Nucleolar protein B23 translocation after deferoxamine treatment in a human leukemia cell line

The iron chelator and OXPHOS inhibitor VLX600 induces mitophagy and an autophagy-dependent type of cell death in glioblastoma cells

Induction of alternative, non-apoptotic cell death programs such as cell-lethal autophagy and mitophagy represent possible strategies to combat glioblastoma (GBM). Here we report that VLX600, a novel iron chelator and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) inhibitor, induces a caspase-independent type of cell death that is partially rescued in adherent U251 ATG5/7 (autophagy related 5/7) knockout (KO) GBM cells and NCH644 ATG5/7 knockdown (KD) glioma stem-like cells (GSCs), suggesting that VLX600 induces an autophagy-dependent cell death (ADCD) in GBM. This ADCD is accompanied by decreased oxygen consumption, increased expression/mitochondrial localization of BNIP3 (BCL2 interacting protein 3) and BNIP3L (BCL2 interacting protein 3 like), the induction of mitophagy as demonstrated by diminished levels of mitochondrial marker proteins [e.g., COX4I1 (cytochrome c oxidase subunit 4I1)] and the mitoKeima assay as well as increased histone H3 and H4 lysine tri-methylation. Furthermore, the extracellular addition of iron is able to significantly rescue VLX600-induced cell death and mitophagy, pointing out an important role of iron metabolism for GBM cell homeostasis. Interestingly, VLX600 is also able to completely eliminate NCH644 GSC tumors in an organotypic brain slice transplantation model. Our data support the therapeutic concept of ADCD induction in GBM and suggest that VLX600 may be an interesting novel drug candidate for the treatment of this tumor.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Induction of cell-lethal autophagy represents a possible strategy to combat glioblastoma (GBM). Here, we demonstrate that the novel iron chelator and OXPHOS inhibitor VLX600 exerts pronounced tumor cell-killing effects in adherently cultured GBM cells and glioblastoma stem-like cell (GSC) spheroid cultures that depend on the iron-chelating function of VLX600 and on autophagy activation, underscoring the context-dependent role of autophagy in therapy responses. VLX600 represents an interesting novel drug candidate for the treatment of this tumor.

The Regulation of Ferroptosis by Noncoding RNAs

As a novel form of regulated cell death, ferroptosis is characterized by intracellular iron and lipid peroxide accumulation, which is different from other regulated cell death forms morphologically, biochemically, and immunologically. Ferroptosis is regulated by iron metabolism, lipid metabolism, and antioxidant defense systems as well as various transcription factors and related signal pathways. Emerging evidence has highlighted that ferroptosis is associated with many physiological and pathological processes, including cancer, neurodegeneration diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and ischemia/reperfusion injury. Noncoding RNAs are a group of functional RNA molecules that are not translated into proteins, which can regulate gene expression in various manners. An increasing number of studies have shown that noncoding RNAs, especially miRNAs, lncRNAs, and circRNAs, can interfere with the progression of ferroptosis by modulating ferroptosis-related genes or proteins directly or indirectly. In this review, we summarize the basic mechanisms and regulations of ferroptosis and focus on the recent studies on the mechanism for different types of ncRNAs to regulate ferroptosis in different physiological and pathological conditions, which will deepen our understanding of ferroptosis regulation by noncoding RNAs and provide new insights into employing noncoding RNAs in ferroptosis-associated therapeutic strategies.

Crosstalk between noncoding RNAs and ferroptosis: new dawn for overcoming cancer progression

Cancer progression including proliferation, metastasis, and chemoresistance has become a serious hindrance to cancer therapy. This phenomenon mainly derives from the innate insensitive or acquired resistance of cancer cells to apoptosis. Ferroptosis is a newly discovered mechanism of programmed cell death characterized by peroxidation of the lipid membrane induced by reactive oxygen species. Ferroptosis has been confirmed to eliminate cancer cells in an apoptosis-independent manner, however, the specific regulatory mechanism of ferroptosis is still unknown. The use of ferroptosis for overcoming cancer progression is limited. Noncoding RNAs have been found to play an important roles in cancer. They regulate gene expression to affect biological processes of cancer cells such as proliferation, cell cycle, and cell death. Thus far, the functions of ncRNAs in ferroptosis of cancer cells have been examined, and the specific mechanisms by which noncoding RNAs regulate ferroptosis have been partially discovered. However, there is no summary of ferroptosis associated noncoding RNAs and their functions in different cancer types. In this review, we discuss the roles of ferroptosis-associated noncoding RNAs in detail. Moreover, future work regarding the interaction between noncoding RNAs and ferroptosis is proposed, the possible obstacles are predicted and associated solutions are put forward. This review will deepen our understanding of the relationship between noncoding RNAs and ferroptosis, and provide new insights in targeting noncoding RNAs in ferroptosis associated therapeutic strategies.

Nucleolar Stress: hallmarks, sensing mechanism and diseases

The nucleolus is a prominent subnuclear compartment, where ribosome biosynthesis takes place. Recently, the nucleolus has gained attention for its novel role in the regulation of cellular stress. Nucleolar stress is emerging as a new concept, which is characterized by diverse cellular insult-induced abnormalities in nucleolar structure and function, ultimately leading to activation of p53 or other stress signaling pathways and alterations in cell behavior. Despite a number of comprehensive reviews on this concept, straightforward and clear-cut way criteria for a nucleolar stress state, regarding the factors that elicit this state, the morphological and functional alterations as well as the rationale for p53 activation are still missing. Based on literature of the past two decades, we herein summarize the evolution of the concept and provide hallmarks of nucleolar stress. Along with updated information and thorough discussion of existing confusions in the field, we pay particular attention to the current understanding of the sensing mechanisms, i.e., how stress is integrated by p53. In addition, we propose our own emphasis regarding the role of nucleolar protein NPM1 in the hallmarks of nucleolar stress and sensing mechanisms. Finally, the links of nucleolar stress to human diseases are briefly and selectively introduced.

Anticancer effects of ginsenoside Rg1, cinnamic acid, and tanshinone IIA in osteosarcoma MG-63 cells: nuclear matrix downregulation and cytoplasmic trafficking of nucleophosmin

Ginsenoside Rg1, cinnamic acid, and tanshinone IIA are effective anticancer and antioxidant constituents of traditional Chinese herbal medicines of Ginseng (Panax ginseng), Xuanshen (Radix scrophulariae), and Danshen (Salvia mitiorrhiza), respectively. There was insufficient study on molecular mechanisms of anticancer effects of those constituents and their targets were unknown. We chose nucleophosmin as a candidate molecular target because it is frequently mutated and upregulated in various cancer cells. Nucleophosmin is a major nucleolus phosphoprotein that involves in rRNA synthesis, maintaining genomic stability, and normal cell division and its haploinsufficiency makes cell more susceptible to oncogenic assault. Ginsenoside Rg1, cinnamic acid, and tanshinone IIA treatment of osteosarcoma MG-63 cells decreased nucleophosmin expression in nuclear matrix and induced nucleophosmin translocation from nucleolus to nucleoplasm and cytoplasm, a process of dedifferentiating transformed cells. Using immunogold electro-microscopy, we found at the first time that nucleophosmin was localized on nuclear matrix intermediate filaments that had undergone restorational changes after the treatments. Nucleophosmin also functions as a molecular chaperone that might interact with multiple oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. We found that oncogenes c-myc, c-fos and tumor suppressor genes, P53, Rb were regulated by ginsenoside Rg1, cinnamic acid, and tanshinone IIA as well. In present study, we identified nucleophosmin as a molecular target of the effective anticancer constituents of t Ginseng, Xuanseng, and Danseng that down-regulated nucleophosmin in nuclear matrix, changed its trafficking from nucleolus to cytoplasm, and regulated several oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. Therefore, we postulate that Ginsenoside Rg1, cinnamic acid, and tanshinone IIA could serve as protective agents in cancer prevention and treatment.

Disruption of the nucleolus mediates stabilization of p53 in response to DNA damage and other stresses

p53 protects against cancer through its capacity to induce cell cycle arrest or apoptosis under a large variety of cellular stresses. It is not known how such diversity of signals can be integrated by a single molecule. However, the literature reveals that a common denominator in all p53-inducing stresses is nucleolar disruption. We thus postulated that the impairment of nucleolar function might stabilize p53 by preventing its degradation. Using micropore irradiation, we demonstrate that large amounts of nuclear DNA damage fail to stabilize p53 unless the nucleolus is also disrupted. Forcing nucleolar disruption by anti-upstream binding factor (UBF) microinjection (in the absence of DNA damage) also causes p53 stabilization. We propose that the nucleolus is a stress sensor responsible for maintenance of low levels of p53, which are automatically elevated as soon as nucleolar function is impaired in response to stress. Our model integrates all known p53-inducing agents and also explains cell cycle-related variations in p53 levels which correlate with established phases of nucleolar assembly/disassembly through the cell cycle.

Cell cycle-dependent inhibition of the proliferation of human neural tumor cell lines by iron chelators

The current studies were designed to examine the conditions under which the ferric iron chelator desferrioxamine (DFO) arrested cell cycle progression and hence the proliferation of neural cell lines in vitro. DFO arrested proliferation at different stages of the cell cycle depending on the concentration and duration of drug exposure. Twenty-four-hour treatment with 160 microM DFO arrested glioma cells in G1, whereas 72-hr treatment with 10 microM DFO acted to slow the passage of glioma cells through the cell cycle, eventually accumulating in G2/M. Another iron chelator, ADR 529, also inhibited the proliferation of glioma cells by lengthening the period of the cycle and causing the cells to arrest in G2/M. The effects of 10 and 160 microM DFO were irreversible after 24 and 48 hr, respectively, and 10 microM DFO became cytotoxic after 3 days. These observations demonstrate that DFO has different effects on the proliferation of neural tumor cell lines depending on the concentration and time of exposure, which result in different sites of cell cycle arrest. These different in vitro actions of DFO may have ramifications for the successful application of iron chelator therapy in vivo.

Translocation of nucleophosmin from nucleoli to nucleoplasm requires ATP

The movement of nucleophosmin from nucleoli to nucleoplasm in HeLa cells induced by cytotoxic drugs and detected by immunofluorescence is inhibited by concomitant treatment with antimycin A in glucose-free medium. Incubation of HeLa cells with antimycin A (300 nM; 30 min) and glucose-free medium resulted in an approximately 90% decrease in cellular ATP pools. To study the biochemical events involved in nucleophosmin translocation, we used an in vitro system consisting of Triton-permeabilized HeLA cells. Incubation of permeabilized cells with ATP (0.5 mM; 1 h) resulted in the translocation of nucleophosmin from nucleoli to nucleoplasm and cytoplasm. Similarly to drug-induced nucleophosmin translocation in whole cultured cells, there is no reduction (measured by e.l.i.s.a.) or degradation of nucleophosmin or change in the ratio of the high-molecular-mass form to the monomeric form (ascertained by Western blotting) during ATP treatment of permeabilized cells. Together, these results indicate a requirement for ATP for redistribution of nucleophosmin from nucleoli to nucleoplasm. Because this permeabilized cell model is simple and efficient and works effectively with exogenous factors, it should provide a powerful tool for investigating the biochemical features of nucleophosmin translocation from nucleoli to nucleoplasm.