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Alchera E, Chandrashekar BR, Clemente N, Borroni E, Boldorini R, Carini R. Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury of Fatty Liver Is Protected by A2AR and Exacerbated by A1R Stimulation through Opposite Effects on ASK1 Activation. Cells 2021; 10:3171. [PMID: 34831394 PMCID: PMC8618984 DOI: 10.3390/cells10113171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Revised: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) is aggravated by steatosis and is a main risk factor in fatty liver transplantation. Adenosine receptors (ARs) are emerging as therapeutic targets in liver diseases. By using cellular and in vivo systems of hepatic steatosis and IRI, here we evaluated the effects of pharmacological A2AR and A1R activation. The A2AR agonist CGS21680 protected the primary steatotic murine hepatocyte from IR damage and the activation of ASK1 and JNK. Such an effect was attributed to a phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt-dependent inhibition of ASK1. By contrast, the A1R agonist CCPA enhanced IR damage, intracellular steatosis and oxidative species (OS) production, thereby further increasing the lipid/OS-dependent ASK1-JNK stimulation. The CGS2680 and CCPA effects were nullified by a genetic ASK1 downregulation in steatotic hepatoma C1C7 cells. In steatotic mice livers, CGS21680 protected against hepatic IRI and ASK1/JNK activation whereas CCPA aggravated hepatic steatosis and IRI, and enhanced ASK1 and JNK stimulation. These results evidence a novel mechanism of CGS21680-mediated hepatoprotection, i.e., the PI3K/AKT-dependent inhibition of ASK1, and they show that CGS21680 and CCPA reduces and enhances the IRI of fatty liver, respectively, by preventing or increasing the activation of the cytotoxic ASK1/JNK axis. They also indicate the selective employment of A2AR agonists as an effective therapeutic strategy to prevent IRI in human fatty liver surgery.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Rita Carini
- Department of Health Science, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy; (E.A.); (B.R.C.); (N.C.); (E.B.); (R.B.)
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2
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Monti N, Masiello MG, Proietti S, Catizone A, Ricci G, Harrath AH, Alwasel SH, Cucina A, Bizzarri M. Survival Pathways Are Differently Affected by Microgravity in Normal and Cancerous Breast Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22020862. [PMID: 33467082 PMCID: PMC7829699 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22020862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Revised: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Metazoan living cells exposed to microgravity undergo dramatic changes in morphological and biological properties, which ultimately lead to apoptosis and phenotype reprogramming. However, apoptosis can occur at very different rates depending on the experimental model, and in some cases, cells seem to be paradoxically protected from programmed cell death during weightlessness. These controversial results can be explained by considering the notion that the behavior of adherent cells dramatically diverges in respect to that of detached cells, organized into organoids-like, floating structures. We investigated both normal (MCF10A) and cancerous (MCF-7) breast cells and found that appreciable apoptosis occurs only after 72 h in MCF-7 cells growing in organoid-like structures, in which major modifications of cytoskeleton components were observed. Indeed, preserving cell attachment to the substrate allows cells to upregulate distinct Akt- and ERK-dependent pathways in MCF-7 and MCF-10A cells, respectively. These findings show that survival strategies may differ between cell types but cannot provide sufficient protection against weightlessness-induced apoptosis alone if adhesion to the substrate is perturbed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noemi Monti
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy;
- Systems Biology Group Lab, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Grazia Masiello
- Department of Surgery “Pietro Valdoni”, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (M.G.M.); (S.P.); (A.C.)
| | - Sara Proietti
- Department of Surgery “Pietro Valdoni”, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (M.G.M.); (S.P.); (A.C.)
| | - Angela Catizone
- Department of Anatomy, Histology, Forensic-Medicine and Orthopedics, Section of Histology and Embryology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy;
| | - Giulia Ricci
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Università degli Studi della Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 80138 Naples, Italy;
| | - Abdel Halim Harrath
- Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia; (A.H.H.); (S.H.A.)
| | - Saleh H. Alwasel
- Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia; (A.H.H.); (S.H.A.)
| | - Alessandra Cucina
- Department of Surgery “Pietro Valdoni”, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (M.G.M.); (S.P.); (A.C.)
- Azienda Policlinico Umberto I, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Mariano Bizzarri
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy;
- Systems Biology Group Lab, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-4976-6606
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3
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Ming Z, Lim SY, Kefford RF, Rizos H. Mitogen-activated protein kinase dependency in BRAF/RAS wild-type melanoma: A rationale for combination inhibitors. Pigment Cell Melanoma Res 2019; 33:345-357. [PMID: 31518489 DOI: 10.1111/pcmr.12824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2019] [Revised: 08/25/2019] [Accepted: 08/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Inhibitors targeting the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway and immune checkpoint molecules have dramatically improved the survival of patients with BRAFV600 -mutant melanoma. For BRAF/RAS wild-type (WT) melanoma patients, however, immune checkpoint inhibitors remain the only effective therapeutic option with 40% of patients responding to PD-1 inhibition. In the present study, a large panel of 10 BRAFV600 -mutant and 13 BRAF/RAS WT melanoma cell lines was analyzed to examine MAPK dependency and explore the potential utility of MAPK inhibitors in this melanoma subtype. We now show that the majority of BRAF/RAS WT melanoma cell lines (8/13) display some degree of sensitivity to trametinib treatment and resistance to trametinib in this melanoma subtype is associated with, but not mediated by NF1 suppression. Although knockdown of NF1 stimulates RAS and CRAF activity, the activation of CRAF by NF1 knockdown is limited by ERK-dependent feedback in BRAF-mutant cells, but not in BRAF/RAS WT melanoma cells. Thus, NF1 is not a dominant regulator of MAPK signaling in BRAF/RAS WT melanoma, and co-targeting multiple MAP kinase nodes provides a therapeutic opportunity for this melanoma subtype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zizhen Ming
- Department of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Melanoma Institute Australia, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Su Yin Lim
- Department of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Melanoma Institute Australia, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Richard F Kefford
- Melanoma Institute Australia, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Helen Rizos
- Department of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Melanoma Institute Australia, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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4
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Komemi O, Shochet GE, Pomeranz M, Fishman A, Pasmanik-Chor M, Drucker L, Matalon ST, Lishner M. Placenta-conditioned extracellular matrix (ECM) activates breast cancer cell survival mechanisms: A key for future distant metastases. Int J Cancer 2019; 144:1633-1644. [PMID: 30194759 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.31861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2017] [Revised: 08/02/2018] [Accepted: 08/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The extracellular matrix (ECM) affects cancer cell characteristics. Inability of normal epithelial cells to attach to the ECM induces apoptosis (anoikis). Cancer cells are often anoikis resistant, a prerequisite for their metastatic spread. Previously we demonstrated that the placenta manipulates its surrounding ECM in a way that prevents breast cancer cells (BCCL) attachment and induces their motility and aggregation. This fits with the fact that although breast cancer during pregnancy is often advanced, metastasis to the placenta is rarely observed. Placental intervillous space provides suitable conditions for cancer cell arrival. Yet, the outcome of the short communication between the placental ECM to the BCCL and its effect on BCCL malignant potential are unknown, and are the focus of our study. In the current study we analyzed the effect of placental ECM on BCCL survival pathways and drug resistance. Microarray analysis suggested activation of the NF-κB and stress response pathways. Indeed, the placenta-conditioned ECM induced autophagy in ERα + BCCL, inactivated the NF-κB inhibitor (IκB) and increased integrin α5 in the BCCL. The autophagy mediated MCF-7 and T47D migration and the placental ECM-BCCL interactions reduced the BCCL sensitivity to Taxol. We also demonstrated by using siRNA that integrin α5 was responsible for the MCF-7 autophagy and suggest this molecule as a suitable target for therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oded Komemi
- Oncogenetic Laboratory, Meir Medical Center, Kfar Saba, Israel.,Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | | | - Meir Pomeranz
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.,Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Meir Medical Center, Kfar Saba, Israel
| | - Ami Fishman
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.,Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Meir Medical Center, Kfar Saba, Israel
| | - Metsada Pasmanik-Chor
- Bioinformatics Unit, Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Liat Drucker
- Oncogenetic Laboratory, Meir Medical Center, Kfar Saba, Israel.,Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Shelly Tartakover Matalon
- Oncogenetic Laboratory, Meir Medical Center, Kfar Saba, Israel.,Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Michael Lishner
- Oncogenetic Laboratory, Meir Medical Center, Kfar Saba, Israel.,Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.,Department of Internal Medicine A, Meir Medical Center, Kfar Saba, Israel
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Abstract
Ultimately, the common final pathway of any glomerular disease is podocyte effacement, podocyte loss, and, eventually, glomerular scarring. There has been a long-standing debate on the underlying mechanisms for podocyte depletion, ranging from necrosis and apoptosis to detachment of viable cells from the glomerular basement membrane. However, this debate still continues because additional pathways of programmed cell death have been reported in recent years. Interestingly, viable podocytes can be isolated out of the urine of proteinuric patients easily, emphasizing the importance of podocyte detachment in glomerular diseases. In contrast, detection of apoptosis and other pathways of programmed cell death in podocytes is technically challenging. In fact, we still are lacking direct evidence showing, for example, the presence of apoptotic bodies in podocytes, leaving the question unanswered as to whether podocytes undergo mechanisms of programmed cell death. However, understanding the mechanisms leading to podocyte depletion is of particular interest because future therapeutic strategies might interfere with these to prevent glomerular scarring. In this review, we summarize our current knowledge on podocyte cell death, the different molecular pathways and experimental approaches to study these, and, finally, focus on the mechanisms that prevent the onset of programmed cell death.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian Braun
- Department II of Internal Medicine, Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany; Cologne Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Ageing-Associated Diseases, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Jan U Becker
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Paul T Brinkkoetter
- Department II of Internal Medicine, Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany; Cologne Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Ageing-Associated Diseases, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
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6
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Maugeri-Saccà M, Vici P, Di Lauro L, Barba M, Amoreo CA, Gallo E, Mottolese M, De Maria R. Cancer stem cells: are they responsible for treatment failure? Future Oncol 2015; 10:2033-44. [PMID: 25396775 DOI: 10.2217/fon.14.126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Overcoming resistance to standard anticancer treatments represents a significant challenge. The interest regarding cancer stem cells, a cellular population that has the ability to self-renew and to propagate the tumor, was prompted by experimental evidence delineating the molecular mechanisms that are selectively activated in this cellular subset in order to survive chemotherapy. This has also stimulated combination strategies aimed at rendering cancer stem cells vulnerable to anticancer agents. Moreover, cancer stem cells offer a unique opportunity for modeling human cancers in mice, thus emerging as a powerful tool for testing novel drugs and combinations in a simulation of human disease. These novel animal models may lay the foundation for a new generation of clinical trials aimed at anticipating the benefit to patients of anticancer therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcello Maugeri-Saccà
- Division of Medical Oncology B, 'Regina Elena' National Cancer Institute, Via Elio Chianesi 53, 00144 Rome, Italy
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Wyatt AW, Gleave ME. Targeting the adaptive molecular landscape of castration-resistant prostate cancer. EMBO Mol Med 2015; 7:878-94. [PMID: 25896606 PMCID: PMC4520654 DOI: 10.15252/emmm.201303701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2015] [Revised: 03/12/2015] [Accepted: 03/26/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Castration and androgen receptor (AR) pathway inhibitors induce profound and sustained responses in advanced prostate cancer. However, the inevitable recurrence is associated with reactivation of the AR and progression to a more aggressive phenotype termed castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). AR reactivation can occur directly through genomic modification of the AR gene, or indirectly via co-factor and co-chaperone deregulation. This mechanistic heterogeneity is further complicated by the stress-driven induction of a myriad of overlapping cellular survival pathways. In this review, we describe the heterogeneous and evolvable molecular landscape of CRPC and explore recent successes and failures of therapeutic strategies designed to target AR reactivation and adaptive survival pathways. We also discuss exciting areas of burgeoning anti-tumour research, and their potential to improve the survival and management of patients with CRPC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander W Wyatt
- Vancouver Prostate Centre & Department of Urologic Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Martin E Gleave
- Vancouver Prostate Centre & Department of Urologic Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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8
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Qin CZ, Zhang X, Wu LX, Wen CJ, Hu L, Lv QL, Shen DY, Zhou HH. Advances in molecular signaling mechanisms of β-phenethyl isothiocyanate antitumor effects. J Agric Food Chem 2015; 63:3311-3322. [PMID: 25798652 DOI: 10.1021/jf504627e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
β-Phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) is an important phytochemical from cruciferous vegetables and is being evaluated for chemotherapeutic activity in early phase clinical trials. Moreover, studies in cell culture and in animals found that the anticarcinogenic activities of PEITC involved all the major stages of tumor growth: initiation, promotion, and progression. A number of mechanisms have been proposed for the chemopreventive activities of this compound. Here, we focus on the major molecular signaling pathways for the anticancer activities of PEITC. These include (1) activation of apoptosis pathways; (2) induction of cell cycle arrest; and (3) inhibition of the survival pathways. Furthermore, we also discussed the regulation of drug-metabolizing enzymes, including cytochrome P450s, metabolizing enzymes, and multidrug resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chong-Zhen Qin
- †Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, P. R. China
- ‡Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Hunan Key Laboratory of Pharmacogenetics, Central South University, Changsha 410078, P. R. China
| | - Xue Zhang
- §Institute of Life Sciences, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Lan-Xiang Wu
- §Institute of Life Sciences, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Chun-Jie Wen
- §Institute of Life Sciences, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Lei Hu
- †Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, P. R. China
- ‡Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Hunan Key Laboratory of Pharmacogenetics, Central South University, Changsha 410078, P. R. China
| | - Qiao-Li Lv
- †Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, P. R. China
- ‡Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Hunan Key Laboratory of Pharmacogenetics, Central South University, Changsha 410078, P. R. China
| | - Dong-Ya Shen
- †Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, P. R. China
- ‡Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Hunan Key Laboratory of Pharmacogenetics, Central South University, Changsha 410078, P. R. China
| | - Hong-Hao Zhou
- †Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, P. R. China
- ‡Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Hunan Key Laboratory of Pharmacogenetics, Central South University, Changsha 410078, P. R. China
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9
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De J, Brown RE. Tissue-microarray based immunohistochemical analysis of survival pathways in nodular sclerosing classical Hodgkin lymphoma as compared with Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Int J Clin Exp Med 2010; 3:55-68. [PMID: 20369041 PMCID: PMC2848307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2010] [Accepted: 01/25/2010] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Neoplastic cells rely on key oncogenic pathways for their gain of proliferative and/or loss of apoptotic potential. Therapy targeted at specific points in these pathways has the potential to eliminate cancer cells by inducing differentiation or apoptosis. Concurrent immunophenotypic evaluation of survival pathways in nodular sclerosing classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL-NS) tissues has not previously been undertaken. We took the tissue microarray (TMA)-based approach to retrospectively evaluate the activation state of key oncogenic pathways by immunohisto-chemistry (IHC) in a series of 6 cases of cHL-NS (with predominantly syncitial areas). For comparison, 2 cases of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), and 1 case of follicular hyperplasia (FH) were included in the study. Infiltration of T regulatory cells (Tregs) in the tumor microenvironment was assessed by expression of the Foxp3 transcription factor. Differential upregulation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)-extracellular signal related kinase (ERK), signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT)3, and protein kinase c - alpha (PKC-alpha) pathways was seen among the cHL cases, whereas nuclear factor - kappa B (NF-kB) and phosphoinositide 3 kinase (PI3 K)-AKT-mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathways were equally activated in the neoplastic Reed-Sternberg cells of the 6 cHL-NS cases. Marked difference in the morphoproteomic profile was seen amongst the two cases of DLBCL. The amount of Foxp3+ T regulatory cells (Tregs) in the tumor microenvironment was highly variable ranging from 6/hpf to 120/hpf in cHL-NS, and 1/hpf to 82/hpf in DLBCL. In this pilot study, concurrent evaluation of oncogenic pathways in cHL-NS and DLBCL offers powerful insights in the putative therapeutic targets for an individualized approach to diagnosis and therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jitakshi De
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at University of Texas Medical School at Houston TX, USA
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10
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Tagliaferri P, Caraglia M, Budillon A, Marra M, Vitale G, Viscomi C, Masciari S, Tassone P, Abbruzzese A, Venuta S. New pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic tools for interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) treatment of human cancer. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2005; 54:1-10. [PMID: 15693134 PMCID: PMC11032854 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-004-0549-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2003] [Accepted: 04/06/2004] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Interferon alpha (IFN-alpha) has been widely used in the treatment of human solid and haematologic malignancies. Although the antitumour activity of IFN-alpha is well recognised at present, no major advances have been achieved in the last few years. Recent findings have provided new information on the molecular mechanisms of the antitumour activity of the cytokine. In fact, IFN-alpha appears to block cell proliferation, at least in part, through the induction of apoptotic effects. This cytokine can also regulate the progression of tumour cells through the different phases of the cell cycle inducing an increase of the expression of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors p21 and p27. However, it must be considered that IFN-alpha is a physiologic molecule with ubiquitously expressed receptors that is likely to activate survival mechanisms in the cell. We have recently identified an epidermal growth factor (EGF) Ras-dependent protective response to the apoptosis induced by IFN-alpha in epidermoid cancer cells. The identification of tissue- and/or tumour-specific survival pathways and their selective targeting might provide a new approach to improve the efficacy of IFN-alpha-based treatment of human cancer. Moreover, new pegylated species of IFN-alpha are now available with a more favourable pharmacokinetic profile. We will review these achievements, and we will specifically address the topic of IFN-alpha-based molecularly targeted combinatory antitumour approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierosandro Tagliaferri
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale e Clinica, Università Magna Graecia di Catanzaro, Via T. Campanella 115, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy.
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11
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Jiang X, Zhu D, Okagaki P, Lipsky R, Wu X, Banaudha K, Mearow K, Strauss KI, Marini AM. N-methyl-D-aspartate and TrkB receptor activation in cerebellar granule cells: an in vitro model of preconditioning to stimulate intrinsic survival pathways in neurons. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2003; 993:134-45; discussion 159-60. [PMID: 12853306 PMCID: PMC2597300 DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2003.tb07522.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Delineating the mechanisms of survival pathways that exist in neurons will provide important insight into how neurons utilize intracellular proteins as neuroprotectants against the causes of acute neurodegeneration. We have employed cultured rat cerebellar granule cells as a model for determining the mechanisms of these intraneuronal survival pathways. Glutamate has long been known to kill neurons by an N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-mediated mechanism. Paradoxically, subtoxic concentrations of NMDA protect neurons against glutamate-mediated excitotoxicity. Because NMDA protects neurons in physiologic concentrations of glucose and oxygen, we refer to this phenomenon as physiologic preconditioning. One of the major mechanisms of NMDA neuroprotection involves the activation of NMDA receptors leading to the rapid release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). BDNF then binds to and activates its cognate receptor, receptor tyrosine kinase B (TrkB). The efficient utilization of these two receptors confers remarkable resistance against millimolar concentrations of glutamate that kill more than eighty percent of the neurons in the absence of preconditioning the neurons with a subtoxic concentration of NMDA. Exactly how the neurons mediate neuroprotection by activation of both receptors is just beginning to be understood. Both NMDA and TrkB receptors activate nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB), a transcription factor known to be involved in protecting neurons against many different kinds of toxic insults. By converging on survival transcription factors, such as NF-kappaB, NMDA and TrkB receptors protect neurons. Thus, crosstalk between these very different receptors provides a rapid means of neuronal communication to upregulate survival proteins through release and transcriptional activation of messenger RNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xueying Jiang
- Department of Neurology and Neuroscience, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, USA
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