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Jo MY, Jeong YJ, Song KH, Choi YH, Kwon TK, Chang YC. 4-O-Methylascochlorin Synergistically Enhances 5-Fluorouracil-Induced Apoptosis by Inhibiting the Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Pathway in Colorectal Cancer Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:5746. [PMID: 38891932 PMCID: PMC11172374 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25115746] [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: 04/22/2024] [Revised: 05/20/2024] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
4-O-Methyl-ascochlorin (MAC), a derivative of the prenyl-phenol antibiotic ascochlorin extracted from the fungus Ascochyta viciae, shows anticarcinogenic effects on various cancer cells. 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is used to treat colorectal cancer (CRC); however, its efficacy must be enhanced. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms by which MAC acts synergistically with 5-FU to inhibit cell proliferation and induce apoptosis in CRC cells. MAC enhanced the cytotoxic effects of 5-FU by suppressing the Akt/mTOR/p70S6K and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways. It also reduced the viability of 5-FU-resistant (5-FU-R) cells. Furthermore, expression of anti-apoptosis-related proteins and cancer stem-like cell (CSC) markers by 5-FU-R cells decreased in response to MAC. Similar to MAC, the knockdown of CTNNB1 induced apoptosis and reduced expression of mRNA encoding CRC markers in 5-FU-R cells. In summary, these results suggest that MAC and other β-catenin modulators may be useful in overcoming the 5-FU resistance of CRC cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min-Young Jo
- Research Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Department of Cell Biology, Daegu Catholic University School of Medicine, Daegu 42472, Republic of Korea
| | - Yun-Jeong Jeong
- Research Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Department of Cell Biology, Daegu Catholic University School of Medicine, Daegu 42472, Republic of Korea
| | - Kwon-Ho Song
- Research Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Department of Cell Biology, Daegu Catholic University School of Medicine, Daegu 42472, Republic of Korea
| | - Yung Hyun Choi
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Korean Medicine, Dong-Eui University, Busan 47227, Republic of Korea
| | - Taeg Kyu Kwon
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Keimyung University, Daegu 42601, Republic of Korea
| | - Young-Chae Chang
- Research Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Department of Cell Biology, Daegu Catholic University School of Medicine, Daegu 42472, Republic of Korea
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Gmeiner WH, Okechukwu CC. Review of 5-FU resistance mechanisms in colorectal cancer: clinical significance of attenuated on-target effects. CANCER DRUG RESISTANCE (ALHAMBRA, CALIF.) 2023; 6:257-272. [PMID: 37457133 PMCID: PMC10344727 DOI: 10.20517/cdr.2022.136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 04/01/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
The emergence of chemoresistant disease during chemotherapy with 5-Fluorouracil-based (5-FU-based) regimens is an important factor in the mortality of metastatic CRC (mCRC). The causes of 5-FU resistance are multi-factorial, and besides DNA mismatch repair deficiency (MMR-D), there are no widely accepted criteria for determining which CRC patients are not likely to be responsive to 5-FU-based therapy. Thus, there is a need to systematically understand the mechanistic basis for 5-FU treatment failure and an urgent need to develop new approaches for circumventing the major causes of 5-FU resistance. In this manuscript, we review mechanisms of 5-FU resistance with an emphasis on: (1) altered anabolic metabolism limiting the formation of the primary active metabolite Fluorodeoxyuridylate (5-Fluoro-2'-deoxyuridine-5'-O-monophosphate; FdUMP); (2) elevated expression or activity of the primary enzymatic target thymidylate synthase (TS); and (3) dysregulated programmed cell death as important causes of 5-FU resistance. Importantly, these causes of 5-FU resistance can potentially be overcome through the use of next-generation fluoropyrimidine (FP) polymers (e.g., CF10) that display reduced dependence on anabolic metabolism and more potent TS inhibitory activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- William H. Gmeiner
- Department of Cancer Biology and Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
- Integrative Physiology and Pharmacology Graduate Program, Institution, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Charles Chidi Okechukwu
- Department of Cancer Biology and Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
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Li R, He C, Shen L, Wang S, Shen Y, Feng F, Zhang J, Zheng J. NDRG4 sensitizes CRC cells to 5-FU by upregulating DDIT3 expression. Oncol Lett 2021; 22:782. [PMID: 34594423 PMCID: PMC8456512 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2021.13043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
The incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) has remained high in recent years, and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) is a vital chemotherapeutic agent for its treatment. Our previous study reported that N-myc downstream-regulated gene 4 (NDRG4) plays a tumor-suppressive role in CRC, but the mechanisms associated with NDRG4 and 5-FU chemosensitivity remain unclear. The results of the present study demonstrate that NDRG4 sensitized CRC cells to 5-FU by upregulating DNA damage inducible transcript 3 (DDIT3). NDRG4 inhibited the proliferation of CRC cells and the activation of PI3K/AKT and ERK signaling. Furthermore, NDRG4 promoted CRC cell apoptosis induced by 5-FU. Mechanistic analyses revealed that NDRG4 upregulated DDIT3 expression, and that the proapoptotic effect of NDRG4 under 5-FU treatment conditions was dependent on DDIT3. These findings support the biological value of the association between NDRG4, DDIT3 and 5-FU chemosensitivity in CRC, and may advance the clinical treatment of CRC in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruikai Li
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Xijing Hospital, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710032, P.R. China.,State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710032, P.R. China
| | - Chenxiang He
- Department of General Surgery, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University of Medicine, Shanghai 200080, P.R. China
| | - Liangliang Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710032, P.R. China.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710032, P.R. China
| | - Shuai Wang
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Xijing Hospital, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710032, P.R. China.,State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710032, P.R. China
| | - Yao Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710032, P.R. China.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710032, P.R. China
| | - Fan Feng
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Xijing Hospital, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710032, P.R. China.,State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710032, P.R. China
| | - Jian Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710032, P.R. China.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710032, P.R. China
| | - Jianyong Zheng
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Xijing Hospital, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710032, P.R. China.,State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710032, P.R. China
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The Δ40p53 isoform inhibits p53-dependent eRNA transcription and enables regulation by signal-specific transcription factors during p53 activation. PLoS Biol 2021; 19:e3001364. [PMID: 34351910 PMCID: PMC8370613 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2020] [Revised: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 07/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The naturally occurring Δ40p53 isoform heterotetramerizes with wild-type p53 (WTp53) to regulate development, aging, and stress responses. How Δ40p53 alters WTp53 function remains enigmatic because their co-expression causes tetramer heterogeneity. We circumvented this issue with a well-tested strategy that expressed Δ40p53:WTp53 as a single transcript, ensuring a 2:2 tetramer stoichiometry. Human MCF10A cell lines expressing Δ40p53:WTp53, WTp53, or WTp53:WTp53 (as controls) from the native TP53 locus were examined with transcriptomics (precision nuclear run-on sequencing [PRO-seq] and RNA sequencing [RNA-seq]), metabolomics, and other methods. Δ40p53:WTp53 was transcriptionally active, and, although phenotypically similar to WTp53 under normal conditions, it failed to induce growth arrest upon Nutlin-induced p53 activation. This occurred via Δ40p53:WTp53-dependent inhibition of enhancer RNA (eRNA) transcription and subsequent failure to induce mRNA biogenesis, despite similar genomic occupancy to WTp53. A different stimulus (5-fluorouracil [5FU]) also showed Δ40p53:WTp53-specific changes in mRNA induction; however, other transcription factors (TFs; e.g., E2F2) could then drive the response, yielding similar outcomes vs. WTp53. Our results establish that Δ40p53 tempers WTp53 function to enable compensatory responses by other stimulus-specific TFs. Such modulation of WTp53 activity may be an essential physiological function for Δ40p53. Moreover, Δ40p53:WTp53 functional distinctions uncovered herein suggest an eRNA requirement for mRNA biogenesis and that human p53 evolved as a tetramer to support eRNA transcription. How does Δ40p53, a naturally occurring isoform of p53 that is linked to accelerated aging, alter WTp53 function? Using an innovative approach, this study reveals that Δ40p53 suppresses enhancer RNA transcription and allows other stimulus-specific transcription factors to modulate the p53 transcriptional response.
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