Telomerase reverse transcriptase promotes the proliferation of human laryngeal carcinoma cells through activation of the activator protein 1

Effects of metformin and silodosin as supplementary treatments to abiraterone on human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) level in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) cells: An in vitro study

The antiproliferative properties of metformin and silodosin have been observed in prostate cancer. Furthermore, it is hypothesized that the molecular pathways related to these drugs may impact the levels of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) in prostate cancer cells. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of metformin and silodosin on the levels of hTERT in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) cells. The present study employed an experimental design with a post-test-only control group. This study utilized the PC3 cell line as a model for mCRPC. A viability experiment was conducted using the CCK-8 method to determine the inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of metformin, silodosin, and abiraterone acetate (AA) after a 72-hour incubation period of PC3 cells. In order to investigate the levels of hTERT, PC3 cells were divided into two control groups: a negative control and a standard therapy with AA. Additionally, three experimental combination groups were added: metformin with AA; silodosin with AA; and metformin, silodosin and AA. The level of hTERT was measured using sandwich ELISA technique. The difference in hTERT levels was assessed using ANOVA followed by a post hoc test. The IC50 values for metformin, silodosin, and AA were 17.7 mM, 44.162 mM, and 66.9 μM, respectively. Our data indicated that the combination of metformin with AA and the combination of metformin, silodosin and AA decreased the hTERT levels when compared to control, AA, and silodosin with AA. The administration of metformin resulted in a reduction of hTERT levels in the PC3 cell line, but the impact of silodosin on hTERT levels was not statistically significant compared to AA group.

Genetic characterisation of sarcomatoid carcinomas reveals multiple novel actionable mutations and identifies KRAS mutation as a biomarker of poor prognosis

BACKGROUND

Sarcomatoid component occurs in various epithelial malignancies and is associated with an aggressive disease course and poor clinical outcome. As it is largely rare, the molecular events underlying sarcomatoid carcinomas (SCs) remain poorly characterised. Here, we performed targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) on patients with surgically resected SCs comprising distinct tissues of origin.

METHODS

A total of 71 patients with pathological diagnosis of sarcomatoid carcinomas and underwent surgery were retrospectively enrolled in this study. Overall survival (OS) was defined as the time from surgery to death from any cause. Patients alive or lost to follow-up were censored. Genomic DNA from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples was extracted for NGS and tumour mutation burden (TMB) analysis.

RESULTS

In general, SCs occurred more commonly in males, except those of the gallbladder. SCs of the lung and the larynx were associated with a higher proportion of smokers (p=0.0015). Alterations in TP53, RB1, TERT and KRAS were highly frequent, with KRAS mutations being a biomarker of poor prognosis (median OS=8 vs 16 months, p=0.03). Multiple alterations in potentially actionable genes, including ROS1 and NTRK1 fusions and ERBB2 amplification, were detected in the extra-pulmonary cohort. A relatively high proportion (30%) of patients with extra-pulmonary SC had high TMB, with a median of 5.39 mutations per Mb. Lastly, copy number variations were common in SCs, and were non-overlapping between the primary and metastatic tumours.

CONCLUSION

Taken together, our results suggest that comprehensive genetic testing may be necessary to inform treatment options and identify prognostic biomarkers.

Telomerase activation in the treatment of aging or degenerative diseases: a systematic review

Telomeres are protective structures that are shortened during the lifetime, resulting in aging and degenerative diseases. Subjects experiencing aging and degenerative disorders present smaller telomeres than young and healthy ones. The size of these structures can be stabilized by telomerase, an enzyme which is inactive in adult tissues but functional in fetal and newborn tissues and adult testes and ovaries. The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review to evaluate the effect of telomerase activation in the treatment of degenerative and aging disorders. We accomplished the search using the Pubmed interface for papers published from September 1985 to April 16th, 2020. We found twenty one studies that matched our eligibility criteria. I concluded that telomerase is probably a potential and safe treatment for aging and degenerative diseases, demonstrating neither side effects nor risk of cancer in the selected studies. Further studies in humans are needed to confirm safety and efficiency of this treatment.

Association between functional TERT promoter polymorphism rs2853669 and cervical cancer risk in South Indian women

A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs2853669 (A>G) in the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) promoter has recently been reported in chr5:1,295,349 T>C (T349C), and was shown to be associated with increased cancer risk and poor survival in a specific population. However, at present, the role of this particular SNP with TERT promoter driver mutations and its genetic association with human papilloma virus (HPV) in patients with cervical cancer has not been determined. In the present study, the genetic association of the functional SNP rs2853669 in the presence/absence of TERT promoter hotspot mutations and HPV in patients with cervical cancer of South Indian origin was evaluated. To understand and compare the frequency of the variant allele and its risk association in different cancer types of various populations, the SNP was genotyped in 257 cervical cancer samples and 295 controls, and its associations with TERT promoter hotspot mutations and HPV were analyzed. Furthermore, an extensive search of previously published articles in PubMed, Embase and Web of Science was conducted; a meta-analysis was carried out to elucidate the association of the SNP with different cancer types in global populations. The SNP analysis showed significantly high frequency (41%) of homozygous variant allele rs2853669 (GG) in patients with cervical cancer compared with control samples [Recessive allele model odds ratio (OR)=1.71; 95% CI=1.20-2.43; P=0.003]. No significant interaction was observed between the TERT SNP rs2853669 and HPV status as well as other hotspot TERT promoter (C228T and C250T) mutations determined in our previous study. In addition, the overall meta-analysis revealed a significant association of the SNP rs2853669 with other cancer types in different ethnic populations (OR=1.09; 95% CI=1.03-1.16; P=0.004). The present results suggested that the TERT SNP rs2853669 could play an important role in the risk of cervical cancer in a South Indian population.

Therapeutic targeting of replicative immortality

One of the hallmarks of malignant cell populations is the ability to undergo continuous proliferation. This property allows clonal lineages to acquire sequential aberrations that can fuel increasingly autonomous growth, invasiveness, and therapeutic resistance. Innate cellular mechanisms have evolved to regulate replicative potential as a hedge against malignant progression. When activated in the absence of normal terminal differentiation cues, these mechanisms can result in a state of persistent cytostasis. This state, termed “senescence,” can be triggered by intrinsic cellular processes such as telomere dysfunction and oncogene expression, and by exogenous factors such as DNA damaging agents or oxidative environments. Despite differences in upstream signaling, senescence often involves convergent interdependent activation of tumor suppressors p53 and p16/pRB, but can be induced, albeit with reduced sensitivity, when these suppressors are compromised. Doses of conventional genotoxic drugs required to achieve cancer cell senescence are often much lower than doses required to achieve outright cell death. Additional therapies, such as those targeting cyclin dependent kinases or components of the PI3K signaling pathway, may induce senescence specifically in cancer cells by circumventing defects in tumor suppressor pathways or exploiting cancer cells’ heightened requirements for telomerase. Such treatments sufficient to induce cancer cell senescence could provide increased patient survival with fewer and less severe side effects than conventional cytotoxic regimens. This positive aspect is countered by important caveats regarding senescence reversibility, genomic instability, and paracrine effects that may increase heterogeneity and adaptive resistance of surviving cancer cells. Nevertheless, agents that effectively disrupt replicative immortality will likely be valuable components of new combinatorial approaches to cancer therapy.