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Ortega MA, Jiménez-Álvarez L, Fraile-Martinez O, Garcia-Montero C, Guijarro LG, Pekarek L, Barrena-Blázquez S, Asúnsolo Á, López-González L, Toledo-Lobo MDV, Álvarez-Mon M, Saez MA, Gutiérrez-Calvo A, Díaz-Pedrero R. Prognostic Value of Histone Acetyl Transferase 1 (HAT-1) and Inflammatory Signatures in Pancreatic Cancer. Curr Issues Mol Biol 2024; 46:3839-3865. [PMID: 38785507 PMCID: PMC11119917 DOI: 10.3390/cimb46050239] [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: 03/28/2024] [Revised: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer is a type of gastrointestinal tumor with a growing incidence and mortality worldwide. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) constitutes 90% of cases, and late-stage diagnosis is common, leading to a 5-year survival rate of less than 10% in high-income countries. The use of biomarkers has different proven translational applications, facilitating early diagnosis, accurate prognosis and identification of potential therapeutic targets. Several studies have shown a correlation between the tissue expression levels of various molecules, measured through immunohistochemistry (IHC), and survival rates in PDAC. Following the hallmarks of cancer, epigenetic and metabolic reprogramming, together with immune evasion and tumor-promoted inflammation, plays a critical role in cancer initiation and development. In this study, we aim to explore via IHC and Kaplan-Meier analyses the prognostic value of various epigenetic-related markers (histones 3 and 4 (H3/H4), histone acetyl transferase 1 (HAT-1), Anti-Silencing Function 1 protein (ASF1), Nuclear Autoantigenic Sperm Protein (NASP), Retinol Binding Protein 7 (RBBP7), importin 4 (IPO4) and IPO5), metabolic regulators (Phosphoglycerate mutase (PGAM)) and inflammatory mediators (allograft inflammatory factor 1 (AIF-1), interleukin 10 (IL-10), IL-12A and IL-18) in patients with PDAC. Also, through a correlation analysis, we have explored the possible interconnections in the expression levels of these molecules. Our results show that higher expression levels of these molecules are directly associated with poorer survival rates in PDAC patients, except in the case of IL-10, which shows an inverse association with mortality. HAT1 was the molecule more clearly associated with mortality, with a hazard risk of 21.74. The correlogram demonstrates an important correlation between almost all molecules studied (except in the case of IL-18), highlighting potential interactions between these molecules. Overall, our study demonstrates the relevance of including different markers from IHC techniques in order to identify unexplored molecules to develop more accurate prognosis methods and possible targeted therapies. Additionally, our correlation analysis reveals potential interactions among these markers, offering insights into PDAC's pathogenesis and paving the way for targeted therapies tailored to individual patient profiles. Future studies should be conducted to confirm the prognostic value of these components in PDAC in a broader sample size, as well as to evaluate the possible biological networks connecting them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel A. Ortega
- Department of Medicine and Medical Specialities (CIBEREHD), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Alcala, 28801 Alcala de Henares, Madrid, Spain; (L.J.-Á.); (O.F.-M.); (C.G.-M.); (S.B.-B.); (M.Á.-M.); (M.A.S.)
- Ramón y Cajal Institute of Sanitary Research (IRYCIS), 28034 Madrid, Spain; (L.G.G.); (L.P.); (Á.A.); (L.L.-G.); (M.D.V.T.-L.); (R.D.-P.)
- Cancer Registry and Pathology Department, Principe de Asturias University Hospital, 28806 Alcala de Henares, Madrid, Spain
| | - Laura Jiménez-Álvarez
- Department of Medicine and Medical Specialities (CIBEREHD), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Alcala, 28801 Alcala de Henares, Madrid, Spain; (L.J.-Á.); (O.F.-M.); (C.G.-M.); (S.B.-B.); (M.Á.-M.); (M.A.S.)
- Department of General and Digestive Surgery, General and Digestive Surgery, Principe de Asturias University Hospital, 28806 Alcala de Henares, Madrid, Spain;
| | - Oscar Fraile-Martinez
- Department of Medicine and Medical Specialities (CIBEREHD), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Alcala, 28801 Alcala de Henares, Madrid, Spain; (L.J.-Á.); (O.F.-M.); (C.G.-M.); (S.B.-B.); (M.Á.-M.); (M.A.S.)
- Ramón y Cajal Institute of Sanitary Research (IRYCIS), 28034 Madrid, Spain; (L.G.G.); (L.P.); (Á.A.); (L.L.-G.); (M.D.V.T.-L.); (R.D.-P.)
| | - Cielo Garcia-Montero
- Department of Medicine and Medical Specialities (CIBEREHD), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Alcala, 28801 Alcala de Henares, Madrid, Spain; (L.J.-Á.); (O.F.-M.); (C.G.-M.); (S.B.-B.); (M.Á.-M.); (M.A.S.)
- Ramón y Cajal Institute of Sanitary Research (IRYCIS), 28034 Madrid, Spain; (L.G.G.); (L.P.); (Á.A.); (L.L.-G.); (M.D.V.T.-L.); (R.D.-P.)
| | - Luis G. Guijarro
- Ramón y Cajal Institute of Sanitary Research (IRYCIS), 28034 Madrid, Spain; (L.G.G.); (L.P.); (Á.A.); (L.L.-G.); (M.D.V.T.-L.); (R.D.-P.)
- Unit of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Department of System Biology (CIBEREHD), University of Alcala, 28801 Alcala de Henares, Madrid, Spain
| | - Leonel Pekarek
- Ramón y Cajal Institute of Sanitary Research (IRYCIS), 28034 Madrid, Spain; (L.G.G.); (L.P.); (Á.A.); (L.L.-G.); (M.D.V.T.-L.); (R.D.-P.)
- Oncology Service, Guadalajara University Hospital, 19002 Guadalajara, Spain
| | - Silvestra Barrena-Blázquez
- Department of Medicine and Medical Specialities (CIBEREHD), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Alcala, 28801 Alcala de Henares, Madrid, Spain; (L.J.-Á.); (O.F.-M.); (C.G.-M.); (S.B.-B.); (M.Á.-M.); (M.A.S.)
- Department of General and Digestive Surgery, General and Digestive Surgery, Principe de Asturias University Hospital, 28806 Alcala de Henares, Madrid, Spain;
| | - Ángel Asúnsolo
- Ramón y Cajal Institute of Sanitary Research (IRYCIS), 28034 Madrid, Spain; (L.G.G.); (L.P.); (Á.A.); (L.L.-G.); (M.D.V.T.-L.); (R.D.-P.)
- Department of Surgery, Medical and Social Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Alcala, 28801 Alcala de Henares, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, University of New York, New York, NY 10012, USA
| | - Laura López-González
- Ramón y Cajal Institute of Sanitary Research (IRYCIS), 28034 Madrid, Spain; (L.G.G.); (L.P.); (Á.A.); (L.L.-G.); (M.D.V.T.-L.); (R.D.-P.)
- Department of Surgery, Medical and Social Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Alcala, 28801 Alcala de Henares, Madrid, Spain
| | - María Del Val Toledo-Lobo
- Ramón y Cajal Institute of Sanitary Research (IRYCIS), 28034 Madrid, Spain; (L.G.G.); (L.P.); (Á.A.); (L.L.-G.); (M.D.V.T.-L.); (R.D.-P.)
- Unit of Cell Biology, Department of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, University of Alcala, 28801 Alcala de Henares, Madrid, Spain
| | - Melchor Álvarez-Mon
- Department of Medicine and Medical Specialities (CIBEREHD), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Alcala, 28801 Alcala de Henares, Madrid, Spain; (L.J.-Á.); (O.F.-M.); (C.G.-M.); (S.B.-B.); (M.Á.-M.); (M.A.S.)
- Ramón y Cajal Institute of Sanitary Research (IRYCIS), 28034 Madrid, Spain; (L.G.G.); (L.P.); (Á.A.); (L.L.-G.); (M.D.V.T.-L.); (R.D.-P.)
- Immune System Diseases-Rheumatology, Oncology Service and Internal Medicine (CIBEREHD), Principe de Asturias University Hospital, 28806 Alcala de Henares, Madrid, Spain
| | - Miguel A. Saez
- Department of Medicine and Medical Specialities (CIBEREHD), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Alcala, 28801 Alcala de Henares, Madrid, Spain; (L.J.-Á.); (O.F.-M.); (C.G.-M.); (S.B.-B.); (M.Á.-M.); (M.A.S.)
- Ramón y Cajal Institute of Sanitary Research (IRYCIS), 28034 Madrid, Spain; (L.G.G.); (L.P.); (Á.A.); (L.L.-G.); (M.D.V.T.-L.); (R.D.-P.)
- Pathological Anatomy Service, Central University Hospital of Defence-UAH Madrid, 28801 Alcala de Henares, Madrid, Spain
| | - Alberto Gutiérrez-Calvo
- Department of General and Digestive Surgery, General and Digestive Surgery, Principe de Asturias University Hospital, 28806 Alcala de Henares, Madrid, Spain;
- Department of Surgery, Medical and Social Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Alcala, 28801 Alcala de Henares, Madrid, Spain
| | - Raúl Díaz-Pedrero
- Ramón y Cajal Institute of Sanitary Research (IRYCIS), 28034 Madrid, Spain; (L.G.G.); (L.P.); (Á.A.); (L.L.-G.); (M.D.V.T.-L.); (R.D.-P.)
- Department of General and Digestive Surgery, General and Digestive Surgery, Principe de Asturias University Hospital, 28806 Alcala de Henares, Madrid, Spain;
- Department of Surgery, Medical and Social Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Alcala, 28801 Alcala de Henares, Madrid, Spain
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Ahmed AA, Chen S, Roman-Escorza M, Angell R, Oxenford S, McConville M, Barton N, Sunose M, Neidle D, Haider S, Arshad T, Neidle S. Structure-activity relationships for the G-quadruplex-targeting experimental drug QN-302 and two analogues probed with comparative transcriptome profiling and molecular modeling. Sci Rep 2024; 14:3447. [PMID: 38342953 PMCID: PMC10859377 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-54080-2] [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: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/13/2024] Open
Abstract
The tetrasubstituted naphthalene diimide compound QN-302 binds to G-quadruplex (G4) DNA structures. It shows high potency in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cells and inhibits the transcription of cancer-related genes in these cells and in PDAC animal models. It is currently in Phase 1a clinical evaluation as an anticancer drug. A study of structure-activity relationships of QN-302 and two related analogues (CM03 and SOP1247) is reported here. These have been probed using comparisons of transcriptional profiles from whole-genome RNA-seq analyses, together with molecular modelling and molecular dynamics simulations. Compounds CM03 and SOP1247 differ by the presence of a methoxy substituent in the latter: these two compounds have closely similar transcriptional profiles. Whereas QN-302 (with an additional benzyl-pyrrolidine group), although also showing down-regulatory effects in the same cancer-related pathways, has effects on distinct genes, for example in the hedgehog pathway. This distinctive pattern of genes affected by QN-302 is hypothesized to contribute to its superior potency compared to CM03 and SOP1247. Its enhanced ability to stabilize G4 structures has been attributed to its benzyl-pyrrolidine substituent fitting into and filling most of the space in a G4 groove compared to the hydrogen atom in CM03 or the methoxy group substituent in SOP1247.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed Abdullah Ahmed
- The School of Pharmacy, University College London, London, WC1N 1AX, UK
- Now at Guy's Cancer Centre, Guy's Hospital, London, SE1 9RT, UK
| | - Shuang Chen
- The School of Pharmacy, University College London, London, WC1N 1AX, UK
| | | | - Richard Angell
- The School of Pharmacy, University College London, London, WC1N 1AX, UK
- Now at Medicines Discovery Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, UK
| | - Sally Oxenford
- The School of Pharmacy, University College London, London, WC1N 1AX, UK
- Now at Artios Ltd, Cambridge, CB22 3FH, UK
| | | | | | - Mihiro Sunose
- Sygnature Discovery Ltd, BioCity, Nottingham, NG1 1GR, UK
| | - Dan Neidle
- Tax Policy Associates, London, EC1R 0ET, UK
| | - Shozeb Haider
- The School of Pharmacy, University College London, London, WC1N 1AX, UK
| | - Tariq Arshad
- Qualigen Therapeutics Inc, Carlsbad, CA, 92011, USA
| | - Stephen Neidle
- The School of Pharmacy, University College London, London, WC1N 1AX, UK.
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