Progesterone acts via the progesterone receptor to induce adamts proteases in ovarian cancer cells

Nuclear receptors in ovarian cancer: changing paradigms in cancer therapeutics

Ovarian cancer (OVC) is one of the most common causes of cancer-related deaths in women worldwide. Despite advancements in detection and therapy, the prognosis of OVC remains poor due to late diagnosis and the lack of effective therapeutic options at advanced stages. Therefore, a better understanding of the biology underlying OVC is essential for the development of effective strategies for early detection and targeted therapies. Nuclear receptors (NRs) are a superfamily of 48 transcription factors that, upon binding to their specific ligand, play a vital role in regulating various cellular processes such as growth, development, metabolism, and homeostasis. Accumulating evidence from several studies has shown that their aberrant expression is associated with multiple human diseases. Numerous NRs have shown significant effects in the development of various cancers, including OVC. This review summarizes the recent findings on the role of NRs in OVC, as well as their potential as prognostic and therapeutic markers. Further, the basic structure and signaling mechanism of NRs have also been discussed briefly. Moreover, this review highlights their cellular and molecular mechanisms in chemoresistance and chemosensitization. Further, the clinical trials targeting NRs for the treatment of OVC have also been discussed.

Novel frontiers in urogenital cancers: from molecular bases to preclinical models to tailor personalized treatments in ovarian and prostate cancer patients

Over the last few decades, the incidence of urogenital cancers has exhibited diverse trends influenced by screening programs and geographical variations. Among women, there has been a consistent or even increased occurrence of endometrial and ovarian cancers; conversely, prostate cancer remains one of the most diagnosed malignancies, with a rise in reported cases, partly due to enhanced and improved screening efforts.Simultaneously, the landscape of cancer therapeutics has undergone a remarkable evolution, encompassing the introduction of targeted therapies and significant advancements in traditional chemotherapy. Modern targeted treatments aim to selectively address the molecular aberrations driving cancer, minimizing adverse effects on normal cells. However, traditional chemotherapy retains its crucial role, offering a broad-spectrum approach that, despite its wider range of side effects, remains indispensable in the treatment of various cancers, often working synergistically with targeted therapies to enhance overall efficacy.For urogenital cancers, especially ovarian and prostate cancers, DNA damage response inhibitors, such as PARP inhibitors, have emerged as promising therapeutic avenues. In BRCA-mutated ovarian cancer, PARP inhibitors like olaparib and niraparib have demonstrated efficacy, leading to their approval for specific indications. Similarly, patients with DNA damage response mutations have shown sensitivity to these agents in prostate cancer, heralding a new frontier in disease management. Furthermore, the progression of ovarian and prostate cancer is intricately linked to hormonal regulation. Ovarian cancer development has also been associated with prolonged exposure to estrogen, while testosterone and its metabolite dihydrotestosterone, can fuel the growth of prostate cancer cells. Thus, understanding the interplay between hormones, DNA damage and repair mechanisms can hold promise for exploring novel targeted therapies for ovarian and prostate tumors.In addition, it is of primary importance the use of preclinical models that mirror as close as possible the biological and genetic features of patients' tumors in order to effectively translate novel therapeutic findings "from the bench to the bedside".In summary, the complex landscape of urogenital cancers underscores the need for innovative approaches. Targeted therapy tailored to DNA repair mechanisms and hormone regulation might offer promising avenues for improving the management and outcomes for patients affected by ovarian and prostate cancers.

Hormone Receptors and Epithelial Ovarian Cancer: Recent Advances in Biology and Treatment Options

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is a significant cause of cancer-related mortality in women. Despite advances in diagnosis and treatment, EOC remains a challenging disease to manage, and the 5-year survival rate is still poor. The role of hormone receptors (HRs) in EOC carcinogenesis and prognosis has been actively explored; however, the role of hormone therapy (HT) in the treatment of these tumors is not well established. Most available data on HT mainly come from retrospective series and small early clinical trials. Several of these studies suggest that HT may have a role in adjuvant, maintenance therapy, or in the case of recurrent disease, especially for some subtypes of EOC (e.g., low-grade serous EOC). Furthermore, HT has recently been combined with targeted therapies, but most studies evaluating these combinations are still ongoing. The main aim of this review is to provide an overview of the progress made in the last decade to characterize the biological and prognostic role of HRs for EOC and the developments in their therapeutic targeting through HT.

Repurposing gestrinone for tumor suppressor through P21 reduction regulated by JNK in gynecological cancer

Endometriosis has been shown to increase the risk of gynecological cancers. However, the effect of gestrinone, a clinical endometriosis drug, on gynecological cancers remains unclear. This study aimed to understand the effect of gestrinone on gynecological cancers. A retrospective study was conducted using the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000 of the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) to observe the risk of gynecological cancers. Medication records from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital CSMUH and cancer records from the Taiwan Cancer Registry were collected to analyze the correlation between gestrinone use and gynecological cancers. Subsequently, human cell lines were used to investigate the effect of gestrinone on gynecological cancers. A total of 8330 endometriosis patients were enrolled, and analyses revealed that endometriosis patients had a higher risk of developing ovarian and endometrial cancer. However, the rate of cervical cancer was not statistically different (P = 0.249). Analyses of both the NHIRD and CSMUH databases revealed that gestrinone may reduce the risk of gynecological cancer. Cellular experiments verified the anticancer effects of gestrinone, which effectively and specifically inhibited the growth of HeLa cervical cancer cells, decreased P21 expression via JNK phosphorylation, and induced apoptosis. Combining the results of clinical database analysis and cell experiments, our findings prove that gestrinone has the potential to protect against cancer through regulation of the JNK-P21 axis. Repurposing the anticancer efficacy of gestrinone may be a strategy for targeted therapy in the future.

Metalloprotease ADAMTS-1 decreases cell migration and invasion modulating the spatiotemporal dynamics of Cdc42 activity

ADAMTSs (A Disintegrin And Metalloproteinase with ThromboSpondin motifs) are secreted proteases dependent on Zn2+/Ca2+, involved in physiological and pathological processes and are part of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Here, we investigated if ADAMTS-1 is required for invasion and migration of cells and the possible mechanism involved. In order to test ADAMTS-1's role in ovarian cancer cells (CHO, NIH-OVCAR-3 and ES2) and NIH-3 T3 fibroblasts, we modified the levels of ADAMTS-1 and compared those to parental. Cells exposed to ADAMTS-1-enriched medium exhibited a decline in cell migration and invasion when compared to controls with or without a functional metalloproteinase domain. The opposite was observed in cells when ADAMTS-1 was deleted via the CRISPR/Cas9 approach. The decline in ADAMTS-1 levels enhanced the phosphorylated form of Src and FAK. We also evaluated the activities of cellular Rho GTPases from cell lysates using the GLISA® kit. The Cdc42-GTP signal was significantly increased in the CRISPR ADAMTS-1 ES-2 cells. By a Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) biosensor for Cdc42 activity in ES-2 cells we demonstrated that Cdc42 activity was strongly polarized at the leading edge of migrating cells with ADAMTS-1 deletion, compared to the wild type cells. As conclusion, ADAMTS-1 inhibits proliferation, polarization and migration.

Progesterone decreases ovarian cancer cells migration and invasion

The progression of cancer depends on the interaction between the cells and their microenvironment. Progesterone is a steroid and progestogen sex hormone produced by the corpus luteum, which is a transitory endocrine gland in female mammals and prepares the endometrium for implantation. Also, progesterone is involved in antitumorigenic process in different types of cancer. Our goal is to investigate the role of progesterone in cell invasion and migration. Ovarian cells were treated with different concentrations of progesterone. 500 nM or 1 μM progesterone decreased the migration of the cells in 24 h or less without affecting the viability. Immunoblot showed that treatment with 1 μM progesterone decreased the phosphorylated forms of Src and FAK, and the cells were less polarized. Our results suggest that progesterone interferes with migration and invasion of ovarian cells. Inhibitory experiments inferred the progesterone receptor playing a role in migration and invasion. Decreased phosphorylation of molecules involved in these processes was also found.

Abnormal expressions of ADAMTS-1, ADAMTS-9 and progesterone receptors are associated with lower oocyte maturation in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

PURPOSE

ADAMTS-1 and 9 play a crucial role in the ovulation and their altered levels may play a role in the pathogenesis of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The aim of this study was to assess ADAMTS-1 and 9 expression and their correlation with the oocyte quality and maturity in the cumulus cells (CCs) of PCOS patients and normovulatory women during an IVF procedure.

METHODS

Expression of ADAMTS-1 and 9 and progesterone receptors (PRs) in the CCs containing MII and germinal vesicle (GV) oocytes of 37 PCOS patients and 37 women with normal ovulatory function who underwent IVF treatment was evaluated using qRT-PCR. Moreover, correlation between ADAMTS-1 and 9 expression and oocyte quality were also investigated.

RESULTS

mRNA expression levels of ADAMTS-1 and ADAMTS-9 were significantly reduced in the women with PCOS compared to the normovulatory women. ADAMTS-1 and ADAMTS-9 mRNA expression levels in the CCs showed a considerable correlation. Lower expression levels of ADAMTS-1 and ADAMTS-9 in PCOS patients were strongly correlated with diminished oocyte maturation. There was a remarkable association between ADAMTS-1 and ADAMTS-9 mRNA expression levels and oocyte quality. PRs (PRA and PRB) were dramatically decreased in PCOS patients when compared with the control group.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of the present study indicated that ADAMTS-1 and ADAMTS-9 as well as PRs are downregulated in the human CCs in PCOS patients, which could be associated with impaired oocyte maturation and may result in a lower oocyte recovery and oocyte maturity rates, as well as lower fertilization rate.

Progestin and Nuclear Progestin Receptor Are Essential for Upregulation of Metalloproteinase in Zebrafish Preovulatory Follicles

Ovulation requires proteinases to promote the rupture of ovarian follicles. However, the identity of these proteinases remains unclear. In our previous studies using RNA-seq analysis of differential expressed genes, we found significant down-regulation of five metalloproteinases: adam8b (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase domain 8b), adamts8a (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motif 8a), adamts9, mmp2 (matrix metalloproteinase 2), and mmp9 in the nuclear progestin receptor knockout (pgr ^-/-) zebrafish that have failed to ovulate. We hypothesize that these metalloproteinases are responsible for ovulation and are regulated by progestin and Pgr. In this study, we first determined the expression of these five metalloproteinases and adamts1 in preovulatory follicles at different times within the spawning cycle in pgr ^-/- and wildtype (wt) zebrafish and under varying hormonal treatments. We found that transcripts of adam8b, adamts1, adamts9, and mmp9 increased drastically in the preovulatory follicular cells of wt female zebrafish, while changes of adamts8a and mmp2 were not significant. This increase of adam8b, adamts9, and mmp9 was significantly reduced in pgr ^-/-, whereas expression of adamts1 was not affected in pgr ^-/- zebrafish. Among upregulated metalloproteinases, adamts9 mRNA was found to be expressed specifically in follicular cells. Strong immunostaining of Adamts9 protein was observed in the follicular cells of wt fish, and this expression was reduced drastically in pgr ^-/-. Interestingly, about an hour prior to the increase of metalloproteinases in wt fish, both Pgr transcript and protein increased transiently in preovulatory follicular cells. The results from in vitro experiments showed that adamts9 expression markedly increased in a dose, time and Pgr-dependent manner when preovulatory follicles were exposed to a progestin, 17α,20β-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one (DHP). Taken together, our results provide the first evidence that upregulation of adamts9 occurs specifically in preovulatory follicular cells of zebrafish prior to ovulation. Progestin and its receptor (Pgr) are essential for the upregulation of metalloproteinases.

The interplay between intracellular progesterone receptor and PKC plays a key role in migration and invasion of human glioblastoma cells

Intracellular progesterone receptors (PRs) and protein kinases C (PKCs) are known regulators of cancer cell proliferation and metastasis. Both PRs and PKCs are found overexpressed in grade IV human astrocytomas, also known as glioblastomas, which are the most frequent and aggressive brain tumors. In the present study, we investigated whether PR activation by PKC induces the migration and invasion of glioblastoma derived cell lines and if PKCα and δ isoforms are involved in PR activation. We observed that PKC activation with tetradecanoylphorbol acetate (TPA) increases the migration and invasion capacity of two human glioblastoma derived human cell lines (U251 MG and U87) and that the treatment with the PR receptor antagonist RU486 blocks these processes. Interestingly, the pharmacological inhibition of the isoenzymes PKCα and PKCδ also resulted in a blocked PR transcriptional activity. Also, TPA-dependent PR activation increases the expression of progesterone-induced blocking factor (PIBF), a known PR target gene. These results hint to an existing cross-talk between PKCs and PRs in regulating the infiltration process of human glioblastomas.

The role of ADAMTS genes in preeclampsia

Preeclampsia is a complex disease that increases both maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality in both developed and developing countries. It complicates around 5-10% of all pregnancies..The pathophysiology of preeclampsia includes both maternal and fetal/placental factors. Implantation of embryo and placentation are crucial steps for development of pregnancy involving trophoblast invasion. Abnormalities of spiral artery invasion, trophoblast function, inflammatory process, and biologic functions of angiogenic/anti-angiogenic factors early in pregnancy result in pregnancy diseases, including preeclampsia. ADAMTS genes are members of the family of matrix metalloproteinase, which have important tasks in extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation and repair processes. The roles of ADAMTS in preeclampsia may include regulation of spiral artery invasion and ECM arrangement of the placenta.