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Naik A, Lattab B, Qasem H, Decock J. Cancer testis antigens: Emerging therapeutic targets leveraging genomic instability in cancer. MOLECULAR THERAPY. ONCOLOGY 2024; 32:200768. [PMID: 38596293 PMCID: PMC10876628 DOI: 10.1016/j.omton.2024.200768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
Cancer care has witnessed remarkable progress in recent decades, with a wide array of targeted therapies and immune-based interventions being added to the traditional treatment options such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. However, despite these advancements, the challenge of achieving high tumor specificity while minimizing adverse side effects continues to dictate the benefit-risk balance of cancer therapy, guiding clinical decision making. As such, the targeting of cancer testis antigens (CTAs) offers exciting new opportunities for therapeutic intervention of cancer since they display highly tumor specific expression patterns, natural immunogenicity and play pivotal roles in various biological processes that are critical for tumor cellular fitness. In this review, we delve deeper into how CTAs contribute to the regulation and maintenance of genomic integrity in cancer, and how these mechanisms can be exploited to specifically target and eradicate tumor cells. We review the current clinical trials targeting aforementioned CTAs, highlight promising pre-clinical data and discuss current challenges and future perspectives for future development of CTA-based strategies that exploit tumor genomic instability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adviti Naik
- Cancer Research Center, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar
| | - Boucif Lattab
- Cancer Research Center, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar
| | - Hanan Qasem
- Cancer Research Center, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar
- College of Health and Life Sciences (CHLS), Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Doha, Qatar
| | - Julie Decock
- Cancer Research Center, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar
- College of Health and Life Sciences (CHLS), Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Doha, Qatar
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Liu J, Zhang Q, Wang J, Wang C, Lan T, Wang T, Wang B. Knockdown of BAP31 Downregulates Galectin-3 to Inhibit the Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Pathway to Modulate 5-FU Chemosensitivity and Cancer Stemness in Colorectal Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:14402. [PMID: 37762705 PMCID: PMC10532080 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241814402] [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: 08/20/2023] [Revised: 09/16/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Increased stemness is causally linked to the development of chemoresistance in cancers. B-cell receptor-associated protein 31 (BAP31) has been identified to play an oncogenic role in many types of cancer. However, the role of BAP31 in 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) chemosensitivity and stemness of colorectal cancer (CRC) is still unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the biological function and molecular mechanism of BAP31 in regulating 5-FU chemosensitivity and stemness. The correlation between BAP31 expression and 5-FU chemosensitivity was examined using 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide and colony formation assays. Cancer stemness was analyzed using tumor sphere formation and Western blot assays. Western blot and immunofluorescence analyses of the knockdown cell lines were performed to explore the possible mechanisms. Finally, we investigated the function of BAP31 by constructing xenograft nude mouse models in vivo. In this study, we demonstrated that BAP31 was increased in CRC cells, and knockdown of BAP31 reduced the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 5-FU, while this effect was reversed by overexpression of BAP31. In addition, knockdown of BAP31 substantially reduced the stemness of CRC cells in vitro. Consistently, knockdown of BAP31 significantly suppressed the tumorigenicity and stemness of CRC in vivo. The functional study further suggested that knockdown of BAP31 downregulated galectin-3 to inhibit the accumulation of β-catenin, which in turn repressed the transcription of downstream target genes (c-MYC, SOX2) of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Knockdown of BAP31 reduced stemness by inhibiting the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway to increase 5-FU chemosensitivity. Importantly, intrabodies against BAP31 suppressed tumor growth and enhanced the antitumor effects of 5-FU in vivo. Therefore, using intrabodies against BAP31 may be a strategy for improving the antitumor effect of 5-FU in CRC.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Tianyi Wang
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Life and Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China; (J.L.); (Q.Z.); (J.W.); (C.W.); (T.L.)
| | - Bing Wang
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Life and Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China; (J.L.); (Q.Z.); (J.W.); (C.W.); (T.L.)
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Liu J, Zhang Q, Wang C, Yang J, Yang S, Wang T, Wang B. Knockdown of BAP31 Overcomes Hepatocellular Carcinoma Doxorubicin Resistance through Downregulation of Survivin. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24087622. [PMID: 37108785 PMCID: PMC10142662 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24087622] [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: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/16/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The expression of B-cell receptor associated protein 31 (BAP31) is increased in many tumor types, and it is reported to participate in proliferation, migration, and apoptosis. However, the relationship between BAP31 and chemoresistance is uncertain. This study investigated the role of BAP31 in regulating the doxorubicin (Dox) resistance of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The expression of proteins was assessed by Western blotting. The correlation between BAP31 expression and Dox resistance was examined by MTT and colony formation assays. Apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry and TdT-mediated dUTP nick end labeling assays. Western blot and immunofluorescence analyses were performed in the knockdown cell lines to explore the possible mechanisms. In this study, BAP31 was strongly expressed, and knockdown of BAP31 increased Dox chemosensitivity in cancer cells. Furthermore, the expression of BAP31 was higher in the Dox-resistant HCC cells than that in their parental cells; knockdown of BAP31 reduced the half maximal inhibitory concentration value and overcame Dox resistance in Dox-resistant HCC cells. In HCC cells, knockdown of BAP31 increased Dox-induced apoptosis and enhanced Dox chemosensitivity in vitro and in vivo. The potential mechanism by which BAP31 increased Dox-induced apoptosis is that BAP31 inhibited survivin expression by promoting FoxO1 nucleus-cytoplasm translocation. Knockdown of BAP31 and survivin had a synergistic effect on Dox chemosensitivity by enhancing the apoptosis of HCC cells. These findings reveal that BAP31 knockdown enhances Dox chemosensitivity through the downregulation of survivin, suggesting that BAP31 is a potential therapeutic target for improving the treatment response of HCC with resistance to Dox.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingjing Liu
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Life and Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China
| | - Qi Zhang
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Life and Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China
| | - Changli Wang
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Life and Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China
| | - Jiaying Yang
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Life and Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China
| | - Sheng Yang
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Life and Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China
| | - Tianyi Wang
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Life and Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China
| | - Bing Wang
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Life and Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China
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Zhang Q, Wang C, Li R, Liu J, Wang J, Wang T, Wang B. The BAP31/miR-181a-5p/RECK axis promotes angiogenesis in colorectal cancer via fibroblast activation. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1056903. [PMID: 36895489 PMCID: PMC9989165 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1056903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 02/03/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Background B-cell receptor-associated protein 31 (BAP31) has been recognized as a tumor-associated protein and has largely been shown to promote metastasis in a variety of cancers. Cancer metastasis arises through multistep pathways, and the induction of angiogenesis is shown to be a rate-limiting step in the process of tumor metastasis. Methods and results This study explored the effect of BAP31 on colorectal cancer (CRC) angiogenesis by regulating the tumor microenvironment. First, exosomes from BAP31-regulated CRCs affected the transition of normal fibroblasts to proangiogenic cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in vivo and in vitro. Next, microRNA sequencing was performed to analyze the microRNA expression profile of exosomes secreted from BAP31- overexpressing CRCs. The results indicated that the expression of BAP31 in CRCs significantly altered the levels of exosomal microRNAs, such as miR-181a- 5p. Meanwhile, an in vitro tube formation assay showed that fibroblasts with high levels of miR-181a-5p significantly promoted endothelial cell angiogenesis. Critically, we first identified that miR-181a-5p directly targeted the 3'-untranslated region (3'UTR) of reversion-inducing cysteine-rich protein with kazal motifs (RECK) using the dual-luciferase activity assay, which drove fibroblast transformation into proangiogenic CAFs by upregulating matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and phosphorylation of mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 2/Mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 3 (Smad2/3). Conclusion Exosomes from BAP31-overexpressing/BAP31-knockdown CRCs are found to manipulate the transition of fibroblasts into proangiogenic CAFs by the miR-181a-5p/RECK axis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Zhang
- College of Life Science and Health, Northeastern University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
| | - Changli Wang
- College of Life Science and Health, Northeastern University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
| | - Ruijia Li
- College of Life Science and Health, Northeastern University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
| | - Jingjing Liu
- College of Life Science and Health, Northeastern University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
| | - Jiyu Wang
- College of Life Science and Health, Northeastern University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
| | - Tianyi Wang
- College of Life Science and Health, Northeastern University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
| | - Bing Wang
- College of Life Science and Health, Northeastern University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
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Huang Y, Ji J, Zhao Q, Song J. Editorial: Regulation of endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria in cellular homeostasis. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:1004376. [PMID: 36111344 PMCID: PMC9468971 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.1004376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Yongye Huang
- College of Life and Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Shenyang, China
- *Correspondence: Yongye Huang, ; Jianguang Ji, ; Qi Zhao, ; Jun Song,
| | - Jianguang Ji
- Center for Primary Health Care Research, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- *Correspondence: Yongye Huang, ; Jianguang Ji, ; Qi Zhao, ; Jun Song,
| | - Qi Zhao
- School of Computer Science and Software Engineering, University of Science and Technology Liaoning, Anshan, China
- *Correspondence: Yongye Huang, ; Jianguang Ji, ; Qi Zhao, ; Jun Song,
| | - Jun Song
- College of Life Science, Northeast Agriculture University, Harbin, China
- *Correspondence: Yongye Huang, ; Jianguang Ji, ; Qi Zhao, ; Jun Song,
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