poland (A.W.)
| | | | - Marcin Moniuszko
- Department of Regenerative Medicine and Immune Regulation, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-269 Bialystok, Poland (A.W.); (M.M.)
- Department of Allergology and Internal Medicine, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-276 Bialystok, Poland
| | - Kamil Grubczak
- Department of Regenerative Medicine and Immune Regulation, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-269 Bialystok, Poland (A.W.); (M.M.)
| | - Andrzej Eljaszewicz
- Department of Regenerative Medicine and Immune Regulation, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-269 Bialystok, Poland (A.W.); (M.M.)
- Tissue and Cell Bank, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-269 Bialystok, Poland
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