Nm23-H1/nucleoside diphosphate kinase as a key molecule in breast tumor angiogenesis

Diagnostic, Prognostic, and Therapeutic Role for Angiogenesis Markers in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Narrative Review

Despite refinements to diagnostic and therapeutic approaches over the last two decades, the outcome of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has not shown substantial improvements, especially regarding those with advanced-stage disease. Angiogenesis is believed to be a turning point in the development of solid tumors, being a premise for mass growth and potential distant dissemination. Cancer-induced angiogenesis is a result of increased expression of angiogenic factors, decreased expression of anti-angiogenic factors, or a combination of both. The assessment of angiogenesis has also emerged as a potentially useful biological prognostic and predictive factor in HNSCC. The aim of this review is to assess the level of current knowledge on the neo-angiogenesis markers involved in the biology, behavior, and prognosis of HNSCC. A search (between 1 January 2012 and 10 October 2022) was run in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science electronic databases. After full-text screening and application of inclusion/exclusion criteria, 84 articles are included. The current knowledge and debate on angiogenesis in HNSCC presented in the eligible articles are stratified as follows: (i) diagnostic markers; (ii) prognostic markers; (iii) predictive markers; and (iv) markers with a potential therapeutic role. Angiogenesis is a biological and pathological indicator of malignancies progression and has negative implications in prognosis of some solid tumors; several signals capable of tripping the "angiogenic switch" have also been identified in HNSCC. Although several studies suggested that antiangiogenic agents might be a valuable adjunct to conventional chemo-radiation of HNSCC, their long-term therapeutic value remains uncertain. Further investigations are required on combinations of antiangiogenic agents with conventional chemotherapeutic ones, immunotherapeutic and molecularly targeted agents in HNSCC. Additional data are necessary to pinpoint which patients could benefit most from these treatments.

17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 modulates breast cancer protein profile and impacts cell migration

INTRODUCTION

Human 17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (17β-HSD1) is a steroid-converting enzyme that has long been known to play critical roles in estradiol synthesis and more recently in dihydrotestosterone (DHT) inactivation, showing a dual function that promotes breast cancer cell proliferation. Previously, we reported the first observation of the influence of the enzyme on endogenous estrogen-responsive gene expression. Here, we demonstrate the impact of 17β-HSD1 expression on the breast cancer cell proteome and investigate its role in cell migration.

METHODS

17β-HSD1 was stably transfected in MCF7 cells and the proteome of the generated cells overexpressing 17β-HSD1 (MCF7-17βHSD1 cells) was compared to that of the wild type MCF7 cells. Proteomics study was performed using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis followed by mass spectrometry analysis of differentially expressed protein spots. Reverse transcription quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) was used to investigate the transcription of individual gene. The effect of 17β-HSD1 on MCF7 cell migration was verified by a wound-healing assay.

RESULTS

Proteomic data demonstrate that the expression of more than 59 proteins is modulated following 17β-HSD1 overexpression. 17β-HSD1 regulates the expression of important genes and proteins that are relevant to cell growth control, such as BRCA2 and CDKN1A interacting protein (BCCIP) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) which are down- and upregulated in MCF7-17βHSD1 cells, respectively. RT-qPCR data reveal that 17β-HSD1 increases the mRNA levels of estrogen receptors (ER) alpha and beta by 171 and 120%, respectively, while decreasing that of the androgen receptor by 64%. Interestingly, 17β-HSD1 increases the mRNA transcript (by 3.6 times) and the protein expression of the metastasis suppressor gene nm23-H1 and the expression of the two enzymes are closely correlated. We have further shown that 17β-HSD1 expression is associated with an increase of MCF7 cell migration.

CONCLUSIONS

In addition to the regulation of important genes, we have demonstrated for the first time that 17β-HSD1 increases breast cancer cell migration, in spite of its positive regulation of the antimetastatic gene NM23. This is also correlated to its stimulation of breast cancer cell growth, further confirming its targeting in ER positive breast cancer. The novel findings in this study suggest several directions for future research on the contribution of 17β-HSD1 to breast cancer progression and related treatment.

Analysis of the human pancreatic stellate cell secreted proteome

OBJECTIVE

Pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) are important players in pancreatic fibrosis and are major contributors to the extracellular matrix proteins observed with the stromal response characteristic of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Pancreatic stellate cells are also believed to secrete soluble factors that promote tumor progression; however, no comprehensive analysis of the PSC proteome in either the quiescent or the activated state has been reported.

METHODS

Using 2-dimensional tandem mass spectrometry and the RLT-PSC cell line, we present the first comprehensive study describing and comparing the quiescent and activated human PSC-secreted proteomes.

RESULTS

Very few proteins are secreted in the quiescent state. In stark contrast, activated PSCs secreted a vast array of proteins. Many of these proteins differed from those secreted by PDAC-derived cell lines. Proteins associated with wound healing, proliferation, apoptosis, fibrosis, and invasion were characterized. Selected proteins were verified in human tissue samples from PDAC, dysplastic pancreas, and normal pancreas using Western blot analysis and immunohistochemical staining.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study represents the first comprehensive analysis of proteins secreted by PSCs. These findings lay the foundation for characterizing PSC-derived proteins involved in stroma-tumor interactions and the promotion of pancreatitis and PDAC.

Proteomics of rat prostate lobes treated with 2-N-hydroxylamino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine, 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone, individually and in combination

Epidemiological and preclinical studies suggest that environmental factors, hormonal responses and lifestyle, including diet and physical inactivity, are likely contributors to the initiation and progression of prostate cancer in humans. Although the effects of the food derived carcinogen 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP) and/or testosterone (T) in the development of prostate cancer in the rat have been reported, the extent to which such compounds impact cancer related proteins is not clear. Knowledge of cancer-related proteins impacted by PhIP and/or T is prerequisite to developing novel strategies to early-detect prostate cancer. Male F344 rats were sacrificed, the prostate tissue isolated and separated into dorsolateral, ventral, and anterior lobes. The lobes were cultured and treated with 10(-3) M NHPhIP and/or 10(-7) M DT for 24 h. NHPhIP is the genotoxic form of PhIP and DT is the more proliferative form of T. We used 2D-DIGE and LC/MS/MS technologies to study the proteome of the prostate lobes to determine if the compounds will trigger detectable changes in expression of cancer-related proteins. Analysis of the signals from 2D-DIGE revealed that about 10% of proteins were differentially expressed in the NHPhIP and/or DT treatments compared to controls. Eight candidate protein spots detected by 2D-DIGE in at least two out of three lobes showed > or =2-fold difference between treated and control samples. Five out of the eight spots contained single proteins; including, phospholipase Calpha (PLP-Calpha), Rab7, SAR1a, ribosomal protein S7 (RPS7), and nucleoside diphosphate kinase (NDPK). A survey of the literature shows that NDPK expression is altered in human cancers, including prostate cancer. Thus, we validated the altered expression of NDPK by Western blot analysis. The concordance between 2D-DIGE and Western blot analysis was 80%. The results of this study demonstrate, for the first time, that the combination of 2D-DIGE and LC/MS/MS is a powerful tool for identification of proteins in the prostate tissue that are altered by environmental carcinogens and/or hormones.

Regulators affecting the metastasis suppressor activity of Nm23-H1

Nm23-H1 encodes nucleoside diphosphate kinase A (NDPK-A) and is known to have a metastasis suppressive activity in many tumor cells. However, it has many other functions as well. Recent studies have shown that the interacting proteins with Nm23-H1 which mediate the cell proliferation, may act as modulators of the metastasis suppressor activity. The interacting proteins with Nm23-H1 can be classified into 3 groups. The first group of proteins can be classified as upstream kinases of Nm23-H1 such as CKI and Aurora-A/STK15. The second group of proteins acts as downstream effectors for the regulation of specific gene transcriptions, GTP-binding protein functions, and signal transduction in Erk signal cascade. The third group of proteins can be classified as bi-directionally influencing binding partners of Nm23-H1. As a result, the interactions with Nm23-H1 and binding partners have implications in the biochemical characterization involved in metastasis and tumorigenesis.

Regulators affecting the metastasis suppressor activity of Nm23-H1

Nm23-H1 encodes nucleoside diphosphate kinase A (NDPK-A) and is known to have a metastasis suppressive activity in many tumor cells. However, it has many other functions as well. Recent studies have shown that the interacting proteins with Nm23-H1 which mediate the cell proliferation, may act as modulators of the metastasis suppressor activity. The interacting proteins with Nm23-H1 can be classified into 3 groups. The first group of proteins can be classified as upstream kinases of Nm23-H1 such as CKI and Aurora-A/STK15. The second group of proteins acts as downstream effectors for the regulation of specific gene transcriptions, GTP-binding protein functions, and signal transduction in Erk signal cascade. The third group of proteins can be classified as bi-directionally influencing binding partners of Nm23-H1. As a result, the interactions with Nm23-H1 and binding partners have implications in the biochemical characterization involved in metastasis and tumorigenesis.