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Wen W, Ertas YN, Erdem A, Zhang Y. Dysregulation of autophagy in gastric carcinoma: Pathways to tumor progression and resistance to therapy. Cancer Lett 2024; 591:216857. [PMID: 38583648 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2024.216857] [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: 02/06/2024] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
The considerable death rates and lack of symptoms in early stages of gastric cancer (GC) make it a major health problem worldwide. One of the most prominent risk factors is infection with Helicobacter pylori. Many biological processes, including those linked with cell death, are disrupted in GC. The cellular "self-digestion" mechanism necessary for regular balance maintenance, autophagy, is at the center of this disturbance. Misregulation of autophagy, however, plays a role in the development of GC. In this review, we will examine how autophagy interacts with other cell death processes, such as apoptosis and ferroptosis, and how it affects the progression of GC. In addition to wonderful its role in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition, it is engaged in GC metastasis. The role of autophagy in GC in promoting drug resistance stands out. There is growing interest in modulating autophagy for GC treatment, with research focusing on natural compounds, small-molecule inhibitors, and nanoparticles. These approaches could lead to breakthroughs in GC therapy, offering new hope in the fight against this challenging disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen Wen
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Liaoning Clinical Research Center for Laboratory Medicine, Shenyang, China
| | - Yavuz Nuri Ertas
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey; ERNAM-Nanotechnology Research and Application Center, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey.
| | - Ahmet Erdem
- Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering (IQ), Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering and Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Kocaeli University, Umuttepe Campus, Kocaeli, 41001 Turkey.
| | - Yao Zhang
- Department of Gynaecology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China.
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Wang Y, He Q, Rong K, Zhu M, Zhao X, Zheng P, Mi Y. Vitamin D3 promotes gastric cancer cell autophagy by mediating p53/AMPK/mTOR signaling. Front Pharmacol 2024; 14:1338260. [PMID: 38259281 PMCID: PMC10800859 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1338260] [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: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Objective: Vitamin D3 has the general properties of a lipid-soluble vitamin, but is also an active steroid hormone that can regulate the proliferation, apoptosis and differentiation of many tumor cells, and exerts anticancer activity against numerous malignancies. However, the mechanism underlying the effects of vitamin D3 on tumors is not fully understood. Here, we used network pharmacology and in vitro experimental approaches to explore the mechanism of vitamin D3 activity in the context of gastric cancer. Methods: The Targetnet, SuperPred, SwissTargetPrediction, and PharmMapper databases were screened for potential drug-related targets, while we used data from the PharmGKB, Drugbank, OMIM, DisGeNET, CTD, and GeneCards databases to identify potential targets associated with gastric cancer. Disease-drug crossover genes were obtained by constructing Venn diagrams. Gene ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses of crossover genes were conducted and STRING was used to generate protein interaction networks and identify core targets. CCK-8 experiments were performed and apoptosis detected to assess the effect of vitamin D3 on gastric cancer cells. Western blotting was applied to detect p53/AMPK/mTOR signaling, as well as autophagy-, cell cycle-, and apoptosis-related proteins. Results: A total of 485 targets of vitamin D3 activity were obtained and 1200 gastric cancer disease-related targets discovered. Further, 60 potential targets for vitamin D3 in gastric cancer treatment were identified. KEGG analysis indicated that potential targets were mainly involved in the cell cycle, HIF-1 signaling, and the AMPK pathway, among other pathways. These findings were validated using cellular experiments, which demonstrated that the viability of AGS and SGC-7901 cells was impeded by vitamin D3. Further, vitamin D3 promoted apoptosis and inhibited the cell cycle in those cell lines, as well as activating the p53/AMPK/mTOR pathway, which promotes autophagy and inhibits tumor development. Conclusion: Our network pharmacological analyses provide preliminarily data supporting a role for vitamin D3 in promoting autophagy and apoptosis in gastric cancer cells, and in activating the p53/AMPK/mTOR pathway, which inhibits gastric cancer cell proliferation. Our findings demonstrate the molecular mechanism underlying the effect of vitamin D3 in cure of gastric cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanan Wang
- Henan Key Laboratory of Helicobacter Pylori and Microbiota and Gastrointestinal Cancer, Marshall B. J. Medical Research Center of Zhengzhou University, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
- Academy of Medical Science, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Qingmin He
- Department of Gastroenterology, Ankang Central Hospital, Ankang, Shaanxi, China
| | - Kang Rong
- Henan Key Laboratory of Helicobacter Pylori and Microbiota and Gastrointestinal Cancer, Marshall B. J. Medical Research Center of Zhengzhou University, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Mingyang Zhu
- Henan Key Laboratory of Helicobacter Pylori and Microbiota and Gastrointestinal Cancer, Marshall B. J. Medical Research Center of Zhengzhou University, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Xiaoxiao Zhao
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Pengyuan Zheng
- Henan Key Laboratory of Helicobacter Pylori and Microbiota and Gastrointestinal Cancer, Marshall B. J. Medical Research Center of Zhengzhou University, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
- Academy of Medical Science, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Yang Mi
- Henan Key Laboratory of Helicobacter Pylori and Microbiota and Gastrointestinal Cancer, Marshall B. J. Medical Research Center of Zhengzhou University, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
- Academy of Medical Science, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
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Chen J, Rodriguez AS, Morales MA, Fang X. Autophagy Modulation and Its Implications on Glioblastoma Treatment. Curr Issues Mol Biol 2023; 45:8687-8703. [PMID: 37998723 PMCID: PMC10670099 DOI: 10.3390/cimb45110546] [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: 09/26/2023] [Revised: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Autophagy is a vital cellular process that functions to degrade and recycle damaged organelles into basic metabolites. This allows a cell to adapt to a diverse range of challenging conditions. Autophagy assists in maintaining homeostasis, and it is tightly regulated by the cell. The disruption of autophagy has been associated with many diseases, such as neurodegenerative disorders and cancer. This review will center its discussion on providing an in-depth analysis of the current molecular understanding of autophagy and its relevance to brain tumors. We will delve into the current literature regarding the role of autophagy in glioma pathogenesis by exploring the major pathways of JAK2/STAT3 and PI3K/AKT/mTOR and summarizing the current therapeutic interventions and strategies for glioma treatment. These treatments will be evaluated on their potential for autophagy induction and the challenges associated with their utilization. By understanding the mechanism of autophagy, clinical applications for future therapeutics in treating gliomas can be better targeted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johnny Chen
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg, TX 78539, USA;
| | - Andrea Salinas Rodriguez
- Department of Health and Biomedical Sciences, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg, TX 78539, USA;
| | - Maximiliano Arath Morales
- Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg, TX 78539, USA;
| | - Xiaoqian Fang
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg, TX 78539, USA;
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Wang Z, Chen C, Ai J, Shu J, Ding Y, Wang W, Gao Y, Jia Y, Qin Y. Identifying mitophagy-related genes as prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets of gastric carcinoma by integrated analysis of single-cell and bulk-RNA sequencing data. Comput Biol Med 2023; 163:107227. [PMID: 37413850 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2023.107227] [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: 04/03/2023] [Revised: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023]
Abstract
Gastric carcinoma (GC) is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Patients with advanced GC tend to have poor prognoses and shortened survival. Finding novel predictive biomarkers for GC prognosis is an urgent need. Mitophagy is the selection degradation of damaged mitochondria to maintain cellular homeostasis, which has been shown to play both pro- and anti-tumor effects. This study combined single-cell sequencing data and transcriptomics to screen mitophagy-related genes (MRGs) associated with GC progression and analyze their clinical values. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and immunochemistry (IHC) further verified gene expression profiles. A total of 18 DE-MRGs were identified after taking an intersection of single-cell sequencing data and MRGs. Cells with a higher MRG score were mainly distributed in the epithelial cell cluster. Cell-to-cell communications among epithelial cells with other cell types were significantly upregulated. We established and validated a reliable nomogram model based on DE-MRGs (GABARAPL2 and CDC37) and traditional clinicopathological parameters. GABARAPL2 and CDC37 displayed different immune infiltration states. Given the significant correlation between hub genes and immune checkpoints, targeting MRGs in GC may supplement more benefits to patients who received immunotherapy. In conclusion, GABARAPL2 and CDC37 may be prognostic biomarkers and candidate therapeutic targets of GC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zehua Wang
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Chen Chen
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Jiaoyu Ai
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
| | - Jiao Shu
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yi Ding
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Wenjia Wang
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yaping Gao
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yongxu Jia
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.
| | - Yanru Qin
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.
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Hu Q, Li Z, Li Y, Deng X, Chen Y, Ma X, Zeng J, Zhao Y. Natural products targeting signaling pathways associated with regulated cell death in gastric cancer: Recent advances and perspectives. Phytother Res 2023. [PMID: 37157181 DOI: 10.1002/ptr.7866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most serious gastrointestinal malignancies with high morbidity and mortality. The complexity of GC process lies in the multi-phenotypic linkage regulation, in which regulatory cell death (RCD) is the core link, which largely dominates the fate of GC cells and becomes a key determinant of GC development and prognosis. In recent years, increasing evidence has been reported that natural products can prevent and inhibit the development of GC by regulating RCDs, showing great therapeutic potential. In order to further clarify its key regulatory characteristics, this review focused on specific expressions of RCDs, combined with a variety of signaling pathways and their crosstalk characteristics, sorted out the key targets and action rules of natural products targeting RCD. It is highlighted that a variety of core biological pathways and core targets are involved in the decision of GC cell fate, including the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, MAPK-related signaling pathways, p53 signaling pathway, ER stress, Caspase-8, gasdermin D (GSDMD), and so on. Moreover, natural products target the crosstalk of different RCDs by modulating above signaling pathways. Taken together, these findings suggest that targeting various RCDs in GC with natural products is a promising strategy, providing a reference for further clarifying the molecular mechanism of natural products treating GC, which warrants further investigations in this area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qichao Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
- Department of Pharmacy, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Zhibei Li
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Yubing Li
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Xinyu Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Yuan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Xiao Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Jinhao Zeng
- TCM Regulating Metabolic Diseases Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Yanling Zhao
- Department of Pharmacy, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
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Yu QY, Han Y, Lu JH, Sun YJ, Liao XH. NRP1 regulates autophagy and proliferation of gastric cancer through Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Aging (Albany NY) 2023; 15:8613-8629. [PMID: 37702613 PMCID: PMC10522364 DOI: 10.18632/aging.204560] [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: 11/19/2022] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023]
Abstract
Gastric cancer possesses high lethality rate, and its complex molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis lead to irrational treatment outcomes. Autophagy plays a dual role in cancer by both promoting and suppressing the cancer. However, the role of autophagy in gastric cancer is still vague. Therefore, in this study, we first obtained autophagy-related genes from the Human Autophagy Database, and then applied consensus clustering analysis to analyse the molecular subtypes of gastric cancer samples in the TCGA database. The genes obtained after subtyping were then applied to construct risk prognostic model. Following this, PCA and tSNE assessed risk scores with good discriminatory ability for gastric cancer samples. The results of Cox regression analysis and time-dependent ROC curve analysis indicated that the model had good risk prediction ability. Finally, NRP1 was selected as the final study subject in the context of expression pairwise analysis, Kaplan-Meier curves and external validation of the GEO dataset. In vitro experiments showed that NRP1 has the ability to regulate the proliferation and autophagy of gastric cancer cells by affecting the Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway. Similarly, in vivo experiments have shown that NRP1 can affect tumour growth in vivo. We therefore propose that NRP1 can be used as both a prognostic factor and a therapeutic target through the regulation of autophagy in gastric cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi-Ying Yu
- Institute of Biology and Medicine, College of Life and Health Sciences, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430081, Hubei, P.R. China
| | - Yue Han
- Jinan People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Shandong, Jinan City People’s Hospital, Jinan 271199, Shandong, P.R. China
| | - Jia-Hui Lu
- Beidahuang Group General Hospital, Heilongjiang Province Second Cancer Hospital, Harbin 150000, Heilongjiang, P.R. China
| | - Yan-Jie Sun
- Jinan People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Shandong, Jinan City People’s Hospital, Jinan 271199, Shandong, P.R. China
| | - Xing-Hua Liao
- Institute of Biology and Medicine, College of Life and Health Sciences, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430081, Hubei, P.R. China
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The Emerging Role of MicroRNAs and Autophagy Mechanism in Pancreatic Cancer Progression: Future Therapeutic Approaches. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:genes13101868. [PMID: 36292753 PMCID: PMC9602304 DOI: 10.3390/genes13101868] [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: 09/24/2022] [Revised: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer constitutes the fourth most frequent cause of death due to malignancy in the US. Despite the new therapeutic modalities, the management of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is considered a difficult task for clinicians due to the fact that is usually diagnosed in already advanced stages and it is relatively resistant to the current chemotherapeutic agents. The molecular background analysis of pancreatic malignant tumors, which includes various epigenetic and genetic alterations, opens new horizons for the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. The interplay between miRNAs, autophagy pathway, and pancreatic carcinogenesis is in the spotlight of the current research. There is strong evidence that miRNAs take part in carcinogenesis either as tumor inhibitors that combat the oncogene expression or as promoters (oncomiRs) by acting as oncogenes by interfering with various cell functions such as proliferation, programmed cell death, and metabolic and signaling pathways. Deregulation of the expression levels of various miRNAs is closely associated with tumor growth, progression, and dissemination, as well as low sensitivity to chemotherapeutic agents. Similarly, autophagy despite constituting a pivotal homeostatic mechanism for cell survival has a binary role in PDAC, either as an inhibitor or promoter of carcinogenesis. The emerging role of miRNAs in autophagy gets a great deal of attention as it opens new opportunities for the development of novel therapeutic strategies for the management of this aggressive and chemoresistant malignancy. In this review, we will shed light on the interplay between miRNAs and the autophagy mechanism for pancreatic cancer development and progression.
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Immunotherapy as a Therapeutic Strategy for Gastrointestinal Cancer-Current Treatment Options and Future Perspectives. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23126664. [PMID: 35743107 PMCID: PMC9224428 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23126664] [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: 05/26/2022] [Revised: 06/12/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Gastrointestinal (GI) cancer constitutes a highly lethal entity among malignancies in the last decades and is still a major challenge for cancer therapeutic options. Despite the current combinational treatment strategies, including chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy, and targeted therapies, the survival rates remain notably low for patients with advanced disease. A better knowledge of the molecular mechanisms that influence tumor progression and the development of optimal therapeutic strategies for GI malignancies are urgently needed. Currently, the development and the assessment of the efficacy of immunotherapeutic agents in GI cancer are in the spotlight of several clinical trials. Thus, several new modalities and combinational treatments with other anti-neoplastic agents have been identified and evaluated for their efficiency in cancer management, including immune checkpoint inhibitors, adoptive cell transfer, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy, cancer vaccines, and/or combinations thereof. Understanding the interrelation among the tumor microenvironment, cancer progression, and immune resistance is pivotal for the optimal therapeutic management of all gastrointestinal solid tumors. This review will shed light on the recent advances and future directions of immunotherapy for malignant tumors of the GI system.
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