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Tanaka M, Yasuda H, Nakamura S, Shimazawa M. H-151, a Selective STING Inhibitor, Has Potential as a Treatment for Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2024; 65:16. [PMID: 38980271 PMCID: PMC11235146 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.65.8.16] [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: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 07/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Purpose The cyclic guanosine monophosphate-adenosine monophosphate synthase (cGAS) stimulator of interferon gene (STING) pathway is a crucial cascade in the inflammatory response initiated by the recognition of cytosolic double-stranded DNA (dsDNA). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of STING inhibitor in murine choroidal neovascularization (CNV). Methods To investigate whether the cGAS-STING pathway is activated during CNV, CNV was induced using laser photocoagulation in male C57BL/6J mice. The expression of change of cGAS and STING during CNV development was confirmed by Western-blotting. H-151, a potent STING palmitoylation antagonist, was used as a STING inhibitor. H-151 was administered intravitreally immediately after laser induction. To confirm the role of the cGAS-STING pathway in CNV formation, we evaluated CNV size and performed fundus fluorescein angiography. Results The expression levels of cGAS and STING were significantly upregulated in the RPE-choroid complex after CNV induction, and dsDNA merged with cGAS was observed in CNV lesions. Intravitreal administration of H-151 suppressed CNV development and fluorescent leakage from neovessels. In CNV lesions, the high expression of STING and cGAS was observed in infiltrating F4/80+ macrophages. H-151 administration attenuated downstream signals of the cGAS-STING pathway, including the phosphorylation of nuclear factor-κB, and downregulated the expression of interleukin 1β. Conclusions These findings support that the inhibition of cGAS-STING pathway treats abnormal ocular angiogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miruto Tanaka
- Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Biofunctional Evaluation, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, Gifu, Japan
| | - Hiroto Yasuda
- Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Biofunctional Evaluation, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, Gifu, Japan
| | - Shinsuke Nakamura
- Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Biofunctional Evaluation, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, Gifu, Japan
| | - Masamitsu Shimazawa
- Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Biofunctional Evaluation, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, Gifu, Japan
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Zierhut C. Potential cGAS-STING pathway functions in DNA damage responses, DNA replication and DNA repair. DNA Repair (Amst) 2024; 133:103608. [PMID: 38056369 DOI: 10.1016/j.dnarep.2023.103608] [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: 09/05/2023] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
The major innate immune responder to the DNA of pathogens is the cyclic GMP-AMP (cGAMP) synthase (cGAS) - stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway. Most prominently, the outcome of cGAS signalling is the activation of inflammatory transcription through interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kB). In addition, the cGAS-STING pathway can lead to the direct modulation of cellular processes independently of transcription, such as activation of autophagy. Under unperturbed conditions, several mechanisms are in place to prevent the activation of cGAS by self-DNA, chiefly its sequestration on chromatin, which interferes with binding to stimulatory DNA. However, under conditions of genotoxic stress and chromosomal instability, this inhibition breaks down, resulting in the activation of cGAS, which drives sterile inflammation, as well as cell fate and immune responses in cancer. Recently, several studies have suggested that cGAS, STING, or downstream pathway components can also regulate the DNA damage response, DNA damage checkpoint signalling, DNA repair and DNA replication. Here, I review these proposed mechanisms, and discuss some unanswered questions relating to them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Zierhut
- The Institute of Cancer Research, Division of Cancer Biology, 237 Fulham Road, London SW3 6JB, UK.
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Lamsal A, Andersen SB, Johansson I, Vietri M, Bokil AA, Kurganovs NJ, Rylander F, Bjørkøy G, Pettersen K, Giambelluca MS. Opposite and dynamic regulation of the interferon response in metastatic and non-metastatic breast cancer. Cell Commun Signal 2023; 21:50. [PMID: 36882786 PMCID: PMC9990226 DOI: 10.1186/s12964-023-01062-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND To our current understanding, solid tumors depend on suppressed local immune reactions, often elicited by the interaction between tumor cells and tumor microenvironment (TME) components. Despite an improved understanding of anti-cancer immune responses in the TME, it is still unclear how immuno-suppressive TME are formed and how some cancer cells survive and metastasize. METHODS To identify the major adaptations that cancer cells undergo during tumor development and progression, we compared the transcriptome and proteome from metastatic 66cl4 and non-metastatic 67NR cell lines in culture versus their corresponding mouse mammary primary tumors. Using confocal microscopy, RT-qPCR, flow cytometry and western blotting, we studied the signaling pathway and the mechanisms involved. In addition, we used public gene expression data from human breast cancer biopsies to evaluate the correlation between gene expression and clinical outcomes in patients. RESULTS We found that type I interferon (IFN-I) response was a key differentially regulated pathway between metastatic and non-metastatic cell lines and tumors. The IFN-I response was active in metastatic cancer cells in culture and markedly dampened when these cells formed primary tumors. Interestingly, the opposite was observed in non-metastatic cancer cells and tumors. Consistent with an active IFN-I response in culture, the metastatic cancer cells displayed elevated levels of cytosolic DNA from both mitochondria and ruptured micronuclei with concomitant activation of cGAS-STING signaling. Interestingly, decreased IFN-I-related gene expression in breast cancer biopsies correlated with an unfavourable prognosis in patients. CONCLUSION Our findings show that IFN-I response is dampened in the tumors with the metastatic ability and lower IFN-I expression predicts poor prognosis in triple-negative and HER2 enriched breast cancer patients. This study highlights the possibility of reactivating the IFN-I response as a potential therapeutic strategy in breast cancer. Video Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Apsana Lamsal
- Department of Biomedical Laboratory Science, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.,Centre of Molecular Inflammation Research and Department of Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Sonja Benedikte Andersen
- Department of Biomedical Laboratory Science, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.,Centre of Molecular Inflammation Research and Department of Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Ida Johansson
- Department of Biomedical Laboratory Science, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Marina Vietri
- Centre for Cancer Cell Reprogramming, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Montebello, Oslo, Norway.,Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, Montebello, Oslo, Norway
| | - Ansooya Avinash Bokil
- Centre of Molecular Inflammation Research and Department of Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.,Department of Circulation and Medical Imaging, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Natalie Jayne Kurganovs
- Institute for Cancer Research, Department of Tumor Biology, Oslo University Hospital, Montebello, Oslo, Norway
| | - Felicia Rylander
- Department of Biomedical Laboratory Science, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Geir Bjørkøy
- Department of Biomedical Laboratory Science, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.,Centre of Molecular Inflammation Research and Department of Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Kristine Pettersen
- Department of Biomedical Laboratory Science, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway. .,Centre of Molecular Inflammation Research and Department of Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.
| | - Miriam S Giambelluca
- Centre of Molecular Inflammation Research and Department of Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway. .,Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Science, UiT-The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.
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cGAS-STING signalling in cancer: striking a balance with chromosomal instability. Biochem Soc Trans 2023; 51:539-555. [PMID: 36876871 DOI: 10.1042/bst20220838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Revised: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/07/2023]
Abstract
Chromosomal instability (CIN) is a hallmark of cancer that drives tumour evolution. It is now recognised that CIN in cancer leads to the constitutive production of misplaced DNA in the form of micronuclei and chromatin bridges. These structures are detected by the nucleic acid sensor cGAS, leading to the production of the second messenger 2'3'-cGAMP and activation of the critical hub of innate immune signalling STING. Activation of this immune pathway should instigate the influx and activation of immune cells, resulting in the eradication of cancer cells. That this does not universally occur in the context of CIN remains an unanswered paradox in cancer. Instead, CIN-high cancers are notably adept at immune evasion and are highly metastatic with typically poor outcomes. In this review, we discuss the diverse facets of the cGAS-STING signalling pathway, including emerging roles in homeostatic processes and their intersection with genome stability regulation, its role as a driver of chronic pro-tumour inflammation, and crosstalk with the tumour microenvironment, which may collectively underlie its apparent maintenance in cancers. A better understanding of the mechanisms whereby this immune surveillance pathway is commandeered by chromosomally unstable cancers is critical to the identification of new vulnerabilities for therapeutic exploitation.
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Liang L, Chai Y, Chai F, Liu H, Ma N, Zhang H, Zhang S, Nong L, Li T, Zhang B. Expression of SASP, DNA Damage Response, and Cell Proliferation Factors in Early Gastric Neoplastic Lesions: Correlations and Clinical Significance. Pathol Oncol Res 2022; 28:1610401. [PMID: 36061145 PMCID: PMC9437220 DOI: 10.3389/pore.2022.1610401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)-stimulator of interferon genes (STING)-mediated senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) pathway has recently been identified in the suppression and promotion of cancers. However, its practical role in carcinogenesis remains to be comprehensively elucidated. Here, we describe an investigation analysing SASP activity and its correlations with DNA damage response (DDR), genomic mutations, and cell proliferation in gastric carcinogenesis among 30 cases with available endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) specimens of early neoplastic lesions (including low-grade dysplasia [LGD], high-grade dysplasia [HGD], and intramucosal carcinoma). The positive cells of senescence-associated β-galactosidase staining and cGAS, STING, interferon-regulatory factor 3 (IRF3), and signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 (STAT6) expression levels using immunostaining were elevated in HGD and in cancers. Similarly, increased expression of the Fanconi anemia group D2 (FANCD2) protein, tumour suppressor p53 binding protein 1 (TP53BP1), and replication protein A (RPA2) (i.e., primary DDR factors) was detected in HGD and in cancers; these increased expression levels were closely correlated with high expression of Ki67 and minichromosome maintenance complex component 7 (MCM7) proteins. Moreover, genomic mutations in TP53 gene were detected in 56.67% of the evaluated cases (17/30) using next-generation sequencing, and positive staining was verified in HGD and in cancers. Statistical analysis revealed that cell proliferation closely correlated with the expression of DDR factors, of which TP53BP1 was positively associated with SASP factors and IRF3 was positively correlated with cell proliferation. In addition, an analysis evaluating clinical features demonstrated that STAT6-positive cases showed a longer progression-free survival time than STAT6-negative cases. Our evaluation, conducted using a limited number of specimens, suggests SASP may be prevalent in early gastric neoplastic lesions and could be activated by accelerated cell proliferation-induced DDR. The clinical significance of SASP still needs to be determined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Liang
- Department of Pathology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Yijie Chai
- Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
| | - Fei Chai
- Department of Pathology, Fenyang College of Shanxi Medical University, Fenyang, China
| | - Haijing Liu
- Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
| | - Ningning Ma
- Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
| | - Hong Zhang
- Department of Pathology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Shuang Zhang
- Department of Pathology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Lin Nong
- Department of Pathology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Ting Li
- Department of Pathology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Bo Zhang
- Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
- *Correspondence: Bo Zhang,
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Guo X, Hintzsche H, Xu W, Ni J, Xue J, Wang X. Interplay of cGAS with micronuclei: Regulation and diseases. MUTATION RESEARCH. REVIEWS IN MUTATION RESEARCH 2022; 790:108440. [PMID: 35970331 DOI: 10.1016/j.mrrev.2022.108440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2022] [Revised: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
In higher eukaryotes, sophisticate regulation of genome function requires all chromosomes to be packed into a single nucleus. Micronucleus (MN), the dissociative nucleus-like structure frequently observed in aging and multiple disease settings, has critical, yet under-recognized, pathophysiological functions. Micronuclei (MNi) have recently emerged as major sources of cytosolic DNA that can activate the cGAS-STING axis in a cell-intrinsic manner. However, MNi induced from different genotoxic stressors display great heterogeneity in binding or activating cGAS and the signaling responses downstream of the MN-induced cGAS-STING axis have divergent outcomes including autoimmunity, autoinflammation, metastasis, or cell death. Thus, full characterization of molecular network underpinning the interplay of cGAS and MN is important to elucidate the pathophysiological roles of immunogenic MN and design improved drugs that selectively target cancer via boosting the MN-derived cGAS-STING axis. Here, we summarize our current understanding of the mechanisms for self-DNA discrimination by cGAS. We focus on discussing how MN immunogencity is dictated by multiple mechanisms including integrity of micronuclear envelope, state of nucleosome and DNA, competitive factors, damaged mitochondrial DNA and micronucleophagy. We also describe emerging links between immunogenic MN and human diseases including cancer, neurodegenerative diseases and COVID-19. Particularly, we explore the exciting concept of inducing immunogenic MN as a therapeutic approach in treating cancer. We propose a new theoretical framework to describe immunogenic MN as a biological sensor to modulate cellular processes in response to genotoxic stress and provide perspectives on developing novel experimental approaches to unravel the complexity of MN immunogenicity regulation and immunogenic MN pathophysiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xihan Guo
- School of Life Sciences, The Engineering Research Center of Sustainable Development and Utilization of Biomass Energy, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, Yunnan 650500, China.
| | - Henning Hintzsche
- Department of Food Safety, Institute of Nutrition and Food Sciences, University of Bonn, Germany.
| | - Weijiang Xu
- School of Life Sciences, The Engineering Research Center of Sustainable Development and Utilization of Biomass Energy, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, Yunnan 650500, China
| | - Juan Ni
- School of Life Sciences, The Engineering Research Center of Sustainable Development and Utilization of Biomass Energy, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, Yunnan 650500, China
| | - Jinglun Xue
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Institute of Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Xu Wang
- School of Life Sciences, The Engineering Research Center of Sustainable Development and Utilization of Biomass Energy, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, Yunnan 650500, China.
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