Nuclear HKII-P-p53 (Ser15) Interaction is a Prognostic Biomarker for Chemoresponsiveness and Glycolytic Regulation in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer

The emerging role of glycolysis and immune evasion in ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer (OC) is one of the three most common malignant tumors of the female reproductive system, with the highest mortality rate among gynecologic malignancies. Like other tumors, OC cells undergo metabolic reprogramming phenomenon and convert glucose metabolism into "aerobic glycolysis" and generate a high concentration of lactate, i.e., the "Warburg effect", which provides a large amount of energy and corresponding intermediary metabolites for their survival, reproduction and metastasis. Numerous studies have shown that targeted inhibition of aerobic glycolysis and lactate metabolism is a promising strategy to enhance the sensitivity of cancer cells to immunotherapy. Therefore, this review summarizes the metabolic features of glycolysis in OC cells and highlights how abnormal lactate concentration affects the differentiation, metabolism, and function of infiltrating immune cells, which contributes to immunosuppression, and how targeted inhibition of this phenomenon may be a potential strategy to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of OC.

Value analysis of preoperative peripheral blood LMR in predicting prognosis of serous papillary ovarian adenocarcinoma

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the predictive effect of preoperative peripheral blood leukocyte related inflammatory indicators on the prognosis of patients with serous papillary ovarian adenocarcinoma.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was conducted on the case data of 83 patients with ovarian cancer undergoing tumor cell reduction surgery admitted to our hospital from January 2017 to December 2020. Pathological findings confirmed serous papillary ovarian adenocarcinoma. Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze the relationship between lymphocyte to monocyte ratio (LMR) and the patients survival prognosis. Analyzing factors affecting patient prognosis which using a multivariable Cox risk.

RESULTS

The overall survival (OS) of the patients with serous papillary ovarian adenocarcinoma in high LMR group was higher than that in the low LMR group preoperative. The disease free survival (DFS) of ovarian adenocarcinoma patients in the high LMR group was higher than that in the low LMR group preoperative. That was the low LMR indicating a poor prognosis. Single factor analysis showed that age of onset was correlated with OS and DFS, and the body mass index (BMI) was only correlated with OS. Multivariable analysis showed that the age of onset (HR = 2.571, 95% CI 1.199-5.512, P = 0.015) and BMI (HR = 0.337, 95% CI 0.158-0.718, P = 0.005) were independent risk factors for OS.

CONCLUSIONS

Although the serous papillary ovarian adenocarcinoma patients with preoperative peripheral blood LMR reduction have poor prognosis, the correlation between LMR values and prognosis is not significant. Therefore, it is not recommended to use preoperative peripheral leukocyte related inflammatory indicators as prognostic markers for serous papillary ovarian adenocarcinoma.

Glucose metabolism reprogramming in gynecologic malignant tumors

The incidence and mortality of gynecological tumors are progressively increasing due to factors such as obesity, viral infection, unhealthy habits, as well as social and economic pressures. Consequently, it has emerged as a significant threat to women's health. Numerous studies have revealed the remarkable metabolic activity of tumor cells in glycolysis and its ability to influence malignant biological behavior through specific mechanisms. Therefore, it is crucial for patients and gynecologists to comprehend the role of glycolytic proteins, regulatory molecules, and signaling pathways in tumorigenesis, progression, and treatment. This article aims to review the correlation between abnormal glucose metabolism and gynecologic tumors including cervical cancer (CC), endometrial carcinoma (EC), and ovarian cancer (OC). The findings from this research will provide valuable scientific insights for early screening, timely diagnosis and treatment interventions while also aiding in the prevention of recurrence among individuals with gynecological tumors.

CircP50 functions through the phosphorylation- and acetylation-activated p53 pathway to mediate inorganic arsenic-induced apoptosis in A549 cells

As a class I carcinogen, arsenic has been reported to cause diseases accompanied by circRNAs regulating proliferation and apoptosis at the molecular level, but whether circP50 (circBase ID: hsa_circ_0008012) does the same has not been demonstrated. The aim of this study is to provide the basis for anti-lung cancer mechanism research, by studying the expression of circP50 under arsenic-induced conditions, and the effect and mechanism on the proliferation and apoptosis of A549 cells based on the circP50 knockdown models. To explore whether the circP50 is responsive to arsenic exposure, the qRT-PCR was applied to discover that the relative expression of circP50 in A549 cells increased only with increasing NaAsO₂ dose and independent of its metabolites. We further determined the mechanism of circP50 by establishing circP50 knockdown models. The results of cell viability and EdU assays indicated the proliferation of A549 cells. According to the western blotting, phosphorylation of p53 at Ser15, Ser376, and Ser392 and acetylation of p53 at Lys370 and Lys382 were inhibited, resulting in the deficiency of p53 expression. Subsequently, the expression of genes downstream of p53 was reduced, including p21, PUMA, Caspase3, and Bcl-xS. Furthermore, the expressions of IKB-α, p65, and p50 decreased, but C-myc expression did not change significantly, referring to the NF-κB pathway was not dominant. The results suggest that circP50 mainly functions through the p53 pathway to mediate apoptosis in response to arsenic exposure.

Orchestrated Action of AMPK Activation and Combined VEGF/PD-1 Blockade with Lipid Metabolic Tunning as Multi-Target Therapeutics against Ovarian Cancers

Ovarian cancer is one of the most lethal gynecological malignancies worldwide, and chemoresistance is a critical obstacle in the clinical management of the disease. Recent studies have suggested that exploiting cancer cell metabolism by applying AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-activating agents and distinctive adjuvant targeted therapies can be a plausible alternative approach in cancer treatment. Therefore, the perspectives about the combination of AMPK activators together with VEGF/PD-1 blockade as a dual-targeted therapy against ovarian cancer were discussed herein. Additionally, ferroptosis, a non-apoptotic regulated cell death triggered by the availability of redox-active iron, have been proposed to be governed by multiple layers of metabolic signalings and can be synergized with immunotherapies. To this end, ferroptosis initiating therapies (FITs) and metabolic rewiring and immunotherapeutic approaches may have substantial clinical potential in combating ovarian cancer development and progression. It is hoped that the viewpoints deliberated in this review would accelerate the translation of remedial concepts into clinical trials and improve the effectiveness of ovarian cancer treatment.

Prohibitin 1 interacts with p53 in the regulation of mitochondrial dynamics and chemoresistance in gynecologic cancers

Background

Mitochondrial dynamics (e.g. fission/fusion) play an important role in controlling chemoresistance in representative gynecologic malignancies, ovarian and cervical cancer. Processing the long form of Optic atrophy (L-Opa)1 is a distinctive character of mitochondrial fragmentation, associated with chemosensitivity. Here, we examined the role of prohibitin (Phb)1 in increasing L-Opa1 processing via the regulating mitochondrial protease, Oma1 and its direct interaction with p-p53 (ser15) and pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 antagonist/killer (Bak) 1 in the signaling axis and if this phenomenon is associated with prognosis of patients.

Methods

We compared Cisplatin (CDDP)-induced response of mitochondrial dynamics, molecular interaction among p-p53 (ser15)-Phb1-Bak, and chemoresponsiveness in paired chemosensitive and chemoresistant gynecologic cancer cells (ovarian and cervical cancer cell lines) using western blot, immunoprecipitation, sea horse, and immunofluorescence. Translational strategy with proximity ligation assessment in phb1-p-p53 (ser15) in human ovarian tumor sections further confirmed in vitro finding, associated with clinical outcome.

Results

We report that: (1) Knock-down of Phb1 prevents Cisplatin (cis-diamine-dichloroplatinum; CDDP) -induced changes in mitochondrial fragmentation and Oma1 mediated cleavage, and Opa1 processing; (2) In response to CDDP, Phb1 facilitates the p-p53 (ser15)-Phb1-Bak interaction in mitochondria in chemosensitive gynecologic cancer cells but not in chemoresistant cells; (3) Akt overexpression results in suppressed p-p53(Ser15)-Phb1 interaction and dysregulated mitochondrial dynamics, and (4) Consistent with in vitro findings, proximity ligation assessment (PLA) in human ovarian tumor sections demonstrated that p-p53(ser15)-Phb1-Bak interaction in mitochondria is associated with better chemoresponsiveness and clinical outcome of patients. Determining the molecular mechanisms by which Phb1 facilitates mitochondrial fragmentation and interacts with p53 may advance the current understanding of chemoresistance and pathogenesis of gynecologic cancer.

Conclusion

Determining the key molecular mechanisms by which Phb1 facilitates the formation of p-p53 (ser15)-Bak-Phb1 and its involvement in the regulation of mitochondrial dynamics and apoptosis may ultimately contribute to the current understanding of molecular and cellular basis of chemoresistance in this gynecologic cancer.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13048-022-00999-x.