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Abdelaziz RF, Hussein AM, Kotob MH, Weiss C, Chelminski K, Stojanovic T, Studenik CR, Aufy M. Enhancement of Radiation Sensitivity by Cathepsin L Suppression in Colon Carcinoma Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:17106. [PMID: 38069428 PMCID: PMC10707098 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242317106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer is one of the main causes of death globally. Radiotherapy/Radiation therapy (RT) is one of the most common and effective cancer treatments. RT utilizes high-energy radiation to damage the DNA of cancer cells, leading to their death or impairing their proliferation. However, radiation resistance remains a significant challenge in cancer treatment, limiting its efficacy. Emerging evidence suggests that cathepsin L (cath L) contributes to radiation resistance through multiple mechanisms. In this study, we investigated the role of cath L, a member of the cysteine cathepsins (caths) in radiation sensitivity, and the potential reduction in radiation resistance by using the specific cath L inhibitor (Z-FY(tBu)DMK) or by knocking out cath L with CRISPR/Cas9 in colon carcinoma cells (caco-2). Cells were treated with different doses of radiation (2, 4, 6, 8, and 10), dose rate 3 Gy/min. In addition, the study conducted protein expression analysis by western blot and immunofluorescence assay, cytotoxicity MTT, and apoptosis assays. The results demonstrated that cath L was upregulated in response to radiation treatment, compared to non-irradiated cells. In addition, inhibiting or knocking out cath L led to increased radiosensitivity in contrast to the negative control group. This may indicate a reduced ability of cancer cells to recover from radiation-induced DNA damage, resulting in enhanced cell death. These findings highlight the possibility of targeting cath L as a therapeutic strategy to enhance the effectiveness of RT. Further studies are needed to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms and to assess the translational implications of cath L knockout in clinical settings. Ultimately, these findings may contribute to the development of novel treatment approaches for improving outcomes of RT in cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramadan F. Abdelaziz
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (R.F.A.); (M.H.K.); (C.W.); (M.A.)
- Division of Human Health, International Atomic Energy Agency, Wagramer Str. 5, 1400 Vienna, Austria;
| | - Ahmed M. Hussein
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (R.F.A.); (M.H.K.); (C.W.); (M.A.)
| | - Mohamed H. Kotob
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (R.F.A.); (M.H.K.); (C.W.); (M.A.)
| | - Christina Weiss
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (R.F.A.); (M.H.K.); (C.W.); (M.A.)
| | - Krzysztof Chelminski
- Division of Human Health, International Atomic Energy Agency, Wagramer Str. 5, 1400 Vienna, Austria;
| | - Tamara Stojanovic
- Programme for Proteomics, Paracelsus Medical University, 5020 Salzburg, Austria;
| | - Christian R. Studenik
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (R.F.A.); (M.H.K.); (C.W.); (M.A.)
| | - Mohammed Aufy
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (R.F.A.); (M.H.K.); (C.W.); (M.A.)
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miRNA-148a Enhances the Treatment Response of Patients with Rectal Cancer to Chemoradiation and Promotes Apoptosis by Directly Targeting c-Met. Biomedicines 2021; 9:biomedicines9101371. [PMID: 34680492 PMCID: PMC8533359 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines9101371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Revised: 09/25/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) who achieve a pathological complete response (pCR) to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NACRT) have an excellent prognosis, but only approximately 30% of patients achieve pCR. Therefore, identifying predictors of pCR is imperative. We employed a microRNA (miRNA) microarray to compare the miRNA profiles of patients with LARC who achieved pCR (pCR group, n = 5) with those who did not (non-pCR group, n = 5). The validation set confirmed that miRNA-148a was overexpressed in the pCR group (n = 11) compared with the non-pCR group (n = 40). Cell proliferation and clonogenic assays revealed that miRNA-148a overexpression radio-sensitized cancer cells and inhibited cellular proliferation, before and after irradiation (p < 0.01). Apoptosis assays demonstrated that miRNA-148a enhanced apoptosis before and after irradiation. Reporter assays revealed that c-Met was the direct target gene of miRNA-148a. An in vivo study indicated that miRNA-148a enhanced the irradiation-induced suppression of xenograft tumor growth (p < 0.01). miRNA-148a may be a biomarker of pCR following NACRT and can promote apoptosis and inhibit proliferation in CRC cells by directly targeting c-Met in vitro and enhancing tumor response to irradiation in vivo.
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