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Alqahtani T, Kumarasamy V, Alghamdi SS, Suliman RS, Bin Saleh K, Alrashed MA, Aldhaeefi M, Sun D. Adefovir Dipivoxil as a Therapeutic Candidate for Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma: Targeting RET and STAT3 Proto-Oncogenes. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:cancers15072163. [PMID: 37046823 PMCID: PMC10093259 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15072163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Revised: 04/02/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Aberrant gene expression is often linked to the progression of various cancers, making the targeting of oncogene transcriptional activation a potential strategy to control tumor growth and development. The RET proto-oncogene’s gain-of-function mutation is a major cause of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), which is part of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (MEN2) syndrome. In this study, we used a cell-based bioluminescence reporter system driven by the RET promoter to screen for small molecules that potentially suppress the RET gene transcription. We identified adefovir dipivoxil as a transcriptional inhibitor of the RET gene, which suppressed endogenous RET protein expression in MTC TT cells. Adefovir dipivoxil also interfered with STAT3 phosphorylation and showed high affinity to bind to STAT3. Additionally, it inhibited RET-dependent TT cell proliferation and increased apoptosis. These results demonstrate the potential of cell-based screening assays in identifying transcriptional inhibitors for other oncogenes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tariq Alqahtani
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh 11481, Saudi Arabia
- Medical Research Core Facility and Platforms, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC), Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh 11426, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Vishnu Kumarasamy
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Roswell Park Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA
- Department of Cancer Genetics and Genomics, Roswell Park Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA
| | - Sahar Saleh Alghamdi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh 11481, Saudi Arabia
- Medical Research Core Facility and Platforms, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC), Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh 11426, Saudi Arabia
| | - Rasha Saad Suliman
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh 11481, Saudi Arabia
- Medical Research Core Facility and Platforms, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC), Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh 11426, Saudi Arabia
- Pharmacy Department, Fatima College of Health Sciences, Almafrag, Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 3798, United Arab Emirates
| | - Khalid Bin Saleh
- Medical Research Core Facility and Platforms, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC), Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh 11426, Saudi Arabia
- Department of pharmacy practice, College of Pharmacy, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh 11481, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammed A. Alrashed
- Medical Research Core Facility and Platforms, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC), Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh 11426, Saudi Arabia
- Department of pharmacy practice, College of Pharmacy, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh 11481, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammed Aldhaeefi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh 11481, Saudi Arabia
- Medical Research Core Facility and Platforms, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC), Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh 11426, Saudi Arabia
- Department of pharmacy practice, College of Pharmacy, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh 11481, Saudi Arabia
| | - Daekyu Sun
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
- Pharmacy Department, Fatima College of Health Sciences, Almafrag, Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 3798, United Arab Emirates
- Department of Clinical and Administrative Pharmacy Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Howard University, Washington, DC 20059, USA
- The BIO5 Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
- Department of Cancer Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA
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Marks BA, Pipia IM, Mukai C, Horibata S, Rice EJ, Danko CG, Coonrod SA. GDNF-RET signaling and EGR1 form a positive feedback loop that promotes tamoxifen resistance via cyclin D1. BMC Cancer 2023; 23:138. [PMID: 36765275 PMCID: PMC9912664 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-023-10559-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Rearranged during transfection (RET) tyrosine kinase signaling has been previously implicated in endocrine resistant breast cancer, however the mechanism by which this signaling cascade promotes resistance is currently not well described. We recently reported that glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF)-RET signaling appears to promote a positive feedback loop with the transcription factor early growth response 1 (EGR1). Here we investigate the mechanism behind this feedback loop and test the hypothesis that GDNF-RET signaling forms a regulatory loop with EGR1 to upregulate cyclin D1 (CCND1) transcription, leading to cell cycle progression and tamoxifen resistance. METHODS To gain a better understanding of the GDNF-RET-EGR1 resistance mechanism, we studied the GDNF-EGR1 positive feedback loop and the role of GDNF and EGR1 in endocrine resistance by modulating their transcription levels using CRISPR-dCAS9 in tamoxifen sensitive (TamS) and tamoxifen resistant (TamR) MCF-7 cells. Additionally, we performed kinetic studies using recombinant GDNF (rGDNF) treatment of TamS cells. Finally, we performed cell proliferation assays using rGDNF, tamoxifen (TAM), and Palbociclib treatments in TamS cells. Statistical significance for qPCR and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)-qPCR experiments were determined using a student's paired t-test and statistical significance for the cell viability assay was a one-way ANOVA. RESULTS GDNF-RET signaling formed a positive feedback loop with EGR1 and also downregulated estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1) transcription. Upregulation of GDNF and EGR1 promoted tamoxifen resistance in TamS cells and downregulation of GDNF promoted tamoxifen sensitivity in TamR cells. Additionally, we show that rGDNF treatment activated GDNF-RET signaling in TamS cells, leading to recruitment of phospho-ELK-1 to the EGR1 promoter, upregulation of EGR1 mRNA and protein, binding of EGR1 to the GDNF and CCND1 promoters, increased GDNF protein expression, and subsequent upregulation of CCND1 mRNA levels. We also show that inhibition of cyclin D1 with Palbociclib, in the presence of rGDNF, decreases cell proliferation and resensitizes cells to TAM. CONCLUSION Outcomes from these studies support the hypotheses that GDNF-RET signaling forms a positive feedback loop with the transcription factor EGR1, and that GDNF-RET-EGR1 signaling promotes endocrine resistance via signaling to cyclin D1. Inhibition of components of this signaling pathway could lead to therapeutic insights into the treatment of endocrine resistant breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brooke A Marks
- Department of Biomedical and Biological Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, USA
- Baker Institute for Animal Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, USA
| | - Ilissa M Pipia
- Baker Institute for Animal Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, USA
| | - Chinatsu Mukai
- Baker Institute for Animal Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, USA
| | - Sachi Horibata
- Department of Biomedical and Biological Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, USA
- Baker Institute for Animal Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, USA
- Precision Health Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Edward J Rice
- Baker Institute for Animal Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, USA
| | - Charles G Danko
- Department of Biomedical and Biological Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, USA
- Baker Institute for Animal Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, USA
| | - Scott A Coonrod
- Department of Biomedical and Biological Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, USA.
- Baker Institute for Animal Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, USA.
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Holloran SM, Nosirov B, Walter KR, Trinca GM, Lai Z, Jin VX, Hagan CR. Reciprocal fine-tuning of progesterone and prolactin-regulated gene expression in breast cancer cells. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2020; 511:110859. [PMID: 32407979 PMCID: PMC8941988 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2020.110859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2020] [Revised: 04/22/2020] [Accepted: 05/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Progesterone and prolactin are two key hormones involved in development and remodeling of the mammary gland. As such, both hormones have been linked to breast cancer. Despite the overlap between biological processes ascribed to these two hormones, little is known about how co-expression of both hormones affects their individual actions. Progesterone and prolactin exert many of their effects on the mammary gland through activation of gene expression, either directly (progesterone, binding to the progesterone receptor [PR]) or indirectly (multiple transcription factors being activated downstream of prolactin, most notably STAT5). Using RNA-seq in T47D breast cancer cells, we characterized the gene expression programs regulated by progestin and prolactin, either alone or in combination. We found significant crosstalk and fine-tuning between the transcriptional programs executed by each hormone independently and in combination. We divided and characterized the transcriptional programs into four broad categories. All crosstalk/fine-tuning shown to be modulated by progesterone was dependent upon the expression of PR. Moreover, PR was recruited to enhancer regions of all regulated genes. Interestingly, despite the canonical role for STAT5 in transducing prolactin-signaling in the normal and lactating mammary gland, very few of the prolactin-regulated transcriptional programs fine-tuned by progesterone in this breast cancer cell line model system were in fact dependent upon STAT5. Cumulatively, these data suggest that the interplay of progesterone and prolactin in breast cancer impacts gene expression in a more complex and nuanced manner than previously thought, and likely through different transcriptional regulators than those observed in the normal mammary gland. Studying gene regulation when both hormones are present is most clinically relevant, particularly in the context of breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean M Holloran
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Kansas Cancer Center, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, 66160, USA; Department of Cancer Biology, University of Kansas Cancer Center, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, 66160, USA
| | - Bakhtiyor Nosirov
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Texas Health San Antonio (UTHSA), San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
| | - Katherine R Walter
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Kansas Cancer Center, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, 66160, USA; Department of Cancer Biology, University of Kansas Cancer Center, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, 66160, USA
| | - Gloria M Trinca
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Kansas Cancer Center, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, 66160, USA; Department of Cancer Biology, University of Kansas Cancer Center, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, 66160, USA
| | - Zhao Lai
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Texas Health San Antonio (UTHSA), San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA; Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute, University of Texas Health San Antonio (UTHSA), San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
| | - Victor X Jin
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Texas Health San Antonio (UTHSA), San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
| | - Christy R Hagan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Kansas Cancer Center, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, 66160, USA; Department of Cancer Biology, University of Kansas Cancer Center, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, 66160, USA.
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Phenotypic Plasticity of Fibroblasts during Mammary Carcinoma Development. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20184438. [PMID: 31505876 PMCID: PMC6769951 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20184438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2019] [Revised: 09/04/2019] [Accepted: 09/06/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in the tumor microenvironment contribute to all stages of tumorigenesis and are usually considered to be tumor-promoting cells. CAFs show a remarkable degree of heterogeneity, which is attributed to developmental origin or to local environmental niches, resulting in distinct CAF subsets within individual tumors. While CAF heterogeneity is frequently investigated in late-stage tumors, data on longitudinal CAF development in tumors are lacking. To this end, we used the transgenic polyoma middle T oncogene-induced mouse mammary carcinoma model and performed whole transcriptome analysis in FACS-sorted fibroblasts from early- and late-stage tumors. We observed a shift in fibroblast populations over time towards a subset previously shown to negatively correlate with patient survival, which was confirmed by multispectral immunofluorescence analysis. Moreover, we identified a transcriptomic signature distinguishing CAFs from early- and late-stage tumors. Importantly, the signature of early-stage CAFs correlated well with tumor stage and survival in human mammary carcinoma patients. A random forest analysis suggested predictive value of the complete set of differentially expressed genes between early- and late-stage CAFs on bulk tumor patient samples, supporting the clinical relevance of our findings. In conclusion, our data show transcriptome alterations in CAFs during tumorigenesis in the mammary gland, which suggest that CAFs are educated by the tumor over time to promote tumor development. Moreover, we show that murine CAF gene signatures can harbor predictive value for human cancer.
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