|
1
|
Gorostiola González M, Rakers PRJ, Jespers W, IJzerman AP, Heitman LH, van Westen GJP. Computational Characterization of Membrane Proteins as Anticancer Targets: Current Challenges and Opportunities. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:3698. [PMID: 38612509 PMCID: PMC11011372 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25073698] [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: 02/21/2024] [Revised: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancer remains a leading cause of mortality worldwide and calls for novel therapeutic targets. Membrane proteins are key players in various cancer types but present unique challenges compared to soluble proteins. The advent of computational drug discovery tools offers a promising approach to address these challenges, allowing for the prioritization of "wet-lab" experiments. In this review, we explore the applications of computational approaches in membrane protein oncological characterization, particularly focusing on three prominent membrane protein families: receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), and solute carrier proteins (SLCs). We chose these families due to their varying levels of understanding and research data availability, which leads to distinct challenges and opportunities for computational analysis. We discuss the utilization of multi-omics data, machine learning, and structure-based methods to investigate aberrant protein functionalities associated with cancer progression within each family. Moreover, we highlight the importance of considering the broader cellular context and, in particular, cross-talk between proteins. Despite existing challenges, computational tools hold promise in dissecting membrane protein dysregulation in cancer. With advancing computational capabilities and data resources, these tools are poised to play a pivotal role in identifying and prioritizing membrane proteins as personalized anticancer targets.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marina Gorostiola González
- Leiden Academic Centre of Drug Research, Leiden University, Einsteinweg 55, 2333 CC Leiden, The Netherlands; (M.G.G.); (P.R.J.R.); (W.J.); (A.P.I.); (L.H.H.)
- Oncode Institute, 2333 CC Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Pepijn R. J. Rakers
- Leiden Academic Centre of Drug Research, Leiden University, Einsteinweg 55, 2333 CC Leiden, The Netherlands; (M.G.G.); (P.R.J.R.); (W.J.); (A.P.I.); (L.H.H.)
| | - Willem Jespers
- Leiden Academic Centre of Drug Research, Leiden University, Einsteinweg 55, 2333 CC Leiden, The Netherlands; (M.G.G.); (P.R.J.R.); (W.J.); (A.P.I.); (L.H.H.)
| | - Adriaan P. IJzerman
- Leiden Academic Centre of Drug Research, Leiden University, Einsteinweg 55, 2333 CC Leiden, The Netherlands; (M.G.G.); (P.R.J.R.); (W.J.); (A.P.I.); (L.H.H.)
| | - Laura H. Heitman
- Leiden Academic Centre of Drug Research, Leiden University, Einsteinweg 55, 2333 CC Leiden, The Netherlands; (M.G.G.); (P.R.J.R.); (W.J.); (A.P.I.); (L.H.H.)
- Oncode Institute, 2333 CC Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Gerard J. P. van Westen
- Leiden Academic Centre of Drug Research, Leiden University, Einsteinweg 55, 2333 CC Leiden, The Netherlands; (M.G.G.); (P.R.J.R.); (W.J.); (A.P.I.); (L.H.H.)
| |
Collapse
|
|
2
|
Dong QT, Ma DD, Gong Q, Lin ZY, Li ZH, Ye JX, Qin CH, Jin WD, Zhang JX, Zhang ZY. FAM3 family genes are associated with prognostic value of human cancer: a pan-cancer analysis. Sci Rep 2023; 13:15144. [PMID: 37704682 PMCID: PMC10499837 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-42060-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Family with sequence similarity three member (FAM3) plays a crucial role in the malignant development of various cancers of human. However, there remains doubtful what specific role of FAM3 family genes in pan-cancer. Our study aimed to investigate the role of FAM3 family genes in prognosis, immune subtype, tumor immune microenvironment, stemness score, and anticancer drug sensitivity of pan-cancer. We obtained data from UCSC Xena GDC and CellMiner databases, and used them to study the correlation of the expression, survival, immune subtype, tumor microenvironment, stemness score, and anticancer drug sensitivity between FAM3 family genes with pan-cancer. Furthermore, we investigated the tumor cellular functions and clinical prognostic value FAMC3 in pancreatic cancer (PAAD) using cellular experiments and tissue microarray. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), transwell invasion, wound-healing and apoptosis assays were performed to study the effect of FAM3C on SW1990 cells' proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis. Immunohistochemical staining was used to study the relationship between FAM3C expression and clinical characteristics of pancreatic cancer patients. The results revealed that FAM3 family genes are significantly differential expression in tumor and adjacent normal tissues in 7 cancers (CHOL, HNSC, KICH, LUAD, LUSC, READ, and STAD). The expression of FAM3 family genes were negatively related with the RNAss, and robust correlated with immune type, tumor immune microenvironment and drug sensitivity. The expression of FAM3 family genes in pan-cancers were significantly different in immune type C1 (wound healing), C2 (IFN-gamma dominant), C3 (inflammatory), C4 (lymphocyte depleted), C5 (immunologically quiet), and C6 (TGF-beta dominant). Meanwhile, overexpression FAM3C promoted SW1990 cells proliferation, migration, invasion and suppressed SW1990 cells apoptosis. While knockdown of FAM3C triggered opposite results. High FAM3C expression was associated with duodenal invasion, differentiation and liver metastasis. In summary, this study provided a new perspective on the potential therapeutic role of FAM3 family genes in pan-cancer. In particular, FAM3C may play an important role in the occurrence and progression of PAAD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qing-Tai Dong
- Department of General Surgery, General Hospital of Central Theater Command, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, China
- The First School of Clinical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Dan-Dan Ma
- Department of General Surgery, General Hospital of Central Theater Command, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, China
| | - Qi Gong
- Department of General Surgery, General Hospital of Central Theater Command, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, China
| | - Zhen-Yu Lin
- Department of General Surgery, General Hospital of Central Theater Command, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, China
- The First School of Clinical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Zhong-Hu Li
- Department of General Surgery, General Hospital of Central Theater Command, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, China
| | - Jia-Xin Ye
- Department of General Surgery, General Hospital of Central Theater Command, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, China
| | - Chun-Hui Qin
- Department of General Surgery, General Hospital of Central Theater Command, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, China
| | - Wei-Dong Jin
- Department of General Surgery, General Hospital of Central Theater Command, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, China
- The First School of Clinical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Jian-Xin Zhang
- Department of General Surgery, General Hospital of Central Theater Command, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, China.
| | - Zhi-Yong Zhang
- Department of General Surgery, General Hospital of Central Theater Command, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, China.
| |
Collapse
|
|
3
|
Ren X, Feng C, Wang Y, Chen P, Wang S, Wang J, Cao H, Li Y, Ji M, Hou P. SLC39A10 promotes malignant phenotypes of gastric cancer cells by activating the CK2-mediated MAPK/ERK and PI3K/AKT pathways. Exp Mol Med 2023; 55:1757-1769. [PMID: 37524874 PMCID: PMC10474099 DOI: 10.1038/s12276-023-01062-5] [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: 08/12/2022] [Revised: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Solute carrier family 39 member 10 (SLC39A10) belongs to a subfamily of zinc transporters and plays a key role in B-cell development. Previous studies have reported that its upregulation promotes breast cancer metastasis by enhancing the influx of zinc ions (Zn2+); however, its role in gastric cancer remains totally unclear. Here, we found that SLC39A10 expression was frequently increased in gastric adenocarcinomas and that SLC39A10 upregulation was strongly associated with poor patient outcomes; in addition, we identified SLC39A10 as a direct target of c-Myc. Functional studies showed that ectopic expression of SLC39A10 in gastric cancer cells dramatically enhanced the proliferation, colony formation, invasiveness abilities of these gastric cancer cells and tumorigenic potential in nude mice. Conversely, SLC39A10 knockdown inhibited gastric cancer cell proliferation and colony formation. Mechanistically, SLC39A10 exerted its carcinogenic effects by increasing Zn2+ availability and subsequently enhancing the enzyme activity of CK2 (casein kinase 2). As a result, the MAPK/ERK and PI3K/AKT pathways, two major downstream effectors of CK2, were activated, while c-Myc, a downstream target of these two pathways, formed a vicious feedback loop with SLC39A10 to drive the malignant progression of gastric cancer. Taken together, our data demonstrate that SLC39A10 is a functional oncogene in gastric cancer and suggest that targeting CK2 is an alternative therapeutic strategy for gastric cancer patients with high SLC39A10 expression.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojuan Ren
- Key Laboratory for Tumor Precision Medicine of Shaanxi Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, 710061, Xi'an, P. R. China
- Department of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, 710061, Xi'an, P. R. China
| | - Chao Feng
- Key Laboratory for Tumor Precision Medicine of Shaanxi Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, 710061, Xi'an, P. R. China
| | - Yubo Wang
- Key Laboratory for Tumor Precision Medicine of Shaanxi Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, 710061, Xi'an, P. R. China
| | - Pu Chen
- Key Laboratory for Tumor Precision Medicine of Shaanxi Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, 710061, Xi'an, P. R. China
| | - Simeng Wang
- Key Laboratory for Tumor Precision Medicine of Shaanxi Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, 710061, Xi'an, P. R. China
| | - Jianling Wang
- Key Laboratory for Tumor Precision Medicine of Shaanxi Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, 710061, Xi'an, P. R. China
- Department of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, 710061, Xi'an, P. R. China
| | - Hongxin Cao
- Key Laboratory for Tumor Precision Medicine of Shaanxi Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, 710061, Xi'an, P. R. China
| | - Yujun Li
- Department of Endocrinology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, 710004, Xi'an, P. R. China.
| | - Meiju Ji
- Key Laboratory for Tumor Precision Medicine of Shaanxi Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, 710061, Xi'an, P. R. China.
- Center for Translational Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, 710061, Xi'an, P. R. China.
| | - Peng Hou
- Key Laboratory for Tumor Precision Medicine of Shaanxi Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, 710061, Xi'an, P. R. China.
- Department of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, 710061, Xi'an, P. R. China.
| |
Collapse
|
|
4
|
Upregulated Solute Carrier SLC39A1 Promotes Gastric Cancer Proliferation and Indicates Unfavorable Prognosis. Genet Res (Camb) 2022; 2022:1256021. [PMID: 36407082 PMCID: PMC9652071 DOI: 10.1155/2022/1256021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Revised: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Backgrounds Solute carrier 39A1 (SLC39A1) is an indirect zinc transporter which showed diverse tumor-related functions in different malignancies. Here, we aimed to investigate its expression and role in gastric adenocarcinoma. Methods A retrospective gastric adenocarcinoma cohort (n = 154) was collected from our hospital to test their tissue expression of SLC39A1 through immunohistochemical staining method. After SLC39A1 overexpression or knockdown, proliferation and invasion assays were conducted for proliferation and invasion estimation, respectively. Xenograft in nude mice was used as the in vivo strategy to validate in vitro findings. Results Compared with adjacent stomach tissues, gastric adenocarcinoma tissues showed significantly higher SLC39A1 on both mRNA and protein levels. Higher SLC39A1 was observed in patients with larger tumor size (P=0.003) and advanced tumor stages (P < 0.001). Univariate (P=0.001) and multivariate analyses (P=0.035) confirmed the independent prognostic significance of SLC39A1 on gastric adenocarcinoma outcomes. The median survival time was 22.0 months in patients with high-SLC39A1 expression, while up to 57.0 months in those with low-SLC39A1 (P=0.001). In vitro and in vivo assays demonstrated that overexpressing SLC39A1 could promote gastric cancer growth and invasion, while silencing SLC39A1 led to opposite effects. Conclusions Aberrant high-SLC39A1 expression can serve as an independent unfavorable prognostic factor for gastric adenocarcinoma. High SLC39A1 is critical for a more aggressive tumor phenotype by promoting cell proliferation and invasion. Therefore, targeting SLC39A1 may provide novel therapeutic insights.
Collapse
|