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Zhang S, Yang R, Ouyang Y, Shen Y, Hu L, Xu C. Cancer stem cells: a target for overcoming therapeutic resistance and relapse. Cancer Biol Med 2023; 20:j.issn.2095-3941.2023.0333. [PMID: 38164743 PMCID: PMC10845928 DOI: 10.20892/j.issn.2095-3941.2023.0333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a small subset of cells in cancers that are thought to initiate tumorous transformation and promote metastasis, recurrence, and resistance to treatment. Growing evidence has revealed the existence of CSCs in various types of cancers and suggested that CSCs differentiate into diverse lineage cells that contribute to tumor progression. We may be able to overcome the limitations of cancer treatment with a comprehensive understanding of the biological features and mechanisms underlying therapeutic resistance in CSCs. This review provides an overview of the properties, biomarkers, and mechanisms of resistance shown by CSCs. Recent findings on metabolic features, especially fatty acid metabolism and ferroptosis in CSCs, are highlighted, along with promising targeting strategies. Targeting CSCs is a potential treatment plan to conquer cancer and prevent resistance and relapse in cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuo Zhang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Radiation Oncology Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sichuan Cancer Hospital & Institute, Sichuan Cancer Center, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610042, China
| | - Rui Yang
- Department of Ultrasound in Medicine, Chengdu Wenjiang District People’s Hospital, Chengdu 611130, China
| | - Yujie Ouyang
- Acupuncture and Massage College, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, China
| | - Yang Shen
- Department of Oncology & Cancer Institute, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences and Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610072, China
- Sichuan Provincial Key Laboratory for Human Disease Gene Study, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences and Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610072, China
- School of Pharmacy, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau SAR 999078, China
| | - Lanlin Hu
- Department of Oncology & Cancer Institute, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences and Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610072, China
- Sichuan Provincial Key Laboratory for Human Disease Gene Study, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences and Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610072, China
- Yu-Yue Pathology Scientific Research Center, Chongqing 400039, China
- Jinfeng Laboratory, Chongqing 401329, China
| | - Chuan Xu
- Department of Oncology & Cancer Institute, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences and Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610072, China
- Sichuan Provincial Key Laboratory for Human Disease Gene Study, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences and Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610072, China
- Yu-Yue Pathology Scientific Research Center, Chongqing 400039, China
- Jinfeng Laboratory, Chongqing 401329, China
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Yuan SSF, Hung AC, Hsu CW, Lan TH, Su CW, Chi TC, Chang YC, Chen YK, Wang YY. CD44 Mediates Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma-Promoting Activity of MRE11 via AKT Signaling. J Pers Med 2022; 12:841. [PMID: 35629265 PMCID: PMC9144890 DOI: 10.3390/jpm12050841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2022] [Revised: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Oral cancer is one of the highest-incidence malignancies worldwide, with the occurrence of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) being the most frequently diagnosed form. A barrier for oral cancer management may arise from tumor cells that possess properties of cancer stemness, which has been recognized as a crucial factor in tumor recurrence and metastasis. As such, understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying these tumor cells may provide insights for improving cancer treatment. MRE11 is the core protein of the RAD50/MRE11/NBS1 complex with a primary role in DNA damage repair, and it has been diversely associated with tumor development including OSCC. In this study, we aimed to investigate the engagement of CD44, a cancer stemness marker functioning in the control of cell growth and motility, in OSCC malignancy under the influence of MRE11. We found that overexpression of MRE11 enhanced CD44 expression and tumorsphere formation in OSCC cells, whereas knockdown of MRE11 reduced these phenomena. In addition, the MRE11-promoted tumorsphere formation or cell migration ability was compromised in OSCC cells carrying siRNA that targets CD44, as was the MRE11-promoted AKT phosphorylation. These were further supported by analyzing clinical samples, where higher CD44 expression was associated with lymph node metastasis. Additionally, a positive correlation between the expression of MRE11 and CD44, or that of CD44 and phosphorylated AKT, was observed in OSCC tumor tissues. Finally, the expression of CD44 was found to be higher in the metastatic lung nodules from mice receiving tail vein-injection with MRE11-overexpressing OSCC cells compared with control mice, and a positive correlation between CD44 and phosphorylated AKT was also observed in these metastatic lung nodules. Altogether, our current study revealed a previously unidentified mechanism linking CD44 and AKT in MRE11-promoted OSCC malignancy, which may shed light to the development of novel therapeutic strategies in consideration of this new pathway in OSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shyng-Shiou F. Yuan
- Graduate Institute of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan; (S.-S.F.Y.); (A.C.H.); (T.-C.C.)
- Translational Research Center, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
- Department of Medical Research, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
- Center for Cancer Research, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan; (C.-W.H.); (C.-W.S.); (Y.-K.C.)
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
| | - Amos C. Hung
- Graduate Institute of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan; (S.-S.F.Y.); (A.C.H.); (T.-C.C.)
| | - Ching-Wei Hsu
- Center for Cancer Research, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan; (C.-W.H.); (C.-W.S.); (Y.-K.C.)
- School of Dentistry, College of Dental Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan;
- Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Department of Dentistry, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
| | - Ting-Hsun Lan
- School of Dentistry, College of Dental Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan;
- Division of Prosthodontics, Department of Dentistry, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
| | - Chang-Wei Su
- Center for Cancer Research, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan; (C.-W.H.); (C.-W.S.); (Y.-K.C.)
- School of Dentistry, College of Dental Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan;
- Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Department of Dentistry, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
| | - Tsung-Chen Chi
- Graduate Institute of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan; (S.-S.F.Y.); (A.C.H.); (T.-C.C.)
| | - Yu-Chiuan Chang
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan;
| | - Yuk-Kwan Chen
- Center for Cancer Research, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan; (C.-W.H.); (C.-W.S.); (Y.-K.C.)
- School of Dentistry, College of Dental Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan;
- Department of Dentistry, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
- Oral and Maxillofacial Imaging Center, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
| | - Yen-Yun Wang
- Department of Medical Research, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
- Center for Cancer Research, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan; (C.-W.H.); (C.-W.S.); (Y.-K.C.)
- School of Dentistry, College of Dental Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan;
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Tan X, Mi T, Zhang Z, Jin L, Wang Z, Wu X, Wang J, Li M, Zhanghuang C, He D. Multiple transcriptome analysis of Piwil2-induced cancer stem cells, including piRNAs, mRNAs and miRNAs reveals the mechanism of tumorigenesis and development. Mol Biol Rep 2022; 49:6885-6898. [PMID: 35182325 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-022-07237-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cancer stem cells play important roles in the process of tumorigenesis. Our research group obtained cancer stem cell-like cells named Piwil2-iCSCs by reprogramming human preputial fibroblasts (FBs) with the PIWIL2 gene, but the mechanism of Piwil2-iCSCs is still unclear. METHODS We sequenced the piRNAs, miRNAs and mRNAs of Piwil2-iCSCs and FBs, and analyzed the differences. Gene Ontology (GO) and, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) were performed on the differentially expressed (DE) mRNAs. In addition, we analyzed the variable shear events and fusion genes in the Piwil2-iCSCs. Target gene prediction and functional enrichment analysis were performed for the DE miRNAs. RESULTS A total of 1119 DE mRNAs, 220 DE piRNAs, and 440 DE miRNAs were obtained between the Piwil2-iCSCs and FBs. Functional enrichment analysis showed that the genes with upregulated expression were mainly involved in DNA repair, mismatch repair, base excision repair, and nucleotide excision repair. Genes with downregulated expression were mainly involved in the TGF-β receptor signaling pathway, senescence and autophagy in cancer. More frequent shear events occurred in Piwil2-iCSCs and FBs, especially in intron retention (IR) events. We also identified three fusion genes MCM3AP-C21orf58, LRRFIP2-CAV3 and TMEM184B-DMC1. Enrichment analysis of DE miRNAs showed that they were associated with apoptosis, the TGF-β signaling pathway, and the stem cell regulatory signaling pathway. In particular, target gene prediction of the top three miRNAs with upregulated expression showed that they targeted SMAD, GREM1 and other genes to participate in the regulation of TGF-β and other pathways. CONCLUSION PIWIL2-induced cancer stem cells have significantly altered levels of miRNAs, piRNAs and mRNAs.TGF-β, autophagy, apoptosis and other pathways may play an important role in stem cell development. The occurrence of alternative splicing and fusion genes may be related to the occurrence of cancer stem cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojun Tan
- Department of Urology, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400014, People's Republic of China.,Chongqing Key Laboratory of Children Urogenital Development and Tissue Engineering, Chongqing, 400014, People's Republic of China.,China International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Child Development and Critical; National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Chongqing, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders; Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatrics, Chongqing, 400014, People's Republic of China
| | - Tao Mi
- Department of Urology, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400014, People's Republic of China.,Chongqing Key Laboratory of Children Urogenital Development and Tissue Engineering, Chongqing, 400014, People's Republic of China.,China International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Child Development and Critical; National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Chongqing, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders; Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatrics, Chongqing, 400014, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhaoxia Zhang
- Department of Urology, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400014, People's Republic of China.,Chongqing Key Laboratory of Children Urogenital Development and Tissue Engineering, Chongqing, 400014, People's Republic of China.,China International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Child Development and Critical; National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Chongqing, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders; Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatrics, Chongqing, 400014, People's Republic of China
| | - Liming Jin
- Department of Urology, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400014, People's Republic of China.,Chongqing Key Laboratory of Children Urogenital Development and Tissue Engineering, Chongqing, 400014, People's Republic of China.,China International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Child Development and Critical; National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Chongqing, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders; Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatrics, Chongqing, 400014, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhang Wang
- Department of Urology, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400014, People's Republic of China.,Chongqing Key Laboratory of Children Urogenital Development and Tissue Engineering, Chongqing, 400014, People's Republic of China.,China International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Child Development and Critical; National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Chongqing, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders; Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatrics, Chongqing, 400014, People's Republic of China
| | - Xin Wu
- Department of Urology, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400014, People's Republic of China.,Chongqing Key Laboratory of Children Urogenital Development and Tissue Engineering, Chongqing, 400014, People's Republic of China.,China International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Child Development and Critical; National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Chongqing, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders; Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatrics, Chongqing, 400014, People's Republic of China
| | - Jinkui Wang
- Department of Urology, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400014, People's Republic of China.,Chongqing Key Laboratory of Children Urogenital Development and Tissue Engineering, Chongqing, 400014, People's Republic of China.,China International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Child Development and Critical; National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Chongqing, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders; Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatrics, Chongqing, 400014, People's Republic of China
| | - Mujie Li
- Department of Urology, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400014, People's Republic of China.,Chongqing Key Laboratory of Children Urogenital Development and Tissue Engineering, Chongqing, 400014, People's Republic of China.,China International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Child Development and Critical; National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Chongqing, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders; Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatrics, Chongqing, 400014, People's Republic of China
| | - Chenghao Zhanghuang
- Department of Urology, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400014, People's Republic of China.,Chongqing Key Laboratory of Children Urogenital Development and Tissue Engineering, Chongqing, 400014, People's Republic of China.,China International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Child Development and Critical; National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Chongqing, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders; Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatrics, Chongqing, 400014, People's Republic of China
| | - Dawei He
- Department of Urology, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400014, People's Republic of China. .,Chongqing Key Laboratory of Children Urogenital Development and Tissue Engineering, Chongqing, 400014, People's Republic of China. .,China International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Child Development and Critical; National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Chongqing, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders; Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatrics, Chongqing, 400014, People's Republic of China.
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