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Lai J, Yang C, Shang C, Chen W, Chu MP, Brandwein J, Lai R, Wang P. ULK2 Is a Key Pro-Autophagy Protein That Contributes to the High Chemoresistance and Disease Relapse in FLT3-Mutated Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:646. [PMID: 38203816 PMCID: PMC10780038 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25010646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/25/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
We recently demonstrated that a small subset of cells in FLT3-mutated acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell lines exhibit SORE6 reporter activity and cancer stem-like features including chemoresistance. To study why SORE6+ cells are more chemoresistant than SORE6- cells, we hypothesized that these cells carry higher autophagy, a mechanism linked to chemoresistance. We found that cytarabine (Ara-C) induced a substantially higher protein level of LC3B-II in SORE6+ compared to SORE6- cells. Similar observations were made using a fluorescence signal-based autophagy assay. Furthermore, chloroquine (an autophagy inhibitor) sensitized SORE6+ but not SORE6- cells to Ara-C. To decipher the molecular mechanisms underlying the high autophagic flux in SORE6+ cells, we employed an autophagy oligonucleotide array comparing gene expression between SORE6+ and SORE6- cells before and after Ara-C treatment. ULK2 was the most differentially expressed gene between the two cell subsets. To demonstrate the role of ULK2 in conferring higher chemoresistance in SORE6+ cells, we treated the two cell subsets with a ULK1/2 inhibitor, MRT68921. MRT68921 significantly sensitized SORE6+ but not SORE6- cells to Ara-C. Using our in vitro model for AML relapse, we found that regenerated AML cells contained higher ULK2 expression compared to pretreated cells. Importantly, inhibition of ULK2 using MRT68921 prevented in vitro AML relapse. Lastly, using pretreatment and relapsed AML patient bone marrow samples, we found that ULK2 expression was higher in relapsed AML. To conclude, our results supported the importance of autophagy in the relapse of FLT3-mutated AML and highlighted ULK2 in this context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justine Lai
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada; (J.L.); (M.P.C.); (J.B.)
| | - Claire Yang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada; (C.Y.); (C.S.); (W.C.)
| | - Chuquan Shang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada; (C.Y.); (C.S.); (W.C.)
| | - Will Chen
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada; (C.Y.); (C.S.); (W.C.)
| | - Michael P. Chu
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada; (J.L.); (M.P.C.); (J.B.)
- Department of Medical Oncology, Cross Cancer Institute, Edmonton, AB T6G 1Z2, Canada
| | - Joseph Brandwein
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada; (J.L.); (M.P.C.); (J.B.)
| | - Raymond Lai
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada; (C.Y.); (C.S.); (W.C.)
- Department of Medical Oncology, Cross Cancer Institute, Edmonton, AB T6G 1Z2, Canada
| | - Peng Wang
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada; (J.L.); (M.P.C.); (J.B.)
- Department of Medical Oncology, Cross Cancer Institute, Edmonton, AB T6G 1Z2, Canada
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Lv P, Wu Z, Lai L, Zhang Y, Pei B. The clinicopathological significance and potential function of ULK1 in colon cancer. Biotechnol Genet Eng Rev 2023:1-14. [PMID: 37191026 DOI: 10.1080/02648725.2023.2210952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Uncoordinated 51-like kinase 1 (ULK1) is an essential part involved in autophagy to maintain cell viability and homeostasis. Herein, the expression levels of ULK1 in colon cancer (CC) were investigated, and its clinicopathological features and potential function were analyzed. Data of ULK1 were obtained from a public database. UCSC XENA RNAseq data were uniformly processed by using the Toil process. STRING was employed for identification of co-expression genes and development of PPI networks whose interaction scores exceeded 0.4. The level of immune cells for tumor infiltration was calculated by means of single-sample GSEA (ssGSEA) on the basis of mRNA data of CC. The ULK1 expression was upregulated compared with both paired and unpaired normal tissues. The mRNA expression of ULK1 was upregulated in CC patients with lymph node metastasis, lymphatic invasion, and pathological stages of 3 and 4. The disease-specific survival (DSS), progression-free interval (PFI), and the overall survival (OS) of patients with upregulated mRNA expression of ULK1 were drastically reduced. Functionally, any changes related to the biological process of ULK1 may be related to macroautophagy, autophagosome organization and autophagosome assembly. As a co-expressed gene (CEG), ATG101 was up-regulated in CC tissues and indicated poor survival. ULK1 is closely related to immune cells. ULK1 expression is upregulated in CC cells and upregulation of ULK1 may serve as an accurate prognostic factor, thereby providing novel intervention targets for therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Lv
- Cancer center, The Central Hospital of Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Enshi, China
| | - Zixi Wu
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Central Hospital of Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Enshi, China
| | - Lin Lai
- Cancer center, The Central Hospital of Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Enshi, China
| | - Yukun Zhang
- Cancer center, The Central Hospital of Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Enshi, China
| | - Bo Pei
- Cancer center, The Central Hospital of Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Enshi, China
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Huang H, Pan R, Wang S, Guan Y, Zhao Y, Liu X. Current and potential roles of RNA modification-mediated autophagy dysregulation in cancer. Arch Biochem Biophys 2023; 736:109542. [PMID: 36758911 DOI: 10.1016/j.abb.2023.109542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Revised: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
Autophagy, a cellular lysosomal degradation and survival pathway, supports nutrient recycling and adaptation to metabolic stress and participates in various stages of tumor development, including tumorigenesis, metastasis, and malignant state maintenance. Among the various factors contributing to the dysregulation of autophagy in cancer, RNA modification can regulate autophagy by directly affecting the expression of core autophagy proteins. We propose that autophagy disorder mediated by RNA modification is an important mechanism for cancer development. Therefore, this review mainly discusses the role of RNA modification-mediated autophagy regulation in tumorigenesis. We summarize the molecular basis of autophagy and the core proteins and complexes at different stages of autophagy, especially those involved in cancer development. Moreover, we describe the crosstalk of RNA modification and autophagy and review the recent advances and potential role of the RNA modification/autophagy axis in the development of multiple cancers. Furthermore, the dual role of the RNA modification/autophagy axis in cancer drug resistance is discussed. A comprehensive understanding and extensive exploration of the molecular crosstalk of RNA modifications with autophagy will provide important insights into tumor pathophysiology and provide more options for cancer therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hua Huang
- Center of Excellence for Environmental Safety and Biological Effects, Beijing International Science and Technology Cooperation Base for Antiviral Drugs, Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100124, China
| | - Ruining Pan
- Center of Excellence for Environmental Safety and Biological Effects, Beijing International Science and Technology Cooperation Base for Antiviral Drugs, Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100124, China
| | - Sijia Wang
- Center of Excellence for Environmental Safety and Biological Effects, Beijing International Science and Technology Cooperation Base for Antiviral Drugs, Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100124, China
| | - Yifei Guan
- Center of Excellence for Environmental Safety and Biological Effects, Beijing International Science and Technology Cooperation Base for Antiviral Drugs, Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100124, China
| | - Yue Zhao
- Intensive Care Unit, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, Beijing, 102218, China.
| | - Xinhui Liu
- Center of Excellence for Environmental Safety and Biological Effects, Beijing International Science and Technology Cooperation Base for Antiviral Drugs, Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100124, China.
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Kondapuram SK, Coumar MS. Pan-cancer gene expression analysis: Identification of deregulated autophagy genes and drugs to target them. Gene X 2022; 844:146821. [PMID: 35985410 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2022.146821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Revised: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Identifying suitable deregulated targets in autophagy pathway is essential for developing autophagy modulating cancer therapies. With this aim, we systematically analyzed the expression levels of genes that contribute to the execution of autophagy in 21 cancers. Deregulated genes for 21 cancers were analyzed using the level 3 mRNA data from TCGAbiolinks. A total of 574 autophagy genes were mapped to the deregulated genes across 21 cancers. PPI network, cluster analysis, gene enrichment, gene ontology, KEGG pathway, patient survival, protein expression and cMap analysis were performed. Among the autophagy genes, 260 were upregulated, and 43 were downregulated across pan-cancer. The upregulated autophagy genes - CDKN2A and BIRC5 - were the most frequent signatures in cancers and could be universal cancer biomarkers. Significant involvement of autophagy process was found in 8 cancers (CHOL, HNSC, GBM, KICH, KIRC, KIRP, LIHC and SARC). Fifteen autophagy hub genes (ATP6V0C, BIRC5, HDAC1, IL4, ITGB1, ITGB4, MAPK3, mTOR, cMYC, PTK2, SRC, TCIRG1, TP63, TP73 and ULK1) were found to be linked with patients survival and also expressed in cancer patients tissue samples, making them as potential drug targets for these cancers. The deregulated autophagy genes were further used to identify drugs Losartan, BMS-345541, Embelin, Abexinostat, Panobinostat, Vorinostat, PD-184352, PP-1, XMD-1150, Triplotide, Doxorubicin and Ouabain, which could target one or more autophagy hub genes. Overall, our findings shed light on the most frequent cancer-associated autophagy genes, potential autophagy targets and molecules for cancer treatment. These findings can accelerate autophagy modulation in cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sree Karani Kondapuram
- Department of Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Pondicherry University, Kalapet, Puducherry- 605014, India
| | - Mohane Selvaraj Coumar
- Department of Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Pondicherry University, Kalapet, Puducherry- 605014, India.
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Function and regulation of ULK1: From physiology to pathology. Gene 2022; 840:146772. [PMID: 35905845 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2022.146772] [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: 05/30/2022] [Revised: 07/03/2022] [Accepted: 07/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The expression of ULK1, a core protein of autophagy, is closely related to autophagic activity. Numerous studies have shown that pathological abnormal expression of ULK1 is associated with various human diseases such as neurological disorders, infections, cardiovascular diseases, liver diseases and cancers. In addition, new advances in the regulation of ULK1 have been identified. Furthermore, targeting ULK1 as a therapeutic strategy for diseases is gaining attention as new corresponding activators or inhibitors are being developed. In this review, we describe the structure and regulation of ULK1 as well as the current targeted activators and inhibitors. Moreover, we highlight the pathological disorders of ULK1 expression and its critical role in human diseases.
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Zou L, Liao M, Zhen Y, Zhu S, Chen X, Zhang J, Hao Y, Liu B. Autophagy and beyond: Unraveling the complexity of UNC-51-like kinase 1 (ULK1) from biological functions to therapeutic implications. Acta Pharm Sin B 2022; 12:3743-3782. [PMID: 36213540 PMCID: PMC9532564 DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2022.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2022] [Revised: 05/27/2022] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
UNC-51-like kinase 1 (ULK1), as a serine/threonine kinase, is an autophagic initiator in mammals and a homologous protein of autophagy related protein (Atg) 1 in yeast and of UNC-51 in Caenorhabditis elegans. ULK1 is well-known for autophagy activation, which is evolutionarily conserved in protein transport and indispensable to maintain cell homeostasis. As the direct target of energy and nutrition-sensing kinase, ULK1 may contribute to the distribution and utilization of cellular resources in response to metabolism and is closely associated with multiple pathophysiological processes. Moreover, ULK1 has been widely reported to play a crucial role in human diseases, including cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular disease, and infections, and subsequently targeted small-molecule inhibitors or activators are also demonstrated. Interestingly, the non-autophagy function of ULK1 has been emerging, indicating that non-autophagy-relevant ULK1 signaling network is also linked with diseases under some specific contexts. Therefore, in this review, we summarized the structure and functions of ULK1 as an autophagic initiator, with a focus on some new approaches, and further elucidated the key roles of ULK1 in autophagy and non-autophagy. Additionally, we also discussed the relationships between ULK1 and human diseases, as well as illustrated a rapid progress for better understanding of the discovery of more candidate small-molecule drugs targeting ULK1, which will provide a clue on novel ULK1-targeted therapeutics in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ling Zou
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Health Science Center, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Minru Liao
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Yongqi Zhen
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Shiou Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Xiya Chen
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Health Science Center, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Jin Zhang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Health Science Center, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
- Corresponding authors. Tel./fax: +86 28 85503817.
| | - Yue Hao
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Health Science Center, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
- Corresponding authors. Tel./fax: +86 28 85503817.
| | - Bo Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
- Corresponding authors. Tel./fax: +86 28 85503817.
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Motoo I, Nanjo S, Ando T, Yamashita S, Ushijima T, Yasuda I. Methylation silencing of ULK2 via epithelial-mesenchymal transition causes transformation to poorly differentiated gastric cancers. Gastric Cancer 2022; 25:325-335. [PMID: 34554345 DOI: 10.1007/s10120-021-01250-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Diffuse-type gastric cancers (DGC) typically have a poor prognosis related to their invasion and metastasis, in which the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is the initiation step. ULK2 plays a role in the autophagy initiation, which might provide a survival advantage in cancer cells. Although knock-down of ULK2 reportedly induces autophagy and EMT in a lung cancer cell line, the mechanism of EMT via the down-regulation of ULK2, as well as its clinical significance, remains yet unclear. The present study, therefore, aims at clarifying this mechanism and its clinical significance in gastric cancers. METHODS We examined ULK2 mRNA expression in gastric cancer tissues and normal gastric tissues of healthy people. The effects of knock-downed ULK2 were examined in two gastric cancer cells, which were investigated in terms of their gene expression changes by the mRNA microarray. RESULTS ULK2 was strongly expressed in intestinal-type cancers but was scarcely expressed in DGC by immunohistochemical staining. Furthermore, we found that ULK2 was methylated in DGC and was unmethylated in corresponding adjacent normal tissues. Then, we validated whether knock-down of ULK2 could induce autophagy, cell migration, and EMT in NUGC3 and MKN45 cells. Using mRNA microarray analysis, we confirmed that knock-down of ULK2 changed expressions of oncogenic genes associated with cell migration and EMT. Autophagy inhibitor suppressed cell migration and EMT induced by knock-down of ULK2 in NUGC3 and MKN45. CONCLUSION Methylation silencing of ULK2 could induce cell migration and EMT by means of autophagy induction, causing transformation to poorly differentiated cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iori Motoo
- Department of Gastroenterology, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama, 930-0194, Japan
| | - Sohachi Nanjo
- Department of Gastroenterology, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama, 930-0194, Japan.
| | - Takayuki Ando
- Department of Gastroenterology, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama, 930-0194, Japan
| | - Satoshi Yamashita
- Division of Epigenomics, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Toshikazu Ushijima
- Division of Epigenomics, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ichiro Yasuda
- Department of Gastroenterology, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama, 930-0194, Japan
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You J, Wang X. Circ_HIPK3 Knockdown Inhibits Cell Proliferation, Migration and Invasion of Cholangiocarcinoma Partly via Mediating the miR-148a-3p/ULK1 Pathway. Cancer Manag Res 2021; 13:3827-3839. [PMID: 34007215 PMCID: PMC8123961 DOI: 10.2147/cmar.s293823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2020] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The incidence of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is on the rise in recent years, and its pathogenesis may be associated with the deregulation of circular RNAs (circRNAs). Hence, we aimed to investigate the role of circRNA homeodomain interacting protein kinase 3 (circ_HIPK3) in CCA. Methods The expression of circ_HIPK3, miR-148a-3p and unc-51 like kinase 3 (ULK1) mRNA was detected using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The role of circ_HIPK3 in cell proliferation was detected by 3-[4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2, 5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and colony formation assay. Cell apoptosis and cell cycle progression were investigated using flow cytometry assay. Cell migration and invasion were detected by transwell assay. The protein levels of ULK1 and migration/invasion-associated markers were measured using Western blot. The putative relationship between miR-148a-3p and circ_HIPK3 or ULK1 was validated by dual-luciferase reporter assay. The role of circ_HIPK3 was also investigated in vivo. Results Circ_HIPK3 was overexpressed in CCA tissues and cells. In function, circ_HIPK3 knockdown inhibited CCA cell proliferation, migration and invasion and induced apoptosis and cycle arrest. It was confirmed that miR-148a-3p was a target of circ_HIPK3, and ULK1 was a target of miR-148a-3p. Circ_HIPK3 regulated ULK1 expression by targeting miR-148a-3p. Rescue experiments showed that miR-148a-3p inhibition reversed the effects of circ_HIPK3 knockdown. Besides, miR-148a-3p enrichment-blocked cell proliferation, migration and invasion were recovered by ULK1 overexpression. In vivo, circ_HIPK3 knockdown inhibited solid tumor growth. Conclusion Circ_HIPK3 knockdown blocked CCA malignant development partly via regulating the miR-148a-3p/ULK1 pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junning You
- Department of Emergency, Xianyang Hosptial, Yan'an University, XianYang, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaolin Wang
- Department of General Surgery, Yulin No.2 Hospital, Yulin, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
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Wang H, Sun G, Xu P, Lv J, Zhang X, Zhang L, Wang S, Cao J, Xia Y, Xuan Z, Li B, Huang X, Jiang T, Fang L, Xu Z. Circular RNA TMEM87A promotes cell proliferation and metastasis of gastric cancer by elevating ULK1 via sponging miR-142-5p. J Gastroenterol 2021; 56:125-138. [PMID: 33155080 DOI: 10.1007/s00535-020-01744-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Circular RNAs (circRNAs) act as vital regulators of gene expression in a variety of cancers. However, the role of circRNAs in gastric cancer (GC) remains largely unexplored. Herein, we identified that circTMEM87A sponges miR-142-5p to promote GC progression through up-regulating ULK1 expression. METHODS The expression of circTMEM87A in GC was determined by RNA sequencing and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). The effects of knockdown or exogenous expression of circTMEM87A on GC cell phenotypes were evaluated both in vitro and in vivo. The interacting miRNA of circTMEM87A was predicted by bioinformatics and confirmed by RNA pull-down, dual-luciferase reporter assay and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). The mechanism by which circTMEM87A/miR-142-5p/ULK1 axis promotes GC was determined by western blot, GFP/mRFP-LC3 puncta analysis, transmission electron microscope (TEM). RESULTS CircTMEM87A was dramatically elevated in GC tissues and cell lines, and high circTMEM87A expression was closely correlated with poor prognosis of GC patients. Knockdown of circTMEM87A suppressed cell growth, migration, invasion and induced apoptosis in vitro, as well as inhibited GC tumorigenicity and lung metastasis potential in vivo. Meanwhile, circTMEM87A overexpression had the opposite effects. Furthermore, we demonstrated that circTMEM87A could act as a sponge of miR-142-5p to regulate ULK1 expression and GC progression. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that circTMEM87A functions as an oncogene through the miR-142-5p/ULK1 axis in GC. CircTMEM87A might be a prognostic biomarker as well as a promising therapeutic target for GC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haixiao Wang
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu, China
- Department of General Surgery, The Affiliated Huaian No.1 People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Huaian, 223300, Jiangsu, China
| | - Guangli Sun
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu, China
| | - Penghui Xu
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jialun Lv
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu, China
| | - Xing Zhang
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu, China
| | - Lu Zhang
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu, China
| | - Sen Wang
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jiacheng Cao
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yiwen Xia
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu, China
| | - Zhe Xuan
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu, China
| | - Bowen Li
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu, China
| | - Xiaoxu Huang
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu, China
| | - Tianlu Jiang
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu, China
| | - Lang Fang
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu, China
| | - Zekuan Xu
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu, China.
- Collaborative Innovation Center For Cancer Personalized Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu, China.
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Zheng Y, Xie M, Zhang N, Liu J, Song Y, Zhou L, Yang M. miR-1262 suppresses gastric cardia adenocarcinoma via targeting oncogene ULK1. J Cancer 2021; 12:1231-1239. [PMID: 33442421 PMCID: PMC7797638 DOI: 10.7150/jca.46971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2020] [Accepted: 12/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Gastric cardia adenocarcinoma (GCA) is one of two main gastric cancer subtypes and has its own epidemiological, pathogenic and clinical characteristics. Genetic polymorphisms locating in a microRNA (miRNA) gene enhancer could transcriptionally regulates miRNA expression via impacting binding of transcriptional factors. It is still unclear how miR-1262 and a potential regulatory rs12740674 polymorphism mapping to a strong enhancer region of miR-1262 contribute to GCA development. We genotyped miR-1262 rs12740674 in two independent case-control sets consisting of 1,024 GCA patients and 1,118 controls, and found that the rs12740674 CT or TT genotype carriers had a 0.69-fold decreased risk to develop GCA compared to the CC genotype carriers (95% confidence interval=0.57-0.84, P=2.1×10-4). In the genotype-phenotype correlation analyses of 21 pairs of GCA-normal tissues, the rs12740674 CT or TT genotype was associated with significantly increased levels of miR-1262. Cell proliferation, wound healing and transwell assays elucidated that miR-1262 is a novel GCA tumor suppressor. Consistently, a significantly down-regulated level of miR-1262 exists in GCA specimens compared to normal tissues. Furthermore, multiple lines of evidences indicated that oncogene ULK1 is the target gene of miR-1262 in GCA. Our findings demonstrate miR-1262 transcriptionally modulated by an enhancer genetic variant suppresses GCA via targeting oncogene ULK1. Our data highlight miR-1262 as a promising diagnostic marker and therapeutic target for GCA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Zheng
- Research Center of Translational Medicine, Jinan Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China.,Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Research Center, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong Province, China.,Jinan Central Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Mengyu Xie
- Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Nasha Zhang
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Research Center, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong Province, China
| | - Jiandong Liu
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Research Center, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong Province, China
| | - Yemei Song
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Research Center, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong Province, China
| | - Liqing Zhou
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Huaian No. 2 Hospital, Huaian, Jiangsu, China
| | - Ming Yang
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Research Center, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong Province, China.,Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
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11
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Sexton RE, Al Hallak MN, Diab M, Azmi AS. Gastric cancer: a comprehensive review of current and future treatment strategies. Cancer Metastasis Rev 2020; 39:1179-1203. [PMID: 32894370 PMCID: PMC7680370 DOI: 10.1007/s10555-020-09925-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 318] [Impact Index Per Article: 79.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2020] [Accepted: 08/12/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Gastric cancer remains a major unmet clinical problem with over 1 million new cases worldwide. It is the fourth most commonly occurring cancer in men and the seventh most commonly occurring cancer in women. A major fraction of gastric cancer has been linked to variety of pathogenic infections including but not limited to Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) or Epstein Barr virus (EBV). Strategies are being pursued to prevent gastric cancer development such as H. pylori eradication, which has helped to prevent significant proportion of gastric cancer. Today, treatments have helped to manage this disease and the 5-year survival for stage IA and IB tumors treated with surgery are between 60 and 80%. However, patients with stage III tumors undergoing surgery have a dismal 5-year survival rate between 18 and 50% depending on the dataset. These figures indicate the need for more effective molecularly driven treatment strategies. This review discusses the molecular profile of gastric tumors, the success, and challenges with available therapeutic targets along with newer biomarkers and emerging targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel E Sexton
- Department of Oncology, Karmanos Cancer Institute, Wayne State University School of Medicine, 4100 John R, HWCRC 732, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA
| | - Mohammed Najeeb Al Hallak
- Department of Oncology, Karmanos Cancer Institute, Wayne State University School of Medicine, 4100 John R, HWCRC 732, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA
| | - Maria Diab
- Department of Oncology, Karmanos Cancer Institute, Wayne State University School of Medicine, 4100 John R, HWCRC 732, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA
| | - Asfar S Azmi
- Department of Oncology, Karmanos Cancer Institute, Wayne State University School of Medicine, 4100 John R, HWCRC 732, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA.
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12
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Qu S, Liu S, Qiu W, Liu J, Wang H. Screening of autophagy genes as prognostic indicators for glioma patients. Am J Transl Res 2020; 12:5320-5331. [PMID: 33042422 PMCID: PMC7540153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Accepted: 07/31/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Although autophagy is reported to be involved in tumorigenesis and cancer progression, its correlation with the prognosis of glioma patients remains unclear. Thus, the aim of this study was to identify prognostic autophagy-related genes, analyze their correlation with clinicopathological features of glioma, and further construct a prognostic model for glioma patients. After 139 autophagy-related genes were obtained from the GeneCards database, their expression data in glioma patients were extracted from the Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas database. Univariate and multivariate COX regression analyses were performed to identify prognostic autophagy-related genes. Ten hub autophagy-related genes associated with prognosis were identified. The autophagy risk score (ARS) was only positively correlated with histopathology (P = 0.000) and World Health Organization grade (P = 0.000). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the overall survival of patients with a high ARS was significantly worse than that of patients with a low ARS (hazard ratio = 1.59, 95% confidence interval = 1.25-2.03, P = 0.0001). In addition, Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analyses revealed several common biological processes and signaling pathways related to the 10 hub genes in glioblastoma. A prediction model was developed for glioma patients, which demonstrated high prediction efficiency on calibration. Moreover, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve values for 1-, 3- and 5-year survival probabilities were 0.790, 0.861, and 0.853, respectively. In conclusion, we identified 10 autophagy-related genes that can serve as novel prognostic biomarkers for glioma patients. Our prediction model accurately predicted patient outcomes, and thus, may be a valuable tool in clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shanqiang Qu
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen UniversityGuangzhou 510080, China
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical UniversityGuangzhou 510515, China
| | - Shuhao Liu
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen UniversityShenzhen 518107, China
| | - Weiwen Qiu
- Department of Neurology, Lishui People’s Hospital (The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University)Lishui 323000, China
| | - Jin Liu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Lishui People’s Hospital (The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University)Lishui 323000, China
| | - Huafu Wang
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Lishui People’s Hospital (The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University)Lishui 323000, China
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13
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Lv P, Luo YF, Zhou WY, Liu B, Zhou Z, Shi YZ, Huang R, Peng C, He ZL, Wang J, Zhang HH, Nie SD. miR-373 inhibits autophagy and further promotes apoptosis of cholangiocarcinoma cells by targeting ULK1. Kaohsiung J Med Sci 2020; 36:429-440. [PMID: 32125086 DOI: 10.1002/kjm2.12191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2019] [Accepted: 01/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma is a malignant tumor originating from intrahepatic bile ducts. Surgical therapy, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy are taken to treat this disease, but it is prone to recurrence and metastasis, with poor prognosis. Therefore, it is of great significance to explore new targets and molecular mechanisms for the development of cholangiocarcinoma cells. Clinical cholangiocarcinoma tissues from patients and four human cholangiocarcinoma cell lines were analyzed for microRNA-373 (miR-373) expression. For investigating whether miR-373 directly modulated unc-51 like autophagy activating kinase 1 (ULK1), dual-luciferase reporter assay was performed. In addition, CCK-8 assay, flow cytometry, western blot, and immunofluorescence were applied to evaluate the proliferation, apoptosis, and autophagy of cholangiocytic hepatocellular carcinoma cells. miR-373 downregulation was observed in clinical tissues and cell lines of cholangiocarcinoma. Overexpression of miR-373 reduced proliferation, enhanced apoptosis, and raised expression levels of pro-apoptosis proteins including BCL2 associated X (Bax), Caspase-3, and Caspase-9. Moreover, overexpression of miR-373 downregulated expression levels of microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B-light chain 3 (LC3)-II, Beclin-1, and promoted P62 expression on mRNA and protein levels. After miR-373 knockdown, all indexes of apoptosis and autophagy mentioned above were reversed. Luciferase activity was decreased after cotransfection of miR-373 mimic and wild-type ULK1 vector. Also, miR-373 overexpression inhibited ULK1 expression. Importantly, overexpression of miR-373 weakened expressions of ULK1, LC3, Beclin-1, and Bcl-2, and enhanced expressions of P62, Bax, Caspase-3, and Caspase-9. miR-373 mimic treatment and subsequent ULK1 overexpression, induced reverse regulation in expressions of these proteins, compared with overexpression of miR-373 only. miR-373 targeted ULK1 to initiate inhibition of autophagy and subsequent promotion of apoptosis in cholangiocarcinoma cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pin Lv
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China.,Research Laboratory of Biliary Diseases, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Yi-Fan Luo
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China.,Research Laboratory of Biliary Diseases, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Wen-Yi Zhou
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China.,Research Laboratory of Biliary Diseases, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Ben Liu
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China.,Research Laboratory of Biliary Diseases, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Zheng Zhou
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Yong-Zhong Shi
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Ren Huang
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Chuang Peng
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China.,Research Laboratory of Biliary Diseases, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Zi-Li He
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China.,Laboratory of Hepatobiliary Molecular Oncology, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Jun Wang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Hong-Hui Zhang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Sheng-Dan Nie
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China
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14
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Structural Basis of Autophagy Regulatory Proteins. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2019; 1206:287-326. [PMID: 31776992 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-15-0602-4_15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved lysosome-dependent intracellular degradation process that is essential for the maintenance of cellular homeostasis and adaptation to cellular stresses in eukaryotic cells. The most well-characterized type of autophagy, the macroautophagy, involves the progressive sequestration of cytoplasmic components into dedicated double-membraned vesicles called autophagosomes, which ultimately fuse with lysosomes to initiate the autophagic degradation of the sequestered cargo. In the past decade, our understanding of the molecular mechanism of macroautophagy has significantly evolved, with particular contributions from the biochemical and structural characterizations of autophagy-related proteins. In this chapter, we focus on some autophagy regulatory proteins involved in the macroautophagy pathway, summarize their currently known structures, and discuss their relevant molecular mechanisms from a perspective of structural biology.
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15
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Ding LT, Zhao P, Yang ML, Lv GZ, Zhao TL. GDC-0084 inhibits cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma cell growth. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2018; 503:1941-1948. [PMID: 30072096 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2018.07.139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2018] [Accepted: 07/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
GDC-0084 is a novel and potent small-molecule PI3K-mTOR dual inhibitor. The present study examined its potential activity in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) cells. Our results show that GDC-0084 treatment at nanomole concentrations potently inhibited survival and proliferation of established (A431, SCC-13 and SCL-1 lines) and primary human cSCC cells. GDC-0084 induced apoptosis activation and cell cycle arrest in the cSCC cells. It was more efficient than other known PI3K-Akt-mTOR inhibitors in killing cSCC cells, but was non-cytotoxic to the normal human skin fibroblasts/keratinocytes. In A431 cells and primary cSCC cells, GDC-0084 blocked phosphorylation of key PI3K-Akt-mTOR components, including p85, Akt, S6K1 and S6. GDC-0084 also inhibited DNA-PKcs activation in cSCC cells. Significantly, restoring DNA-PKcs activation by a constitutively active-DNA-PKcs (S2056D) partially inhibited GDC-0084-induced cell death and apoptosis in A431 cells. In vivo, GDC-0084 daily gavage potently inhibited A431 xenograft tumor growth in mice. In GDC-0084-treated tumor tissues PI3K-Akt-mTOR and DNA-PKcs activation were significantly inhibited. In summary, GDC-0084 inhibits human cSCC cell growth in vitro and in vivo through blocking PI3K-Akt-mTOR and DNA-PKcs signalings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ling-Tao Ding
- Department of Plastic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China; Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, China
| | - Peng Zhao
- Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, China
| | - Min-Lie Yang
- Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, China
| | - Guo-Zhong Lv
- Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, China.
| | - Tian-Lan Zhao
- Department of Plastic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China.
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16
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Deficiency of unc-51 like kinase 1 (Ulk1) protects against mice traumatic brain injury (TBI) by suppression of p38 and JNK pathway. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2018; 503:467-473. [PMID: 29680658 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2018.04.154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2018] [Accepted: 04/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Unc-51 like autophagy activating kinase 1 (Ulk1) is a serine/threonine kinase that plays a key role in regulating autophagy processes. We attempted to investigate the effects of Ulk1 on traumatic brain injury (TBI) progression by using wild type (WT) mice and Ulk1-knockout (KO) mice suffered with or not TBI. The results were verified using LPS-treated primary astrocyte (AST). Here, Ulk1 was over-expressed in hippocampus of WT mice after TBI, as well as in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated AST. Ulk1-deletion improved cognitive ability and hippocampus histological changes in TBI mice. Nissl and neuronal nuclei (NeuN) staining indicated that Ulk1-deletion increased the number of surviving neurons in hippocampus of TBI mice. Ulk1-ablation alleviated neuroinflammation, as evidenced by the reduced expression of hippocampus pro-inflammatory cytokines in TBI mice. TBI-induced apoptosis was also ameliorated by Ulk1-ablation, as proved by the reduced number of TUNEL-staining cells, and cleaved Caspase-3 and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) expressions. Moreover, Ulk1-knockout suppressed TBI-stimulated activation of astrocytes and microglia cells. Additionally, hippocampus autophagy induced by TBI was attenuated by Ulk1-knockout. Further, TBI-activated p38/c-Jun N-terminal Kinase (JNK) pathway was repressed by Ulk1-deletion in hippocampus of mice. The findings above were confirmed in LPS-stimulated AST with or without Ulk1 siRNA transfection. Intriguingly, pre-treatment of p38 or JNK activator markedly abolished the anti-inflammation, anti-apoptosis and anti-autophagy effects of Ulk1-knockdown on LPS-incubated AST. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that Ulk1 might be a potential target for developing therapeutic strategy against TBI in future.
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17
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Autophagy Modulation in Cancer: Current Knowledge on Action and Therapy. OXIDATIVE MEDICINE AND CELLULAR LONGEVITY 2018; 2018:8023821. [PMID: 29643976 PMCID: PMC5831833 DOI: 10.1155/2018/8023821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 138] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2017] [Revised: 11/13/2017] [Accepted: 12/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
In the last two decades, accumulating evidence pointed to the importance of autophagy in various human diseases. As an essential evolutionary catabolic process of cytoplasmatic component digestion, it is generally believed that modulating autophagic activity, through targeting specific regulatory actors in the core autophagy machinery, may impact disease processes. Both autophagy upregulation and downregulation have been found in cancers, suggesting its dual oncogenic and tumor suppressor properties during malignant transformation. Identification of the key autophagy targets is essential for the development of new therapeutic agents. Despite this great potential, no therapies are currently available that specifically focus on autophagy modulation. Although drugs like rapamycin, chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, and others act as autophagy modulators, they were not originally developed for this purpose. Thus, autophagy may represent a new and promising pharmacologic target for future drug development and therapeutic applications in human diseases. Here, we summarize our current knowledge in regard to the interplay between autophagy and malignancy in the most significant tumor types: pancreatic, breast, hepatocellular, colorectal, and lung cancer, which have been studied in respect to autophagy manipulation as a promising therapeutic strategy. Finally, we present an overview of the most recent advances in therapeutic strategies involving autophagy modulators in cancer.
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18
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The mammalian ULK1 complex and autophagy initiation. Essays Biochem 2017; 61:585-596. [PMID: 29233870 PMCID: PMC5869855 DOI: 10.1042/ebc20170021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 468] [Impact Index Per Article: 66.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2017] [Revised: 11/03/2017] [Accepted: 11/06/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Autophagy is a vital lysosomal degradation pathway that serves as a quality control mechanism. It rids the cell of damaged, toxic or excess cellular components, which if left to persist could be detrimental to the cell. It also serves as a recycling pathway to maintain protein synthesis under starvation conditions. A key initial event in autophagy is formation of the autophagosome, a unique double-membrane organelle that engulfs the cytosolic cargo destined for degradation. This step is mediated by the serine/threonine protein kinase ULK1 (unc-51-like kinase 1), which functions in a complex with at least three protein partners: FIP200 (focal adhesion kinase family interacting protein of 200 kDa), ATG (autophagy-related protein) 13 (ATG13), and ATG101. In this artcile, we focus on the regulation of the ULK1 complex during autophagy initiation. The complex pattern of upstream pathways that converge on ULK1 suggests that this complex acts as a node, converting multiple signals into autophagosome formation. Here, we review our current understanding of this regulation and in turn discuss what happens downstream, once the ULK1 complex becomes activated.
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19
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Shen G, Jiang M, Pu J. Dual inhibition of BRD4 and PI3K by SF2523 suppresses human prostate cancer cell growth in vitro and in vivo. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2017; 495:567-573. [PMID: 29133261 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2017.11.062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2017] [Accepted: 11/08/2017] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4) and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) are both key oncogenic proteins in human prostate cancer. In the current study, we examined the anti-prostate cancer cell activity by SF2523, a BRD4 and PI3K dual inhibitor. We showed that SF2523 potently inhibited survival and proliferation of the primary human prostate cancer cells. SF2523 induced profound apoptosis activation in prostate cancer cells. The dual inhibitor was yet non-cytotoxic to the prostate epithelial cells. At the molecular level, SF2523 downregulated BRD4-regulated genes (cyclin D1, c-Myc and androgen receptor) and almost blocked AKT-S6K1 activation in prostate cancer cells. In vivo, SF2523 intraperitoneal administration at the well-tolerated dose inhibited human prostate cancer xenograft growth in severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice. BRD4-regulated genes (cyclin D1, c-Myc and androgen receptor) and AKT-S6K1 activation were inhibited in SF2523-treated tumors. Together, dual inhibition of BRD4 and PI3K by SF2523 suppresses human prostate cancer cell growth in vitro and in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gang Shen
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Minjun Jiang
- Department of Urology, Wujiang Hospital Affiliated to Nantong University, Suzhou, China
| | - Jinxian Pu
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China.
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