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Bigos KJA, Quiles CG, Lunj S, Smith DJ, Krause M, Troost EGC, West CM, Hoskin P, Choudhury A. Tumour response to hypoxia: understanding the hypoxic tumour microenvironment to improve treatment outcome in solid tumours. Front Oncol 2024; 14:1331355. [PMID: 38352889 PMCID: PMC10861654 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1331355] [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: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Hypoxia is a common feature of solid tumours affecting their biology and response to therapy. One of the main transcription factors activated by hypoxia is hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF), which regulates the expression of genes involved in various aspects of tumourigenesis including proliferative capacity, angiogenesis, immune evasion, metabolic reprogramming, extracellular matrix (ECM) remodelling, and cell migration. This can negatively impact patient outcomes by inducing therapeutic resistance. The importance of hypoxia is clearly demonstrated by continued research into finding clinically relevant hypoxia biomarkers, and hypoxia-targeting therapies. One of the problems is the lack of clinically applicable methods of hypoxia detection, and lack of standardisation. Additionally, a lot of the methods of detecting hypoxia do not take into consideration the complexity of the hypoxic tumour microenvironment (TME). Therefore, this needs further elucidation as approximately 50% of solid tumours are hypoxic. The ECM is important component of the hypoxic TME, and is developed by both cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and tumour cells. However, it is important to distinguish the different roles to develop both biomarkers and novel compounds. Fibronectin (FN), collagen (COL) and hyaluronic acid (HA) are important components of the ECM that create ECM fibres. These fibres are crosslinked by specific enzymes including lysyl oxidase (LOX) which regulates the stiffness of tumours and induces fibrosis. This is partially regulated by HIFs. The review highlights the importance of understanding the role of matrix stiffness in different solid tumours as current data shows contradictory results on the impact on therapeutic resistance. The review also indicates that further research is needed into identifying different CAF subtypes and their exact roles; with some showing pro-tumorigenic capacity and others having anti-tumorigenic roles. This has made it difficult to fully elucidate the role of CAFs within the TME. However, it is clear that this is an important area of research that requires unravelling as current strategies to target CAFs have resulted in worsened prognosis. The role of immune cells within the tumour microenvironment is also discussed as hypoxia has been associated with modulating immune cells to create an anti-tumorigenic environment. Which has led to the development of immunotherapies including PD-L1. These hypoxia-induced changes can confer resistance to conventional therapies, such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the impact of hypoxia on the TME and its implications for therapy resistance. It also discusses the potential of hypoxia biomarkers as prognostic and predictive indictors of treatment response, as well as the challenges and opportunities of targeting hypoxia in clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamilla JA. Bigos
- Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Conrado G. Quiles
- Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Sapna Lunj
- Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Danielle J. Smith
- Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Mechthild Krause
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Dresden and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
- OncoRay – National Center for Radiation Research in Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden - Rossendorf, Dresden, Germany
- Translational Radiooncology and Clinical Radiotherapy, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden - Rossendorf, Dresden, Germany
- Translational Radiation Oncology, National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Partner Site Dresden, Dresden, Germany
- Translational Radiooncology and Clinical Radiotherapy and Image-guided High Precision Radiotherapy, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
- Translational Radiooncology and Clinical Radiotherapy and Image-guided High Precision Radiotherapy, Helmholtz Association / Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden - Rossendorf (HZDR), Dresden, Germany
- School of Medicine, Technische Universitat Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Esther GC. Troost
- OncoRay – National Center for Radiation Research in Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden - Rossendorf, Dresden, Germany
- Translational Radiation Oncology, National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Partner Site Dresden, Dresden, Germany
- Translational Radiooncology and Clinical Radiotherapy and Image-guided High Precision Radiotherapy, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
- Translational Radiooncology and Clinical Radiotherapy and Image-guided High Precision Radiotherapy, Helmholtz Association / Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden - Rossendorf (HZDR), Dresden, Germany
- School of Medicine, Technische Universitat Dresden, Dresden, Germany
- Department of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
- Institute of Radiooncology – OncoRay, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Rossendorf, Germany
| | - Catharine M. West
- Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Christie Hospital, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Peter Hoskin
- Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Mount Vernon Cancer Centre, Northwood, United Kingdom
| | - Ananya Choudhury
- Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Christie Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, Germany
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Huang CF, Liu SH, Ho TJ, Lee KI, Fang KM, Lo WC, Liu JM, Wu CC, Su CC. Quercetin induces tongue squamous cell carcinoma cell apoptosis via the JNK activation-regulated ERK/GSK-3α/β-mediated mitochondria-dependent apoptotic signaling pathway. Oncol Lett 2022; 23:78. [PMID: 35111247 PMCID: PMC8771640 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2022.13198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Tongue squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is a most common type of oral cancer. Due to its highly invasive nature and poor survival rate, the development of effective pharmacological therapeutic agents is urgently required. Quercetin (3,3',4',5,7-pentahydroxyflavone) is a polyphenolic flavonoid found in plants and is an active component of Chinese herbal medicine. The present study investigated the pharmacological effects and possible mechanisms of quercetin on apoptosis of the tongue SCC-derived SAS cell line. Following treatment with quercetin, cell viability was assessed via the MTT assay. Apoptotic and necrotic cells, mitochondrial transmembrane potential and caspase-3/7 activity were analyzed via flow cytometric analyses. A caspase-3 activity assay kit was used to detect the expression of caspase-3 activity. Western blot analysis was performed to examine the expression levels of proteins associated with the MAPKs, AMPKα, GSK3-α/β and caspase-related signaling pathways. The results revealed that quercetin induced morphological alterations and decreased the viability of SAS cells. Quercetin also increased apoptosis-related Annexin V-FITC fluorescence and caspase-3 activity, and induced mitochondria-dependent apoptotic signals, including a decrease in mitochondrial transmembrane potential and Bcl-2 protein expression, and an increase in cytosolic cytochrome c, Bax, Bak, cleaved caspase-3, cleaved caspase-7 and cleaved poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase protein expression. Furthermore, quercetin significantly increased the protein expression levels of phosphorylated (p)-ERK, p-JNK1/2 and p-GSK3-α/β, but not p-p38 or p-AMPKα in SAS cells. Pretreatment with the pharmacological JNK inhibitor SP600125 effectively reduced the quercetin-induced apoptosis-related signals, as well as p-ERK1/2 and p-GSK3-α/β protein expression. Both ERK1/2 and GSK3-α/β inhibitors, PD98059 and LiCl, respectively, could significantly prevent the quercetin-induced phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and GSK3-α/β, but not JNK activation. Taken together, these results suggested that quercetin may induce tongue SCC cell apoptosis via the JNK-activation-regulated ERK1/2 and GSK3-α/β-mediated mitochondria-dependent apoptotic signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun-Fa Huang
- School of Chinese Medicine, College of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 404, Taiwan, R.O.C
- Department of Nursing, College of Medical and Health Science, Asia University, Taichung 413, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Shing-Hwa Liu
- Institute of Toxicology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei 100, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Tsung-Jung Ho
- Integration Center of Traditional Chinese and Modern Medicine, Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, Hualien 970, Taiwan, R.O.C
- Department of Chinese Medicine, Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, Hualien 970, Taiwan, R.O.C
- School of Post-Baccalaureate Chinese Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 970, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Kuan-I Lee
- Department of Emergency, Taichung Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, Taichung 427, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Kai-Min Fang
- Department of Otolaryngology, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, New Taipei City 220, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Wu-Chia Lo
- Department of Otolaryngology, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, New Taipei City 220, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Jui-Ming Liu
- Department of Urology, Taoyuan General Hospital, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taoyuan 330, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Chin-Ching Wu
- Department of Public Health, China Medical University, Taichung 404, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Chin-Chuan Su
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua 500, Taiwan, R.O.C
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Ge Y, Liu BL, Cui JP, Li SQ. Livin promotes colon cancer progression by regulation of H2A.X Y39ph via JMJD6. Life Sci 2019; 234:116788. [PMID: 31445935 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2019.116788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2019] [Revised: 08/07/2019] [Accepted: 08/21/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Livin is an important member of the human inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) family. IAPs are proteins with antiapoptotic abilities, and their functions are different from the Bcl-2 (B-cell lymphoma-2) family proteins. However, the precise role of Livin in colon cancer progression remains unclear. The purpose of this study is to assess the effect of overexpression Livin in colon cancer cells and to examine its molecular mechanism. We demonstrated that Livin induced a colon cancer phenotype, including proliferation and migration, by regulating H2A.XY39ph (histone family 2A variant (H2AX) phosphorylated on the 39th serine site). We elucidated that Livin degraded Jumonji-C domain-containing 6 protein (JMJD6), which was mediated by the proteasome murine double minute 2 (MDM2), thereby regulating H2A.XY39ph. Above all, the overexpression of JMJD6 recovered H2A.XY39ph in colon cancer cells with a high level of Livin, thus inhibiting colon cancer malignancy progression. These results reveal a previously unrecognized role for Livin in regulating the tumor-initiating capacity in colon cancer and provide a novel treatment strategy in cancer via the interruption of H2A.XY39ph function and the interaction between H2A.XY39ph and JMJD6.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Ge
- The Six Department of General Surgery, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110004, China
| | - Bao-Lin Liu
- The Six Department of General Surgery, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110004, China
| | - Jun-Peng Cui
- The Six Department of General Surgery, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110004, China
| | - Shu-Qiang Li
- The Six Department of General Surgery, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110004, China.
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Yoon TM, Kim SA, Lee DH, Lee JK, Park YL, Lee KH, Chung IJ, Joo YE, Lim SC. Livin enhances chemoresistance in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Oncol Rep 2017; 37:3667-3673. [PMID: 28440463 DOI: 10.3892/or.2017.5584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2016] [Accepted: 04/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The responsiveness of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) to chemotherapy widely affects prognosis. Overcoming chemoresistance is necessary to improve prognoses in patients with advanced HNSCC. Evasion of apoptosis by cancer cells is a major cause of chemoresistance. Livin, a member of the human inhibitors of apoptosis protein family, is highly expressed in various human cancer tissues and is associated with tumor progression and poor prognosis in human cancers. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the role of Livin in the susceptibility to popularly used chemotherapeutic drugs such as cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil (FU) and docetaxel in human HNSCC cell lines (SNU1041, PCI1 and PCI50 cells). Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and western blotting were performed to determine mRNA and protein expression levels. Cell viability and apoptosis assays were used to assess the functional effects of small-interfering RNA-mediated knockdown of Livin. Each HNSCC cell line had different sensitivity to chemotherapeutic drugs. Livin knockdown significantly enhanced cytotoxicity to cisplatin, 5-FU and docetaxel in human HNSCC cells. Livin knockdown induced apoptosis and enhanced chemotherapy-induced apoptosis to cisplatin, 5-FU and docetaxel. Consistent with this, Livin-knockdown cells showed greater expression of cleaved caspases-3 and -7 and poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase compared with that in control cells after cisplatin, 5-FU, or docetaxel treatment. In conclusion, our results suggest that siRNA-mediated Livin knockdown enhanced the chemosensitivity of the three HNSCC cell lines to cisplatin, 5-FU and docetaxel. Although further investigations are required to support these findings, our results demonstrated that novel therapeutic strategies with combined use of siRNA targeting Livin and chemotherapeutic agents may have applications in the treatment of advanced HNSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tae Mi Yoon
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwanju 501-757, Republic of Korea
| | - Sun-Ae Kim
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwanju 501-757, Republic of Korea
| | - Dong Hoon Lee
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwanju 501-757, Republic of Korea
| | - Joon Kyoo Lee
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwanju 501-757, Republic of Korea
| | - Young-Lan Park
- Department of Internal Medicine, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwanju 501-757, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyung-Hwa Lee
- Department of Pathology, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwanju 501-757, Republic of Korea
| | - Ik-Joo Chung
- Department of Internal Medicine, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwanju 501-757, Republic of Korea
| | - Young-Eun Joo
- Department of Internal Medicine, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwanju 501-757, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang Chul Lim
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwanju 501-757, Republic of Korea
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