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Chaudhry KA, Bianchi-Smiraglia A. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor as a tumor modulator: mechanisms to therapy. Front Oncol 2024; 14:1375905. [PMID: 38807762 PMCID: PMC11130384 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1375905] [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: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/30/2024] Open
Abstract
The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that is widely recognized to play important, but complex, modulatory roles in a variety of tumor types. In this review, we comprehensively summarize the increasingly controversial role of AhR as a tumor regulator and the mechanisms by which it alters tumor progression based on the cancer cell type. Finally, we discuss new and emerging strategies to therapeutically modulate AhR, focusing on novel agents that hold promise in current human clinical trials as well as existing FDA-approved drugs that could potentially be repurposed for cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anna Bianchi-Smiraglia
- Department of Cell Stress Biology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York, NY, United States
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Congues F, Wang P, Lee J, Lin D, Shahid A, Xie J, Huang Y. Targeting aryl hydrocarbon receptor to prevent cancer in barrier organs. Biochem Pharmacol 2024; 223:116156. [PMID: 38518996 PMCID: PMC11144369 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2024.116156] [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: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 03/08/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/24/2024]
Abstract
The skin, lung, and gut are important barrier organs that control how the body reacts to environmental stressors such as ultraviolet (UV) radiation, air pollutants, dietary components, and microorganisms. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-dependent transcription factor that plays an important role in maintaining homeostasis of barrier organs. AhR was initially discovered as a receptor for environmental chemical carcinogens such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Activation of AhR pathways by PAHs leads to increased DNA damage and mutations which ultimately lead to carcinogenesis. Ongoing evidence reveals an ever-expanding role of AhR. Recently, AhR has been linked to immune systems by the interaction with the development of natural killer (NK) cells, regulatory T (Treg) cells, and T helper 17 (Th17) cells, as well as the production of immunosuppressive cytokines. However, the role of AhR in carcinogenesis is not as straightforward as we initially thought. Although AhR activation has been shown to promote carcinogenesis in some studies, others suggest that it may act as a tumor suppressor. In this review, we aim to explore the role of AhR in the development of cancer that originates from barrier organs. We also examined the preclinical efficacy data of AhR agonists and antagonists on carcinogenesis to determine whether AhR modulation can be a viable option for cancer chemoprevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francoise Congues
- Department of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA 91766, USA
| | - Pengcheng Wang
- Department of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA 91766, USA; Department of Stomatology, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Joshua Lee
- Department of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA 91766, USA
| | - Daphne Lin
- Department of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA 91766, USA
| | - Ayaz Shahid
- Department of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA 91766, USA
| | - Jianming Xie
- Department of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA 91766, USA
| | - Ying Huang
- Department of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA 91766, USA.
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Chen H, Shi X, Ren L, Zhuo H, Zeng L, Qin Q, Wan Y, Sangdan W, Zhou L. Identification of the miRNA-mRNA regulatory network associated with radiosensitivity in esophageal cancer based on integrative analysis of the TCGA and GEO data. BMC Med Genomics 2022; 15:249. [PMID: 36456979 PMCID: PMC9714096 DOI: 10.1186/s12920-022-01392-9] [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: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The current study set out to identify the miRNA-mRNA regulatory networks that influence the radiosensitivity in esophageal cancer based on the The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. METHODS Firstly, esophageal cancer-related miRNA-seq and mRNA-seq data were retrieved from the TCGA database, and the mRNA dataset of esophageal cancer radiotherapy was downloaded from the GEO database to analyze the differential expressed miRNAs (DEmiRNAs) and mRNAs (DEmRNAs) in radiosensitive and radioresistant samples, followed by the construction of the miRNA-mRNA regulatory network and Gene Ontology and KEGG enrichment analysis. Additionally, a prognostic risk model was constructed, and its accuracy was evaluated by means of receiver operating characteristic analysis. RESULTS A total of 125 DEmiRNAs and 42 DEmRNAs were closely related to the radiosensitivity in patients with esophageal cancer. Based on 47 miRNA-mRNA interactions, including 21 miRNAs and 21 mRNAs, the miRNA-mRNA regulatory network was constructed. The prognostic risk model based on 2 miRNAs (miR-132-3p and miR-576-5p) and 4 mRNAs (CAND1, ZDHHC23, AHR, and MTMR4) could accurately predict the prognosis of esophageal cancer patients. Finally, it was verified that miR-132-3p/CAND1/ZDHHC23 and miR-576-5p/AHR could affect the radiosensitivity in esophageal cancer. CONCLUSION Our study demonstrated that miR-132-3p/CAND1/ZDHHC23 and miR-576-5p/AHR were critical molecular pathways related to the radiosensitivity of esophageal cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongmin Chen
- grid.412901.f0000 0004 1770 1022Cancer Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, No. 37 Guoxue Lane, Wuhou District, Chengdu, 610041 People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiaoxiao Shi
- grid.13291.380000 0001 0807 1581Department of Medical Oncology, Chengdu Shang Jin Nan Fu Hospital (West China Hospital, S.C.U.), Chengdu, 611730 People’s Republic of China
| | - Li Ren
- grid.412901.f0000 0004 1770 1022Cancer Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, No. 37 Guoxue Lane, Wuhou District, Chengdu, 610041 People’s Republic of China
| | - Hongyu Zhuo
- grid.412901.f0000 0004 1770 1022Cancer Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, No. 37 Guoxue Lane, Wuhou District, Chengdu, 610041 People’s Republic of China
| | - Li Zeng
- grid.412901.f0000 0004 1770 1022Cancer Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, No. 37 Guoxue Lane, Wuhou District, Chengdu, 610041 People’s Republic of China
| | - Qing Qin
- grid.412901.f0000 0004 1770 1022Cancer Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, No. 37 Guoxue Lane, Wuhou District, Chengdu, 610041 People’s Republic of China
| | - Yuming Wan
- grid.412901.f0000 0004 1770 1022Cancer Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, No. 37 Guoxue Lane, Wuhou District, Chengdu, 610041 People’s Republic of China
| | - Wangmu Sangdan
- Department of Oncology, People’s Hospital of Tibet Autonomous Region, Lhasa, 850000 People’s Republic of China
| | - Lin Zhou
- grid.412901.f0000 0004 1770 1022Cancer Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, No. 37 Guoxue Lane, Wuhou District, Chengdu, 610041 People’s Republic of China ,grid.13291.380000 0001 0807 1581Department of Thoracic Oncology, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, Sichuan University, No. 1, Keyuan 4th Road, Gaopeng Avenue, Chengdu, 610041 People’s Republic of China
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Hu T, Niu Y, Fu J, Dong Z, He D, Liu J. Antisense lncRNA PCNA-AS1 promotes esophageal squamous cell carcinoma progression through the miR-2467-3p/PCNA axis. Open Med (Wars) 2022; 17:1483-1494. [PMID: 36213440 PMCID: PMC9490863 DOI: 10.1515/med-2022-0552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Revised: 07/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Multiple studies have indicated that long non-coding RNAs are aberrantly expressed in cancers and are pivotal in developing various tumors. No studies have investigated the expression and function of long non-coding antisense RNA PCNA-AS1 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). In this study, the expression of PCNA-AS1 was identified by qRT–PCR. Cell function assays were used to explore the potential effect of PCNA-AS1 on ESCC progression. A prediction website was utilized to discover the relationships among PCNA-AS1, miR-2467-3p and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). Dual luciferase reporter gene and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays were executed to verify the binding activity between PCNA-AS1, miR-2467-3p and PCNA. As a result, PCNA-AS1 was highly expressed in ESCC and was associated with patient prognosis. PCNA-AS1 overexpression strongly contributed to ESCC cell proliferation, invasion and migration. PCNA-AS1 and PCNA were positively correlated in ESCC. Bioinformatics analysis, RIP and luciferase reporter gene assays revealed that PCNA-AS1 could act as a competitive endogenous RNA to sponge miR-2467-3p, thus upregulating PCNA. In conclusion, the current outcome demonstrates that PCNA-AS1 may be a star molecule in the treatment of ESCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Hu
- Department of Anesthesiology, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University , Shijiazhuang , Hebei , China
| | - Yunfeng Niu
- Laboratory of Pathology, Hebei Cancer Institute, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University , Shijiazhuang , Hebei , China
| | - Jianfeng Fu
- Department of Anesthesiology, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University , Shijiazhuang , Hebei , China
| | - Zhiming Dong
- Laboratory of Pathology, Hebei Cancer Institute, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University , Shijiazhuang , Hebei , China
| | - Dongwei He
- Laboratory of Pathology, Hebei Cancer Institute, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University , Shijiazhuang , Hebei , China
| | - Junfeng Liu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University , Shijiazhuang , Hebei , China
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