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Zhai BT, Tian H, Sun J, Zou JB, Zhang XF, Cheng JX, Shi YJ, Fan Y, Guo DY. Urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) as a therapeutic target in cancer. J Transl Med 2022; 20:135. [PMID: 35303878 PMCID: PMC8932206 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-022-03329-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2021] [Accepted: 03/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) is an attractive target for the treatment of cancer, because it is expressed at low levels in healthy tissues but at high levels in malignant tumours. uPAR is closely related to the invasion and metastasis of malignant tumours, plays important roles in the degradation of extracellular matrix (ECM), tumour angiogenesis, cell proliferation and apoptosis, and is associated with the multidrug resistance (MDR) of tumour cells, which has important guiding significance for the judgement of tumor malignancy and prognosis. Several uPAR-targeted antitumour therapeutic agents have been developed to suppress tumour growth, metastatic processes and drug resistance. Here, we review the recent advances in the development of uPAR-targeted antitumor therapeutic strategies, including nanoplatforms carrying therapeutic agents, photodynamic therapy (PDT)/photothermal therapy (PTT) platforms, oncolytic virotherapy, gene therapy technologies, monoclonal antibody therapy and tumour immunotherapy, to promote the translation of these therapeutic agents to clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bing-Tao Zhai
- State Key Laboratory of Research & Development of Characteristic Qin Medicine Resources (Cultivation), and Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Fundamentals and New Drugs Research, and Shaanxi Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xi'an, 712046, China
| | - Huan Tian
- Xi'an Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Xi'an, 710021, China
| | - Jing Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Research & Development of Characteristic Qin Medicine Resources (Cultivation), and Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Fundamentals and New Drugs Research, and Shaanxi Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xi'an, 712046, China
| | - Jun-Bo Zou
- State Key Laboratory of Research & Development of Characteristic Qin Medicine Resources (Cultivation), and Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Fundamentals and New Drugs Research, and Shaanxi Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xi'an, 712046, China
| | - Xiao-Fei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Research & Development of Characteristic Qin Medicine Resources (Cultivation), and Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Fundamentals and New Drugs Research, and Shaanxi Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xi'an, 712046, China
| | - Jiang-Xue Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Research & Development of Characteristic Qin Medicine Resources (Cultivation), and Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Fundamentals and New Drugs Research, and Shaanxi Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xi'an, 712046, China
| | - Ya-Jun Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Research & Development of Characteristic Qin Medicine Resources (Cultivation), and Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Fundamentals and New Drugs Research, and Shaanxi Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xi'an, 712046, China
| | - Yu Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Research & Development of Characteristic Qin Medicine Resources (Cultivation), and Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Fundamentals and New Drugs Research, and Shaanxi Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xi'an, 712046, China
| | - Dong-Yan Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Research & Development of Characteristic Qin Medicine Resources (Cultivation), and Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Fundamentals and New Drugs Research, and Shaanxi Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xi'an, 712046, China.
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Experimental and Clinical Evidence Supports the Use of Urokinase Plasminogen Activation System Components as Clinically Relevant Biomarkers in Gastroesophageal Adenocarcinoma. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13164097. [PMID: 34439251 PMCID: PMC8393967 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13164097] [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: 06/21/2021] [Revised: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Patients with gastric and oesophageal adenocarcinomas (GOCs) have short life expectancies as their tumours spread to other sites early. This is facilitated by the increased expression of the urokinase plasminogen activation system (uPAS); a feature of the majority of GOCs. There is increasing appreciation of the importance of uPAS expression in a range of cell types within the tumour microenvironment. Abundant clinical evidence indicates that altered expression of uPAS proteins is associated with worse outcomes, including time to tumour recurrence and patient survival. Emerging technologies, including liquid biopsy, suggest a role of uPAS for the detection of circulating tumour cells, which are responsible for the dissemination of cancers. We review and summarise pre-clinical and clinical data that supports the use of uPAS as a biomarker in GOC. Abstract Gastric and oesophageal cancers (GOCs) are lethal cancers which metastasise early and recur frequently, even after definitive surgery. The urokinase plasminogen activator system (uPAS) is strongly implicated in the invasion and metastasis of many aggressive tumours including GOCs. Urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) interaction with its receptor, urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR), leads to proteolytic activation of plasminogen to plasmin, a broad-spectrum protease which enables tumour cell invasion and dissemination to distant sites. uPA, uPAR and the plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) are overexpressed in some GOCs. Accumulating evidence points to a causal role of activated receptor tyrosine kinase pathways enhancing uPAS expression in GOCs. Expression of these components are associated with poorer clinicopathological features and patient survival. Stromal cells, including tumour-associated macrophages and myofibroblasts, also express the key uPAS proteins, supporting the argument of stromal involvement in GOC progression and adverse effect on patient survival. uPAS proteins can be detected on circulating leucocytes, circulating tumour cells and within the serum; all have the potential to be developed into circulating biomarkers of GOC. Herein, we review the experimental and clinical evidence supporting uPAS expression as clinical biomarker in GOC, with the goal of developing targeted therapeutics against the uPAS.
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Sandoval-Bórquez A, Polakovicova I, Carrasco-Véliz N, Lobos-González L, Riquelme I, Carrasco-Avino G, Bizama C, Norero E, Owen GI, Roa JC, Corvalán AH. MicroRNA-335-5p is a potential suppressor of metastasis and invasion in gastric cancer. Clin Epigenetics 2017; 9:114. [PMID: 29075357 PMCID: PMC5645854 DOI: 10.1186/s13148-017-0413-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2017] [Accepted: 10/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Multiple aberrant microRNA expression has been reported in gastric cancer. Among them, microRNA-335-5p (miR-335), a microRNA regulated by DNA methylation, has been reported to possess both tumor suppressor and tumor promoter activities. Results Herein, we show that miR-335 levels are reduced in gastric cancer and significantly associate with lymph node metastasis, depth of tumor invasion, and ultimately poor patient survival in a cohort of Amerindian/Hispanic patients. In two gastric cancer cell lines AGS and, Hs 746T the exogenous miR-335 decreases migration, invasion, viability, and anchorage-independent cell growth capacities. Performing a PCR array on cells transfected with miR-335, 19 (30.6%) out of 62 genes involved in metastasis and tumor invasion showed decreased transcription levels. Network enrichment analysis narrowed these genes to nine (PLAUR, CDH11, COL4A2, CTGF, CTSK, MMP7, PDGFA, TIMP1, and TIMP2). Elevated levels of PLAUR, a validated target gene, and CDH11 were confirmed in tumors with low expression of miR-335. The 3′UTR of CDH11 was identified to be directly targeted by miR-335. Downregulation of miR-335 was also demonstrated in plasma samples from gastric cancer patients and inversely correlated with DNA methylation of promoter region (Z = 1.96, p = 0.029). DNA methylation, evaluated by methylation-specific PCR assay, was found in plasma from 23 (56.1%) out of 41 gastric cancer patients but in only 9 (30%) out of 30 healthy donors (p = 0.029, Pearson’s correlation). Taken in consideration, our results of the association with depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis, and poor prognosis together with functional assays on cell migration, invasion, and tumorigenicity are in accordance with the downregulation of miR-335 in gastric cancer. Conclusions Comprehensive evaluation of metastasis and invasion pathway identified a subset of associated genes and confirmed PLAUR and CDH11, both targets of miR-335, to be overexpressed in gastric cancer tissues. DNA methylation of miR-335 may be a promissory strategy for non-invasive approach to gastric cancer. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13148-017-0413-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandra Sandoval-Bórquez
- Advanced Center for Chronic Diseases (ACCDiS), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Laboratory of Molecular Pathology, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, BIOREN-CEGIN, and Graduate Program in Applied Cell and Molecular Biology, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile.,Center UC for Investigational in Oncology (CITO), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Iva Polakovicova
- Advanced Center for Chronic Diseases (ACCDiS), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Center UC for Investigational in Oncology (CITO), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Nicolás Carrasco-Véliz
- Advanced Center for Chronic Diseases (ACCDiS), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Center UC for Investigational in Oncology (CITO), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Instituto de Química, Faculty of Science, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaiso, Chile
| | - Lorena Lobos-González
- Advanced Center for Chronic Diseases (ACCDiS), Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Fundación Ciencia y Vida, Parque Biotecnológico, Santiago, Chile
| | - Ismael Riquelme
- Laboratory of Molecular Pathology, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, BIOREN-CEGIN, and Graduate Program in Applied Cell and Molecular Biology, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile
| | - Gonzalo Carrasco-Avino
- Advanced Center for Chronic Diseases (ACCDiS), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Hospital Clínico Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Carolina Bizama
- Center UC for Investigational in Oncology (CITO), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Enrique Norero
- Esophagogastric Surgery Unit, Hospital Dr. Sótero del Río, Santiago, Chile.,Digestive Surgery Department, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Gareth I Owen
- Advanced Center for Chronic Diseases (ACCDiS), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Center UC for Investigational in Oncology (CITO), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Department of Physiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Juan C Roa
- Advanced Center for Chronic Diseases (ACCDiS), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Laboratory of Molecular Pathology, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, BIOREN-CEGIN, and Graduate Program in Applied Cell and Molecular Biology, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile.,Center UC for Investigational in Oncology (CITO), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Alejandro H Corvalán
- Advanced Center for Chronic Diseases (ACCDiS), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Center UC for Investigational in Oncology (CITO), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Department of Hematology-Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
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