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Beilankouhi EAV, Valilo M, Dastmalchi N, Teimourian S, Safaralizadeh R. The Function of Autophagy in the Initiation, and Development of Breast Cancer. Curr Med Chem 2024; 31:2974-2990. [PMID: 37138421 DOI: 10.2174/0929867330666230503145319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2020] [Revised: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Autophagy is a significant catabolic procedure that increases in stressful conditions. This mechanism is mostly triggered after damage to the organelles, the presence of unnatural proteins, and nutrient recycling in reaction to these stresses. One of the key points in this article is that cleaning and preserving damaged organelles and accumulated molecules through autophagy in normal cells helps prevent cancer. Since dysfunction of autophagy is associated with various diseases, including cancer, it has a dual function in tumor suppression and expansion. It has newly become clear that the regulation of autophagy can be used for the treatment of breast cancer, which has a promising effect of increasing the efficiency of anticancer treatment in a tissue- and cell-type-specific manner by affecting the fundamental molecular mechanisms. Regulation of autophagy and its function in tumorigenesis is a vital part of modern anticancer techniques. This study discusses the current advances related to the mechanisms that describe essential modulators of autophagy involved in the metastasis of cancers and the development of new breast cancer treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mohammad Valilo
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran
| | - Narges Dastmalchi
- Department of Biology, University College of Nabi Akram, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Shahram Teimourian
- Department of Medical Genetics, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Reza Safaralizadeh
- Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran
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Fleisher B, Mody H, Werkman C, Ait-Oudhia S. Chloroquine sensitizes MDA-MB-231 cells to osimertinib through autophagy-apoptosis crosstalk pathway. BREAST CANCER-TARGETS AND THERAPY 2019; 11:231-241. [PMID: 31839713 PMCID: PMC6664863 DOI: 10.2147/bctt.s211030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2019] [Accepted: 06/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Background: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a breast cancer that tests negative for estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptors, and human epidermal growth factor receptors 2 (HER2). It is aggressive and invasive in nature and lacks targeted therapy. Purpose: The EGFR is frequently overexpressed in TNBC, and the EGFR-overexpressing TNBC presumably escapes EGFR inhibitor therapy by upregulating autophagy and inhibiting apoptosis. Methods: To parse the autophagy–apoptosis crosstalk pathway as a potential targeted therapy in TNBC, the activity of an EGFR inhibitor, osimertinib, alone and in combination with an autophagy inhibitor, chloroquine, was examined in EGFR-overexpressing TNBC cell line, MDA-MB-231. The nature of interaction between both drugs at various concentrations was determined by calculating combination indexes (CI) using CompuSyn software. Temporal changes in the expression of the autophagy marker, LC3B-II, and several apoptosis signaling molecules were measured using Western blot and luminex assay with MAGPIX® after exposure to drugs. A synergistic interaction (CI <1) was identified with combinations of 4–6.5 μM osimertinib with 30–75 μM chloroquine. Results: A combination of osimertinib (6 μM) with chloroquine (30 μM) resulted in a 6-fold increase of LC3B-II relative to control compared to 2.5-fold increase for either drug alone. The caspase-3 expression increased 2-fold compared to a 0.5-fold decrease with chloroquine and 1.5-fold increase with osimertinib. Conclusion: Our results indicate that inhibition of the autophagic flux via chloroquine improves the effectiveness of osimertinib in TNBC cancer cells, warranting further investigations of this combination in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brett Fleisher
- Center for Pharmacometrics and Systems Pharmacology, Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, Orlando, FL, USA
| | - Hardik Mody
- Center for Pharmacometrics and Systems Pharmacology, Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, Orlando, FL, USA
| | - Carolin Werkman
- Center for Pharmacometrics and Systems Pharmacology, Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, Orlando, FL, USA
| | - Sihem Ait-Oudhia
- Center for Pharmacometrics and Systems Pharmacology, Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, Orlando, FL, USA
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Ayuso JM, Gillette A, Lugo-Cintrón K, Acevedo-Acevedo S, Gomez I, Morgan M, Heaster T, Wisinski KB, Palecek SP, Skala MC, Beebe DJ. Organotypic microfluidic breast cancer model reveals starvation-induced spatial-temporal metabolic adaptations. EBioMedicine 2018; 37:144-157. [PMID: 30482722 PMCID: PMC6284542 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2018.10.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2018] [Revised: 10/15/2018] [Accepted: 10/16/2018] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is the earliest stage of breast cancer. During DCIS, tumor cells remain inside the mammary duct, growing under a microenvironment characterized by hypoxia, nutrient starvation, and waste product accumulation; this harsh microenvironment promotes genomic instability and eventually cell invasion. However, there is a lack of biomarkers to predict what patients will transition to a more invasive tumor or how DCIS cells manage to survive in this harsh microenvironment. METHODS In this work, we have developed a microfluidic model that recapitulates the DCIS microenvironment. In the microdevice, a DCIS model cell line was grown inside a luminal mammary duct model, embedded in a 3D hydrogel with mammary fibroblasts. Cell behavior was monitored by confocal microscopy and optical metabolic imaging. Additionally, metabolite profile was studied by NMR whereas gene expression was analyzed by RT-qPCR. FINDINGS DCIS cell metabolism led to hypoxia and nutrient starvation; revealing an altered metabolism focused on glycolysis and other hypoxia-associated pathways. In response to this starvation and hypoxia, DCIS cells modified the expression of multiple genes, and a gradient of different metabolic phenotypes was observed across the mammary duct model. These genetic changes observed in the model were in good agreement with patient genomic profiles; identifying multiple compounds targeting the affected pathways. In this context, the hypoxia-activated prodrug tirapazamine selectively destroyed hypoxic DCIS cells. INTERPRETATION The results showed the capacity of the microfluidic model to mimic the DCIS structure, identifying multiple cellular adaptations to endure the hypoxia and nutrient starvation generated within the mammary duct. These findings may suggest new potential therapeutic directions to treat DCIS. In summary, given the lack of in vitro models to study DCIS, this microfluidic device holds great potential to find new DCIS predictors and therapies and translate them to the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose M Ayuso
- Morgridge Institute for Research, 330 N Orchard street, Madison, WI, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA; The University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.
| | - Amani Gillette
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Karina Lugo-Cintrón
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | | | - Ismael Gomez
- Allergy research group, IdISSC. San Carlos Clinic Hospital, Madrid, Spain; Materials department, Carlos III University. Leganes, Spain
| | - Molly Morgan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Tiffany Heaster
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Kari B Wisinski
- The University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Sean P Palecek
- The University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA; Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA
| | - Melissa C Skala
- Morgridge Institute for Research, 330 N Orchard street, Madison, WI, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA; The University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - David J Beebe
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA; The University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA; Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, University of Wisconsin, MAdison, WI,USA.
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Hypoxia activates cadherin-22 synthesis via eIF4E2 to drive cancer cell migration, invasion and adhesion. Oncogene 2017; 37:651-662. [PMID: 28991229 DOI: 10.1038/onc.2017.372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2017] [Revised: 08/28/2017] [Accepted: 08/31/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Hypoxia is a driver of cell movement in processes such as development and tumor progression. The cellular response to hypoxia involves a transcriptional program mediated by hypoxia-inducible factors, but translational control has emerged as a significant contributor. In this study, we demonstrate that a cell-cell adhesion molecule, cadherin-22, is upregulated in hypoxia via mTORC1-independent translational control by the initiation factor eIF4E2. We identify new functions of cadherin-22 as a hypoxia-specific cell-surface molecule involved in cancer cell migration, invasion and adhesion. Silencing eIF4E2 or cadherin-22 significantly impaired MDA-MB-231 breast carcinoma and U87MG glioblastoma cell migration and invasion only in hypoxia, while reintroduction of the respective exogenous gene restored the normal phenotype. Cadherin-22 was evenly distributed throughout spheroids and required for their formation and support of a hypoxic core. Conversely, E-cadherin translation was repressed by hypoxia and only expressed in the oxygenated cells of U87MG spheroids. Furthermore, immunofluorescence on paraffin-embedded human tissue from 40 glioma and 40 invasive ductal breast carcinoma patient specimens revealed that cadherin-22 expression colocalized with areas of hypoxia and significantly correlated with tumor grade and progression-free survival or stage and tumor size, respectively. This study broadens our understanding of tumor progression and metastasis by highlighting cadherin-22 as a potential new target of cancer therapy to disable hypoxic cancer cell motility and adhesion.
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Espina V, Edmiston KH, Liotta LA. Non-enzymatic, serum-free tissue culture of pre-invasive breast lesions for spontaneous generation of mammospheres. J Vis Exp 2014:e51926. [PMID: 25406584 DOI: 10.3791/51926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Breast ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), by definition, is proliferation of neoplastic epithelial cells within the confines of the breast duct, without breaching the collagenous basement membrane. While DCIS is a non-obligate precursor to invasive breast cancers, the molecular mechanisms and cell populations that permit progression to invasive cancer are not fully known. To determine if progenitor cells capable of invasion existed within the DCIS cell population, we developed a methodology for collecting and culturing sterile human breast tissue at the time of surgery, without enzymatic disruption of tissue. Sterile breast tissue containing ductal segments is harvested from surgically excised breast tissue following routine pathological examination. Tissue containing DCIS is placed in nutrient rich, antibiotic-containing, serum free medium, and transported to the tissue culture laboratory. The breast tissue is further dissected to isolate the calcified areas. Multiple breast tissue pieces (organoids) are placed in a minimal volume of serum free medium in a flask with a removable lid and cultured in a humidified CO₂ incubator. Epithelial and fibroblast cell populations emerge from the organoid after 10 - 14 days. Mammospheres spontaneously form on and around the epithelial cell monolayer. Specific cell populations can be harvested directly from the flask without disrupting neighboring cells. Our non-enzymatic tissue culture system reliably reveals cytogenetically abnormal, invasive progenitor cells from fresh human DCIS lesions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virginia Espina
- Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine, George Mason University;
| | | | - Lance A Liotta
- Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine, George Mason University
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McCubrey JA, Davis NM, Abrams SL, Montalto G, Cervello M, Libra M, Nicoletti F, D'Assoro AB, Cocco L, Martelli AM, Steelman LS. Targeting breast cancer initiating cells: advances in breast cancer research and therapy. Adv Biol Regul 2014; 56:81-107. [PMID: 24913694 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbior.2014.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2014] [Accepted: 05/06/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Over the past 10 years there have been significant advances in our understanding of breast cancer and the important roles that breast cancer initiating cells (CICs) play in the development and resistance of breast cancer. Breast CICs endowed with self-renewing and tumor-initiating capacities are believed to be responsible for the relapses which often occur after various breast cancer therapies. In this review, we will summarize some of the key developments in breast CICs which will include discussion of some of the key genes implicated: estrogen receptor (ER), HER2, BRCA1, TP53, PIK3CA, RB, P16INK1 and various miRs as well some drugs which are showing promise in targeting CICs. In addition, the concept of combined therapies will be discussed. Basic and clinical research is resulting in novel approaches to improve breast cancer therapy by targeting the breast CICs.
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Affiliation(s)
- James A McCubrey
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, Brody Building 5N98C, Greenville, NC 27858, USA.
| | - Nicole M Davis
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, Brody Building 5N98C, Greenville, NC 27858, USA
| | - Stephen L Abrams
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, Brody Building 5N98C, Greenville, NC 27858, USA
| | - Giuseppe Montalto
- Biomedical Department of Internal Medicine and Specialties, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy; Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto di Biomedicina e Immunologia Molecolare "Alberto Monroy", Palermo, Italy
| | - Melchiorre Cervello
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto di Biomedicina e Immunologia Molecolare "Alberto Monroy", Palermo, Italy
| | - Massimo Libra
- Department of Bio-Medical Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | | | - Antonino B D'Assoro
- Department of Medical Oncology, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Lucio Cocco
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche e Neuromotorie, Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Alberto M Martelli
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche e Neuromotorie, Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Linda S Steelman
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, Brody Building 5N98C, Greenville, NC 27858, USA
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Jain K, Paranandi KS, Sridharan S, Basu A. Autophagy in breast cancer and its implications for therapy. Am J Cancer Res 2013; 3:251-265. [PMID: 23841025 PMCID: PMC3696532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2013] [Accepted: 05/01/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved process of cellular self-digestion that serves as a mechanism to clear damaged organelles and recycle nutrients. Since autophagy can promote cell survival as well as cell death, it has been linked to different human pathologies, including cancer. Although mono-allelic deletion of autophagy-related gene BECN1 in breast tumors originally indicated a tumor suppressive role for autophagy in breast cancer, the intense research during the last decade suggests a role for autophagy in tumor progression. It is now recognized that tumor cells often utilize autophagy to survive various stresses, such as oncogene-induced transformation, hypoxia, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and extracellular matrix detachment. Induction of autophagy by tumor cells may also contribute to tumor dormancy and resistance to anticancer therapies, thus making autophagy inhibitors promising drug candidates for breast cancer treatment. The scientific endeavors continue to define a precise role for autophagy in breast cancer. In this article, we review the current literature on the role of autophagy during the development and progression of breast cancer, and discuss the potential of autophagy modulators for breast cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirti Jain
- Department of Molecular Biology & Immunology, University of North Texas Health Science Center and Institutes for Cancer Research and Focused on Resources for her Health Education and Research Fort Worth, Texas, 76107, USA
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