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Rak M, Menge A, Tesch R, Berger LM, Balourdas DI, Shevchenko E, Krämer A, Elson L, Berger BT, Abdi I, Wahl LM, Poso A, Kaiser A, Hanke T, Kronenberger T, Joerger AC, Müller S, Knapp S. Development of Selective Pyrido[2,3- d]pyrimidin-7(8 H)-one-Based Mammalian STE20-Like (MST3/4) Kinase Inhibitors. J Med Chem 2024; 67:3813-3842. [PMID: 38422480 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c02217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
Mammalian STE20-like (MST) kinases 1-4 play key roles in regulating the Hippo and autophagy pathways, and their dysregulation has been implicated in cancer development. In contrast to the well-studied MST1/2, the roles of MST3/4 are less clear, in part due to the lack of potent and selective inhibitors. Here, we re-evaluated literature compounds, and used structure-guided design to optimize the p21-activated kinase (PAK) inhibitor G-5555 (8) to selectively target MST3/4. These efforts resulted in the development of MR24 (24) and MR30 (27) with good kinome-wide selectivity and high cellular potency. The distinct cellular functions of closely related MST kinases can now be elucidated with subfamily-selective chemical tool compounds using a combination of the MST1/2 inhibitor PF-06447475 (2) and the two MST3/4 inhibitors developed. We found that MST3/4-selective inhibition caused a cell-cycle arrest in the G1 phase, whereas MST1/2 inhibition resulted in accumulation of cells in the G2/M phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcel Rak
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC), Buchmann Institute for Life Sciences, Max-von-Laue-Str. 15, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Amelie Menge
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC), Buchmann Institute for Life Sciences, Max-von-Laue-Str. 15, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Roberta Tesch
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC), Buchmann Institute for Life Sciences, Max-von-Laue-Str. 15, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Lena M Berger
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC), Buchmann Institute for Life Sciences, Max-von-Laue-Str. 15, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Dimitrios-Ilias Balourdas
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC), Buchmann Institute for Life Sciences, Max-von-Laue-Str. 15, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Ekaterina Shevchenko
- Institute of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical/Medicinal Chemistry and Tübingen Center for Academic Drug Discovery (TüCAD2), Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Andreas Krämer
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC), Buchmann Institute for Life Sciences, Max-von-Laue-Str. 15, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- German Translational Cancer Network (DKTK) and Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI), 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Lewis Elson
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC), Buchmann Institute for Life Sciences, Max-von-Laue-Str. 15, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Benedict-Tilman Berger
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC), Buchmann Institute for Life Sciences, Max-von-Laue-Str. 15, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Ismahan Abdi
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC), Buchmann Institute for Life Sciences, Max-von-Laue-Str. 15, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Laurenz M Wahl
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC), Buchmann Institute for Life Sciences, Max-von-Laue-Str. 15, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Antti Poso
- Institute of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical/Medicinal Chemistry and Tübingen Center for Academic Drug Discovery (TüCAD2), Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
- School of Pharmacy, University of Eastern Finland, Yliopistonranta 1, 70210 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Astrid Kaiser
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Thomas Hanke
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC), Buchmann Institute for Life Sciences, Max-von-Laue-Str. 15, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Thales Kronenberger
- Institute of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical/Medicinal Chemistry and Tübingen Center for Academic Drug Discovery (TüCAD2), Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
- School of Pharmacy, University of Eastern Finland, Yliopistonranta 1, 70210 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Andreas C Joerger
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC), Buchmann Institute for Life Sciences, Max-von-Laue-Str. 15, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Susanne Müller
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC), Buchmann Institute for Life Sciences, Max-von-Laue-Str. 15, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Stefan Knapp
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC), Buchmann Institute for Life Sciences, Max-von-Laue-Str. 15, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- German Translational Cancer Network (DKTK) and Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI), 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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Caputo M, Andersson E, Xia Y, Hou W, Cansby E, Erikson M, Lind DE, Hallberg B, Amrutkar M, Mahlapuu M. Genetic Ablation of STE20-Type Kinase MST4 Does Not Alleviate Diet-Induced MASLD Susceptibility in Mice. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:2446. [PMID: 38397122 PMCID: PMC10888586 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25042446] [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: 01/23/2024] [Revised: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and its advanced subtype, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), have emerged as the most common chronic liver disease worldwide, yet there is no targeted pharmacotherapy presently available. This study aimed to investigate the possible in vivo function of STE20-type protein kinase MST4, which was earlier implicated in the regulation of hepatocellular lipotoxic milieu in vitro, in the control of the diet-induced impairment of systemic glucose and insulin homeostasis as well as MASLD susceptibility. Whole-body and liver-specific Mst4 knockout mice were generated by crossbreeding conditional Mst4fl/fl mice with mice expressing Cre recombinase under the Sox2 or Alb promoters, respectively. To replicate the environment in high-risk subjects, Mst4-/- mice and their wild-type littermates were fed a high-fat or a methionine-choline-deficient (MCD) diet. Different in vivo tests were conducted in obese mice to describe the whole-body metabolism. MASLD progression in the liver and lipotoxic damage to adipose tissue, kidney, and skeletal muscle were analyzed by histological and immunofluorescence analysis, biochemical assays, and protein and gene expression profiling. In parallel, intracellular fat storage and oxidative stress were assessed in primary mouse hepatocytes, where MST4 was silenced by small interfering RNA. We found that global MST4 depletion had no effect on body weight or composition, locomotor activity, whole-body glucose tolerance or insulin sensitivity in obese mice. Furthermore, we observed no alterations in lipotoxic injuries to the liver, adipose, kidney, or skeletal muscle tissue in high-fat diet-fed whole-body Mst4-/- vs. wild-type mice. Liver-specific Mst4-/- mice and wild-type littermates displayed a similar severity of MASLD when subjected to an MCD diet, as evidenced by equal levels of steatosis, inflammation, hepatic stellate cell activation, fibrosis, oxidative/ER stress, and apoptosis in the liver. In contrast, the in vitro silencing of MST4 effectively protected primary mouse hepatocytes against ectopic lipid accumulation and oxidative cell injury triggered by exposure to fatty acids. In summary, these results suggest that the genetic ablation of MST4 in mice does not mitigate the initiation or progression of MASLD and has no effect on systemic glucose or insulin homeostasis in the context of nutritional stress. The functional compensation for the genetic loss of MST4 by yet undefined mechanisms may contribute to the apparent discrepancy between in vivo and in vitro phenotypic consequences of MST4 silencing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mara Caputo
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, 41345 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Emma Andersson
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, 41345 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Ying Xia
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, 41345 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Wei Hou
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, 41345 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Emmelie Cansby
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, 41345 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Max Erikson
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, 41345 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Dan Emil Lind
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, 41345 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Bengt Hallberg
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, 41345 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Manoj Amrutkar
- Department of Pathology, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, 0372 Oslo, Norway
| | - Margit Mahlapuu
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, 41345 Gothenburg, Sweden
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Li AX, Martin TA, Lane J, Jiang WG. Cellular Impacts of Striatins and the STRIPAK Complex and Their Roles in the Development and Metastasis in Clinical Cancers (Review). Cancers (Basel) 2023; 16:76. [PMID: 38201504 PMCID: PMC10777921 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16010076] [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: 11/23/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Striatins (STRNs) are generally considered to be cytoplasmic proteins, with lower expression observed in the nucleus and at cell-cell contact regions. Together with protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A), STRNs form the core region of striatin-interacting phosphatase and kinase (STRIPAK) complexes through the coiled-coil region of STRN proteins, which is crucial for substrate recruitment. Over the past two decades, there has been an increasing amount of research into the biological and cellular functions of STRIPAK members. STRNs and the constituent members of the STRIPAK complex have been found to regulate several cellular functions, such as cell cycle control, cell growth, and motility. Dysregulation of these cellular events is associated with cancer development. Importantly, their roles in cancer cells and clinical cancers are becoming recognised, with several STRIPAK components found to have elevated expression in cancerous tissues compared to healthy tissues. These molecules exhibit significant diagnostic and prognostic value across different cancer types and in metastatic progression. The present review comprehensively summarises and discusses the current knowledge of STRNs and core STRIPAK members, in cancer malignancy, from both cellular and clinical perspectives.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tracey A. Martin
- Cardiff China Medical Research Collaborative, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK; (A.X.L.); (J.L.); (W.G.J.)
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Caputo M, Xia Y, Anand SK, Cansby E, Andersson E, Marschall HU, Königsrainer A, Peter A, Mahlapuu M. STE20-type kinases MST3 and MST4 promote the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma: Evidence from human cell culture and expression profiling of liver biopsies. FASEB J 2023; 37:e23105. [PMID: 37490000 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202300397rr] [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: 03/02/2023] [Revised: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023]
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most fatal and fastest growing malignancies. Recently, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), characterized by liver steatosis, inflammation, cell injury (hepatocyte ballooning), and different stages of fibrosis, has emerged as a major catalyst for HCC. Because the STE20-type kinases, MST3 and MST4, have been described as critical molecular regulators of NASH pathophysiology, we here focused on determining the relevance of these proteins in human HCC. By analyzing public datasets and in-house cohorts, we found that hepatic MST3 and MST4 expression was positively correlated with the incidence and severity of HCC. We also found that the silencing of both MST3 and MST4, but also either of them individually, markedly suppressed the tumorigenesis of human HCC cells including attenuated proliferation, migration, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Mechanistic investigations revealed lower activation of STAT3 signaling in MST3/MST4-deficient hepatocytes and identified GOLGA2 and STRIPAK complex as the binding partners of both MST3 and MST4. These findings reveal that MST3 and MST4 play a critical role in promoting the progression of HCC and suggest that targeting these kinases may provide a novel strategy for the treatment of liver cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mara Caputo
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Ying Xia
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Sumit Kumar Anand
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Emmelie Cansby
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Emma Andersson
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Hanns-Ulrich Marschall
- Wallenberg Laboratory, Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine, Institute of Medicine, University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Alfred Königsrainer
- Department of General, Visceral and Transplant Surgery, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Andreas Peter
- Institute for Clinical Chemistry and Pathobiochemistry, Department for Diagnostic Laboratory Medicine, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Neuherberg, Germany
- Institute for Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases of the Helmholtz Center Munich at the University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Margit Mahlapuu
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
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5
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Getu AA, Zhou M, Cheng SY, Tan M. The mammalian Sterile 20-like kinase 4 (MST4) signaling in tumor progression: Implications for therapy. Cancer Lett 2023; 563:216183. [PMID: 37094736 PMCID: PMC10642761 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2023.216183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Revised: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023]
Abstract
Cancer is a leading cause of death in humans, with a complex and dynamic nature that makes it challenging to fully comprehend and treat. The Mammalian Sterile 20-Like Kinase 4 (MST4 or STK26) is a serine/threonine-protein kinase that plays a crucial role in cell migration and polarity in both normal and tumor cells via activation of intracellular signaling molecules and pathways. MST4 is involved in tumor cell proliferation, migration and invasion, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), survival, and cancer metastasis through modulation of downstream signaling pathways including the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and protein kinase B (AKT) pathways. Additionally, MST4 interacts with programmed cell death 10 (PDCD10) to promote tumor proliferation and migration. MST4 phosphorylates autophagy related 4B cysteine peptidase (ATG4B) to mediate autophagy signaling, promote tumor cell survival and proliferation, and contribute to treatment resistance. Taken together, MST4 functions as an oncogene and is a promising therapeutic target which deserves further exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayechew A Getu
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, China Medical University, Taichung, 406040, Taiwan; Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia
| | - Ming Zhou
- Cancer Research Institute and School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Shi-Yuan Cheng
- The Ken & Ruth Davee Department of Neurology, Lou & Jean Malnati Brain Tumor Institute at Northwestern Medicine, The Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA
| | - Ming Tan
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, China Medical University, Taichung, 406040, Taiwan; Institute of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, China Medical University, Taichung, 406040, Taiwan.
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Liu P, Li L, Wang W, He C, Xu C. MST4 promotes proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of gastric cancer by enhancing autophagy. Heliyon 2023; 9:e16735. [PMID: 37313160 PMCID: PMC10258413 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e16735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Revised: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Mammalian infertile-20-like kinase 4 (MST4) plays major roles in the progression of malignant tumor types, but its function in gastric cancer (GC) remains poorly understood. Objective To investigate the regulatory mechanism of MST4 in GC. Methods Immunohistochemistry was used to detect MST4 protein in GC tissue. Additionally, the correlation between MST4 expression and the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of GC was evaluated. The MST4 expression level in GC cells was measured by western blotting and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Moreover, the regulatory mechanism of MST4 was investigated in vitro and in vivo. Results Overexpression of MST4 was found in GC tissue and cell lines, which correlated to the tumor size, histological type, invasion depth, ulcer, lymph node metastasis, lymphovascular invasion, perineural invasion and TNM stage (all P < 0.01). In terms of MST4 functions in vitro, its upregulation facilitated the proliferation, migration, and invasion of GC cells. Furthermore, MST4 promoted these processes by facilitating autophagy, whereas downregulation of MST4 significantly attenuated these processes. Downregulation of MST4 also attenuated tumor growth in vivo. Conclusion High expression of MST4 indicates a poor prognosis and promotes GC cell proliferation, invasion, and metastasis by enhancing autophagy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengwei Liu
- Departments of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, Jiangsu, China
- Departments of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wannan Medical College, Wuhu, 241001, Anhui, China
| | - Lin Li
- Departments of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wannan Medical College, Wuhu, 241001, Anhui, China
| | - Wei Wang
- Departments of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wannan Medical College, Wuhu, 241001, Anhui, China
| | - Chiyi He
- Departments of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wannan Medical College, Wuhu, 241001, Anhui, China
| | - Chunfang Xu
- Departments of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, Jiangsu, China
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Arora R, Kim JH, Getu AA, Angajala A, Chen YL, Wang B, Kahn AG, Chen H, Reshi L, Lu J, Zhang W, Zhou M, Tan M. MST4: A Potential Oncogene and Therapeutic Target in Breast Cancer. Cells 2022; 11:cells11244057. [PMID: 36552828 PMCID: PMC9777386 DOI: 10.3390/cells11244057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2022] [Revised: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The mammalian STE 20-like protein kinase 4 (MST4) gene is highly expressed in several cancer types, but little is known about the role of MST4 in breast cancer, and the function of MST4 during epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) has not been fully elucidated. Here we report that overexpression of MST4 in breast cancer results in enhanced cell growth, migration, and invasion, whereas inhibition of MST4 expression significantly attenuates these properties. Further study shows that MST4 promotes EMT by activating Akt and its downstream signaling molecules such as E-cadherin/N-cadherin, Snail, and Slug. MST4 also activates AKT and its downstream pro-survival pathway. Furthermore, by analyzing breast cancer patient tissue microarray and silicon datasets, we found that MST4 expression is much higher in breast tumor tissue compared to normal tissue, and significantly correlates with cancer stage, lymph node metastasis and a poor overall survival rate (p < 0.05). Taken together, our findings demonstrate the oncogenic potential of MST4 in breast cancer, highlighting its role in cancer cell proliferation, migration/invasion, survival, and EMT, suggesting a possibility that MST4 may serve as a novel therapeutic target for breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ritu Arora
- Mitchell Cancer Institute, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL 36604, USA
| | - Jin-Hwan Kim
- Mitchell Cancer Institute, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL 36604, USA
- Markey Cancer Center, Department of Toxicology and Cancer Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40508, USA
| | - Ayechew A. Getu
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, China Medical University, Taichung 406040, Taiwan
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar P.O. Box 196, Ethiopia
| | - Anusha Angajala
- Mitchell Cancer Institute, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL 36604, USA
| | - Yih-Lin Chen
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, China Medical University, Taichung 406040, Taiwan
| | - Bin Wang
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL 36688, USA
| | - Andrea G. Kahn
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Hong Chen
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, China Medical University, Taichung 406040, Taiwan
| | - Latif Reshi
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, China Medical University, Taichung 406040, Taiwan
| | - Jianrong Lu
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Wenling Zhang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China
| | - Ming Zhou
- Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China
| | - Ming Tan
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, China Medical University, Taichung 406040, Taiwan
- Research Center for Cancer Biology, China Medical University, Taichung 406040, Taiwan
- Correspondence:
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8
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Caputo M, Cansby E, Kumari S, Kurhe Y, Nair S, Ståhlman M, Kulkarni NM, Borén J, Marschall HU, Blüher M, Mahlapuu M. STE20-Type Protein Kinase MST4 Controls NAFLD Progression by Regulating Lipid Droplet Dynamics and Metabolic Stress in Hepatocytes. Hepatol Commun 2021; 5:1183-1200. [PMID: 34278168 PMCID: PMC8279465 DOI: 10.1002/hep4.1702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2020] [Revised: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has emerged as a leading cause of chronic liver disease worldwide, primarily because of the massive global increase in obesity. Despite intense research efforts in this field, the factors that govern the initiation and subsequent progression of NAFLD are poorly understood, which hampers the development of diagnostic tools and effective therapies in this area of high unmet medical need. Here we describe a regulator in molecular pathogenesis of NAFLD: STE20-type protein kinase MST4. We found that MST4 expression in human liver biopsies was positively correlated with the key features of NAFLD (i.e., hepatic steatosis, lobular inflammation, and hepatocellular ballooning). Furthermore, the silencing of MST4 attenuated lipid accumulation in human hepatocytes by stimulating β-oxidation and triacylglycerol secretion, while inhibiting fatty acid influx and lipid synthesis. Conversely, overexpression of MST4 in human hepatocytes exacerbated fat deposition by suppressing mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation and triacylglycerol efflux, while enhancing lipogenesis. In parallel to these reciprocal alterations in lipid storage, we detected substantially decreased or aggravated oxidative/endoplasmic reticulum stress in human hepatocytes with reduced or increased MST4 levels, respectively. Interestingly, MST4 protein was predominantly associated with intracellular lipid droplets in both human and rodent hepatocytes. Conclusion: Together, our results suggest that hepatic lipid droplet-decorating protein MST4 is a critical regulatory node governing susceptibility to NAFLD and warrant future investigations to address the therapeutic potential of MST4 antagonism as a strategy to prevent or mitigate the development and aggravation of this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mara Caputo
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular BiologyUniversity of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University HospitalGothenburgSweden
| | - Emmelie Cansby
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular BiologyUniversity of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University HospitalGothenburgSweden
| | - Sima Kumari
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular BiologyUniversity of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University HospitalGothenburgSweden
| | - Yeshwant Kurhe
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular BiologyUniversity of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University HospitalGothenburgSweden
| | - Syam Nair
- Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, and Institute of Clinical SciencesSahlgrenska AcademyUniversity of GothenburgGothenburgSweden
| | - Marcus Ståhlman
- Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine/Wallenberg LaboratoryInstitute of MedicineUniversity of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University HospitalGothenburgSweden
| | - Nagaraj M Kulkarni
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular BiologyUniversity of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University HospitalGothenburgSweden
| | - Jan Borén
- Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine/Wallenberg LaboratoryInstitute of MedicineUniversity of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University HospitalGothenburgSweden
| | - Hanns-Ulrich Marschall
- Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine/Wallenberg LaboratoryInstitute of MedicineUniversity of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University HospitalGothenburgSweden
| | | | - Margit Mahlapuu
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular BiologyUniversity of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University HospitalGothenburgSweden
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Dian MJ, Li J, Zhang XL, Li ZJ, Zhou Y, Zhou W, Zhong QL, Pang WQ, Lin XL, Liu T, Liu YA, Li YL, Han LX, Zhao WT, Jia JS, Xiao SJ, Xiao D, Xia JW, Hao WC. MST4 negatively regulates the EMT, invasion and metastasis of HCC cells by inactivating PI3K/AKT/Snail1 axis. J Cancer 2021; 12:4463-4477. [PMID: 34149910 PMCID: PMC8210547 DOI: 10.7150/jca.60008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 05/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide and has a poor prognosis due to the high incidence of invasion and metastasis-related progression. However, the underlying mechanism remains elusive, and valuable biomarkers for predicting invasion, metastasis, and poor prognosis of HCC patients are still lacking. Methods: Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed on HCC tissues (n = 325), and the correlations between MST4 expression of the clinical HCC tissues, the clinicopathologic features, and survival were further evaluated. The effects of MST4 on HCC cell migratory and invasive properties in vitro were evaluated by Transwell and Boyden assays. The intrahepatic metastasis mouse model was established to evaluate the HCC metastasis in vivo. The PI3K inhibitor, LY294002, and a specific siRNA against Snail1 were used to investigate the roles of PI3K/AKT pathway and Snail1 in MST4-regulated EMT, migration, and invasion of HCC cells, respectively. Results: In this study, by comprehensively analyzing our clinical data, we discovered that low MST4 expression is highly associated with the advanced progression of HCC and serves as a prognostic biomarker for HCC patients of clinical-stage III-IV. Functional studies indicate that MST4 inactivation induces epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of HCC cells, promotes their migratory and invasive potential in vitro, and facilitates their intrahepatic metastasis in vivo, whereas MST4 overexpression exhibits the opposite phenotypes. Mechanistically, MST4 inactivation elevates the expression and nuclear translocation of Snail1, a key EMT transcription factor (EMT-TF), through the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, thus inducing the EMT phenotype of HCC cells, and enhancing their invasive and metastatic potential. Moreover, a negative correlation between MST4 and p-AKT, Snail1, and Ki67 and a positive correlation between MST4 and E-cadherin were determined in clinical HCC samples. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that MST4 suppresses EMT, invasion, and metastasis of HCC cells by modulating the PI3K/AKT/Snail1 axis, suggesting that MST4 may be a potential prognostic biomarker for aggressive and metastatic HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mei-Juan Dian
- Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China.,Institute of Comparative Medicine & Laboratory Animal Center, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Jing Li
- Radiotherapy Center, the First People's Hospital of Chenzhou, Xiangnan University, Chenzhou 423000, China
| | - Xiao-Ling Zhang
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Guilin Medical University, Guilin 541004, China
| | - Zi-Jian Li
- Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Ying Zhou
- Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Wei Zhou
- Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Qiu-Ling Zhong
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Key Laboratory of Mental Health of the Ministry of Education, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Psychiatric Disorders, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Wen-Qian Pang
- Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Xiao-Lin Lin
- Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Tao Liu
- Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Yi-An Liu
- Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Yong-Long Li
- Institute of Comparative Medicine & Laboratory Animal Center, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Liu-Xin Han
- The third people's hospital of Kunming (The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Dali University), Kunming 650041, China
| | - Wen-Tao Zhao
- Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University (Yunnan Cancer Hospital, Yunnan Cancer Center), Kunming 650118, China
| | - Jun-Shuang Jia
- Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Sheng-Jun Xiao
- Department of Pathology, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Guilin Medical University, Guilin 541199, China
| | - Dong Xiao
- Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China.,Institute of Comparative Medicine & Laboratory Animal Center, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Jia-Wei Xia
- The third people's hospital of Kunming (The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Dali University), Kunming 650041, China
| | - Wei-Chao Hao
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliation Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510062, China
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10
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Li Q, Liu S, Yan J, Sun MZ, Greenaway FT. The potential role of miR-124-3p in tumorigenesis and other related diseases. Mol Biol Rep 2021; 48:3579-3591. [PMID: 33877528 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-021-06347-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of single-stranded noncoding and endogenous RNA molecules with a length of 18-25 nucleotides. Previous work has shown that miR-124-3p leads to malignant progression of cancer including cell apoptosis, migration, invasion, drug resistance, and also recovers neural function, affects adipogenic differentiation, facilitates wound healing through control of various target genes. miR-124-3p has been mainly previously characterized as a tumor suppressor regulating tumorigenesis and progression in several cancers, such as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), gastric cancer (GC), bladder cancer, ovarian cancer (OC), and leukemia, as a tumor promotor in breast cancer (BC), and it has been also widely studied in a variety of neurological diseases, like Parkinson's disease (PD), dementia and Alzheimer's disease (AD), and cardiovascular diseases, ulcerative colitis (UC), acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). To lay the groundwork for future therapeutic strategies, in this review we mainly focus on the most recent years of literature on the functions of miR-124-3p in related major cancers, as well as its downstream target genes. Although current work as yet provides an incomplete picture, miR-124-3p is still worthy of more attention as a practical and effective clinical biomarker.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Li
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Dalian Medical University, 9 West Section, Lvshun Southern Road, Dalian, 116044, China.,Department of Hematology, Dalian Key Laboratory of Hematology, Diamond Bay Institute of Hematology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, 116027, China
| | - Shuqing Liu
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Dalian Medical University, 9 West Section, Lvshun Southern Road, Dalian, 116044, China. .,Department of Hematology, Dalian Key Laboratory of Hematology, Diamond Bay Institute of Hematology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, 116027, China.
| | - Jinsong Yan
- Department of Hematology, Dalian Key Laboratory of Hematology, Diamond Bay Institute of Hematology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, 116027, China
| | - Ming-Zhong Sun
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Dalian Medical University, 9 West Section, Lvshun Southern Road, Dalian, 116044, China. .,Department of Hematology, Dalian Key Laboratory of Hematology, Diamond Bay Institute of Hematology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, 116027, China.
| | - Frederick T Greenaway
- Carlson School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Clark University, Worcester, MA, 01610, USA
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11
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Xiao M, Benoit A, Hasmim M, Duhem C, Vogin G, Berchem G, Noman MZ, Janji B. Targeting Cytoprotective Autophagy to Enhance Anticancer Therapies. Front Oncol 2021; 11:626309. [PMID: 33718194 PMCID: PMC7951055 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.626309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2020] [Accepted: 01/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Autophagy is a highly regulated multi-step process that occurs at the basal level in almost all cells. Although the deregulation of the autophagy process has been described in several pathologies, the role of autophagy in cancer as a cytoprotective mechanism is currently well established and supported by experimental and clinical evidence. Our understanding of the molecular mechanism of the autophagy process has largely contributed to defining how we can harness this process to improve the benefit of cancer therapies. While the role of autophagy in tumor resistance to chemotherapy is extensively documented, emerging data point toward autophagy as a mechanism of cancer resistance to radiotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy. Therefore, manipulating autophagy has emerged as a promising strategy to overcome tumor resistance to various anti-cancer therapies, and autophagy modulators are currently evaluated in combination therapies in several clinical trials. In this review, we will summarize our current knowledge of the impact of genetically and pharmacologically modulating autophagy genes and proteins, involved in the different steps of the autophagy process, on the therapeutic benefit of various cancer therapies. We will also briefly discuss the challenges and limitations to developing potent and selective autophagy inhibitors that could be used in ongoing clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malina Xiao
- Tumor Immunotherapy and Microenvironment (TIME) Group, Department of Oncology, Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
| | - Alice Benoit
- Tumor Immunotherapy and Microenvironment (TIME) Group, Department of Oncology, Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
| | - Meriem Hasmim
- Tumor Immunotherapy and Microenvironment (TIME) Group, Department of Oncology, Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
| | - Caroline Duhem
- Department of Hemato-oncology, Centre Hospitalier du Luxembourg, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
| | - Guillaume Vogin
- Université de Lorraine - UMR 7365, Ingénierie Moléculaire et Physiopathologie Articulaire (IMoPA), Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, France.,Centre François Baclesse, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Guy Berchem
- Tumor Immunotherapy and Microenvironment (TIME) Group, Department of Oncology, Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), Luxembourg City, Luxembourg.,Department of Hemato-oncology, Centre Hospitalier du Luxembourg, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
| | - Muhammad Zaeem Noman
- Tumor Immunotherapy and Microenvironment (TIME) Group, Department of Oncology, Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
| | - Bassam Janji
- Tumor Immunotherapy and Microenvironment (TIME) Group, Department of Oncology, Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
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12
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Xu T, Shen G, Cheng M, Wu X, Xu Y, Hu S. Upregulated β-arrestin1 predicts poor prognosis and promotes metastasis via AKT/ERK signaling pathway in gastric cancer. Pathol Res Pract 2020; 216:153262. [PMID: 33129195 DOI: 10.1016/j.prp.2020.153262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Revised: 10/16/2020] [Accepted: 10/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND β-Arrestins have been found to regulate cell proliferation, invasion and migration; transmit anti-apoptotic survival signals; and affect other characteristics of tumours. However, their role in gastric cancer (GC) is not clear. We investigated the role and mechanism of β-arrestins in the regulation of GC. METHODS We first examined β-arrestins mRNA levels in 17 pairs of GC tissues by qRT-PCR. We also used immunohistochemistry to further examine the expression of β-arrestins in 60 paraffin-embedded primary GC tissues and 20 normal gastric tissues. Then, the function of β-arrestin1 was investigated in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS β-Arrestin1 was upregulated in GC tissue and was associated with tumour stage, lymph node metastasis, invasion depth and patient sex. High expression of β-arrestin1 expression predicted poor prognosis in GC. β-Arrestin1 promoted GC cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and it suppressed E-cadherin expression and upregulated Vimentin expression via AKT/ERK signalling pathway. The in vivo metastasis assays showed that knockdown of β-arrestin1 reduced lung metastasis and inhibited EMT. CONCLUSION The upregulation of β-arrestin1 predicts poor prognosis and promotes metastasis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in GC through AKT/ERK signalling pathway. This study may provide therapeutic advances for the treatment and early diagnosis of patients with metastatic GC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tingjuan Xu
- Gerontology Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230001, People's Republic of China; Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunotherapy and Nutrition Therapy, Hefei, Anhui 230001, People's Republic of China
| | - Guodong Shen
- Gerontology Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230001, People's Republic of China; Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunotherapy and Nutrition Therapy, Hefei, Anhui 230001, People's Republic of China
| | - Min Cheng
- Gerontology Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230001, People's Republic of China; Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunotherapy and Nutrition Therapy, Hefei, Anhui 230001, People's Republic of China
| | - Xinchun Wu
- Gerontology Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230001, People's Republic of China; Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunotherapy and Nutrition Therapy, Hefei, Anhui 230001, People's Republic of China
| | - Yayuan Xu
- Agro-products Processing Research Institute, Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hefei, Anhui 230031, People's Republic of China
| | - Shilian Hu
- Gerontology Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230001, People's Republic of China; Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunotherapy and Nutrition Therapy, Hefei, Anhui 230001, People's Republic of China.
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13
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Chen J, Zhou J, Fu H, Ni X, Shan Y. Upregulation of oxidative stress-responsive 1(OXSR1) predicts poor prognosis and promotes hepatocellular carcinoma progression. Bioengineered 2020; 11:958-971. [PMID: 32842855 PMCID: PMC8291867 DOI: 10.1080/21655979.2020.1814659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
We, the authors, Editors and Publisher of the journal Bioengineered have retracted the following article: “Upregulation of oxidative stress-responsive 1(OXSR1) predicts poor prognosis and promotes hepatocellular carcinoma progression,” Jianhui Chen, Jiangfan Zhou, Haotian Fu, Xiaofeng Ni & Yufeng Shan. Bioengineered, Volume 11, 2020, Pages 958-971. Since publication, the authors raised the following concerns:
Recently, in order to further explore the molecular mechanism of oxidative stress-responsive1(OXSR1) promoting the malignant progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), we repeated the previous research results. However, when we repeated the proliferation experiments, we found that compared with the result of the control group, there was no statistically significant difference in proliferation after knocking down OXSR1. Therefore, we continued to repeat the proliferation experiments several times. Unfortunately, the results of our repeated experiments did not show statistical differences. This indicates that the OXSR1 that the previous study proved to promote the proliferation of HCC is an unreliable result. Actually, OXSR1 does not promote the proliferation of HCC. Considering that in our previous study, OXSR1 promotes the proliferation of HCC is a very important conclusion, we decided to retract this article.
The authors alerted the issue to the Editor and Publisher and all have agreed to retract the article to ensure the integrity of the scholarly record. We have been informed in our decision-making by our policy on publishing ethics and integrity and the COPE guidelines on retractions. The retracted article will remain online to maintain the scholarly record, but it will be digitally watermarked on each page as ‘Retracted’.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianhui Chen
- Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Hepato-Pancreatic Diseases of Zhejiang Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University , Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, People's Republic of China.,Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University , Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiangfan Zhou
- Department of Intervention, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University , Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Haotian Fu
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University , Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaofeng Ni
- Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Hepato-Pancreatic Diseases of Zhejiang Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University , Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, People's Republic of China.,Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University , Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Yunfeng Shan
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University , Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, People's Republic of China
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14
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Hao WC, Zhong QL, Pang WQ, Dian MJ, Li J, Han LX, Zhao WT, Zhang XL, Xiao SJ, Xiao D, Lin XL, Jia JS. MST4 inhibits human hepatocellular carcinoma cell proliferation and induces cell cycle arrest via suppression of PI3K/AKT pathway. J Cancer 2020; 11:5106-5117. [PMID: 32742458 PMCID: PMC7378920 DOI: 10.7150/jca.45822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2020] [Accepted: 05/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective: MST4 has exhibited functions in regulating cell polarity, Golgi apparatus, cell migration, and cancer. Mechanistically, it affects the activity of p-ERK, Hippo-YAP pathway and autophagy. The aim of this study is to further examine the functions of MST4 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and the underlying mechanism. Methods: The expression level of MST4 in HCC and noncancer adjacent liver tissues was determined by qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry staining. Wild-type MST4 (MST4) and a dominant-negative mutant of MST4 (dnMST4) were overexpressed in HCC cell lines, respectively. CCK-8 assay, EdU incorporation assay, and soft agar assay were used to determine cell proliferation in vitro. The xenograft mouse model was employed to determine HCC cell growth in vivo. Cell cycle analysis was performed by PI staining and flow cytometry. The expression of key members in PI3K/AKT pathway was detected by Western blot analysis. Results: In our study, we reported new evidence that MST4 was frequently down-regulated in HCC tissues. Gain-of-function and loss-of-function experiments demonstrated that MST4 negatively regulated in vitro HCC cell proliferation. Additionally, MST4 overexpression suppressed Bel-7404 cell tumor growth in nude mice. Further experiments revealed that the growth-inhibitory effect of MST4 overexpression was partly due to a G1-phase cell cycle arrest. Importantly, mechanistic investigations suggested that dnMST4 significantly elevated the phosphorylation levels of key members of PI3K/AKT pathway, and the selective PI3K inhibitor LY294002 can reverse the proliferation-promoting effect of dnMST4. Conclusions: Overall, our results provide a new insight into the clinical significance, functions and molecular mechanism of MST4 in HCC, suggesting that MST4 might have a potential therapeutic value in the HCC clinical treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei-Chao Hao
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunotherapy Research and Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunology Research, Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China.,Institute of Comparative Medicine & Laboratory Animal Center, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Qiu-Ling Zhong
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunotherapy Research and Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunology Research, Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Wen-Qian Pang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunotherapy Research and Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunology Research, Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Mei-Juan Dian
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunotherapy Research and Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunology Research, Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Jing Li
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunotherapy Research and Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunology Research, Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China.,Radiotherapy Center, the First People's Hospital of Chenzhou, Chenzhou 423000, China
| | - Liu-Xin Han
- The third people's hospital of Kunming, Kunming 650041, China
| | - Wen-Tao Zhao
- Department of Medical Oncology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University (Tumour Hospital of Yunnan Province), Kunming 650118, China
| | - Xiao-Ling Zhang
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Guilin Medical University, Guilin 541004, China
| | - Sheng-Jun Xiao
- Department of Pathology, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Guilin Medical University, Guilin 541199, China
| | - Dong Xiao
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunotherapy Research and Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunology Research, Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China.,Institute of Comparative Medicine & Laboratory Animal Center, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Xiao-Lin Lin
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunotherapy Research and Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunology Research, Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Jun-Shuang Jia
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunotherapy Research and Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunology Research, Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
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15
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Liu G, Song J, Zhao Y, Zhang L, Qin J, Cui Y. Tripartite motif containing 59 (TRIM59) promotes esophageal cancer progression via promoting MST4 expression and ERK pathway. J Recept Signal Transduct Res 2020; 40:471-478. [PMID: 32340525 DOI: 10.1080/10799893.2020.1756327] [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: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Objective: To detect the expression of tripartite motif containing 59 (TRIM59) in human esophageal cancer (EC) tissues and explore whether TRIM59 could affect the progression of EC.Methods: Quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry assays were performed to detect the expression of TRIM59 in 40 human EC tissues and corresponding non-tumor tissues. The correlations between TRIM59 expression and clinical pathological features of patients with EC were also investigated. CCK-8, colony formation, wound closure, and transwell assays were performed to detect the effects of TRIM59 on EC cells in vitro., Immunoblotting assays were performed to detect the effects of TRIM59 on the expression of mammalian sterile-20-like kinase 4 (MST4) and ERK pathway.Results: We reported increased expression of TRIM59 in human EC tissues, and its expression was correlated with clinical features, including metastasis (p = .011*) and maximum diameter (p = .027*), in patients with EC. We further found that TRIM59 contributed to the proliferation and invasion of EC cells via regulating mammalian sterile-20-like kinase 4 (MST4) expression and ERK pathway.Conclusion: Our data confirmed the involvement of TRIM59 in EC progression and proposed that TRIM59 could serve as a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of EC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangming Liu
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun City, Jilin Province, China
| | - Jinying Song
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun City, Jilin Province, China
| | - Yong Zhao
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun City, Jilin Province, China
| | - Lianjie Zhang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun City, Jilin Province, China
| | - Junjie Qin
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun City, Jilin Province, China
| | - Youbin Cui
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun City, Jilin Province, China
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