1
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Nong J, Shen S, Hong F, Xiao F, Meng L, Li P, Lei X, Chen YG. Verteporfin inhibits TGF-β signaling by disrupting the Smad2/3-Smad4 interaction. Mol Biol Cell 2024; 35:ar95. [PMID: 38696259 PMCID: PMC11244160 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e24-02-0073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2024] [Revised: 04/15/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signaling plays a crucial role in pathogenesis, such as accelerating tissue fibrosis and promoting tumor development at the later stages of tumorigenesis by promoting epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), cancer cell migration, and invasion. Targeting TGF-β signaling is a promising therapeutic approach, but nonspecific inhibition may result in adverse effects. In this study, we focus on the Smad2/3-Smad4 complex, a key component in TGF-β signaling transduction, as a potential target for cancer therapy. Through a phase-separated condensate-aided biomolecular interaction system, we identified verteporfin (VP) as a small-molecule inhibitor that specifically targets the Smad2/3-Smad4 interaction. VP effectively disrupted the interaction between Smad2/3 and Smad4 and thereby inhibited canonical TGF-β signaling, but not the interaction between Smad1 and Smad4 in bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling. Furthermore, VP exhibited inhibitory effects on TGF-β-induced EMT and cell migration. Our findings indicate a novel approach to develop protein-protein interaction inhibitors of the canonical TGF-β signaling pathway for treatments of related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junxiu Nong
- The State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Shengqiang Shen
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Chemical Biology, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Fan Hong
- Guangzhou National Laboratory, Guangzhou International Bio Island, Guangzhou 510005, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Fan Xiao
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Chemical Biology, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Lingtian Meng
- The State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Pilong Li
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Xiaoguang Lei
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Chemical Biology, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Ye-Guang Chen
- The State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
- Guangzhou National Laboratory, Guangzhou International Bio Island, Guangzhou 510005, Guangdong Province, China
- School of Basic Medicine, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China
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2
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Doyle C, Callaghan B, Roodnat AW, Armstrong L, Lester K, Simpson DA, Atkinson SD, Sheridan C, McKenna DJ, Willoughby CE. The TGFβ Induced MicroRNAome of the Trabecular Meshwork. Cells 2024; 13:1060. [PMID: 38920689 PMCID: PMC11201560 DOI: 10.3390/cells13121060] [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: 05/01/2024] [Revised: 06/08/2024] [Accepted: 06/13/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is a progressive optic neuropathy with a complex, multifactorial aetiology. Raised intraocular pressure (IOP) is the most important clinically modifiable risk factor for POAG. All current pharmacological agents target aqueous humour dynamics to lower IOP. Newer therapeutic agents are required as some patients with POAG show a limited therapeutic response or develop ocular and systemic side effects to topical medication. Elevated IOP in POAG results from cellular and molecular changes in the trabecular meshwork driven by increased levels of transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) in the anterior segment of the eye. Understanding how TGFβ affects both the structural and functional changes in the outflow pathway and IOP is required to develop new glaucoma therapies that target the molecular pathology in the trabecular meshwork. In this study, we evaluated the effects of TGF-β1 and -β2 treatment on miRNA expression in cultured human primary trabecular meshwork cells. Our findings are presented in terms of specific miRNAs (miRNA-centric), but given miRNAs work in networks to control cellular pathways and processes, a pathway-centric view of miRNA action is also reported. Evaluating TGFβ-responsive miRNA expression in trabecular meshwork cells will further our understanding of the important pathways and changes involved in the pathogenesis of glaucoma and could lead to the development of miRNAs as new therapeutic modalities in glaucoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chelsey Doyle
- Centre for Genomic Medicine, Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Ulster University, Coleraine Campus, Coleraine BT52 1SA, UK; (C.D.); (A.W.R.); (L.A.); (S.D.A.); (D.J.M.)
| | - Breedge Callaghan
- Centre for Genomic Medicine, Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Ulster University, Coleraine Campus, Coleraine BT52 1SA, UK; (C.D.); (A.W.R.); (L.A.); (S.D.A.); (D.J.M.)
| | - Anton W. Roodnat
- Centre for Genomic Medicine, Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Ulster University, Coleraine Campus, Coleraine BT52 1SA, UK; (C.D.); (A.W.R.); (L.A.); (S.D.A.); (D.J.M.)
| | - Lee Armstrong
- Centre for Genomic Medicine, Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Ulster University, Coleraine Campus, Coleraine BT52 1SA, UK; (C.D.); (A.W.R.); (L.A.); (S.D.A.); (D.J.M.)
| | - Karen Lester
- Centre for Genomic Medicine, Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Ulster University, Coleraine Campus, Coleraine BT52 1SA, UK; (C.D.); (A.W.R.); (L.A.); (S.D.A.); (D.J.M.)
| | - David A. Simpson
- Wellcome Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, Queens’ University, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK;
| | - Sarah D. Atkinson
- Centre for Genomic Medicine, Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Ulster University, Coleraine Campus, Coleraine BT52 1SA, UK; (C.D.); (A.W.R.); (L.A.); (S.D.A.); (D.J.M.)
| | - Carl Sheridan
- Department of Eye and Vision Science, Institute of Life Course and Medical Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L7 8TX, UK;
| | - Declan J. McKenna
- Centre for Genomic Medicine, Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Ulster University, Coleraine Campus, Coleraine BT52 1SA, UK; (C.D.); (A.W.R.); (L.A.); (S.D.A.); (D.J.M.)
| | - Colin E. Willoughby
- Centre for Genomic Medicine, Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Ulster University, Coleraine Campus, Coleraine BT52 1SA, UK; (C.D.); (A.W.R.); (L.A.); (S.D.A.); (D.J.M.)
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3
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Gauss C, Stone LD, Ghafouri M, Quan D, Johnson J, Fribley AM, Amm HM. Overcoming Resistance to Standard-of-Care Therapies for Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinomas. Cells 2024; 13:1018. [PMID: 38920648 PMCID: PMC11201455 DOI: 10.3390/cells13121018] [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: 05/29/2024] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Although there have been some advances during in recent decades, the treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remains challenging. Resistance is a major issue for various treatments that are used, including both the conventional standards of care (radiotherapy and platinum-based chemotherapy) and the newer EGFR and checkpoint inhibitors. In fact, all the non-surgical treatments currently used for HNSCC are associated with intrinsic and/or acquired resistance. Herein, we explore the cellular mechanisms of resistance reported in HNSCC, including those related to epigenetic factors, DNA repair defects, and several signaling pathways. This article discusses these mechanisms and possible approaches that can be used to target different pathways to sensitize HNSCC to the existing treatments, obtain better responses to new agents, and ultimately improve the patient outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chester Gauss
- Carman and Ann Adams Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202, USA; (C.G.); (M.G.)
| | - Logan D. Stone
- Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Dentistry, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA;
| | - Mehrnoosh Ghafouri
- Carman and Ann Adams Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202, USA; (C.G.); (M.G.)
| | - Daniel Quan
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202, USA; (D.Q.)
| | - Jared Johnson
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202, USA; (D.Q.)
| | - Andrew M. Fribley
- Carman and Ann Adams Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202, USA; (C.G.); (M.G.)
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202, USA; (D.Q.)
- Molecular Therapeutics Program, Karmanos Cancer Institute, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
| | - Hope M. Amm
- Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Dentistry, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA;
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4
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Karunarathne WAHM, Lee KT, Choi YH, Kang CH, Lee MH, Kim SH, Kim GY. Investigating rutin as a potential transforming growth factor-β type I receptor antagonist for the inhibition of bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis. Biofactors 2024; 50:477-492. [PMID: 38006284 DOI: 10.1002/biof.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 08/26/2023] [Indexed: 11/27/2023]
Abstract
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic lung condition characterized by the abnormal regulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). In this study, we investigated the potential of rutin, a natural flavonoid, in attenuating transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)-induced ECM regulation and EMT through the inhibition of the TGF-β type I receptor (TβRI)-mediated suppressor of mothers against decapentaplegic (SMAD) signaling pathway. We found that non-toxic concentrations of rutin attenuated TGF-β-induced ECM-related genes, including fibronectin, elastin, collagen 1 type 1, and TGF-β, as well as myoblast differentiation from MRC-5 lung fibroblast cells accompanied by the downregulation of α-smooth muscle actin. Rutin also inhibited TGF-β-induced EMT processes, such as wound healing, migration, and invasion by regulating EMT-related gene expression. Additionally, rutin attenuated bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis in mice, thus providing a potential therapeutic option for IPF. The molecular docking analyses in this study predict that rutin occludes the active site of TβRI and inhibits SMAD-mediated fibrotic signaling pathways in lung fibrosis. These findings highlight the potential of rutin as a promising anti-fibrotic prodrug for lung fibrosis and other TGF-β-induced fibrotic and cancer-related diseases; however, further studies are required to validate its safety and effectiveness in other experimental models.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kyoung Tae Lee
- Forest Bioresources Department, Forest Microbiology Division, National Institute of Forest Science, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Yung Hyun Choi
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Korean Medicine, Dong-Eui University, Busan, Republic of Korea
| | - Chang-Hee Kang
- Nakdonggang National Institute of Biological Resources, Sangju, Republic of Korea
| | - Mi-Hwa Lee
- Nakdonggang National Institute of Biological Resources, Sangju, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang-Hun Kim
- Section of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, USA
| | - Gi-Young Kim
- Department of Marine Life Science, Jeju National University, Jeju, Republic of Korea
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Kgokolo MCM, Malinga NZ, Steel HC, Meyer PWA, Smit T, Anderson R, Rapoport BL. Transforming growth factor-β1 and soluble co-inhibitory immune checkpoints as putative drivers of immune suppression in patients with basal cell carcinoma. Transl Oncol 2024; 42:101867. [PMID: 38308919 PMCID: PMC10847768 DOI: 10.1016/j.tranon.2023.101867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The current study compared the levels and possible associations between systemic soluble immune checkpoints (sICPs, n = 17) and a group of humoral modulators of immune suppressor cells (n = 7) in a cohort of patients with basal cell carcinoma (BCC, n = 40) and a group of healthy control subjects (n = 20). The seven humoral modulators of immunosuppressor cells were represented by the enzymes, arginase 1 and fibroblast activation protein (FAP), the chemokine, RANTES (CCL5) and the cytokines, interleukin-10 and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), as well as the M2-type macrophage markers, soluble CD163 (sCD163) and sCD206. The plasma levels of six co-inhibitory sICPs, sCTLA-4, sLAG-3, sPD-1, sPD-L1, sTIM-3 and sPD-L2 were significantly elevated in the cohort of BCC patients (p<0.001-p<0.00001), while that of sBTLA was significantly decreased (p<0.006). Of the co-stimulatory sICPs, sCD27 and sGITR were significantly increased (p<0.0002 and p<0.0538) in the cohort of BCC patients, while the others were essentially comparable with those of the control participants; of the dual active sICPs, sHVEM was significantly elevated (p<0.00001) and TLR2 comparable with the control group. A correlation heat map revealed selective, strong associations of TGF-β1 with seven co-stimulatory (z = 0.618468-0.768131) and four co-inhibitory (z = 0.674040-0.808365) sICPs, as well as with sTLR2 (z = 0.696431). Notwithstanding the association of BCC with selective elevations in the levels of a large group of co-inhibitory sICPs, our novel findings also imply the probable involvement of TGF-β1 in driving immunosuppression in this malignancy, possibly via activation of regulatory T cells. Notably, these abnormalities were present in patients with either newly diagnosed or recurrent disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahlatse C M Kgokolo
- Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria and Steve Biko Academic Hospital, Pretoria, South Africa.
| | - Nonkululeko Z Malinga
- Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria and Steve Biko Academic Hospital, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Helen C Steel
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Pieter W A Meyer
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa; Tshwane Academic Division of the National Health Laboratory Service, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Teresa Smit
- The Medical Oncology Centre of Rosebank, Saxonwold, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Ronald Anderson
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Bernardo L Rapoport
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa; The Medical Oncology Centre of Rosebank, Saxonwold, Johannesburg, South Africa.
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6
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Runa F, Ortiz-Soto G, de Barros NR, Kelber JA. Targeting SMAD-Dependent Signaling: Considerations in Epithelial and Mesenchymal Solid Tumors. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2024; 17:326. [PMID: 38543112 PMCID: PMC10975212 DOI: 10.3390/ph17030326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2024] [Revised: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/01/2024] Open
Abstract
SMADs are the canonical intracellular effector proteins of the TGF-β (transforming growth factor-β). SMADs translocate from plasma membrane receptors to the nucleus regulated by many SMAD-interacting proteins through phosphorylation and other post-translational modifications that govern their nucleocytoplasmic shuttling and subsequent transcriptional activity. The signaling pathway of TGF-β/SMAD exhibits both tumor-suppressing and tumor-promoting phenotypes in epithelial-derived solid tumors. Collectively, the pleiotropic nature of TGF-β/SMAD signaling presents significant challenges for the development of effective cancer therapies. Here, we review preclinical studies that evaluate the efficacy of inhibitors targeting major SMAD-regulating and/or -interacting proteins, particularly enzymes that may play important roles in epithelial or mesenchymal compartments within solid tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farhana Runa
- Department of Biology, California State University Northridge, Northridge, CA 91330, USA
| | | | | | - Jonathan A Kelber
- Department of Biology, California State University Northridge, Northridge, CA 91330, USA
- Department of Biology, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76706, USA
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Tanaka A, Ogawa M, Zhou Y, Namba K, Hendrickson RC, Miele MM, Li Z, Klimstra DS, Buckley PG, Gulcher J, Wang JY, Roehrl MHA. Proteogenomic characterization of primary colorectal cancer and metastatic progression identifies proteome-based subtypes and signatures. Cell Rep 2024; 43:113810. [PMID: 38377004 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.113810] [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: 11/20/2022] [Revised: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Metastatic progression of colorectal adenocarcinoma (CRC) remains poorly understood and poses significant challenges for treatment. To overcome these challenges, we performed multiomics analyses of primary CRC and liver metastases. Genomic alterations, such as structural variants or copy number alterations, were enriched in oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes and increased in metastases. Unsupervised mass spectrometry-based proteomics of 135 primary and 123 metastatic CRCs uncovered distinct proteomic subtypes, three each for primary and metastatic CRCs, respectively. Integrated analyses revealed that hypoxia, stemness, and immune signatures characterize these 6 subtypes. Hypoxic CRC harbors high epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition features and metabolic adaptation. CRC with a stemness signature shows high oncogenic pathway activation and alternative telomere lengthening (ALT) phenotype, especially in metastatic lesions. Tumor microenvironment analysis shows immune evasion via modulation of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I/II and antigen processing pathways. This study characterizes both primary and metastatic CRCs and provides a large proteogenomics dataset of metastatic progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atsushi Tanaka
- Department of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Makiko Ogawa
- Department of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Yihua Zhou
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA; ICU Department, Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| | - Kei Namba
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA; Department of General Thoracic Surgery and Breast and Endocrinological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan
| | - Ronald C Hendrickson
- Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Matthew M Miele
- Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Zhuoning Li
- Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - David S Klimstra
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA; Paige.AI, New York, NY, USA
| | | | | | | | - Michael H A Roehrl
- Department of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.
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Mei Q, Chen P, Lv Y, Zheng L, Liu D, Zhang M, Liu W, Li P. Elevated of NDUFA4L2 expression in colon adenocarcinoma is correlated with an unfavorable prognosis and increased immune cell infiltration. Heliyon 2024; 10:e25462. [PMID: 38352787 PMCID: PMC10861987 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e25462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Revised: 12/25/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) is a prevalent malignancy worldwide, yet, its underlying pathogenesis and genetic characteristics are still unclear. Previous studies have suggested that NADH dehydrogenase 1 alpha subcomplex subunit 4-like 2 (NDUFA4L2) may affect tumor progression across various cancers. However, this effect on COAD has rarely been reported. Thus, this study investigated NDUFA4L2's prognostic and diagnostic relevance and explored its potential connection with immune cell infiltration in COAD. Methods To achieve this, RNA sequencing data from Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) was analyzed to assess NDUFA4L2's prognostic value in COAD, and factors relevant to the prognosis of COAD, including NDUFA4L2, were scrutinized using Kaplan-Meier analyses as well as univariate and multivariate Cox regression. A nomogram model was created to project prognosis based on the results of multivariate Cox analysis. Furthermore, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was employed to pinpoint key NDUFA4L2-related pathways, and single-sample GSEA (ssGSEA) on TCGA data was employed to investigate the connections of NDUFA4L2 with cancer immune infiltrations. Results Our findings revealed significant associations of high NDUFA4L2 expression with poor overall survival, progression-free interval, and disease-specific survival of COAD patients. GSEA indicated close links of NDUFA4L2 with several signaling pathways implicated in tumorigenesis, including extracellular matrix receptor interaction, the intestinal immune network for immunoglobulin A production, natural killer (NK) cell-mediated cytotoxicity, pathways in cancer, cell adhesion molecules, mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway, Hedgehog signaling pathway, transforming growth factor beta signaling pathway, and chemokine signaling pathway. Additionally, ssGSEA identified a positive link between increased NDUFA4L2 expression and higher infiltration degree of various immune cells, such as immature dendritic cells, macrophages, NK cells and dendritic cells. Conclusions Collectively, our findings demonstrate the association of increased NDUFA4L2 expression with adverse prognosis and heightened immune cell infiltration in COAD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingbu Mei
- Department of Medical Genetics, Qiqihar Medical University, Qiqihar 161006, China
| | - Ping Chen
- Department of Cell Biology, Qiqihar Medical University, Qiqihar 161006, China
| | - Ying Lv
- Department of Basic Medical Research Center, Qiqihar Medical University, Qiqihar 161006, China
| | - Lihong Zheng
- Department of Medical Genetics, Qiqihar Medical University, Qiqihar 161006, China
| | - Dan Liu
- Department of Medical Genetics, Qiqihar Medical University, Qiqihar 161006, China
| | - Minglong Zhang
- Department of Medical Genetics, Qiqihar Medical University, Qiqihar 161006, China
| | - Wanquan Liu
- Department of Medical Genetics, Qiqihar Medical University, Qiqihar 161006, China
| | - Penghui Li
- Department of Medical Genetics, Qiqihar Medical University, Qiqihar 161006, China
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Hourani T, Eivazitork M, Balendran T, Mc Lee K, Hamilton JA, Zhu HJ, Iaria J, Morokoff AP, Luwor RB, Achuthan AA. Signaling pathways underlying TGF-β mediated suppression of IL-12A gene expression in monocytes. Mol Immunol 2024; 166:101-109. [PMID: 38278031 DOI: 10.1016/j.molimm.2024.01.008] [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: 06/18/2023] [Revised: 01/14/2024] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 01/28/2024]
Abstract
Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) is a pleiotropic cytokine essential for multiple biological processes, including the regulation of inflammatory and immune responses. One of the important functions of TGF-β is the suppression of the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-12 (IL-12), which is crucial for mounting an anti-tumorigenic response. Although the regulation of the IL-12p40 subunit (encoded by the IL-12B gene) of IL-12 has been extensively investigated, the knowledge of IL-12p35 (encoded by IL-12A gene) subunit regulation is relatively limited. This study investigates the molecular regulation of IL-12A by TGF-β-activated signaling pathways in THP-1 monocytes. Our study identifies a complex regulation of IL-12A gene expression by TGF-β, which involves multiple cellular signaling pathways, such as Smad2/3, NF-κB, p38 and JNK1/2. Pharmacological inhibition of NF-κB signaling decreased IL-12A expression, while blocking the Smad2/3 signaling pathway by overexpression of Smad7 and inhibiting JNK1/2 signaling with a pharmacological inhibitor, SP600125, increased its expression. The elucidated signaling pathways that regulate IL-12A gene expression potentially provide new therapeutic targets to increase IL-12 levels in the tumor microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tetiana Hourani
- Department of Medicine, Royal Melbourne Hospital, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Mahtab Eivazitork
- Department of Medicine, Royal Melbourne Hospital, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Thivya Balendran
- Department of Medicine, Royal Melbourne Hospital, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Kevin Mc Lee
- Department of Medicine, Royal Melbourne Hospital, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - John A Hamilton
- Department of Medicine, Royal Melbourne Hospital, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Hong-Jian Zhu
- Department of Surgery, Royal Melbourne Hospital, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Josephine Iaria
- Department of Surgery, Royal Melbourne Hospital, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Andrew P Morokoff
- Department of Surgery, Royal Melbourne Hospital, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia; Department of Neurosurgery, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, VIC 3050, Australia
| | - Rodney B Luwor
- Department of Surgery, Royal Melbourne Hospital, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia; Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute, Ballarat, VIC 3350, Australia; Federation University, Ballarat, VIC 3350, Australia
| | - Adrian A Achuthan
- Department of Medicine, Royal Melbourne Hospital, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia.
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10
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Ahuja S, Zaheer S. Multifaceted TGF-β signaling, a master regulator: From bench-to-bedside, intricacies, and complexities. Cell Biol Int 2024; 48:87-127. [PMID: 37859532 DOI: 10.1002/cbin.12097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Physiological embryogenesis and adult tissue homeostasis are regulated by transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), an evolutionarily conserved family of secreted polypeptide factors, acting in an autocrine and paracrine manner. The role of TGF-β in inflammation, fibrosis, and cancer is complex and sometimes even contradictory, exhibiting either inhibitory or promoting effects depending on the stage of the disease. Under pathological conditions, especially fibrosis and cancer, overexpressed TGF-β causes extracellular matrix deposition, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, cancer-associated fibroblast formation, and/or angiogenesis. In this review article, we have tried to dive deep into the mechanism of action of TGF-β in inflammation, fibrosis, and carcinogenesis. As TGF-β and its downstream signaling mechanism are implicated in fibrosis and carcinogenesis blocking this signaling mechanism appears to be a promising avenue. However, targeting TGF-β carries substantial risk as this pathway is implicated in multiple homeostatic processes and is also known to have tumor-suppressor functions. There is a need for careful dosing of TGF-β drugs for therapeutic use and patient selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sana Ahuja
- Department of Pathology, Vardhman Mahavir Medical College and Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi, India
| | - Sufian Zaheer
- Department of Pathology, Vardhman Mahavir Medical College and Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi, India
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11
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Wang J, Peng J, Chen Y, Nasser MI, Qin H. The role of stromal cells in epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity and its therapeutic potential. Discov Oncol 2024; 15:13. [PMID: 38244071 PMCID: PMC10799841 DOI: 10.1007/s12672-024-00867-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 01/22/2024] Open
Abstract
The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a critical tumor invasion and metastasis process. EMT enables tumor cells to migrate, detach from their original location, enter the circulation, circulate within it, and eventually exit from blood arteries to colonize in foreign sites, leading to the development of overt metastases, ultimately resulting in death. EMT is intimately tied to stromal cells around the tumor and is controlled by a range of cytokines secreted by stromal cells. This review summarizes recent research on stromal cell-mediated EMT in tumor invasion and metastasis. We also discuss the effects of various stromal cells on EMT induction and focus on the molecular mechanisms by which several significant stromal cells convert from foes to friends of cancer cells to fuel EMT processes via their secretions in the tumor microenvironment (TME). As a result, a better knowledge of the role of stromal cells in cancer cells' EMT may pave the path to cancer eradication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juanjing Wang
- Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, Hunan, China
- School of Pharmaceutical Science, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, Hunan, People's Republic of China
| | - Junmei Peng
- Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, Hunan, China
- School of Pharmaceutical Science, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, Hunan, People's Republic of China
| | - Yonglin Chen
- Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, Hunan, China
- The Hengyang Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, Hunan, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Ecological Environment and Critical Human Diseases Prevention of Hunan Province Department of Education, School of Basic Medical Sciences, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, Hunan, China
| | - M I Nasser
- Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, 510100, Guangdong, China.
| | - Hui Qin
- Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, Hunan, China.
- The Hengyang Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, Hunan, People's Republic of China.
- Key Laboratory of Ecological Environment and Critical Human Diseases Prevention of Hunan Province Department of Education, School of Basic Medical Sciences, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, Hunan, China.
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12
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Lv SL, Guo P, Zou JR, Chen RS, Luo LY, Huang DQ. Prognostic significance and relationship of SMAD3 phospho-isoforms and VEGFR-1 in gastric cancer: A clinicopathological study. World J Gastrointest Oncol 2024; 16:118-132. [PMID: 38292835 PMCID: PMC10824111 DOI: 10.4251/wjgo.v16.i1.118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The TGF-β/SMAD3 and VEGFR-1 signaling pathways play important roles in gastric cancer metastasis. SMAD3 phosphorylation is a crucial prognostic marker in gastric cancer. AIM To determine the prognostic value and relationship of SMAD3 phospho-isoforms and VEGFR-1 in gastric cancer. METHODS This was a single-center observational study which enrolled 98 gastric cancer patients and 82 adjacent normal gastric tissues from patients aged 32-84 years (median age 65) between July 2006 and April 2007. Patients were followed up until death or the study ended (median follow-up duration of 28.5 mo). The samples were used to generate tissue microarrays (TMAs) for immunohistochemical (IHC) staining. The expressions of TGF-β1, pSMAD3C(S423/425), pSMAD3L(S204), and VEGFR-1 in gastric cancer (GC) tumor tissue and normal tissue were measured by IHC staining using TMAs obtained from 98 GC patients. Prognosis and survival information of the patients was recorded by Outdo Biotech from May 2007 to July 2015. The relationship between TGF-β1, pSMAD3C(S423/425), pSMAD3L(S204), and VEGFR-1 protein expression levels was analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficient. The relationship between protein expression levels and clinicopathological parameters was analyzed using the Chi-squared test. A survival curve was generated using the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. RESULTS TGFβ-1 and VEGFR-1 expression was significantly upregulated in gastric cancer tissue compared to adjacent non-cancerous tissue. The positive expression of phosphorylated isoforms of Smad3 varied depending on the phosphorylation site [pSMAD3C(S423/425): 51.0% and pSMAD3L(S204): 31.6%]. High expression of pSMAD3L(S204) was significantly correlated with larger tumors (P = 0.038) and later N stages (P = 0.035). Additionally, high expression of VEGFR-1 was closely correlated with tumor size (P = 0.015) and pathological grading (P = 0.013). High expression of both pSMAD3L(S204) and VEGFR-1 was associated with unfavorable outcomes in terms of overall survival (OS). Multivariate analysis indicated that high expression of pSMAD3L(S204) and VEGFR-1 were independent risk factors for prognosis in GC patients. VEGFR-1 protein expression was correlated with TGF-β1 (r = 0.220, P = 0.029), pSMAD3C(S423/425) (r = 0.302, P = 0.002), and pSMAD3L(S204) (r = 0.201, P = 0.047), respectively. Simultaneous overexpression of pSMAD3L(S204) and VEGFR-1 was associated with poor OS in gastric cancer patients. CONCLUSION Co-upregulation of pSMAD3L(S204) and VEGFR-1 can serve as a predictive marker for poor gastric cancer prognosis, and pSMAD3L(204) may be involved in enhanced gastric cancer metastasis in a VEGFR-1-dependent manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shi-Lin Lv
- Hospital of Gastroenterology, Institute of Digestive Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, Jiangxi Province, China
| | - Pei Guo
- Department of Pathology, Shenzhen Hospital of Southern Medical University, Shenzhen 518000, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Jun-Rong Zou
- Institute of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou 341000, Jiangxi Province, China
| | - Ren-Sheng Chen
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, Jiangxi Province, China
| | - Ling-Yu Luo
- Hospital of Gastroenterology, Institute of Digestive Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, Jiangxi Province, China
| | - De-Qiang Huang
- Hospital of Gastroenterology, Institute of Digestive Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, Jiangxi Province, China
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Zhang T, Xiang F, Li X, Chen Z, Wang J, Guo J, Zhu S, Zhou J, Kang X, Wu R. Mechanistic study on ursolic acid inhibiting the growth of colorectal cancer cells through the downregulation of TGF-β3 by miR-140-5p. J Biochem Mol Toxicol 2024; 38:e23581. [PMID: 38044485 DOI: 10.1002/jbt.23581] [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: 12/06/2022] [Revised: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023]
Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common digestive tract tumor with a high incidence and a poor prognosis. Traditional chemotherapy drugs are usually accompanied by unpleasant side effects, highlighting the importance of exploring new adjunctive drugs. In this study, we aimed to explore the role of ursolic acid (UA) in CRC cells. Specifically, HT-29 cells were treated with UA at different concentrations (10, 20, 30, and 40 μM), and the expression of miR-140-5p, tumor growth factor-β3 (TGF-β3), β-catenin, and cyclin D1 was determined by real-time quantitative PCR. The cell cycle and apoptosis were checked by flow cytometry, and cell proliferation was detected by Cell Counting Kit-8 assay. The HT-29 cell model was established through overexpression (miR-140-5p mimics) and interference (miR-140-5p inhibitor) of miR-140-5p. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression of TGF-β3. We found that UA could inhibit the proliferation of HT-29 cells, block cells in the G1 phase, and promote cell apoptosis. After UA treatment, the expression of miR-140-5p increased and TGF-β3 decreased. Notably, miR-140-5p downregulated the expression of TGF-β3, while the overexpression of miR-140-5p exerted a similar function to UA in HT-29 cells. Additionally, the messenger RNA expression of TGF-β3, β-catenin, and cyclin D1 was decreased in HT-29 cells after UA treatment. In conclusion, UA inhibited CRC cell proliferation and cell cycle and promoted apoptosis by regulating the miR-140-5p/TGF-β3 axis, which may be related to the inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Zhang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Putuo Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Fenfen Xiang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Putuo Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaoxiao Li
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Putuo Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Zixi Chen
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Putuo Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Jun Wang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Putuo Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiahui Guo
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Putuo Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Shanshan Zhu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Putuo Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Jun Zhou
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Putuo Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiangdong Kang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Putuo Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Rong Wu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Putuo Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
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Frangogiannis NG. TGF-β as a therapeutic target in the infarcted and failing heart: cellular mechanisms, challenges, and opportunities. Expert Opin Ther Targets 2024; 28:45-56. [PMID: 38329809 DOI: 10.1080/14728222.2024.2316735] [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: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Myocardial fibrosis accompanies most cardiac conditions and can be reparative or maladaptive. Transforming Growth Factor (TGF)-β is a potent fibrogenic mediator, involved in repair, remodeling, and fibrosis of the injured heart. AREAS COVERED This review manuscript discusses the role of TGF-β in heart failure focusing on cellular mechanisms and therapeutic implications. TGF-β is activated in infarcted, remodeling and failing hearts. In addition to its fibrogenic actions, TGF-β has a broad range of effects on cardiomyocytes, immune, and vascular cells that may have both protective and detrimental consequences. TGF-β-mediated effects on macrophages promote anti-inflammatory transition, whereas actions on fibroblasts mediate reparative scar formation and effects on pericytes are involved in maturation of infarct neovessels. On the other hand, TGF-β actions on cardiomyocytes promote adverse remodeling, and prolonged activation of TGF-β signaling in fibroblasts stimulates progression of fibrosis and heart failure. EXPERT OPINION Understanding of the cell-specific actions of TGF-β is necessary to design therapeutic strategies in patients with myocardial disease. Moreover, to implement therapeutic interventions in the heterogeneous population of heart failure patients, mechanism-driven classification of both HFrEF and HFpEF patients is needed. Heart failure patients with prolonged or overactive fibrogenic TGF-β responses may benefit from cautious TGF-β inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolaos G Frangogiannis
- The Wilf Family Cardiovascular Research Institute, Department of Medicine and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
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15
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Olejarz W, Basak G. Emerging Therapeutic Targets and Drug Resistance Mechanisms in Immunotherapy of Hematological Malignancies. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:5765. [PMID: 38136311 PMCID: PMC10741639 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15245765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
CAR-T cell therapy has revolutionized the treatment of hematological malignancies with high remission rates in the case of ALL and NHL. This therapy has some limitations such as long manufacturing periods, persistent restricted cell sources and high costs. Moreover, combination regimens increase the risk of immune-related adverse events, so the identification new therapeutic targets is important to minimize the risk of toxicities and to guide more effective approaches. Cancer cells employ several mechanisms to evade immunosurveillance, which causes resistance to immunotherapy; therefore, a very important therapeutic approach is to focus on the development of rational combinations of targeted therapies with non-overlapping toxicities. Recent progress in the development of new inhibitory clusters of differentiation (CDs), signaling pathway molecules, checkpoint inhibitors, and immunosuppressive cell subsets and factors in the tumor microenvironment (TME) has significantly improved anticancer responses. Novel strategies regarding combination immunotherapies with CAR-T cells are the most promising approach to cure cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wioletta Olejarz
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacogenomics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-091 Warsaw, Poland
- Centre for Preclinical Research, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-091 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Grzegorz Basak
- Department of Hematology, Transplantation and Internal Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-091 Warsaw, Poland;
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Basak U, Sarkar T, Mukherjee S, Chakraborty S, Dutta A, Dutta S, Nayak D, Kaushik S, Das T, Sa G. Tumor-associated macrophages: an effective player of the tumor microenvironment. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1295257. [PMID: 38035101 PMCID: PMC10687432 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1295257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer progression is primarily caused by interactions between transformed cells and the components of the tumor microenvironment (TME). TAMs (tumor-associated macrophages) make up the majority of the invading immune components, which are further categorized as anti-tumor M1 and pro-tumor M2 subtypes. While M1 is known to have anti-cancer properties, M2 is recognized to extend a protective role to the tumor. As a result, the tumor manipulates the TME in such a way that it induces macrophage infiltration and M1 to M2 switching bias to secure its survival. This M2-TAM bias in the TME promotes cancer cell proliferation, neoangiogenesis, lymphangiogenesis, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, matrix remodeling for metastatic support, and TME manipulation to an immunosuppressive state. TAMs additionally promote the emergence of cancer stem cells (CSCs), which are known for their ability to originate, metastasize, and relapse into tumors. CSCs also help M2-TAM by revealing immune escape and survival strategies during the initiation and relapse phases. This review describes the reasons for immunotherapy failure and, thereby, devises better strategies to impair the tumor-TAM crosstalk. This study will shed light on the understudied TAM-mediated tumor progression and address the much-needed holistic approach to anti-cancer therapy, which encompasses targeting cancer cells, CSCs, and TAMs all at the same time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Udit Basak
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Bose Institute, Kolkata, India
| | - Tania Sarkar
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Bose Institute, Kolkata, India
| | - Sumon Mukherjee
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Bose Institute, Kolkata, India
| | | | - Apratim Dutta
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Bose Institute, Kolkata, India
| | - Saikat Dutta
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Bose Institute, Kolkata, India
| | - Debadatta Nayak
- Central Council for Research in Homeopathy (CCRH), New Delhi, India
| | - Subhash Kaushik
- Central Council for Research in Homeopathy (CCRH), New Delhi, India
| | - Tanya Das
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Bose Institute, Kolkata, India
| | - Gaurisankar Sa
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Bose Institute, Kolkata, India
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17
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Han X, Gao Z, Cheng Y, Wu S, Chen J, Zhang W. A Therapeutic DNA Vaccine Targeting HPV16 E7 in Combination with Anti-PD-1/PD-L1 Enhanced Tumor Regression and Cytotoxic Immune Responses. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:15469. [PMID: 37895145 PMCID: PMC10607554 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242015469] [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: 08/23/2023] [Revised: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Persistent infection of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) and the expression of E6 and E7 oncoproteins are the main causes of cervical cancer. Several prophylactic HPV vaccines are used in the clinic, but these vaccines have limited efficacy in patients already infected with HPV. Since HPV E7 is vital for tumor-specific immunity, developing a vaccine against HPV E7 is an attractive strategy for cervical cancer treatment. Here, we constructed an HPV16 E7 mutant that loses the ability to bind pRb while still eliciting a robust immune response. In order to build a therapeutic DNA vaccine, the E7 mutant was packaged in an adenovirus vector (Ad-E7) for efficient expression and enhanced immunogenicity of the vaccine. Our results showed that the Ad-E7 vaccine effectively inhibited tumor growth and increased the proportion of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ)-secreting CD8+ T cells in the spleen, and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in a mouse cervical cancer model was achieved by injecting with HPV16-E6/E7-expressing TC-1 cells subcutaneously. Combining the Ad-E7 vaccine with the PD-1/PD-L1 antibody blockade significantly improved the control of TC-1 tumors. Combination therapy elicited stronger cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses, and IFN-γ secretion downregulated the proportion of Tregs and MDSCs significantly. The expressions of cancer-promoting factors, such as TNF-α, were also significantly down-regulated in the case of combination therapy. In addition, combination therapy inhibited the number of capillaries in tumor tissues and increased the thickness of the tumor capsule. Thus, Ad-E7 vaccination, in combination with an immune checkpoint blockade, may benefit patients with HPV16-associated cervical cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Weifang Zhang
- Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China; (X.H.); (Z.G.); (Y.C.); (S.W.); (J.C.)
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18
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Postwala H, Shah Y, Parekh PS, Chorawala MR. Unveiling the genetic and epigenetic landscape of colorectal cancer: new insights into pathogenic pathways. Med Oncol 2023; 40:334. [PMID: 37855910 DOI: 10.1007/s12032-023-02201-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a complex disease characterized by genetic and epigenetic alterations, playing a crucial role in its development and progression. This review aims to provide insights into the emerging landscape of these alterations in CRC pathogenesis to develop effective diagnostic tools and targeted therapies. Genetic alterations in signaling pathways such as Wnt/β-catenin, and PI3K/Akt/mTOR are pivotal in CRC development. Genetic profiling has identified distinct molecular subtypes, enabling personalized treatment strategies. Epigenetic modifications, including DNA methylation and histone modifications, also contribute to CRC pathogenesis by influencing critical cellular processes through gene silencing or activation. Non-coding RNAs have emerged as essential players in epigenetic regulation and CRC progression. Recent research highlights the interplay between genetic and epigenetic alterations in CRC. Genetic mutations can affect epigenetic modifications, leading to dysregulated gene expression and signaling cascades. Conversely, epigenetic changes can modulate genetic expression, amplifying or dampening the effects of genetic alterations. Advancements in understanding pathogenic pathways have potential clinical applications. Identifying genetic and epigenetic markers as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers promises more accurate risk assessment and early detection. Challenges remain, including validating biomarkers and developing robust therapeutic strategies through extensive research and clinical trials. The dynamic nature of genetic and epigenetic alterations necessitates a comprehensive understanding of their temporal and spatial patterns during CRC progression. In conclusion, the genetic and epigenetic landscape of CRC is increasingly being unraveled, providing valuable insights into its pathogenesis. Integrating genetic and epigenetic knowledge holds great potential for improving diagnostics, prognostics, and personalized therapies in CRC. Continued research efforts are vital to translate these findings into clinical practice, ultimately improving patient outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Humzah Postwala
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy Practice, L. M. College of Pharmacy, Opp. Gujarat University, Ahmedabad, 380009, Gujarat, India
| | - Yesha Shah
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy Practice, L. M. College of Pharmacy, Opp. Gujarat University, Ahmedabad, 380009, Gujarat, India
| | - Priyajeet S Parekh
- AV Pharma LLC, 1545 University Blvd N Ste A, Jacksonville, Florida, 32211, USA
| | - Mehul R Chorawala
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy Practice, L. M. College of Pharmacy, Opp. Gujarat University, Ahmedabad, 380009, Gujarat, India.
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Kuburich NA, Sabapathy T, Demestichas BR, Maddela JJ, den Hollander P, Mani SA. Proactive and reactive roles of TGF-β in cancer. Semin Cancer Biol 2023; 95:120-139. [PMID: 37572731 PMCID: PMC10530624 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2023.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/14/2023]
Abstract
Cancer cells adapt to varying stress conditions to survive through plasticity. Stem cells exhibit a high degree of plasticity, allowing them to generate more stem cells or differentiate them into specialized cell types to contribute to tissue development, growth, and repair. Cancer cells can also exhibit plasticity and acquire properties that enhance their survival. TGF-β is an unrivaled growth factor exploited by cancer cells to gain plasticity. TGF-β-mediated signaling enables carcinoma cells to alter their epithelial and mesenchymal properties through epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity (EMP). However, TGF-β is a multifunctional cytokine; thus, the signaling by TGF-β can be detrimental or beneficial to cancer cells depending on the cellular context. Those cells that overcome the anti-tumor effect of TGF-β can induce epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) to gain EMP benefits. EMP allows cancer cells to alter their cell properties and the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME), facilitating their survival. Due to the significant roles of TGF-β and EMP in carcinoma progression, it is essential to understand how TGF-β enables EMP and how cancer cells exploit this plasticity. This understanding will guide the development of effective TGF-β-targeting therapies that eliminate cancer cell plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nick A Kuburich
- Legorreta Cancer Center, The Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA; Department of Pathology and Lab Medicine, The Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - Thiru Sabapathy
- Legorreta Cancer Center, The Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA; Department of Pathology and Lab Medicine, The Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - Breanna R Demestichas
- Legorreta Cancer Center, The Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA; Department of Pathology and Lab Medicine, The Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - Joanna Joyce Maddela
- Legorreta Cancer Center, The Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA; Department of Pathology and Lab Medicine, The Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - Petra den Hollander
- Legorreta Cancer Center, The Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA; Department of Pathology and Lab Medicine, The Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - Sendurai A Mani
- Legorreta Cancer Center, The Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA; Department of Pathology and Lab Medicine, The Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA.
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Hosseini R, Hosseinzadeh N, Asef-Kabiri L, Akbari A, Ghezelbash B, Sarvnaz H, Akbari ME. Small extracellular vesicle TGF-β in cancer progression and immune evasion. Cancer Gene Ther 2023; 30:1309-1322. [PMID: 37344681 DOI: 10.1038/s41417-023-00638-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023]
Abstract
Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) is a well-known cytokine that controls various processes in normal physiology and disease context. Strong preclinical and clinical literature supports the crucial roles of the TGF-β in several aspects of cancer biology. Recently emerging evidence reveals that the release of TGF-β from tumor/immune/stromal cells in small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) plays an important part in tumor development and immune evasion. Hence, this review aims to address the packaging, release, and signaling pathways of TGF-β carried in sEVs (sEV-TGF-β) in cancer, and to explore its underpinning roles in tumor development, growth, progression, metastasis, etc. We also highlight key progresses in deciphering the roles of sEV-TGF-β in subverting anti-tumor immune responses. The paper ends with a focus on the clinical significance of TGF-β carried in sEVs and draws attention to its diagnostic, therapeutic, and prognostic importance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reza Hosseini
- Cancer Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Nashmin Hosseinzadeh
- Cancer Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Leila Asef-Kabiri
- Cancer Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Atieh Akbari
- Cancer Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Behrooz Ghezelbash
- Laboratory Hematology and Blood Banking, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Hamzeh Sarvnaz
- Department of Immunology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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Hussen BM, Hidayat HJ, Abdullah SR, Mohamadtahr S, Rasul MF, Samsami M, Taheri M. Role of long non-coding RNAs and TGF-β signaling in the regulation of breast cancer pathogenesis and therapeutic targets. Cytokine 2023; 170:156351. [PMID: 37657235 DOI: 10.1016/j.cyto.2023.156351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2023] [Revised: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/03/2023]
Abstract
The cytokine known as transforming growth factor (TGF) is essential for cell development, differentiation, and apoptosis in BC. TGF-β dysregulation can either promote or inhibit tumor development, and it is a key signaling pathway in BC spread. A recently identified family of ncRNAs known as lncRNAs has received a great deal of effort and is an important regulator of many cellular processes, including transcription of genes, chromatin remodeling, progression of the cell cycle, and posttranscriptional processing. Furthermore, both TGF-β signaling and lncRNAs serve as important early-stage biomarkers for BC diagnosis and prognosis and also play a significant role in BC drug resistance. According to recent studies, lncRNAs can regulate TGF-β by modulating its cofactors in BC. However, the particular functions of lncRNAs and the TGF-β pathway in controlling BC progression are not well understood yet. This review explores the lncRNAs' functional properties in BC as tumor suppressors or oncogenes in the regulation of genes, with a focus on dysregulated TGF-β signaling. Further, we emphasize the functional roles of lncRNAs and TGF-β pathway in the progression of BC to discover new treatment strategies and better comprehend the fundamental cellular pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bashdar Mahmud Hussen
- Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, Hawler Medical University, Kurdistan Region, Erbil, Iraq; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cihan University-Erbil, Erbil, Kurdistan Region 44001, Iraq
| | - Hazha Jamal Hidayat
- Department of Biology, College of Education, Salahaddin University-Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq
| | - Snur Rasool Abdullah
- Department of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Health Sciences, Lebanese French University, Kurdistan Region, Erbil, Iraq
| | - Sayran Mohamadtahr
- Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, Hawler Medical University, Kurdistan Region, Erbil, Iraq
| | - Mohammad Fatih Rasul
- Department of Pharmaceutical Basic Science, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tishk International University, Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq
| | - Majid Samsami
- Cancer Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Mohammad Taheri
- Institute of Human Genetics, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany; Urology and Nephrology Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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22
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Dwivedi NV, Datta S, El-Kersh K, Sadikot RT, Ganti AK, Batra SK, Jain M. GPCRs and fibroblast heterogeneity in fibroblast-associated diseases. FASEB J 2023; 37:e23101. [PMID: 37486603 PMCID: PMC10916681 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202301091] [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: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023]
Abstract
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the largest and most diverse class of signaling receptors. GPCRs regulate many functions in the human body and have earned the title of "most targeted receptors". About one-third of the commercially available drugs for various diseases target the GPCRs. Fibroblasts lay the architectural skeleton of the body, and play a key role in supporting the growth, maintenance, and repair of almost all tissues by responding to the cellular cues via diverse and intricate GPCR signaling pathways. This review discusses the dynamic architecture of the GPCRs and their intertwined signaling in pathological conditions such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, cardiac fibrosis, pancreatic fibrosis, hepatic fibrosis, and cancer as opposed to the GPCR signaling of fibroblasts in physiological conditions. Understanding the dynamics of GPCR signaling in fibroblasts with disease progression can help in the recognition of the complex interplay of different GPCR subtypes in fibroblast-mediated diseases. This review highlights the importance of designing and adaptation of next-generation strategies such as GPCR-omics, focused target identification, polypharmacology, and effective personalized medicine approaches to achieve better therapeutic outcomes for fibrosis and fibrosis associated malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nidhi V Dwivedi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, USA
| | - Souvik Datta
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, USA
| | - Karim El-Kersh
- Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, USA
| | - Ruxana T Sadikot
- Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, USA
- VA Nebraska Western Iowa Health Care System
| | - Apar K. Ganti
- VA Nebraska Western Iowa Health Care System
- Division of Oncology and Hematology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, USA
- Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, USA
| | - Surinder K Batra
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, USA
- Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, USA
| | - Maneesh Jain
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, USA
- Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, USA
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23
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Boreddy SR, Nair R, Pandey PK, Kuriakose A, Marigowda SB, Dey C, Banerjee A, Kulkarni H, Sagar M, Krishn SR, Rao S, AR M, Tiwari V, Alke B, MV PK, Shri M, Dhamne C, Patel S, Sharma P, Periyasamy S, Bhatnagar J, Kuriakose MA, Reddy RB, Suresh A, Sreenivas S, Govindappa N, Moole PR, Bughani U, Tan SL, Nair P. BCA101 Is a Tumor-Targeted Bifunctional Fusion Antibody That Simultaneously Inhibits EGFR and TGFβ Signaling to Durably Suppress Tumor Growth. Cancer Res 2023; 83:1883-1904. [PMID: 37074042 PMCID: PMC10236157 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-21-4425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2021] [Revised: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 04/20/2023]
Abstract
The EGFR and TGFβ signaling pathways are important mediators of tumorigenesis, and cross-talk between them contributes to cancer progression and drug resistance. Therapies capable of simultaneously targeting EGFR and TGFβ could help improve patient outcomes across various cancer types. Here, we developed BCA101, an anti-EGFR IgG1 mAb linked to an extracellular domain of human TGFβRII. The TGFβ "trap" fused to the light chain in BCA101 did not sterically interfere with its ability to bind EGFR, inhibit cell proliferation, or mediate antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. Functional neutralization of TGFβ by BCA101 was demonstrated by several in vitro assays. BCA101 increased production of proinflammatory cytokines and key markers associated with T-cell and natural killer-cell activation, while suppressing VEGF secretion. In addition, BCA101 inhibited differentiation of naïve CD4+ T cells to inducible regulatory T cells (iTreg) more strongly than the anti-EGFR antibody cetuximab. BCA101 localized to tumor tissues in xenograft mouse models with comparable kinetics to cetuximab, both having better tumor tissue retention over TGFβ "trap." TGFβ in tumors was neutralized by approximately 90% in animals dosed with 10 mg/kg of BCA101 compared with 54% in animals dosed with equimolar TGFβRII-Fc. In patient-derived xenograft mouse models of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, BCA101 showed durable response after dose cessation. The combination of BCA101 and anti-PD1 antibody improved tumor inhibition in both B16-hEGFR-expressing syngeneic mouse models and in humanized HuNOG-EXL mice bearing human PC-3 xenografts. Together, these results support the clinical development of BCA101 as a monotherapy and in combination with immune checkpoint therapy. SIGNIFICANCE The bifunctional mAb fusion design of BCA101 targets it to the tumor microenvironment where it inhibits EGFR and neutralizes TGFβ to induce immune activation and to suppress tumor growth.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Meena Shri
- Biofusion Therapeutics, Bengaluru, India
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Moni Abraham Kuriakose
- Integrated Head and Neck Oncology Program, MSCTR, Mazumdar Shaw Medical Foundation, Bengaluru, India
- Department of Head and Neck Oncology, Mazumdar Shaw Medical Centre, Narayana Health, Bangalore, India
| | - Ram Bhupal Reddy
- Integrated Head and Neck Oncology Program, MSCTR, Mazumdar Shaw Medical Foundation, Bengaluru, India
| | - Amritha Suresh
- Integrated Head and Neck Oncology Program, MSCTR, Mazumdar Shaw Medical Foundation, Bengaluru, India
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24
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Lescoat A, Roofeh D, Kuwana M, Lafyatis R, Allanore Y, Khanna D. Therapeutic Approaches to Systemic Sclerosis: Recent Approvals and Future Candidate Therapies. Clin Rev Allergy Immunol 2023; 64:239-261. [PMID: 34468946 PMCID: PMC9034469 DOI: 10.1007/s12016-021-08891-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/24/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Systemic sclerosis is the rheumatic disease with the highest individual mortality. The severity of the disease is determined by the extent of fibrotic changes to cutaneous and internal organ tissues, the most life-threatening visceral manifestations being interstitial lung disease, SSc-associated-pulmonary arterial hypertension and myocardial involvement. The heterogeneity of the disease has initially hindered the design of successful clinical trials, but considerations on classification criteria have improved patient selection in trials, allowing the identification of more homogeneous groups of patients based on progressive visceral manifestations or the extent of skin involvement with a focus of patients with early disease. Two major subsets of systemic sclerosis are classically described: limited cutaneous systemic sclerosis characterized by distal skin fibrosis and the diffuse subset with distal and proximal skin thickening. Beyond this dichotomic subgrouping of systemic sclerosis, new phenotypic considerations based on antibody subtypes have provided a better understanding of the heterogeneity of the disease, anti-Scl70 antibodies being associated with progressive interstitial lung disease regardless of cutaneous involvement. Two targeted therapies, tocilizumab (a monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin-6 receptors (IL-6R)) and nintedanib (a tyrosine kinase inhibitor), have recently been approved by the American Food & Drug Administration to limit the decline of lung function in patients with SSc-associated interstitial lung disease, demonstrating that such better understanding of the disease pathogenesis with the identification of key targets can lead to therapeutic advances in the management of some visceral manifestations of the disease. This review will provide a brief overview of the pathogenesis of SSc and will present a selection of therapies recently approved or evaluated in this context. Therapies evaluated and approved in SSc-ILD will be emphasized and a review of recent phase II trials in diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis will be proposed. We will also discuss selected therapeutic pathways currently under investigation in systemic sclerosis that still lack clinical data in this context but that may show promising results in the future based on preclinical data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alain Lescoat
- Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Immunology, Rennes University Hospital, Rennes, France
- Univ Rennes, CHU Rennes, Inserm, EHESP, Irset (Institut de Recherche en Santé, Environnement et Travail) - UMR_S 1085, Rennes, France
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Michigan Scleroderma Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - David Roofeh
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Michigan Scleroderma Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Masataka Kuwana
- Department of Allergy and Rheumatology, Nippon Medical School Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Robert Lafyatis
- Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Yannick Allanore
- INSERM U1016 and CNRS UMR8104, Institut Cochin, Paris, France
- Université de Paris, Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France
- Service de Rhumatologie, Hôpital Cochin, AP-HP.CUP, Paris, France
| | - Dinesh Khanna
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
- Michigan Scleroderma Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
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25
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Liu ZL, Chen HH, Zheng LL, Sun LP, Shi L. Angiogenic signaling pathways and anti-angiogenic therapy for cancer. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2023; 8:198. [PMID: 37169756 PMCID: PMC10175505 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-023-01460-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 117] [Impact Index Per Article: 117.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels, is a complex and dynamic process regulated by various pro- and anti-angiogenic molecules, which plays a crucial role in tumor growth, invasion, and metastasis. With the advances in molecular and cellular biology, various biomolecules such as growth factors, chemokines, and adhesion factors involved in tumor angiogenesis has gradually been elucidated. Targeted therapeutic research based on these molecules has driven anti-angiogenic treatment to become a promising strategy in anti-tumor therapy. The most widely used anti-angiogenic agents include monoclonal antibodies and tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) targeting vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) pathway. However, the clinical benefit of this modality has still been limited due to several defects such as adverse events, acquired drug resistance, tumor recurrence, and lack of validated biomarkers, which impel further research on mechanisms of tumor angiogenesis, the development of multiple drugs and the combination therapy to figure out how to improve the therapeutic efficacy. Here, we broadly summarize various signaling pathways in tumor angiogenesis and discuss the development and current challenges of anti-angiogenic therapy. We also propose several new promising approaches to improve anti-angiogenic efficacy and provide a perspective for the development and research of anti-angiogenic therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen-Ling Liu
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, 210009, Nanjing, China
| | - Huan-Huan Chen
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, 210009, Nanjing, China
| | - Li-Li Zheng
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, 210009, Nanjing, China
| | - Li-Ping Sun
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, 210009, Nanjing, China.
| | - Lei Shi
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, 210009, Nanjing, China.
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26
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Rekowska AK, Obuchowska K, Bartosik M, Kimber-Trojnar Ż, Słodzińska M, Wierzchowska-Opoka M, Leszczyńska-Gorzelak B. Biomolecules Involved in Both Metastasis and Placenta Accreta Spectrum-Does the Common Pathophysiological Pathway Exist? Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:cancers15092618. [PMID: 37174083 PMCID: PMC10177254 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15092618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The process of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is crucial in the implantation of the blastocyst and subsequent placental development. The trophoblast, consisting of villous and extravillous zones, plays different roles in these processes. Pathological states, such as placenta accreta spectrum (PAS), can arise due to dysfunction of the trophoblast or defective decidualization, leading to maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Studies have drawn parallels between placentation and carcinogenesis, with both processes involving EMT and the establishment of a microenvironment that facilitates invasion and infiltration. This article presents a review of molecular biomarkers involved in both the microenvironment of tumors and placental cells, including placental growth factor (PlGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), E-cadherin (CDH1), laminin γ2 (LAMC2), the zinc finger E-box-binding homeobox (ZEB) proteins, αVβ3 integrin, transforming growth factor β (TGF-β), β-catenin, cofilin-1 (CFL-1), and interleukin-35 (IL-35). Understanding the similarities and differences in these processes may provide insights into the development of therapeutic options for both PAS and metastatic cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna K Rekowska
- Chair and Department of Obstetrics and Perinatology, Medical University of Lublin, 20-090 Lublin, Poland
| | - Karolina Obuchowska
- Chair and Department of Obstetrics and Perinatology, Medical University of Lublin, 20-090 Lublin, Poland
| | - Magdalena Bartosik
- Chair and Department of Obstetrics and Perinatology, Medical University of Lublin, 20-090 Lublin, Poland
| | - Żaneta Kimber-Trojnar
- Chair and Department of Obstetrics and Perinatology, Medical University of Lublin, 20-090 Lublin, Poland
| | - Magdalena Słodzińska
- Chair and Department of Obstetrics and Perinatology, Medical University of Lublin, 20-090 Lublin, Poland
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27
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Piekarska K, Bonowicz K, Grzanka A, Jaworski ŁM, Reiter RJ, Slominski AT, Steinbrink K, Kleszczyński K, Gagat M. Melatonin and TGF-β-Mediated Release of Extracellular Vesicles. Metabolites 2023; 13:metabo13040575. [PMID: 37110233 PMCID: PMC10142249 DOI: 10.3390/metabo13040575] [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: 03/13/2023] [Revised: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The immune system, unlike other systems, must be flexible and able to "adapt" to fully cope with lurking dangers. The transition from intracorporeal balance to homeostasis disruption is associated with activation of inflammatory signaling pathways, which causes modulation of the immunology response. Chemotactic cytokines, signaling molecules, and extracellular vesicles act as critical mediators of inflammation and participate in intercellular communication, conditioning the immune system's proper response. Among the well-known cytokines allowing for the development and proper functioning of the immune system by mediating cell survival and cell-death-inducing signaling, the tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) are noteworthy. The high bloodstream concentration of those pleiotropic cytokines can be characterized by anti- and pro-inflammatory activity, considering the powerful anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative stress capabilities of TGF-β known from the literature. Together with the chemokines, the immune system response is also influenced by biologically active chemicals, such as melatonin. The enhanced cellular communication shows the relationship between the TGF-β signaling pathway and the extracellular vesicles (EVs) secreted under the influence of melatonin. This review outlines the findings on melatonin activity on TGF-β-dependent inflammatory response regulation in cell-to-cell communication leading to secretion of the different EV populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klaudia Piekarska
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, 85-092 Bydgoszcz, Poland
| | - Klaudia Bonowicz
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, 85-092 Bydgoszcz, Poland
| | - Alina Grzanka
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, 85-092 Bydgoszcz, Poland
| | - Łukasz M Jaworski
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, 85-092 Bydgoszcz, Poland
| | - Russel J Reiter
- Department of Cell Systems and Anatomy, UT Health, Long School of Medicine, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Andrzej T Slominski
- Department of Dermatology, Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
- Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service, VA Medical Center, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Kerstin Steinbrink
- Department of Dermatology, University of Münster, Von-Esmarch-Str. 58, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Konrad Kleszczyński
- Department of Dermatology, University of Münster, Von-Esmarch-Str. 58, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Maciej Gagat
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, 85-092 Bydgoszcz, Poland
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28
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Czegle I, Huang C, Soria PG, Purkiss DW, Shields A, Wappler-Guzzetta EA. The Role of Genetic Mutations in Mitochondrial-Driven Cancer Growth in Selected Tumors: Breast and Gynecological Malignancies. Life (Basel) 2023; 13:life13040996. [PMID: 37109525 PMCID: PMC10145875 DOI: 10.3390/life13040996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2022] [Revised: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
There is an increasing understanding of the molecular and cytogenetic background of various tumors that helps us better conceptualize the pathogenesis of specific diseases. Additionally, in many cases, these molecular and cytogenetic alterations have diagnostic, prognostic, and/or therapeutic applications that are heavily used in clinical practice. Given that there is always room for improvement in cancer treatments and in cancer patient management, it is important to discover new therapeutic targets for affected individuals. In this review, we discuss mitochondrial changes in breast and gynecological (endometrial and ovarian) cancers. In addition, we review how the frequently altered genes in these diseases (BRCA1/2, HER2, PTEN, PIK3CA, CTNNB1, RAS, CTNNB1, FGFR, TP53, ARID1A, and TERT) affect the mitochondria, highlighting the possible associated individual therapeutic targets. With this approach, drugs targeting mitochondrial glucose or fatty acid metabolism, reactive oxygen species production, mitochondrial biogenesis, mtDNA transcription, mitophagy, or cell death pathways could provide further tailored treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ibolya Czegle
- Department of Internal Medicine and Haematology, Semmelweis University, H-1085 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Chelsea Huang
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Loma Linda University Health, Loma Linda, CA 92354, USA
| | - Priscilla Geraldine Soria
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Loma Linda University Health, Loma Linda, CA 92354, USA
| | - Dylan Wesley Purkiss
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Loma Linda University Health, Loma Linda, CA 92354, USA
| | - Andrea Shields
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Loma Linda University Health, Loma Linda, CA 92354, USA
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29
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Kumar V, Sethi B, Staller DW, Xin X, Ma J, Dong Y, Talmon GA, Mahato RI. Anti-miR-96 and Hh pathway inhibitor MDB5 synergistically ameliorate alcohol-associated liver injury in mice. Biomaterials 2023; 295:122049. [PMID: 36827892 PMCID: PMC9998370 DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2023.122049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2022] [Revised: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/11/2023] [Indexed: 02/19/2023]
Abstract
Alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) and its complications are significant health problems worldwide. Several pathways in ALD are influenced by alcohol that drives inflammation, fatty acid metabolism, and fibrosis. Although miR-96 has become a key regulator in several liver diseases, its function in ALD remains unclear. In contrast, sonic hedgehog (SHH) signaling has a well-defined role in liver disease through influencing the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and the inducement of liver fibrosis. In this study, we investigated the expression patterns of miR-96 and Hh molecules in mouse and human liver samples. We showed that miR-96 and Shh were upregulated in ethanol-fed mice. Furthermore, alcoholic hepatitis (AH) patient specimens also showed upregulated FOXO3a, TGF-β1, SHH, and GLI2 proteins. We then examined the effects of Hh inhibitor MDB5 and anti-miR-96 on inflammatory and extracellular matrix (ECM)-related genes. We identified FOXO3 and SMAD7 as direct target genes of miR-96. Inhibition of miR-96 decreased the expression of these genes in vitro in AML12 cells, HSC-T6 cells, and in vivo in ALD mice. Furthermore, MDB5 decreased HSCs activation and the expression of ECM-related genes, such as Gli1, Tgf-β1, and collagen. Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) loaded with the combination of MDB5, and anti-miR-96 ameliorated ALD in mice. Our study demonstrated that this combination therapy could serve as a new therapeutic target for ALD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virender Kumar
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Bharti Sethi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Dalton W Staller
- Department of Cellular & Integrative Physiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Xiaofei Xin
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Jingyi Ma
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Yuxiang Dong
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Geoffrey A Talmon
- Department of Pathology & Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Ram I Mahato
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA; Department of Cellular & Integrative Physiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA.
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30
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Ma M, Wang X, Liu X, Han Y, Chu Y, Guan Y, Liu H. Engineered fibrotic liver-targeted truncated transforming growth factor β receptor type II variant for superior anti-liver fibrosis therapy. Arch Pharm Res 2023; 46:177-191. [PMID: 36905489 DOI: 10.1007/s12272-023-01435-4] [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: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 02/25/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023]
Abstract
Truncated transforming growth factor β receptor type II (tTβRII) is a promising anti-liver fibrotic candidate because it serves as a trap for binding excessive TGF-β1 by means of competing with wild type TβRII (wtTβRII). However, the widespread application of tTβRII for the treatment of liver fibrosis has been limited by its poor fibrotic liver-homing capacity. Herein, we designed a novel tTβRII variant Z-tTβRII by fusing the platelet-derived growth factor β receptor (PDGFβR)-specific affibody ZPDGFβR to the N-terminus of tTβRII. The target protein Z-tTβRII was produced using Escherichia coli expression system. In vitro and in vivo studies showed that Z-tTβRII has a superior specific fibrotic liver-targeting potential via the engagement of PDGFβR-overexpressing activated hepatic stellate cells (aHSCs) in liver fibrosis. Moreover, Z-tTβRII significantly inhibited cell migration and invasion, and downregulated fibrosis- and TGF-β1/Smad pathway-related protein levels in TGF-β1-stimiluated HSC-T6 cells. Furthermore, Z-tTβRII remarkably ameliorated liver histopathology, mitigated the fibrosis responses and blocked TGF-β1/Smad signaling pathway in CCl4-induced liver fibrotic mice. More importantly, Z-tTβRII exhibits a higher fibrotic liver-targeting potential and stronger anti-fibrotic effects than either its parent tTβRII or former variant BiPPB-tTβRII (PDGFβR-binding peptide BiPPB modified tTβRII). In addition, Z-tTβRII shows no significant sign of potential side effects in other vital organs in liver fibrotic mice. Taken together, we conclude that Z-tTβRII with its a high fibrotic liver-homing potential, holds a superior anti-fibrotic activity in liver fibrosis in vitro and in vivo, which may be a potential candidate for targeted therapy for liver fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manman Ma
- Heilongjiang Province Key Laboratory for Anti-fibrosis Biotherapy, Mudanjiang Medical University, Mudanjiang, 157011, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaohua Wang
- Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Mudanjiang Medical University, Mudanjiang, 157011, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaohui Liu
- Heilongjiang Province Key Laboratory for Anti-fibrosis Biotherapy, Mudanjiang Medical University, Mudanjiang, 157011, People's Republic of China
| | - Yang Han
- The First Clinical College, Mudanjiang Medical University, Mudanjiang, 157011, People's Republic of China
| | - Yanhui Chu
- Heilongjiang Province Key Laboratory for Anti-fibrosis Biotherapy, Mudanjiang Medical University, Mudanjiang, 157011, People's Republic of China
| | - Yanzhong Guan
- Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, Mudanjiang Medical University, Mudanjiang, 157011, People's Republic of China.
| | - Haifeng Liu
- Heilongjiang Province Key Laboratory for Anti-fibrosis Biotherapy, Mudanjiang Medical University, Mudanjiang, 157011, People's Republic of China.
- Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Mudanjiang Medical University, Mudanjiang, 157011, People's Republic of China.
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Abdallah HY, Fareed A, Abdelmaogood AKK, Allam S, Abdelgawad M, Deen LATE. Introducing Circulating Vasculature-Related Transcripts as Biomarkers in Coronary Artery Disease. Mol Diagn Ther 2023; 27:243-259. [PMID: 36538237 PMCID: PMC10008268 DOI: 10.1007/s40291-022-00622-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Atherosclerotic plaque is considered the hallmark of atherosclerotic lesions in coronary atherosclerosis (CAS), the primary pathogenesis in coronary artery disease (CAD), which develops and progresses through a complex interplay between immune cells, vascular cells, and endothelial shear stresses. Early diagnosis of CAS is critical for avoiding plaque rupture and sudden death. Therefore, identifying new CAD biomarkers linked to vessel wall functions, such as RNA molecules with their distinct signature, is a promising development for these patients. With this rationale, the present study investigated the expression level of the vascular-related RNA transcripts (lncRNA ANRIL, miRNA-126-5p, CDK4, CDK6, TGF-β, E-cadherin, and TNF-α) implicated in the cellular vascular function, proliferation, and inflammatory processes. METHODS A case-control study design with a total of 180 subjects classified participants into two groups; CAD and control groups. The relative expression levels of the seven transcripts under study-selected using online bioinformatics tools and current literature-were assessed in the plasma of all study participants using RT-qPCR. Their predictive significance testing, scoring of disease prioritization, enrichment analysis, and the miRNA-mRNA regulatory network was investigated. RESULTS The relative expression levels of all seven of the circulating vascular-related transcripts under study were statistically significant between CAD patients and controls. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis results indicated the statistical significance of all the transcripts under study with CDK4 showing the highest area under the curve (AUC) equivalent to 0.91, followed by E-cadherin (0.90), miRNA-126-5p (0.83), ANRIL (0.82), TNF-α (0.63), TGF-β (0.62), and CDK6 (0.59), in descending order. A strong association was detected between most of the transcripts studied in CAD patients with a significant Spearman's correlation coefficient with a two-tailed significance of p < 0.001. Network analysis revealed a strong relationship between the five circulating vasculature transcripts studied and their target miRNAs and miR-126-5p, but not for ANRIL. CONCLUSION The seven circulating vascular-related RNA transcripts under study could serve as potential CAD biomarkers, reflecting the cellular vascular function, proliferation, and inflammatory processes in CAD patients. Therefore, blood transcriptome analysis opens new frontiers for the non-invasive diagnosis of CAD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hoda Y Abdallah
- Medical Genetics Unit, Department of Histology and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt. .,Center of Excellence in Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt.
| | - Ahmed Fareed
- Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt
| | - Asmaa K K Abdelmaogood
- Department of Clinical and Chemical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt
| | - Sahar Allam
- Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt
| | - Mai Abdelgawad
- Biotechnology and Life Sciences Department, Faculty of Postgraduate Studies for Advanced Sciences (PSAS), Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt
| | - Loaa A Tag El Deen
- Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt
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Cheng J, Wu K, Yang Q, Zhu Z, Zhao H. RNF6 activates TGF-β1/c-Myb pathway to promote EMT in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1081333. [PMID: 36845743 PMCID: PMC9948393 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1081333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective This study aimed to investigate RING-Finger Protein 6 (RNF6) expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) cells and whether it affects cell proliferation, invasion, and migration by regulating the TGF-β1/c-Myb pathway. Methods TCGA database was used to analyze RNF6 expression in normal tissues and esophageal cancer tissues. Kaplan-Meier method was used to examine the correlation between RNF6 expression and patient prognosis. SiRNA interference vector and RNF6 overexpression plasmid were constructed, and RNF6 was transfected into Eca-109 and KYSE-150 esophageal cancer cell line. In vitro scratch assay and Transwell assay were conducted to investigate the effects of RNF6 on the migration and invasion of Eca-109 and KYSE-150 cells. RT-PCR detected the expression of Snail, E-cadherin, and N-cadherin, and TUNEL detected the apoptosis of cells. Results RNF6 up-regulation promoted the progression of esophageal cancer and predicted poor prognosis. RNF6 also enhanced the migration and invasion of ESCC cells in vitro. RNF6 silencing inhibited the migration and invasion of ESCC cells. TGF-β inhibitors reversed the oncogenic effects of RNF6. RNF6 regulated the migration and invasion of ESCC cells by activating the TGF-β pathway. RNF6/TGF-β1 promoted esophageal cancer progression through c-Myb. Conclusion RNF6 promotes the proliferation, invasion, and migration of ESCC cells possibly by activating the TGF-β1/c-Myb pathway and affects the progression of ESCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingge Cheng
- The Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Kun Wu
- The Department of Anesthesiology, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Qian Yang
- The Department of Thoracic Surgery, Han Dan Central Hospital, Handan, China
| | - Ziming Zhu
- The Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Hospital of Xingtai, Xingtai, China
| | - Hongye Zhao
- The Department of Dermatology, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China,*Correspondence: Hongye Zhao,
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Fang C, Zhang Z, Han Y, Xu H, Zhu Z, Du Y, Hou P, Yuan L, Shao A, Zhang A, Lou M. URB2 as an important marker for glioma prognosis and immunotherapy. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1113182. [PMID: 37033651 PMCID: PMC10080038 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1113182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Glioma is the most common primary brain tumor and primary malignant tumor of the brain in clinical practice. Conventional treatment has not significantly altered the prognosis of patients with glioma. As research into immunotherapy continues, glioma immunotherapy has shown great potential. Methods: The clinical data were acquired from the Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA) database and validated by the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset, Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAP) database, and Western blot (WB) analysis. By Cox regression analyses, we examined the association between different variables and overall survival (OS) and its potential as an independent prognostic factor. By constructing a nomogram that incorporates both clinicopathological variables and the expression of URB2, we provide a model for the prediction of prognosis. Moreover, we explored the relationship between immunity and URB2 and elucidated its underlying mechanism of action. Results: Our study shows that URB2 likely plays an oncogenic role in glioma and confirms that URB2 is a prognostic independent risk factor for glioma. Furthermore, we revealed a close relationship between immunity and URB2, which suggests a new approach for the immunotherapy of glioma. Conclusion: URB2 can be used for prognosis prediction and immunotherapy of glioma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaoyou Fang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Zeyu Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yongquan Han
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
| | - Houshi Xu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhengyang Zhu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yichao Du
- Department of Neurosurgery, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Pinpin Hou
- Central Laboratory, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ling Yuan
- Department of Neurosurgery, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Anwen Shao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang, China
- Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Meiqing Lou, ; Anke Zhang, ; Anwen Shao,
| | - Anke Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang, China
- Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Meiqing Lou, ; Anke Zhang, ; Anwen Shao,
| | - Meiqing Lou
- Department of Neurosurgery, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- *Correspondence: Meiqing Lou, ; Anke Zhang, ; Anwen Shao,
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Nepali PR, Kyprianou N. Anoikis in phenotypic reprogramming of the prostate tumor microenvironment. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2023; 14:1160267. [PMID: 37091854 PMCID: PMC10113530 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1160267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 04/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Prostate cancer is one of the most common malignancies in males wherein 1 in 8 men are diagnosed with this disease in their lifetime. The urgency to find novel therapeutic interventions is associated with high treatment resistance and mortality rates associated with castration-resistant prostate cancer. Anoikis is an apoptotic phenomenon for normal epithelial or endothelial cells that have lost their attachment to the extracellular matrix (ECM). Tumor cells that lose their connection to the ECM can die via apoptosis or survive via anoikis resistance and thus escaping to distant organs for metastatic progression. This review discusses the recent advances made in our understanding of the signaling effectors of anoikis in prostate cancer and the approaches to translate these mechanistic insights into therapeutic benefits for reducing lethal disease outcomes (by overcoming anoikis resistance). The prostate tumor microenvironment is a highly dynamic landscape wherein the balance between androgen signaling, cell lineage changes, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), extracellular matrix interactions, actin cytoskeleton remodeling as well as metabolic changes, confer anoikis resistance and metastatic spread. Thus, these mechanisms also offer unique molecular treatment signatures, exploitation of which can prime prostate tumors to anoikis induction with a high translational significance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prerna R. Nepali
- Department of Urology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Natasha Kyprianou
- Department of Urology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
- Department of Pathology and Cell-Based Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
- *Correspondence: Natasha Kyprianou,
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Imparato G, Urciuolo F, Mazio C, Netti PA. Capturing the spatial and temporal dynamics of tumor stroma for on-chip optimization of microenvironmental targeting nanomedicine. LAB ON A CHIP 2022; 23:25-43. [PMID: 36305728 DOI: 10.1039/d2lc00611a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Malignant cells grow in a complex microenvironment that plays a key role in cancer progression. The "dynamic reciprocity" existing between cancer cells and their microenvironment is involved in cancer differentiation, proliferation, invasion, metastasis, and drug response. Therefore, understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the crosstalk between cancer cells and their surrounding tissue (i.e., tumor stroma) and how this interplay affects the disease progression is fundamental to design and validate novel nanotherapeutic approaches. As an important regulator of tumor progression, metastasis and therapy resistance, the extracellular matrix of tumors, the acellular component of the tumor microenvironment, has been identified as very promising target of anticancer treatment, revolutionizing the traditional therapeutic paradigm that sees the neoplastic cells as the preferential objective to fight cancer. To design and to validate such a target therapy, advanced 3D preclinical models are necessary to correctly mimic the complex, dynamic and heterogeneous tumor microenvironment. In addition, the recent advancement in microfluidic technology allows fine-tuning and controlling microenvironmental parameters in tissue-on-chip devices in order to emulate the in vivo conditions. In this review, after a brief description of the origin of tumor microenvironment heterogeneity, some examples of nanomedicine approaches targeting the tumor microenvironment have been reported. Further, how advanced 3D bioengineered tumor models coupled with a microfluidic device can improve the design and testing of anti-cancer nanomedicine targeting the tumor microenvironment has been discussed. We highlight that the presence of a dynamic extracellular matrix, able to capture the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of tumor stroma, is an indispensable requisite for tumor-on-chip model and nanomedicine testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgia Imparato
- Center for Advanced Biomaterials for Health Care@CRIB Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Largo Barsanti e Matteucci n. 53, 80125 Napoli, Italy.
| | - Francesco Urciuolo
- Department of Chemical, Materials and Industrial Production Engineering (DICMAPI) and Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Biomaterials (CRIB), University of Napoli Federico II, P.le Tecchio 80, 80125 Napoli, Italy
| | - Claudia Mazio
- Center for Advanced Biomaterials for Health Care@CRIB Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Largo Barsanti e Matteucci n. 53, 80125 Napoli, Italy.
| | - Paolo A Netti
- Center for Advanced Biomaterials for Health Care@CRIB Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Largo Barsanti e Matteucci n. 53, 80125 Napoli, Italy.
- Department of Chemical, Materials and Industrial Production Engineering (DICMAPI) and Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Biomaterials (CRIB), University of Napoli Federico II, P.le Tecchio 80, 80125 Napoli, Italy
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Yi M, Li T, Niu M, Wu Y, Zhao Z, Wu K. TGF-β: A novel predictor and target for anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy. Front Immunol 2022; 13:1061394. [PMID: 36601124 PMCID: PMC9807229 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1061394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signaling regulates multiple physiological processes, such as cell proliferation, differentiation, immune homeostasis, and wound healing. Besides, TGF-β plays a vital role in diseases, including cancer. Accumulating evidence indicates that TGF-β controls the composition and behavior of immune components in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Advanced cancers leverage TGF-β to reshape the TME and escape immune surveillance. TGF-β-mediated immune evasion is an unfavorable factor for cancer immunotherapy, especially immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI). Numerous preclinical and clinical studies have demonstrated that hyperactive TGF-β signaling is closely associated with ICI resistance. It has been validated that TGF-β blockade synergizes with ICI and overcomes treatment resistance. TGF-β-targeted therapies, including trap and bispecific antibodies, have shown immense potential for cancer immunotherapy. In this review, we summarized the predictive value of TGF-β signaling and the prospects of TGF-β-targeted therapies for cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Yi
- Department of Oncology, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China,Department of Breast Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Tianye Li
- Department of Gynecology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Mengke Niu
- Department of Oncology, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Yuze Wu
- Department of Oncology, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhenyu Zhao
- Department of Urology, Institute of Urology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China,*Correspondence: Kongming Wu, ; Zhenyu Zhao,
| | - Kongming Wu
- Department of Oncology, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China,*Correspondence: Kongming Wu, ; Zhenyu Zhao,
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TFG-β Nuclear Staining as a Potential Relapse Risk Factor in Early-Stage Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232213780. [PMID: 36430262 PMCID: PMC9694009 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232213780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Revised: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Nowadays, the impact of the tumor-immune microenvironment (TME) in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) prognosis and treatment response remains unclear. Thus, we evaluated the expression of PD-L1, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) in NSCLC to identify differences in TME, detect possible new prognostic factors, and assess their relationship. We retrospectively analyzed 55 samples from patients who underwent NSCLC surgery and had over a 5-year follow-up. PD-L1 expression was determined by immunohistochemistry following standard techniques. The presence of TILs was evaluated at low magnification and classified into two categories, “intense” and “non-intense”. Cytoplasmic TGF-β staining visualization was divided into four categories, and unequivocal nuclear staining in >1% of viable tumor cells was defined as “present” or “absent”. Our aim was to identify differences in disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). Tumor stage was the only objective prognostic factor for OS. PD-L1 expression and the presence of TILs had no prognostic impact, neither their combination. There seems to be a lower expression of PD-L1 and a higher expression of TILs in early stages of the disease. Our TGF-β nuclear staining analysis was promising, since it was associated with worse DFS, revealing this protein as a possible prognostic biomarker of recurrence for resectable NSCLC.
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Regulatory T Cells in Ovarian Carcinogenesis and Future Therapeutic Opportunities. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14225488. [PMID: 36428581 PMCID: PMC9688690 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14225488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Revised: 10/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Regulatory T cells (Tregs) have been shown to play a role in the development of solid tumors. A better understanding of the biology of Tregs, immune suppression by Tregs, and how cancer developed with the activity of Tregs has facilitated the development of strategies used to improve immune-based therapy. In ovarian cancer, Tregs have been shown to promote cancer development and resistance at different cancer stages. Understanding the various Treg-mediated immune escape mechanisms provides opportunities to establish specific, efficient, long-lasting anti-tumor immunity. Here, we review the evidence of Treg involvement in various stages of ovarian cancer. We further provide an overview of the current and prospective therapeutic approaches that arise from the modulation of Treg-related tumor immunity at those specific stages. Finally, we propose combination strategies of Treg-related therapies with other anti-tumor therapies to improve clinical efficacy and overcome tumor resistance in ovarian cancer.
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Roles of TGF- β in cancer hallmarks and emerging onco-therapeutic design. Expert Rev Mol Med 2022; 24:e42. [PMID: 36345661 DOI: 10.1017/erm.2022.37] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) is a double-edged sword in cancer treatment because of its pivotal yet complex and roles played during cancer initiation/development. Current anti-cancer strategies involving TGF-β largely view TGF-β as an onco-therapeutic target that not only substantially hinders its full utilisation for cancer control, but also considerably restricts innovations in this field. Thereby, how to take advantages of therapeutically favourable properties of TGF-β for cancer management represents an interesting and less investigated problem. Here, by categorising cancer hallmarks into four critical transition events and one enabling characteristic controlling cancer initiation and progression, and delineating TGF-β complexities according to these cancer traits, we identify the suppressive role of TGF-β in tumour initiation and early-stage progression and its promotive functionalities in cancer metastasis as well as other cancer hallmarks. We also propose the feasibility and possible scenarios of combining cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) with onco-therapeutics utilising TGF-β for cancer control given the intrinsic properties of CAP against cancer hallmarks.
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Yao Y, Li J, Qu K, Wang Y, Wang Z, Lu W, Yu Y, Wang L. Immunotherapy for lung cancer combining the oligodeoxynucleotides of TLR9 agonist and TGF-β2 inhibitor. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2022; 72:1103-1120. [PMID: 36326892 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-022-03315-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Tumor immunotherapies have shown promising antitumor effects, especially immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). However, only 12.46% of the patients benefit from the ICIs, the rest of them shows limited effects on ICIs or even accelerates the tumor progression due to the lack of the immune cell infiltration and activation in the tumor microenvironment (TME). In this study, we administrated a combination of Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) agonist CpG ODN and Transforming growth factor-β2 (TGF-β2) antisense oligodeoxynucleotide TIO3 to mice intraperitoneally once every other day for a total of four injections, and the first injection was 24 h after LLC cell inoculation. We found that the combination induced the formation of TME toward the enrichment and activation of CD8+ T cells and NK cells, accompanied with a marked decrease of TGF-β2. The combined therapy also effectively inhibited the tumor growth and prolonged the survival of the mice, even protected the tumor-free mice from the tumor re-challenge. Both of CpG ODN and TIO3 are indispensable, because replacing CpG ODN with TLR9 inhibitor CCT ODN showed no antitumor effect, CpG ODN or TIO3 alone did not lead to ideal antitumor results. This effect was possibly initiated by the activation of dendritic cells at the tumor site. This systemic antitumor immunotherapy with a combination of the two oligonucleotides (an immune stimulant and an immunosuppressive cytokine inhibitor) before the tumor formation may provide a novel strategy for clinical prevention of the postoperative tumor recurrence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunpeng Yao
- Department of Molecular Biology in College of Basic Medical Sciences and Institute of Pediatrics in The First Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, Jilin, People's Republic of China
| | - Jianhua Li
- Department of Molecular Biology in College of Basic Medical Sciences and Institute of Pediatrics in The First Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, Jilin, People's Republic of China
| | - Kuo Qu
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, Jilin, People's Republic of China
| | - Yangeng Wang
- Department of Molecular Biology in College of Basic Medical Sciences and Institute of Pediatrics in The First Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, Jilin, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhe Wang
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, Jilin, People's Republic of China
| | - Wenting Lu
- Department of Molecular Biology in College of Basic Medical Sciences and Institute of Pediatrics in The First Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, Jilin, People's Republic of China
| | - Yongli Yu
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, Jilin, People's Republic of China.
| | - Liying Wang
- Department of Molecular Biology in College of Basic Medical Sciences and Institute of Pediatrics in The First Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, Jilin, People's Republic of China.
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Quach HT, Hou Z, Bellis RY, Saini JK, Amador-Molina A, Adusumilli PS, Xiong Y. Next-generation immunotherapy for solid tumors: combination immunotherapy with crosstalk blockade of TGFβ and PD-1/PD-L1. Expert Opin Investig Drugs 2022; 31:1187-1202. [PMID: 36448335 PMCID: PMC10085570 DOI: 10.1080/13543784.2022.2152323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION In solid tumor immunotherapy, less than 20% of patients respond to anti-programmed cell death 1 (PD-1)/programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) agents. The role of transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) in diverse immunity is well-established; however, systemic blockade of TGFβ is associated with toxicity. Accumulating evidence suggests the role of crosstalk between TGFβ and PD-1/PD-L1 pathways. AREAS COVERED We focus on TGFβ and PD-1/PD-L1 signaling pathway crosstalk and the determinant role of TGFβ in the resistance of immune checkpoint blockade. We provide the rationale for combination anti-TGFβ and anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapies for solid tumors and discuss the current status of dual blockade therapy in preclinical and clinical studies. EXPERT OPINION The heterogeneity of tumor microenvironment across solid tumors complicates patient selection, treatment regimens, and response and toxicity assessment for investigation of dual blockade agents. However, clinical knowledge from single-agent studies provides infrastructure to translate dual blockade therapies. Dual TGFβ and PD-1/PD-L1 blockade results in enhanced T-cell infiltration into tumors, a primary requisite for successful immunotherapy. A bifunctional fusion protein specifically targets TGFβ in the tumor microenvironment, avoiding systemic toxicity, and prevents interaction of PD-1+ cytotoxic cells with PD-L1+ tumor cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hue Tu Quach
- Thoracic Service, Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Zhaohua Hou
- Thoracic Service, Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Rebecca Y. Bellis
- Thoracic Service, Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Jasmeen K. Saini
- Thoracic Service, Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Alfredo Amador-Molina
- Thoracic Service, Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Prasad S. Adusumilli
- Thoracic Service, Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA
- Director, Mesothelioma Program; Head, Center for Cell Engineering, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Yuquan Xiong
- Thoracic Service, Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA
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Zaman R, Islam RA, Chowdhury EH. Evolving therapeutic proteins to precisely kill cancer cells. J Control Release 2022; 351:779-804. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2022.09.066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2022] [Revised: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
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Bouwman W, Verhaegh W, van de Stolpe A. Improved diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease and prediction and monitoring of response to anti-TNF alpha treatment based on measurement of signal transduction pathway activity. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:1008976. [PMID: 37090899 PMCID: PMC10115426 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.1008976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective: Ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD) are two subtypes of chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Differential diagnosis remains a challenge. Anti-TNFα treatment is an important treatment for IBD, yet resistance frequently occurs and cannot be predicted. Consequently, many patients receive ineffective therapy with potentially adverse effects. Novel assays are needed to improve diagnosis, and predict and monitor response to anti-TNF-α compounds.Design: Signal transduction pathway (STP) technology was used to quantify activity of STPs (androgen and estrogen receptor, PI3K, MAPK, TGFβ, Notch, Hedgehog, Wnt, NFκB, JAK-STAT1/2, and JAK-STAT3 pathways) in colon mucosa samples of CD and UC patients, based on transcriptome analysis. Previously described STP assay technology is based on computational inference of STP activity from mRNA levels of target genes of the STP transcription factor.Results: Results show that NFκB, JAK-STAT3, Wnt, MAPK, and androgen receptor pathways were abnormally active in CD and UC. Colon and ileum-localized CD differed with respect to STP activity, the JAK-STAT1/2 pathway being abnormally active in ileal CD. High activity of NFκB, JAK-STAT3, and TGFβ pathways was associated with resistance to anti-TNFα treatment in UC and colon-located CD, but not in ileal CD. Abnormal STP activity decreased with successful treatment.Conclusion: We believe that measuring mucosal STP activity provides clinically relevant information to improve differential diagnosis of IBD and prediction of resistance to anti-TNFα treatment in patients with colon-localized IBD, and provides new targets for treatment and overcoming anti-TNFα resistance.
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Shukla N, Naik A, Moryani K, Soni M, Shah J, Dave H. TGF-β at the crossroads of multiple prognosis in breast cancer, and beyond. Life Sci 2022; 310:121011. [PMID: 36179816 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2022.121011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/25/2022] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Transforming growth factor β (TGF-β), a pluripotent cytokine and a multifunctional growth factor has a crucial role in varied biological mechanisms like invasion, migration, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, apoptosis, wound healing, and immunosuppression. Moreover, it also has an imperative role both in normal mammary gland development as well as breast carcinogenesis. TGF-β has shown to have a paradoxical role in breast carcinogenesis, by transitioning from a growth inhibitor to a growth promoter with the disease advancement. The inter-communication and crosstalk of TGF-β with different signaling pathways has strengthened the likelihood to explore it as a comprehensive biomarker. In the last two decades, TGF-β has been studied extensively and has been found to be a promising biomarker for early detection, disease monitoring, treatment selection, and tumor progression making it beneficial for disease management. In this review, we focus on the signaling pathways and biological activities of the TGF-β family in breast cancer pathogenesis and its role as a circulatory and independent biomarker for breast cancer progression and metastasis. Moreover, this review highlights TGF-β as a drug target, and the underlying mechanisms through which it is involved in tumorigenesis that will aid in the development of varied therapies targeting the different stages of breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nirali Shukla
- Institute of Science, Nirma University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat 382481, India
| | - Ankit Naik
- Ahmedabad University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat 390009, India
| | - Kamlesh Moryani
- Institute of Science, Nirma University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat 382481, India
| | - Molisha Soni
- Institute of Pharmacy, Nirma University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat 382481, India
| | - Jigna Shah
- Institute of Pharmacy, Nirma University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat 382481, India
| | - Heena Dave
- Institute of Science, Nirma University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat 382481, India.
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Pedersen RS, Nissen NI, Jensen C, Thorlacius-Ussing J, Manon-Jensen T, Olesen ML, Langholm LL, Diab HMH, Jorgensen LN, Hansen CP, Chen IM, Johansen JS, Karsdal MA, Willumsen N. Plasma Kallikrein-Activated TGF-β Is Prognostic for Poor Overall Survival in Patients with Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma and Associates with Increased Fibrogenesis. Biomolecules 2022; 12:biom12091315. [PMID: 36139154 PMCID: PMC9496221 DOI: 10.3390/biom12091315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Revised: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a hard-to-treat cancer due to the collagen-rich (fibrotic) and immune-suppressed microenvironment. A major driver of this phenomenon is transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β). TGF-β is produced in an inactive complex with a latency-associated protein (LAP) that can be cleaved by plasma kallikrein (PLK), hereby releasing active TGF-β. The aim of this study was to evaluate LAP cleaved by PLK as a non-invasive biomarker for PDAC and tumor fibrosis. An ELISA was developed for the quantification of PLK-cleaved LAP-TGF-β in the serum of 34 patients with PDAC (stage 1−4) and 20 healthy individuals. Biomarker levels were correlated with overall survival (OS) and compared to serum type III collagen (PRO-C3) and type VI collagen (PRO-C6) pro-peptides. PLK-cleaved LAP-TGF-β was higher in patients with PDAC compared to healthy individuals (p < 0.0001). High levels (>median) of PLK-cleaved LAP-TGF-β were associated with poor OS in patients with PDAC independent of age and stage (HR 2.57, 95% CI: 1.22−5.44, p = 0.0135). High levels of PLK-cleaved LAP-TGF-β were associated with high PRO-C3 and PRO-C6, indicating a relationship between the PLK-cleaved LAP-TGF-β fragment, TGF-β activity, and tumor fibrosis. If these preliminary results are validated, circulating PLK-cleaved LAP-TGF-β may be a biomarker for future clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rasmus S. Pedersen
- Nordic Bioscience, 2730 Herlev, Denmark
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
- Correspondence:
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Hadi M. H. Diab
- Digestive Disease Center, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, University of Copenhagen, 2400 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Lars N. Jorgensen
- Digestive Disease Center, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, University of Copenhagen, 2400 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Carsten P. Hansen
- Department of Surgery, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Inna M. Chen
- Department of Oncology, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, University of Copenhagen, 2730 Herlev, Denmark
| | - Julia S. Johansen
- Department of Oncology, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, University of Copenhagen, 2730 Herlev, Denmark
- Department of Medicine, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, University of Copenhagen, 2730 Herlev, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
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Synthetic TGF-β Signaling Agonist-Treated Dendritic Cells Induce Tolerogenicity and Antirheumatic Effects. Curr Issues Mol Biol 2022; 44:3809-3821. [PMID: 36135173 PMCID: PMC9498161 DOI: 10.3390/cimb44090261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Revised: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The newly synthesized compound TGF-β signaling agonist (T74) is a small molecule associated with the TGF-β receptor signaling pathway. Tolerogenic dendritic cells (tDCs) have been used to examine immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory effects in multiple autoimmune disease models. The aim of this study was to investigate whether treatment of DCs with T74 has an antirheumatic effect in a mouse model of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). Bone marrow-derived cells were obtained from DBA/1J mice and differentiated into DCs. T74-treated DCs (T74-DCs) were generated by treating bone marrow-derived DCs with LPS, type II collagen, and T74. T74-DCs expressed lower levels of surface molecules and inflammatory cytokines associated with antigen presentation and T cell stimulation. The ability of T74-DCs to differentiate effector T cells was lower than that of T74-untreated DCs (NT-DCs), but T74-DCs increased the regulatory T (Treg) cell differentiation in vitro. DBA/1J mice received two subcutaneous (s.c.) injections of type II collagen to establish CIA. Mice then received two s.c. injections of T74-DCs or NT-DCs. Joint inflammation was ameliorated in the paws of T74-DC-treated mice. Additionally, Treg populations in T74-DC-treated mice were higher than in NT-DC-treated or PBS-treated CIA mice. Taken together, these results demonstrate that T74 induces tolerance in DCs, and that T74-mediated DCs exert antirheumatic effects via induction of Tregs.
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47
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Zhang S, Jin K, Li T, Zhou M, Yang W. Comprehensive analysis of INHBA: A biomarker for anti-TGFβ treatment in head and neck cancer. Exp Biol Med (Maywood) 2022; 247:1317-1329. [PMID: 35521936 PMCID: PMC9442453 DOI: 10.1177/15353702221085203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Inhibin subunit βA (INHBA) is a protein-coding gene belonging to the transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) superfamily, which is associated with the development of a variety of cancers. However, the role of INHBA in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC) remains unclear. The expression profile and prognostic significance of INHBA in HNSC were assessed using a variety of informatics methods. The level of INHBA expression was significantly higher in patients with HNSC, and it was correlated with sex, tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage, histological grade, and human papillomavirus (HPV) status. Kaplan-Meier (K-M) analysis indicated that poor overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were significantly associated with INHBA upregulation in HNSC. INHBA overexpression was validated as an independent poor prognostic factor by multivariate Cox regression, and including INHBA expression level in the prognostic model could increase prediction accuracy. In addition, copy number alterations (CNAs) of INHBA and miR-217-5p downregulation are potential mechanisms for elevated INHBA expression in HNSC. In conclusion, INHBA may represent a promising predictive biomarker and candidate target for anti-TGFβ therapy in HNSC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shunhao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases,
National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of
Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Keyu Jin
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases,
National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of
Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Tianle Li
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases,
National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of
Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Maolin Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases,
National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of
Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Wenbin Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases,
National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Department of Oral and
Maxillofacial Surgery, Department of Medical Affairs, West China Hospital of
Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China,Wenbin Yang.
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Harnessing natural killer cells for cancer immunotherapy: dispatching the first responders. Nat Rev Drug Discov 2022; 21:559-577. [PMID: 35314852 PMCID: PMC10019065 DOI: 10.1038/s41573-022-00413-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells have crucial roles in the innate immunosurveillance of cancer and viral infections. They are 'first responders' that can spontaneously recognize abnormal cells in the body, rapidly eliminate them through focused cytotoxicity mechanisms and potently produce pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines that recruit and activate other immune cells to initiate an adaptive response. From the initial discovery of the diverse cell surface receptors on NK cells to the characterization of regulatory events that control their function, our understanding of the basic biology of NK cells has improved dramatically in the past three decades. This advanced knowledge has revealed increased mechanistic complexity, which has opened the doors to the development of a plethora of exciting new therapeutics that can effectively manipulate and target NK cell functional responses, particularly in cancer patients. Here, we summarize the basic mechanisms that regulate NK cell biology, review a wide variety of drugs, cytokines and antibodies currently being developed and used to stimulate NK cell responses, and outline evolving NK cell adoptive transfer approaches to treat cancer.
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49
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TGF-β, to target or not to target; to prevent thyroid cancer progression? Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2022; 1877:188752. [PMID: 35728736 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2022.188752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Revised: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Thyroid cancer (TC) is a common endocrine cancer with a rising incidence. Current treatment fails to eliminate aggressive thyroid tumours, prompting an investigation into the processes that cause disease progression. In this review, we provide insight into TGF-β driven epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), summarizing the current literature surrounding thyroid carcinogenesis, and discuss the potential for therapeutic strategies targeting the TGF-β signalling pathway. Understanding the underlying mechanisms that regulate cancer stem cell (CSC) growth and TGF-β signalling may provide novel therapeutic approaches for highly resistant TCs.
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50
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Närvä E, Taskinen ME, Lilla S, Isomursu A, Pietilä M, Weltner J, Isola J, Sihto H, Joensuu H, Zanivan S, Norman J, Ivaska J. MASTL is enriched in cancerous and pluripotent stem cells and influences OCT1/OCT4 levels. iScience 2022; 25:104459. [PMID: 35677646 PMCID: PMC9167974 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Revised: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/01/2022] Open
Abstract
MASTL is a mitotic accelerator with an emerging role in breast cancer progression. However, the mechanisms behind its oncogenicity remain largely unknown. Here, we identify a previously unknown role and eminent expression of MASTL in stem cells. MASTL staining from a large breast cancer patient cohort indicated a significant association with β3 integrin, an established mediator of breast cancer stemness. MASTL silencing reduced OCT4 levels in human pluripotent stem cells and OCT1 in breast cancer cells. Analysis of the cell-surface proteome indicated a strong link between MASTL and the regulation of TGF-β receptor II (TGFBR2), a key modulator of TGF-β signaling. Overexpression of wild-type and kinase-dead MASTL in normal mammary epithelial cells elevated TGFBR2 levels. Conversely, MASTL depletion in breast cancer cells attenuated TGFBR2 levels and downstream signaling through SMAD3 and AKT pathways. Taken together, these results indicate that MASTL supports stemness regulators in pluripotent and cancerous stem cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Närvä
- Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, 20520 Turku, Finland
| | - Maria E. Taskinen
- Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, 20520 Turku, Finland
| | | | - Aleksi Isomursu
- Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, 20520 Turku, Finland
| | - Mika Pietilä
- Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, 20520 Turku, Finland
| | - Jere Weltner
- Stem Cells and Metabolism Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jorma Isola
- Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, 33520 Tampere, Finland
| | - Harri Sihto
- Department of Pathology, University of Helsinki, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Heikki Joensuu
- University of Helsinki and Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki University Hospital, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Sara Zanivan
- CRUK Beatson Institute, Glasgow G61 1BD, UK
- Institute of Cancer Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G61 1QH, UK
| | - Jim Norman
- CRUK Beatson Institute, Glasgow G61 1BD, UK
- Institute of Cancer Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G61 1QH, UK
| | - Johanna Ivaska
- Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, 20520 Turku, Finland
- InFLAMES Research Flagship Center, University of Turku, 20520 Turku, Finland
- Department of Life Technologies, University of Turku, 20520 Turku, Finland
- Western Finnish Cancer Center (FICAN West), University of Turku, 20520 Turku, Finland
- Foundation for the Finnish Cancer Institute, Tukholmankatu 8, Helsinki, Finland
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