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Tufail M, Wan WD, Jiang C, Li N. Targeting PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling to overcome drug resistance in cancer. Chem Biol Interact 2024; 396:111055. [PMID: 38763348 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbi.2024.111055] [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: 03/27/2024] [Revised: 05/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/21/2024]
Abstract
This review comprehensively explores the challenge of drug resistance in cancer by focusing on the pivotal PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, elucidating its role in oncogenesis and resistance mechanisms across various cancer types. It meticulously examines the diverse mechanisms underlying resistance, including genetic mutations, feedback loops, and microenvironmental factors, while also discussing the associated resistance patterns. Evaluating current therapeutic strategies targeting this pathway, the article highlights the hurdles encountered in drug development and clinical trials. Innovative approaches to overcome resistance, such as combination therapies and precision medicine, are critically analyzed, alongside discussions on emerging therapies like immunotherapy and molecularly targeted agents. Overall, this comprehensive review not only sheds light on the complexities of resistance in cancer but also provides a roadmap for advancing cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Tufail
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Center of Stomatology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Wen-Dong Wan
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Center of Stomatology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Canhua Jiang
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Center of Stomatology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China; Institute of Oral Precancerous Lesions, Central South University, Changsha, China; Research Center of Oral and Maxillofacial Tumor, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China; National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Ning Li
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Center of Stomatology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China; Institute of Oral Precancerous Lesions, Central South University, Changsha, China; Research Center of Oral and Maxillofacial Tumor, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China; National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
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Pratelli G, Carlisi D, Di Liberto D, Notaro A, Giuliano M, D'Anneo A, Lauricella M, Emanuele S, Calvaruso G, De Blasio A. MCL1 Inhibition Overcomes the Aggressiveness Features of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer MDA-MB-231 Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:11149. [PMID: 37446326 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241311149] [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: 06/09/2023] [Revised: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/02/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) is a particularly aggressive subtype among breast cancers (BCs), characterized by anoikis resistance, high invasiveness, and metastatic potential as well as Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) and stemness features. In the last few years, our research focused on the function of MCL1, an antiapoptotic protein frequently deregulated in TNBC. Here, we demonstrate that MCL1 inhibition by A-1210477, a specific BH3-mimetic, promotes anoikis/apoptosis in the MDA-MB-231 cell line, as shown via an increase in proapoptotic markers and caspase activation. Our evidence also shows A-1210477 effects on Focal Adhesions (FAs) impairing the integrin trim and survival signaling pathways, such as FAK, AKT, ERK, NF-κB, and GSK3β-inducing anoikis, thus suggesting a putative role of MCL1 in regulation of FA dynamics. Interestingly, in accordance with these results, we observed a reduction in migratory and invasiveness capabilities as confirmed by a decrease in metalloproteinases (MMPs) levels following A-1210477 treatment. Moreover, MCL1 inhibition promotes a reduction in EMT characteristics as demonstrated by the downregulation of Vimentin, MUC1, DNMT1, and a surprising re-expression of E-Cadherin, suggesting a possible mesenchymal-like phenotype reversion. In addition, we also observed the downregulation of stemness makers such as OCT3/4, SOX2, NANOG, as well as CD133, EpCAM, and CD49f. Our findings support the idea that MCL1 inhibition in MDA-MB-231 could be crucial to reduce anoikis resistance, aggressiveness, and metastatic potential and to minimize EMT and stemness features that distinguish TNBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Pratelli
- Department of Physics and Chemistry (DiFC)-Emilio Segrè, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
| | - Daniela Carlisi
- Section of Biochemistry, Department of Biomedicine, Neurosciences and Advanced Diagnostics (BIND), University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy
| | - Diana Di Liberto
- Section of Biochemistry, Department of Biomedicine, Neurosciences and Advanced Diagnostics (BIND), University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy
| | - Antonietta Notaro
- Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (STEBICEF), University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy
| | - Michela Giuliano
- Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (STEBICEF), University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy
| | - Antonella D'Anneo
- Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (STEBICEF), University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy
| | - Marianna Lauricella
- Section of Biochemistry, Department of Biomedicine, Neurosciences and Advanced Diagnostics (BIND), University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy
| | - Sonia Emanuele
- Section of Biochemistry, Department of Biomedicine, Neurosciences and Advanced Diagnostics (BIND), University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Calvaruso
- Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (STEBICEF), University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy
| | - Anna De Blasio
- Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (STEBICEF), University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy
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Derakhshan Nazari MH, Askari Dastjerdi R, Ghaedi Talkhouncheh P, Bereimipour A, Mollasalehi H, Mahshad AA, Razi A, Nazari MH, Ebrahimi Sadrabadi A, Taleahmad S. GPX2 and BMP4 as Significant Molecular Alterations in The Lung Adenocarcinoma Progression: Integrated Bioinformatics Analysis. CELL JOURNAL 2022; 24:302-308. [PMID: 35892234 PMCID: PMC9315209 DOI: 10.22074/cellj.2022.7930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Objective Non-small cell lung adenocarcinoma (NSCLC) is the most common type of lung cancer, which is considered as the most lethal and prevalent cancer worldwide. Recently, molecular changes have been implicated to play a significant role in the cancer progression. Despite of numerous studies, the molecular mechanism of NSCLC pathogenesis in each sub-stage remains unclear. Studying these molecular alterations gives us a chance to design successful therapeutic plans which is aimed in this research. Materials and Methods In this bioinformatics study, we compared the expression profile of 7 minor stages of NSCLC adenocarcinoma, including GSE41271, GSE42127, and GSE75037, to clarify the relation of molecular alterations and tumorigenesis. At first, 99 common differentially expressed genes (DEG) were obtained. Then, functional enrichment analysis and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network construction were performed to uncover the association of significant cellular and molecular changes. Finally, gene expression profile interactive analysis (GEPIA) was employed to validate the results by RNA-seq expression data. Results Primary analysis showed that BMP4 was downregulated through the tumor progression to the stage IB and GPX2 was upregulated in the course of final tumor development to the stage IV and distant metastasis. Functional enrichment analysis indicated that BMP4 in the TGF-β signaling pathway and GPX2 in the glutathione metabolism pathway may be the key genes for NSCLC adenocarcinoma progression. GEPIA analysis revealed a correlation between BMP4 downregulation and GPX2 upregulation and lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) progression and lower survival chances in LUAD patients which confirm microarray data. Conclusion Taken together, we suggested GPX2 as an oncogene by inhibiting apoptosis, promoting EMT and increasing glucose uptake in the final stages and BMP4 as a tumor suppressor via inducing apoptosis and arresting cell cycle in the early stages through lung adenocarcinoma (ADC) development to make them candidate genes to further cancer therapy investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Hossein Derakhshan Nazari
- Department of Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology, Faculty of Life Science and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University,
Tehran, Iran
| | - Rana Askari Dastjerdi
- Department of Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology, Faculty of Life Science and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University,
Tehran, Iran
| | - Parnian Ghaedi Talkhouncheh
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Life Science and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ahmad Bereimipour
- Department of Stem Cells and Developmental Biology, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and
Technology, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hamidreza Mollasalehi
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Life Science and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Amir Ali Mahshad
- Department of Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology, Faculty of Life Science and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University,
Tehran, Iran
| | - Ali Razi
- Biophysics Department, Science Faculty, York University, Toronto, Canada
| | - Mohammad Hossein Nazari
- V. Zelman Institute for Medicine and Psychology, Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Amin Ebrahimi Sadrabadi
- Department of Stem Cells and Developmental Biology, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and
Technology, ACECR, Tehran, Iran ,P.O. Box: 16635-148Department of Stem Cells and Developmental BiologyCell Science Research CenterRoyan
Institute for Stem Cell Biology and TechnologyACECRTehranIran
Emails: ,
| | - Sara Taleahmad
- Department of Stem Cells and Developmental Biology, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and
Technology, ACECR, Tehran, Iran ,P.O. Box: 16635-148Department of Stem Cells and Developmental BiologyCell Science Research CenterRoyan
Institute for Stem Cell Biology and TechnologyACECRTehranIran
Emails: ,
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Li F, Shi Y, Yang X, Luo Z, Zhang G, Yu K, Li F, Chen L, Zhao Y, Xie Y, Wu Y, Yang J, Zhou X, Liu S. Anhydroicaritin Inhibits EMT in Breast Cancer by Enhancing GPX1 Expression: A Research Based on Sequencing Technologies and Bioinformatics Analysis. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:764481. [PMID: 35178395 PMCID: PMC8844201 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.764481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Breast cancer (BC) is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women worldwide. The application of advanced technology has promoted accurate diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Anhydroicaritin (AHI) is a flavonoid with therapeutic potential in BC treatment. The current study aimed to determine AHI's mechanism in BC treatment via RNA sequencing, comprehensive bioinformatics analysis, and experimental verification. Methods: Network pharmacology and MTT (3-(4,5)-dimethylthiazolyl-3,5- diphenyltetrazolium bromide) experiments were conducted to first confirm AHI's anti-BC effect. RNA sequencing was performed to identify the genes affected by AHI. Differential expression analysis, survival analysis, gene set enrichment analysis, and immune infiltration analysis were performed via bioinformatics analysis. Western blot analysis, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) experiment, molecular docking, and drug affinity responsive target stability (DARTS) experiments were also performed to confirm AHI's direct effect on glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPX1) expression. Confocal immunofluorescence analysis was conducted to verify AHI's effect on the occurrence and development of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Finally, BC nude mouse xenografts were established, and AHI's molecular mechanism on BC was explored. Results: Network pharmacology results demonstrated that AHI's therapeutic targets on BC were related to the proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of BC cells. AHI significantly inhibited the proliferation of 4T1 and MDA-MB-231 BC cells in the MTT experiments. RNA sequencing results showed that AHI upregulated the GPX1 expression in the 4T1 and MDA-MB-231 BC cells. Next, bioinformatics analysis revealed that GPX1 is less expressed in BC than in normal breast tissues. Patients with high GPX1 expression levels tended to have prolonged overall survival and disease-free survival than patients with low GPX1 expression levels in BC. Western blot and RT-PCR experiments revealed that AHI increased the protein and mRNA levels of GPX1. Molecular docking and DARTS experiments confirmed the direct binding combination between AHI and GPX1. After the evaluation of the EMT scores of 1,078 patients with BC, we found a potential anti-BC role of GPX1 possibly via suppression of the malignant EMT. The confocal immunofluorescence analysis showed that AHI increased E-cadherin expression levels and reduced vimentin expression levels in BC cells. Animal experiments showed that AHI significantly inhibited tumor growth. AHI also inhibited EMT by enhancing GPX1 and caspase3 cleavage, hence inhibiting EMT markers (i.e., N-cadherin and vimentin) and Ki-67. Conclusion: GPX1 plays a critical role in BC, which may be a biomarker for the prognosis. In addition, AHI suppressed EMT by increasing GPX1 expression, which may serve as a potential therapy for BC treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feifei Li
- Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Youyang Shi
- Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaojuan Yang
- Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhanyang Luo
- Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Guangtao Zhang
- Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Kui Yu
- Department of Surgery, Pudong Branch of Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Feng Li
- Department of Surgery, Pudong Branch of Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Lixin Chen
- Department of Surgery, Pudong Branch of Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Youkang Zhao
- Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Ying Xie
- Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuanyuan Wu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Naval Medical Center of PLA, Naval Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
- *Correspondence: Yuanyuan Wu, ; Jianfeng Yang, ; Xiqiu Zhou, ; Sheng Liu,
| | - Jianfeng Yang
- Department of Surgery, Pudong Branch of Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
- *Correspondence: Yuanyuan Wu, ; Jianfeng Yang, ; Xiqiu Zhou, ; Sheng Liu,
| | - Xiqiu Zhou
- Department of Surgery, Pudong Branch of Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
- *Correspondence: Yuanyuan Wu, ; Jianfeng Yang, ; Xiqiu Zhou, ; Sheng Liu,
| | - Sheng Liu
- Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
- *Correspondence: Yuanyuan Wu, ; Jianfeng Yang, ; Xiqiu Zhou, ; Sheng Liu,
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