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Li Y, Yin Y, Zhang T, Wang J, Guo Z, Li Y, Zhao Y, Qin R, He Q. A comprehensive landscape analysis of autophagy in cancer development and drug resistance. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1412781. [PMID: 39253092 PMCID: PMC11381251 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1412781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2024] [Accepted: 07/18/2024] [Indexed: 09/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Autophagy plays important roles in cancer progression and therapeutic resistance, and the autophagy underlying the tumor pathogenesis and further mechanisms of chemoresistance emergence remains unknown. Methods In this study, via the single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) method, an autophagy 45-gene list was identified to evaluate samples' autophagy activity, verified through six GEO datasets with a confirmed autophagy phenotype. It was further utilized to distinguish tumors into autophagy score-high and score-low subtypes, and analyze their transcriptome landscapes, including survival analysis, correlation analysis of autophagy- and resistance-related genes, biological functional enrichment, and immune- and hypoxia-related and genomic heterogeneity comparison, in TCGA pan-cancer datasets. Furthermore, we performed an analysis of autophagy status in breast cancer chemoresistance combined with multiple GEO datasets and in vitro experiments to validate the mechanisms of potential anticancer drugs for reversing chemoresistance, including CCK-8 cell viability assays, RT-qPCR, and immunofluorescence. Results The 45-gene list was used to identify autophagy score-high and score-low subtypes and further analyze their multi-dimensional features. We demonstrated that cancer autophagy status correlated with significantly different prognoses, molecular alterations, biological process activations, immunocyte infiltrations, hypoxia statuses, and specific mutational processes. The autophagy score-low subtype displayed a more favorable prognosis compared with the score-high subtype, associated with their immune-activated features, manifested as high immunocyte infiltration, including high CD8+T, Tfh, Treg, NK cells, and tumor-associated macrophages M1/M2. The autophagy score-low subtype also showed a high hypoxia score, and hypoxic tumors showed a significantly differential prognosis in different autophagy statuses. Therefore, "double-edged" cell fates triggered by autophagy might be closely correlated with the immune microenvironment and hypoxia induction. Results demonstrated that dysregulated autophagy was involved in many cancers and their therapeutic resistance and that the autophagy was induced by the resistance-reversing drug response, in five breast cancer GEO datasets and validated by in vitro experiments. In vitro, dihydroartemisinin and artesunate could reverse breast cancer doxorubicin resistance, through inducing autophagy via upregulating LC3B and ATG7. Conclusion Our study provided a comprehensive landscape of the autophagy-related molecular and tumor microenvironment patterns for cancer progression and resistance, and highlighted the promising potential of drug-induced autophagy in the activation of drug sensitivity and reversal of resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Li
- Department of Clinical Laboratories, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Yang Yin
- Department of Clinical Laboratories, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Tong Zhang
- Department of Clinical Laboratories, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Jinhua Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratories, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Zeqi Guo
- Department of Clinical Laboratories, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Yuyun Li
- Department of Clinical Laboratories, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Ya Zhao
- Department of Clinical Laboratories, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Ruihong Qin
- Department of Clinical Laboratories, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Qian He
- Department of Clinical Laboratories, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
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2
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Romaniuk-Drapala A, Skupin-Mrugalska P, Garbuzenko O, Hatefi A, Minko T. Synergistic antitumor effect of liposomal-based formulations of olaparib and topotecan in primary epithelial ovarian cancer cells. Cancer Cell Int 2024; 24:285. [PMID: 39135053 PMCID: PMC11320834 DOI: 10.1186/s12935-024-03469-0] [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: 03/01/2024] [Accepted: 07/31/2024] [Indexed: 08/15/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Olaparib is a PARP inhibitor inducing synthetic lethality in tumors with deficient homologous recombination (HRD) caused by BRCA1/2 mutations. The FDA has approved monotherapy for first-line platinum-sensitive, recurrent high-grade epithelial ovarian cancer. Combination therapy alongside DNA-damaging therapeutics is a promising solution to overcome the limited efficacy in patients with HRD. The present study was designed to develop topotecan- and olaparib-loaded liposomes (TLL and OLL) and assess the effectiveness of their combination in patient-derived ovarian cancer samples. METHODS We used HEOC, four clear-cell tumors (EOC 1-4), malignant ascites, and an OCI-E1p endometrioid primary ovarian cancer cell line and performed NGS analysis of BRCA1/2 mutation status. Antiproliferative activity was determined with the MTT assay. The Chou-Talalay algorithm was used to investigate the in vitro pharmacodynamic interactions of TLLs and OLLs. RESULTS The OLL showed significantly higher efficacy in all ovarian cancer types with wild-type BRCA1/2 than a conventional formulation, suggesting potential for increased in vivo efficacy. The TLL revealed substantially higher toxicity to EOC 1, EOC 3, ascites and lower toxicity to HEOC than the standard formulation, suggesting better therapeutic efficacy and safety profile. The combination of studied compounds showed a higher reduction in cell viability than drugs used individually, demonstrating a synergistic antitumor effect at most of the selected concentrations. CONCLUSIONS The concentration-dependent response of different ovarian cancer cell types to combination therapy confirms the need for in vitro optimization to maximize drug cytotoxicity. The OLL and TLL combination is a promising formulation for further animal studies, especially for eliminating epithelial ovarian cancer with wild-type BRCA1/2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksandra Romaniuk-Drapala
- Department of Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics, Collegium Pharmaceuticum, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 3 Rokietnicka Str, 60-806, Poznan, Poland.
| | - Paulina Skupin-Mrugalska
- Department of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Collegium Pharmaceuticum, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 3 Rokietnicka Str, 60-806, Poznan, Poland
| | - Olga Garbuzenko
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 160 Frelinghuysen Road, Piscataway, NJ, 08854-8020, USA
| | - Arash Hatefi
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 160 Frelinghuysen Road, Piscataway, NJ, 08854-8020, USA
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, 195 Little Albany Street, New Brunswick, NJ, 08903, USA
| | - Tamara Minko
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 160 Frelinghuysen Road, Piscataway, NJ, 08854-8020, USA
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, 195 Little Albany Street, New Brunswick, NJ, 08903, USA
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3
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Long W, Zeng YX, Zheng BX, Li YB, Wang YK, Chan KH, She MT, Lu YJ, Cao C, Wong WL. Targeting hTERT Promoter G-Quadruplex DNA Structures with Small-Molecule Ligand to Downregulate hTERT Expression for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Therapy. J Med Chem 2024; 67:13363-13382. [PMID: 38987863 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.4c01255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/12/2024]
Abstract
Human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) may have noncanonical functions in transcriptional regulation and metabolic reprogramming in cancer cells, but it is a challenging target. We thus developed small-molecule ligands targeting hTERT promoter G-quadruplex DNA structures (hTERT G4) to downregulate hTERT expression. Ligand 5 showed high affinity toward hTERT G4 (Kd = 1.1 μM) and potent activity against triple-negative breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231, IC50 = 1 μM). In cell-based assays, 5 not only exerts markedly inhibitory activity on classical telomere functions including decreased telomerase activity, shortened telomere length, and cellular senescence but also induces DNA damage, acute cellular senescence, and apoptosis. This study reveals that hTERT G4-targeting ligand may cause mitochondrial dysfunction, disrupt iron metabolism and activate ferroptosis in cancer cells. The in vivo antitumor efficacy of 5 was also evaluated in an MDA-MB-231 xenograft mouse model and approximately 78.7% tumor weight reduction was achieved. No observable toxicity against the major organs was observed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Long
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
| | - Yao-Xun Zeng
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
| | - Bo-Xin Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
| | - Yu-Bo Li
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 345 Lingling Road, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Ya-Kun Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
| | - Ka-Hin Chan
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
| | - Meng-Ting She
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
| | - Yu-Jing Lu
- School of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong University of Technology Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Chunyang Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 345 Lingling Road, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Wing-Leung Wong
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
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4
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Tomasova K, Seborova K, Kroupa M, Horak J, Kavec M, Vodickova L, Rob L, Hruda M, Mrhalova M, Bartakova A, Bouda J, Fleischer T, Kristensen VN, Vodicka P, Vaclavikova R. Telomere length as a predictor of therapy response and survival in patients diagnosed with ovarian carcinoma. Heliyon 2024; 10:e33525. [PMID: 39050459 PMCID: PMC11268197 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e33525] [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: 07/18/2023] [Revised: 06/14/2024] [Accepted: 06/23/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Impaired telomere length (TL) maintenance in ovarian tissue may play a pivotal role in the onset of epithelial ovarian cancer (OvC). TL in either target or surrogate tissue (blood) is currently being investigated for use as a predictor in anti-OvC therapy or as a biomarker of the disease progression, respectively. There is currently an urgent need for an appropriate approach to chemotherapy response prediction. We performed a monochrome multiplex qPCR measurement of TL in peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL) and tumor tissues of 209 OvC patients. The methylation status and gene expression of the shelterin complex and telomerase catalytic subunit (hTERT) were determined within tumor tissues by High-Throughput DNA methylation profiling and RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) analysis, respectively. The patients sensitive to cancer treatment (n = 46) had shorter telomeres in PBL compared to treatment-resistant patients (n = 93; P = 0.037). In the patients with a different therapy response, transcriptomic analysis showed alterations in the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) signaling pathway (q = 0.001). Moreover, tumor TL shorter than the median corresponded to better overall survival (OS) (P = 0.006). TPP1 gene expression was positively associated with TL in tumor tissue (P = 0.026). TL measured in PBL could serve as a marker of platinum therapy response in OvC patients. Additionally, TL determined in tumor tissue provides information on OvC patients' OS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristyna Tomasova
- Department of Molecular Biology of Cancer, Institute of Experimental Medicine of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Videnska 1083, 142 00, Prague, Czech Republic
- Biomedical Center, Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, Charles University, Alej Svobody 1655/77, 32300, Pilsen, Czech Republic
| | - Karolina Seborova
- Toxicogenomics Unit, National Institute of Public Health, Srobarova 48, 100 42, Prague, Czech Republic
- Laboratory of Pharmacogenomics, Biomedical Center, Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, Charles University, Alej Svobody 1655/76, 323 00, Pilsen, Czech Republic
| | - Michal Kroupa
- Department of Molecular Biology of Cancer, Institute of Experimental Medicine of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Videnska 1083, 142 00, Prague, Czech Republic
- Biomedical Center, Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, Charles University, Alej Svobody 1655/77, 32300, Pilsen, Czech Republic
| | - Josef Horak
- Department of Molecular Biology of Cancer, Institute of Experimental Medicine of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Videnska 1083, 142 00, Prague, Czech Republic
- Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Ruska 87, 100 00, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Miriam Kavec
- Department of Molecular Biology of Cancer, Institute of Experimental Medicine of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Videnska 1083, 142 00, Prague, Czech Republic
- Department of Oncology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Thomayer Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Ludmila Vodickova
- Department of Molecular Biology of Cancer, Institute of Experimental Medicine of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Videnska 1083, 142 00, Prague, Czech Republic
- Biomedical Center, Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, Charles University, Alej Svobody 1655/77, 32300, Pilsen, Czech Republic
- Institute of Biology and Medical Genetics, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Albertov 4, 128 00, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Lukas Rob
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and University Hospital Kralovske Vinohrady, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Hruda
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and University Hospital Kralovske Vinohrady, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Marcela Mrhalova
- Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, Second Faculty of Medicine and Motol University Hospital, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Alena Bartakova
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital in Pilsen, Charles University, Pilsen, Czech Republic
| | - Jiri Bouda
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital in Pilsen, Charles University, Pilsen, Czech Republic
| | - Thomas Fleischer
- Department of Cancer Genetics, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Vessela N. Kristensen
- Department of Medical Genetics, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Pavel Vodicka
- Department of Molecular Biology of Cancer, Institute of Experimental Medicine of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Videnska 1083, 142 00, Prague, Czech Republic
- Biomedical Center, Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, Charles University, Alej Svobody 1655/77, 32300, Pilsen, Czech Republic
- Institute of Biology and Medical Genetics, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Albertov 4, 128 00, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Radka Vaclavikova
- Toxicogenomics Unit, National Institute of Public Health, Srobarova 48, 100 42, Prague, Czech Republic
- Laboratory of Pharmacogenomics, Biomedical Center, Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, Charles University, Alej Svobody 1655/76, 323 00, Pilsen, Czech Republic
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5
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Sabokrouh A, Hajivand S, Atabi F. Comparison of anti-cancer effects of platinum ribavirin and ribavirin via telomerase and Bcl-2 gene expression. NAUNYN-SCHMIEDEBERG'S ARCHIVES OF PHARMACOLOGY 2024; 397:3907-3915. [PMID: 37975929 DOI: 10.1007/s00210-023-02841-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
Among the common treatments for cancers, chemotherapy is widely used. One of the ways to evaluate the effectiveness of anti-cancer drugs is by checking the expression of tumor markers. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate the anti-cancer effects of the newly synthesized platinum ribavirin (Pt-Rb) compared to ribavirin (Rb) through biomarkers. In this study, cell lines were divided into four groups: groups A and B as healthy negative control group and untreated cancer group respectively. Group C and D were treated with, Rb and Pt-Rb, a novel anti-cancer drug, respectively. After evaluating LC50 for the drugs by MTT test, the expression of telomerase and Bcl-2 (B cell lymphoma-2) genes was evaluated using real-time PCR (RT-qPCR). The results showed a significant decrease in telomerase (0.020 ± 0.007) and Bcl-2(0.120 ± 0.005) gene expression in cancer cells treated with Pt-Rb (group D) compared to telomerase (0.040 ± 0.014) and Bcl-2(0.220 ± 0.014) treated with Rb (group C) and also between group D and telomerase (70.76 ± 0.330) and Bcl-2 (99.52 ± 0.670) in group B. The majority of the groups under investigation showed a significant difference (p < 0.05), suggesting that Pt-Rb had stronger anti-cancer effects than Rb and untreated cancer cells. Additionally, Pt-Rb treatment results demonstrated more increased apoptosis than Rb. Our results demonstrated that Pt-Rb is an effective medication in cancer treatment by lowering anti-apoptotic indicators. Therefore, this chemical has the potential to be an effective anti-cancer therapy, pending further research on animal models and then human volunteers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdolreza Sabokrouh
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Soheyla Hajivand
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Faculty of Advanced Sciences and Technology, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fereshteh Atabi
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Faculty of Advanced Sciences and Technology, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
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6
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Fahim SA, ElZohairy YA, Moustafa RI. Favipiravir, an antiviral drug, in combination with tamoxifen exerts synergistic effect in tamoxifen-resistant breast cancer cells via hTERT inhibition. Sci Rep 2024; 14:1844. [PMID: 38246945 PMCID: PMC10800350 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-51977-w] [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: 05/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Tamoxifen (TAM) is one of the most successful treatments for breast cancer; however, TAM resistance continues to be a significant barrier. TAM resistance has been reported to be associated with increased expression of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT). This enzyme shares structural similarity with RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) enzyme of RNA viruses, suggesting that RdRp inhibitors may also inhibit hTERT. Favipiravir (FAV) is an antiviral drug that inhibits RdRp of RNA viruses. Thus, we propose that FAV may also elicit an antitumor effect by suppressing hTERT. This study aimed to investigate the effect of FAV and TAM on TAM-resistant breast cancer (TAMR-1). The cell viabilities were determined. The levels of CDK1/ hTERT, in addition to regulators of hTERT-targeted signaling pathways were measured. Apoptosis, migration, and cell cycle distribution were also determined. Our data revealed that the combination of TAM and FAV suppressed cell proliferation synergistically (CI < 1) and resulted in a significant change in cell migration and apoptosis. Indeed, this was associated with reduced levels of hTERT and CDK1 and shift in the cell cycle distribution. Our findings suggest that the TAM/FAV combination exhibits synergistic effects against TAMR-1 human breast cancer cells by targeting hTERT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sally A Fahim
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Pharmacy, Newgiza University (NGU), Newgiza, Km 22 Cairo-Alexandria Desert Road, 6th of October, P.O. Box 12577, Giza, Egypt.
| | - Yehia A ElZohairy
- School of Pharmacy, Newgiza University (NGU), Newgiza, Km 22 Cairo-Alexandria Desert Road, P.O. Box 12577, Giza, Egypt
| | - Rehab I Moustafa
- Microbial Biotechnology Department, Biotechnology Research Institute, National Research Centre, Dokki, Giza, Egypt
- Microbiology Department, School of Pharmacy, Newgiza University (NGU), Newgiza, Km 22 Cairo-Alexandria Desert Road, P.O. Box 12577, Giza, Egypt
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7
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Kumar N, Sethi G. Telomerase and hallmarks of cancer: An intricate interplay governing cancer cell evolution. Cancer Lett 2023; 578:216459. [PMID: 37863351 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2023.216459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Revised: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/22/2023]
Abstract
Transformed cells must acquire specific characteristics to be malignant. Weinberg and Hanahan characterize these characteristics as cancer hallmarks. Though these features are independently driven, substantial signaling crosstalk in transformed cells efficiently promotes these feature acquisitions. Telomerase is an enzyme complex that maintains telomere length. However, its main component, Telomere reverse transcriptase (TERT), has been found to interact with various signaling molecules like cMYC, NF-kB, BRG1 and cooperate in transcription and metabolic reprogramming, acting as a strong proponent of malignant features such as cell death resistance, sustained proliferation, angiogenesis activation, and metastasis, among others. It allows cells to avoid replicative senescence and achieve endless replicative potential. This review summarizes both the canonical and noncanonical functions of TERT and discusses how they promote cancer hallmarks. Understanding the role of Telomerase in promoting cancer hallmarks provides vital insight into the underlying mechanism of cancer genesis and progression and telomerase intervention as a possible therapeutic target for cancer treatment. More investigation into the precise molecular mechanisms of telomerase-mediated impacts on cancer hallmarks will contribute to developing more focused and customized cancer treatment methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naveen Kumar
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research), Singapore, 138673, Singapore
| | - Gautam Sethi
- Department of Pharmacology and NUS Centre for Cancer Research, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117600, Singapore.
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8
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Yang R, Han Y, Guan X, Hong Y, Meng J, Ding S, Long Q, Yi W. Regulation and clinical potential of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT/hTERT) in breast cancer. Cell Commun Signal 2023; 21:218. [PMID: 37612721 PMCID: PMC10463831 DOI: 10.1186/s12964-023-01244-8] [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: 07/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT/hTERT) serves as the pivotal catalytic subunit of telomerase, a crucial enzyme responsible for telomere maintenance and human genome stability. The high activation of hTERT, observed in over 90% of tumors, plays a significant role in tumor initiation and progression. An in-depth exploration of hTERT activation mechanisms in cancer holds promise for advancing our understanding of the disease and developing more effective treatment strategies. In breast cancer, the expression of hTERT is regulated by epigenetic, transcriptional, post-translational modification mechanisms and DNA variation. Besides its canonical function in telomere maintenance, hTERT exerts non-canonical roles that contribute to disease progression through telomerase-independent mechanisms. This comprehensive review summarizes the regulatory mechanisms governing hTERT in breast cancer and elucidates the functional implications of its activation. Given the overexpression of hTERT in most breast cancer cells, the detection of hTERT and its associated molecules are potential for enhancing early screening and prognostic evaluation of breast cancer. Although still in its early stages, therapeutic approaches targeting hTERT and its regulatory molecules show promise as viable strategies for breast cancer treatment. These methods are also discussed in this paper. Video Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruozhu Yang
- Department of General Surgery, the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, 139 Middle Renmin Road, Changsha, 410011, China
| | - Yi Han
- Department of General Surgery, the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, 139 Middle Renmin Road, Changsha, 410011, China
| | - Xinyu Guan
- Department of General Surgery, the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, 139 Middle Renmin Road, Changsha, 410011, China
| | - Yue Hong
- Department of General Surgery, the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, 139 Middle Renmin Road, Changsha, 410011, China
| | - Jiahao Meng
- Department of General Surgery, the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, 139 Middle Renmin Road, Changsha, 410011, China
| | - Shirong Ding
- Department of Oncology, the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, 139 Middle Renmin Road, Changsha, 410011, China.
| | - Qian Long
- Department of General Surgery, the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, 139 Middle Renmin Road, Changsha, 410011, China.
| | - Wenjun Yi
- Department of General Surgery, the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, 139 Middle Renmin Road, Changsha, 410011, China.
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9
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Hashemi M, Paskeh MDA, Orouei S, Abbasi P, Khorrami R, Dehghanpour A, Esmaeili N, Ghahremanzade A, Zandieh MA, Peymani M, Salimimoghadam S, Rashidi M, Taheriazam A, Entezari M, Hushmandi K. Towards dual function of autophagy in breast cancer: A potent regulator of tumor progression and therapy response. Biomed Pharmacother 2023; 161:114546. [PMID: 36958191 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2023.114546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Revised: 03/11/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/25/2023] Open
Abstract
As a devastating disease, breast cancer has been responsible for decrease in life expectancy of females and its morbidity and mortality are high. Breast cancer is the most common tumor in females and its treatment has been based on employment of surgical resection, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The changes in biological behavior of breast tumor relies on genomic and epigenetic mutations and depletions as well as dysregulation of molecular mechanisms that autophagy is among them. Autophagy function can be oncogenic in increasing tumorigenesis, and when it has pro-death function, it causes reduction in viability of tumor cells. The carcinogenic function of autophagy in breast tumor is an impediment towards effective therapy of patients, as it can cause drug resistance and radio-resistance. The important hallmarks of breast tumor such as glucose metabolism, proliferation, apoptosis and metastasis can be regulated by autophagy. Oncogenic autophagy can inhibit apoptosis, while it promotes stemness of breast tumor. Moreover, autophagy demonstrates interaction with tumor microenvironment components such as macrophages and its level can be regulated by anti-tumor compounds in breast tumor therapy. The reasons of considering autophagy in breast cancer therapy is its pleiotropic function, dual role (pro-survival and pro-death) and crosstalk with important molecular mechanisms such as apoptosis. Moreover, current review provides a pre-clinical and clinical evaluation of autophagy in breast tumor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehrdad Hashemi
- Farhikhtegan Medical Convergence Sciences Research Center, Farhikhtegan Hospital Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran; Department of Genetics, Faculty of Advanced Science and Technology, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahshid Deldar Abad Paskeh
- Farhikhtegan Medical Convergence Sciences Research Center, Farhikhtegan Hospital Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran; Department of Genetics, Faculty of Advanced Science and Technology, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Sima Orouei
- Department of Biology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Pegah Abbasi
- Farhikhtegan Medical Convergence Sciences Research Center, Farhikhtegan Hospital Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ramin Khorrami
- Department of Food Hygiene and Quality Control, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Amir Dehghanpour
- Farhikhtegan Medical Convergence Sciences Research Center, Farhikhtegan Hospital Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Negin Esmaeili
- Farhikhtegan Medical Convergence Sciences Research Center, Farhikhtegan Hospital Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Azin Ghahremanzade
- Farhikhtegan Medical Convergence Sciences Research Center, Farhikhtegan Hospital Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Arad Zandieh
- Department of Food Hygiene and Quality Control, Division of Epidemiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Maryam Peymani
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Shahrekord Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord, Iran
| | - Shokooh Salimimoghadam
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Mohsen Rashidi
- Department Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari 4815733971, Iran; The Health of Plant and Livestock Products Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari 4815733971, Iran.
| | - Afshin Taheriazam
- Farhikhtegan Medical Convergence Sciences Research Center, Farhikhtegan Hospital Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran; Department of Orthopedics, Faculty of medicine, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Maliheh Entezari
- Farhikhtegan Medical Convergence Sciences Research Center, Farhikhtegan Hospital Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran; Department of Genetics, Faculty of Advanced Science and Technology, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Kiavash Hushmandi
- Department of Food Hygiene and Quality Control, Division of Epidemiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
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10
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Doxorubicin and Cisplatin Modulate miR-21, miR-106, miR-126, miR-155 and miR-199 Levels in MCF7, MDA-MB-231 and SK-BR-3 Cells That Makes Them Potential Elements of the DNA-Damaging Drug Treatment Response Monitoring in Breast Cancer Cells—A Preliminary Study. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:genes14030702. [PMID: 36980974 PMCID: PMC10048428 DOI: 10.3390/genes14030702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2023] [Revised: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
Abstract
One of the most innovative medical trends is personalized therapy, based on simple and reproducible methods that detect unique features of cancer cells. One of the good prognostic and diagnostic markers may be the miRNA family. Our work aimed to evaluate changes in selected miRNA levels in various breast cancer cell lines (MCF7, MDA-MB-231, SK-BR-3) treated with doxorubicin or cisplatin. The selection was based on literature data regarding the most commonly altered miRNAs in breast cancer (21-3p, 21-5p, 106a-5p, 126-3p, 126-5p, 155-3p, 155-5p, 199b-3p, 199b-5p, 335-3p, 335-5p). qPCR assessment revealed significant differences in the basal levels of some miRNAs in respective cell lines, with the most striking difference in miR-106a-5p, miR-335-5p and miR-335-3p—all of them were lowest in MCF7, while miR-153p was not detected in SK-BR-3. Additionally, different alterations of selected miRNAs were observed depending on the cell line and the drug. However, regardless of these variables, 21-3p/-5p, 106a, 126-3p, 155-3p and 199b-3p miRNAs were shown to respond either to doxorubicin or to cisplatin treatment. These miRNAs seem to be good candidates for markers of breast cancer cell response to doxorubicin or cisplatin. Especially since some earlier reports suggested their role in affecting pathways and expression of genes associated with the DNA-damage response. However, it must be emphasized that the preliminary study shows effects that may be highly related to the applied drug itself and its concentration. Thus, further examination, including human samples, is required.
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11
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Judasz E, Lisiak N, Kopczyński P, Taube M, Rubiś B. The Role of Telomerase in Breast Cancer's Response to Therapy. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:12844. [PMID: 36361634 PMCID: PMC9654063 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232112844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Revised: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Currently, breast cancer appears to be the most widespread cancer in the world and the most common cause of cancer deaths. This specific type of cancer affects women in both developed and developing countries. Prevention and early diagnosis are very important factors for good prognosis. A characteristic feature of cancer cells is the ability of unlimited cell division, which makes them immortal. Telomeres, which are shortened with each cell division in normal cells, are rebuilt in cancer cells by the enzyme telomerase, which is expressed in more than 85% of cancers (up to 100% of adenocarcinomas, including breast cancer). Telomerase may have different functions that are related to telomeres or unrelated. It has been shown that high activity of the enzyme in cancer cells is associated with poor cell sensitivity to therapies. Therefore, telomerase has become a potential target for cancer therapies. The low efficacy of therapies has resulted in the search for new combined and more effective therapeutic methods, including the involvement of telomerase inhibitors and telomerase-targeted immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eliza Judasz
- Department of Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-806 Poznan, Poland
| | - Natalia Lisiak
- Department of Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-806 Poznan, Poland
| | - Przemysław Kopczyński
- Centre for Orthodontic Mini-Implants at the Department and Clinic of Maxillofacial Orthopedics and Orthodontics, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-812 Poznan, Poland
| | - Magdalena Taube
- Department of Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-806 Poznan, Poland
| | - Błażej Rubiś
- Department of Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-806 Poznan, Poland
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12
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Mechanism of Human Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase ( hTERT) Regulation and Clinical Impacts in Leukemia. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:genes12081188. [PMID: 34440361 PMCID: PMC8392866 DOI: 10.3390/genes12081188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Revised: 05/09/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The proliferative capacity and continuous survival of cells are highly dependent on telomerase expression and the maintenance of telomere length. For this reason, elevated expression of telomerase has been identified in virtually all cancers, including leukemias; however, it should be noted that expression of telomerase is sometimes observed later in malignant development. This time point of activation is highly dependent on the type of leukemia and its causative factors. Many recent studies in this field have contributed to the elucidation of the mechanisms by which the various forms of leukemias increase telomerase activity. These include the dysregulation of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) at various levels which include transcriptional, post-transcriptional, and post-translational stages. The pathways and biological molecules involved in these processes are also being deciphered with the advent of enabling technologies such as next-generation sequencing (NGS), ribonucleic acid sequencing (RNA-Seq), liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LCMS/MS), and many others. It has also been established that TERT possess diagnostic value as most adult cells do not express high levels of telomerase. Indeed, studies have shown that prognosis is not favorable in patients who have leukemias expressing high levels of telomerase. Recent research has indicated that targeting of this gene is able to control the survival of malignant cells and therefore offers a potential treatment for TERT-dependent leukemias. Here we review the mechanisms of hTERT regulation and deliberate their association in malignant states of leukemic cells. Further, we also cover the clinical implications of this gene including its use in diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic discoveries.
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