Therapeutic targeting of PIM KINASE signaling in cancer therapy: Structural and clinical prospects

Do human adipose stem cell-derived artificial insulin-producing cells develop tumorigenic characteristics throughout differentiation?

BACKGROUND

Artificial insulin-producing cells (IPCs) used to treat diabetes mellitus type 1 (DMT1) are naturally hampered by their carcinogenicity. This in vitro study aimed to examine the carcinogenic potential of IPCs produced by the differentiation of human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hADSCs).

METHODS AND RESULTS

hADSCs were transformed into IPCs by administering insulin-transferrin, selenium (ITS), and nicotinamide in a 14-day differentiation protocol. The cells were transfected with 20 μg of pure Pdx1-pIRES recombinant vector on the tenth day of differentiation. The successful transfection was confirmed by Pdx1 overexpression and GFP fluorescence activity. The differentiated cells' capacity to release insulin and glucose-dependent C-peptide was used to evaluate their functionality. Gene expression was assessed using real-time PCR. Meanwhile, protein expression was investigated using western blotting. The transfected cells exhibited fluorescence activity and Pdx1 overexpression. The differentiated IPCs were able to secrete C-peptide and insulin. The artificial IPCs showed significantly reduced Oct4 and Nanog expression. However, the differentiation process induced a noticeable elevation in tPA expression. The artificial IPCs expressed much lower c-MYC expression compared to undifferentiated hADSCs. The differentiated cells exhibited a significant elevation in Glut2, MMP-2, CD24, P16, and P21 expression.

CONCLUSIONS

The differentiation technique used in this work produced functional beta-like cells devoid of typical markers of stem cells. The synthetic IPCs displayed characteristics of newly generated β-like cells. The artificial IPCs showed no signs of expressing tumor-associated markers. The findings imply that the artificial IPC cells lack tumor characteristics in vitro.

Photocaging of N-pyridinyl amide scaffold-based PIM inhibitors for spatiotemporal controlled anticancer bioactivity

Photocaging is an ideal way to enable spatiotemporal control over the release of bioactive compounds for cancer treatments. In this work, a series of photocaged N-pyridinyl amide scaffold-based PIM inhibitors were developed by rendering the amino group unable to bind to the Asp128/Glu171 sites of PIM kinase with a photoremovable protecting group (PPG). Upon light irradiation, our studies revealed the structure-dependent photouncaging efficiency and screened out the photocaged PIM inhibitor FD1024-PPG. Its spatiotemporally controlled bioactivity was confirmed by cell-based in-vitro assays and revealed that it exerts the antiproliferation and induction of cell apoptosis through inhibition of PIM kinase upon light irradiation. Furthermore, the spatiotemporal control over the in-vivo anticancer activity was demonstrated using zebrafish xenograft model.

FDA-approved drugs as PIM-1 kinase inhibitors: A drug repurposed approach for cancer therapy

PIM-1 kinase, a member of the Serine/Threonine kinase family, has emerged as a promising therapeutic target in various cancers due to its role in promoting tumor growth and resistance to conventional therapies. In this study, we employed a structure-based approach to screen 3800 FDA-approved drugs to discover potential inhibitors of PIM-1. After an initial selection of 50 candidates based on high docking scores, four drugs, stanozolol, alfaxalone, rifaximin, and telmisartan, were identified as strong PIM-1 binders, interacting with key residues in the ATP-binding pocket of the kinase. To assess the stability of these interactions, we conducted all-atom molecular dynamic simulations, confirming favorable dynamics. Experimental validation via a kinase inhibition assay on recombinant PIM-1 showed that rifaximin significantly inhibited PIM-1 activity, with an IC50 of ∼26 μM. Fluorescence binding assays further demonstrated a strong binding affinity for rifaximin, with a binding constant, corroborated by isothermal titration calorimetry studies. Our findings suggest that rifaximin may serve as a potential repurposed drug for targeting PIM-1 in cancer treatment. However, further validations are required in a clinical setting before the final therapeutic implications.

PIM1 kinase and its diverse substrate in solid tumors

The PIM kinase family, consisting of PIM1, PIM2, and PIM3, is a group of serine/threonine protein kinases crucial for cellular growth, immunoregulation, and oncogenesis. PIM1 kinase is often overexpressed in solid and hematopoietic malignancies, promoting cell survival, proliferation, migration, and senescence by activating key genes. In vitro and in vivo studies have established the oncogenic potential of PIM1 kinases. These kinases have been implicated in tumor progression, metastasis, and resistance to chemotherapy, underscoring their potential as a therapeutic target for cancer therapy. This review delves into the intricate molecular mechanisms through which PIM1 interacts with specific substrates in different tumor tissues, leading to diverse outcomes in various human cancers. Over the past decade, the inhibition of PIM1 in cancers has garnered significant attention as a potential standalone treatment. Various in vitro, in vivo, and early clinical trial data have provided support for this approach to varying extents. Novel compounds that inhibit PIM1 kinase have shown effectiveness and a favorable toxicity profile in preclinical studies. Several of these substances are now being studied in clinical trials due to their promising outcomes. This article provides a thorough examination of the PIM1 kinase pathways and the recent advancements in producing PIM1 kinase inhibitors for the treatment of cancer.

Targeting prostate cancer via therapeutic targeting of PIM-1 kinase by Naringenin and Quercetin

PIM-1 kinase belongs to the Ser/Thr kinases family, an attractive therapeutic target for prostate cancer. Here, we screened about 100 natural substances to find potential PIM-1 inhibitors. Two natural compounds, Naringenin and Quercetin, were finally selected based on their PIM-1 inhibitory potential and binding affinities. The docking score of Naringenin and Quercetin with PIM-1 is -8.4 and - 8.1 kcal/mol, respectively. Fluorescence binding studies revealed a strong affinity (Ka values, 3.1 × 104 M-1 and 4.6 × 107 M-1 for Naringenin and Quercetin, respectively) with excellent IC50 values for Naringenin and Quercetin (28.6 μM and 34.9 μM, respectively). Both compounds inhibited the growth of prostate cancer cells (LNCaP) in a dose-dependent manner, with the IC50 value of Naringenin at 17.5 μM and Quercetin at 8.88 μM. To obtain deeper insights into the PIM-1 inhibitory effect of Naringenin and Quercetin, we performed extensive molecular dynamics simulation studies, which provided insights into the binding mechanisms of PIM-1 inhibitors. Finally, Naringenin and Quercetin were suggested to serve as potent PIM-1 inhibitors, offering targeted treatments of prostate cancer. In addition, our findings may help to design novel Naringenin and Quercetin derivatives that could be effective in therapeutic targeting of prostate cancer.

Autoantibodies in cancer: a systematic review of their clinical role in the most prevalent cancers

Although blood autoantibodies were initially associated with autoimmune diseases, multiple evidence have been accumulated showing their presence in many types of cancer. This has opened their use in clinics, since cancer autoantibodies might be useful for early detection, prognosis, and monitoring of cancer patients. In this review, we discuss the different techniques available for their discovery and validation. Additionally, we discuss here in detail those autoantibody panels verified in at least two different reports that should be more likely to be specific of each of the four most incident cancers. We also report the recent developed kits for breast and lung cancer detection mostly based on autoantibodies and the identification of novel therapeutic targets because of the screening of the cancer humoral immune response. Finally, we discuss unsolved issues that still need to be addressed for the implementation of cancer autoantibodies in clinical routine for cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and/or monitoring.

A review on structure-function mechanism and signaling pathway of serine/threonine protein PIM kinases as a therapeutic target

The proviral integration for the Moloney murine leukemia virus (PIM) kinases, belonging to serine/threonine kinase family, have been found to be overexpressed in various types of cancers, such as prostate, breast, colon, endometrial, gastric, and pancreatic cancer. The three isoforms PIM kinases i.e., PIM1, PIM2, and PIM3 share a high degree of sequence and structural similarity and phosphorylate substrates controlling tumorigenic phenotypes like proliferation and cell survival. Targeting short-lived PIM kinases presents an intriguing strategy as in vivo knock-down studies result in non-lethal phenotypes, indicating that clinical inhibition of PIM might have fewer adverse effects. The ATP binding site (hinge region) possesses distinctive attributes, which led to the development of novel small molecule scaffolds that target either one or all three PIM isoforms. Machine learning and structure-based approaches have been at the forefront of developing novel and effective chemical therapeutics against PIM in preclinical and clinical settings, and none have yet received approval for cancer treatment. The stability of PIM isoforms is maintained by PIM kinase activity, which leads to resistance against PIM inhibitors and chemotherapy; thus, to overcome such effects, PIM proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) are now being developed that specifically degrade PIM proteins. In this review, we recapitulate an overview of the oncogenic functions of PIM kinases, their structure, function, and crucial signaling network in different types of cancer, and the potential of pharmacological small-molecule inhibitors. Further, our comprehensive review also provides valuable insights for developing novel antitumor drugs that specifically target PIM kinases in the future. In conclusion, we provide insights into the benefits of degrading PIM kinases as opposed to blocking their catalytic activity to address the oncogenic potential of PIM kinases.

PIM kinase inhibitors: an updated patent review (2016-present)

INTRODUCTION

PIM Kinases (PIM-1, PIM-2, and PIM-3) have been reported to play crucial role in signaling cascades that govern cell survival, proliferation, and differentiation. Over-expression of these kinases leads to hematological malignancies such as diffuse large B cell lymphomas (DLBCL), multiple myeloma, leukemia, lymphoma and prostate cancer etc. PIM kinases as biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets have shown promise toward precision cancer therapy. The selective PIM-1, PIM-2, and/or PIM-3 isoform inhibitors have shown significant results in patients with advanced stages of cancer including relapsed/refractory cancer.

AREAS COVERED

A comprehensive literature review of PIM Kinases (PIM-1, PIM-2, and PIM-3) in oncogenesis, the patented PIM kinase inhibitors (2016-Present), and their pharmacological and structural insights have been highlighted.

EXPERT OPINION

Recently, PIM kinases viz. PIM-1, PIM-2, and PIM-3 (members of the serine/threonine protein kinase family) as therapeutic targets have attracted considerable interest in oncology especially in hematological malignancies. The patented PIM kinase inhibitors comprised of heterocyclic (fused)ring structure(s) like indole, pyridine, pyrazine, pyrazole, pyridazine, piperazine, thiazole, oxadiazole, quinoline, triazolo-pyridine, pyrazolo-pyridine, imidazo-pyridazine, oxadiazole-thione, pyrazolo-pyrimidine, triazolo-pyridazine, imidazo-pyridazine, pyrazolo-quinazoline and pyrazolo-pyridine etc. showed promising results in cancer chemotherapy.

Assessment of structural and activity-related contributions of various PIM-1 kinase inhibitors in the treatment of leukemia and prostate cancer

One of the most perilous illnesses in the world is cancer. The cancer may be associated with the mutation of different genes inside the body. The PIM kinase, also known as the serine/threonine kinase, plays a critical role in the biology of different kinds of cancer. They are widely distributed and associated with several biological processes, including cell division, proliferation, and death. Aberration of PIM-1 kinase is found in varieties of cancer. Prostate cancer and leukemia can both be effectively treated with PIM-1 kinase inhibitors. There are several potent compounds that have been explored in this review based on heterocyclic compounds for the treatment of prostate cancer and leukemia that have strong effects on the suppression of PIM-1 kinase. The present review summarizes the PIM-1 kinase pathway, their inhibitors under clinical trial, related patents, and SAR studies of several monocyclic, bicyclic, and polycyclic compounds. The study related to their molecular interactions with receptors is also included in the present manuscript. The study may be beneficial to scientists for the development of novel compounds as PIM-1 inhibitors in the treatment of prostate cancer and leukemia.

Identification and assessment of new PIM2 inhibitors for treating hematologic cancers: A combined approach of energy-based virtual screening and machine learning evaluation

PIM2, part of the PIM kinase family along with PIM1 and PIM3, is often overexpressed in hematologic cancers, fueling tumor growth. Despite its significance, there are no approved drugs targeting it. In response to this challenge, we devised a thorough virtual screening workflow for discovering novel PIM2 inhibitors. Our process includes molecular docking and diverse scoring methods like molecular mechanics generalized born surface area, XGBOOST, and DeepDock to rank potential inhibitors by binding affinities and interaction potential. Ten compounds were selected and subjected to an adequate evaluation of their biological activity. Compound 2 emerged as the most potent inhibitor with an IC50 of approximately 135.7 nM. It also displayed significant activity against various hematological cancers, including acute myeloid leukemia, mantle cell lymphoma, and anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL). Molecular dynamics simulations elucidated the binding mode of compound 2 with PIM2, offering insights for drug development. These results highlight the reliability and efficacy of our virtual screening workflow, promising new drugs for hematologic cancers, notably ALCL.

PIM Kinases as Potential Biomarkers and Therapeutic Targets in Inflammatory Arthritides

The Proviral Integration site for the Moloney murine leukemia virus (PIM)-1 kinase and its family members (PIM-2 and PIM-3) regulate several cellular functions including survival, proliferation, and apoptosis. Recent studies showed their involvement in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis RA, while no studies are available on psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). The main objective of this study is to assess the expression of PIM kinases in inflammatory arthritides, their correlation with proinflammatory cytokines, and their variation after treatment with biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs or JAK inhibitors. We evaluated PIM-1, -2, and -3 expression at the gene and protein level, respectively, in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells and serum of patients with RA, PsA, axSpA, and healthy individuals (CTR). All the samples showed expression of PIM-1, -2, and -3 kinases both at the gene and protein level. PIM-1 was the most expressed protein, PIM-3 the least. PIM kinase levels differed between controls and disease groups, with reduced PIM-1 protein and increased PIM-3 protein in all disease samples compared to controls. No difference was found in the expression of these molecules between the three different pathologies. PIM levels were not modified after 6 months of therapy. In conclusion, our preliminary data suggest a deregulation of the PIM pathway in inflammatory arthritides. In-depth studies on the role of PIM kinases in this field are warranted.

Reconnoitering imidazopyridazines as anticancer agents based on virtual modelling approach: quantitative structure activity relationship, molecular docking and molecular dynamics

Cancer is an unimpeded growth of cells leading to metathesis of cancer and eventually spread throughout the body. PIM kinases are the members of the serine threonine kinase playing role in cancer progression, differentiation and proliferation. Till date there is no single drug targeting PIM-1 kinase in the market, that has made itself a target in limelight for the discover of new anticancer agents. The contemporary research focusses on the development of new inhibitors of PIM-1 kinase by application of ligand-based and structure-based perspective of drug discovery namely 3D-QSAR, molecular docking and dynamics. The following study stated the correlation amid structural and biological activity of the compounds employing 3D-QSAR analysis. Three 3D-QSAR models were generated using 33 molecules from which the excellent model stated an encouraging conventional correlation coefficient (r2) 0.8651, cross validation coefficient (q2) 0.7609. Furthermore, the predicted correlation coefficient (r2 pred) 0.6274, respectively. Molecular docking studies revealed that the most active compound 26 resided in the active pocket of PIM-1 kinase establishing hydrogen bond interactions with Asp186 in the DFG motif; similarly, all other molecules were engaged within the active site of the PIM-1 kinase. Moreover, molecular dynamics simulation study stated the stability of the ligand in the active site of PIM-1 kinase protein by developing two hydrogen bonds throughout the trajectory of 100 ns. In nutshell, the output stated the successful application of ligand and structure-based strategy for the development of novel PIM-1 kinase inhibitors as anticancer agents.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

PIM kinase inhibitor AZD1208 in conjunction with Th1 cytokines potentiate death of breast cancer cellsin vitrowhile also maximizing suppression of tumor growthin vivo when combined with immunotherapy

PIM kinases are over-expressed by a number of solid malignancies including breast cancer, and are thought to regulate proliferation, survival, and resistance to treatment, making them attractive therapeutic targets. Because PIM kinases sit at the nexus of multiple oncodriver pathways, PIM antagonist drugs are being tested alone and in conjunction with other therapies to optimize outcomes. We therefore sought to test the combination of pharmacological PIM antagonism and Th1-associated immunotherapy. We show that the pan PIM antagonist, AZD1208, when combined in vitro with Th1 cytokines IFN-γ and TNF-α, potentiates metabolic suppression, overall cell death, and expression of apoptotic markers in human breast cancer cell lines of diverse phenotypes (HER-2pos/ERneg, HER-2pos/ERpos and triple-negative). Interestingly, AZD1208 was shown to moderately inhibit IFN-γ secretion by stimulated T lymphocytes of both human and murine origin, suggesting some inherent immunosuppressive activity of the drug. Nonetheless, when multiplexed therapies were tested in a murine model of HER-2pos breast cancer, combinations of HER-2 peptide-pulsed DCs and AZD1208, as well as recombinant IFN-γ plus AZD1208 significantly suppressed tumor outgrowth compared with single-treatment and control groups. These studies suggest that PIM antagonism may combine productively with certain immunotherapies to improve responsiveness.

Rhodanine-Based Chromophores: Fast Access to Capable Photoswitches and Application in Light-Induced Apoptosis

Molecular photoswitches are highly desirable in all chemistry-related areas of research. They provide effective outside control over geometric and electronic changes at the nanoscale using an easy to apply, waste-free stimulus. However, simple and effective access to such molecular tools is typically not granted, and elaborate syntheses and substitution schemes are needed in order to obtain efficient photoswitching properties. Here we present a series of rhodanine-based photoswitches that can be prepared in one simple synthetic step without requiring elaborate purification. Photoswitching is induced by UV and visible light in both switching directions, and thermal stabilities of the metastable states as well as quantum yields are very high. An additional benefit is the hydrogen-bonding capacity of the rhodanine fragment, which enables applications in supramolecular or medicinal chemistry. We further show that the known rhodanine-based inhibitor SMI-16a is a photoswitchable apoptosis inducer. The biological activity of SMI-16a can effectively be switched ON or OFF by reversible photoisomerization between the inactive E and the active Z isomer. Rhodanine-based photoswitches therefore represent an easy to access and highly valuable molecular toolbox for implementing light responsiveness to the breadth of functional molecular systems.

PIM Kinase Inhibitors as Novel Promising Therapeutic Scaffolds in Cancer Therapy

Cancer involves the uncontrolled, abnormal growth of cells and affects other tissues. Kinase has an impact on proliferating the cells and causing cancer. For the purpose of treating cancer, PIM kinase is a potential target. The pro-viral Integration site for moloney murine leukaemia virus (PIM) kinases is responsible for the tumorigenesis, by phosphorylating the proteins that control the cell cycle and cell proliferation. PIM-1, PIM-2, and PIM-3 are the three distinct isoforms of PIM kinases. The JAK/STAT pathway is essential for controlling how PIM genes are expressed. PIM kinase is also linked withPI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway in various types of cancers. The overexpression of PIM kinase will cause cancer. Currently, there are significant efforts being made in medication design and development to target its inhibition. A few small chemical inhibitors (E.g., SGI-1776, AZD1208, LGH447) that specifically target the PIM proteins' adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-binding domain have been identified. PIM kinase antagonists have a remarkable effect on different types of cancer. Despite conducting clinical trials on SGI-1776, the first PIM inhibitory agent, was prematurely withdrawn, making it unable to generate concept evidence. On the other hand, in recent years, it has aided in hastening the identification of multiple new PIM inhibitors. Cyanopyridines and Pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidinecan act as potent PIM kinase inhibitors for cancer therapy. We explore the involvement of oncogenic transcription factor c-Mycandmi-RNA in relation to PIM kinase. In this article, we highlight the oncogenic effects, and structural insights into PIM kinase inhibitors for the treatment of cancer.

Screening of tumor antigens and immunogenic cell death landscapes of prostate adenocarcinoma for exploration of mRNA vaccine

BACKGROUND

In this study, effective antigens of mRNA vaccine were excavated from the perspective of ICD, and ICD subtypes of PRAD were further distinguished to establish an ICD landscape, thereby determining suitable vaccine recipients.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

TCGA and MSKCC databases were applied to acquire RNA-seq data and corresponding clinical data of 554 and 131 patients, respectively. GEPIA was employed to measure prognostic indices. Then, a comparison of genetic alterations was performed utilizing cBioPortal, and correlation of identified ICD antigens with immune infiltrating cells was analyzed employing TIMER. Moreover, ICD subtypes were identified by means of consensus cluster, and ICD landscape of PRAD was depicted utilizing graph learning-based dimensional reduction.

RESULTS

In total, 4 PRAD antigens were identified in PRAD, including FUS, LMNB2, RNPC3, and ZNF700, which had association with adverse prognosis and infiltration of APCs. PRAD patients were classified as two ICD subtypes based on their differences in molecular, cellular, and clinical features. Furthermore, ICD modulators and immune checkpoints were also differentially expressed between two ICD subtype tumors. Finally, the ICD landscape of PRAD showed substantial heterogeneity among individual patients.

CONCLUSIONS

In summary, the research may provide a theoretical foundation for developing mRNA vaccine against PRAD as well as determining appropriate vaccine recipients.

AUM302, a novel triple kinase PIM/PI3K/mTOR inhibitor, is a potent in vitro pancreatic cancer growth inhibitor

Pancreatic cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths, with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) being the most common subtype. Advanced stage diagnosis of PDAC is common, causing limited treatment opportunities. Gemcitabine is a frequently used chemotherapeutic agent which can be used as a monotherapy or in combination. However, tumors often develop resistance to gemcitabine. Previous studies show that the proto-oncogene PIM kinases (PIM1 and PIM3) are upregulated in PDAC compared to matched normal tissue and are related to chemoresistance and PDAC cell growth. The PIM kinases are also involved in the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway to promote cell survival. In this study, we evaluate the effect of the novel multikinase PIM/PI3K/mTOR inhibitor, AUM302, and commercially available PIM inhibitor, TP-3654. Using five human PDAC cell lines, we found AUM302 to be a potent inhibitor of cell proliferation, cell viability, cell cycle progression, and phosphoprotein expression, while TP-3654 was less effective. Significantly, AUM302 had a strong impact on the viability of gemcitabine-resistant PDAC cells. Taken together, these results demonstrate that AUM302 exhibits antitumor activity in human PDAC cells and thus has the potential to be an effective drug for PDAC therapy.

Discovery of a high potent PIM kinase inhibitor for acute myeloid leukemia based on N-pyridinyl amide scaffold by optimizing the fragments toward to Lys67 and Asp128/Glu171

Despite the recent development of PIM inhibitors based on N-(pyridin-3-yl)acetamide scaffold for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the structural-activity relationship (SAR) associated with the effects of positional isomerization of N toward to Lys67 and freedom of solvent fragment toward to Asp128/Glu171 still remains an open question. In this work, a structurally novel compound based on N-pyridinyl amide was designed by fragment hybridization and then our SAR exploration revealed that the positional isomerization would lead to a decrease in activity, while increase of the freedom of solvent fragment by breaking the intramolecular hydrogen bond unprecedentedly leads to an increase in activity. These studies finally resulted in the screening out of a potent PIM inhibitor FD1024 (compound 24) which exerts strong antiproliferative activity against the tested AML cell lines and achieves profound antitumor efficacy in mice at well-tolerated dose schedules.

Role and mechanism of PIM family in the immune microenvironment of diffuse large B cell lymphoma

BACKGROUND

Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a more common non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). This study aims to explore the prognostic value of PIM kinase family in DLBCL and its relationship with the immune microenvironment, to provide a certain reference for the prognosis and treatment of DLBCL.

METHODS

The prognostic value of PIM kinase family in DLBCL from the data set GSE10846 was verified through survival analysis and cox regression analysis. Mutations in PIM kinase family and its relationship with immune cell infiltration were explored with online cBioPortal, TIMER database, and single-gene GSEA analysis. Finally, the expression of PIM kinase family in tissues from DLBCL clinical samples was validated through immunohistochemical staining.

RESULTS

The proteins of PIM kinase family were highly expressed in DLBCL patients, which are good prognostic factors for DLBCL patients. Then, PIM1-3 proteins were positively correlated with the immune infiltration of B cells, whose types of mutations also showed different degrees of correlation with B cells. PIM kinase family proteins also showed a high correlation with PDL1. In addition, PIM kinase family was also associated with the commonly mutated genes in DLBCL, such as MYD88, MYC, and BTK.

CONCLUSION

PIM kinase family may be a potential therapeutic target for DLBCL patients.

Plantaricin BM-1 decreases viability of SW480 human colorectal cancer cells by inducing caspase-dependent apoptosis

Plantaricin BM-1 is a class IIa bacteriocin produced by Lactobacillus plantarum BM-1 that has significant antimicrobial activity against food-borne bacteria. In this study, a cell proliferation assay and scanning electron microscopy were used to detect changes in the viability of SW480, Caco-2, and HCT-116 colorectal cancer cells treated with plantaricin BM-1. We found that plantaricin BM-1 significantly reduced the viability of all colorectal cancer cell lines tested, especially that of the SW480 cells. Scanning electron microscopy showed that plantaricin BM-1 treatment reduced the number of microvilli and slightly collapsed the morphology of SW480 cells. Fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry demonstrated that plantaricin BM-1 induced apoptosis of SW480 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. Western blotting further showed that plantaricin BM-1-induced apoptosis of SW480 cells was mediated by the caspase pathway. Finally, transcriptomic analysis showed that 69 genes were differentially expressed after plantaricin BM-1 treatment (p < 0.05), of which 65 were downregulated and four were upregulated. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis showed that expression levels of genes involved in the TNF, NF-κB, and MAPK signaling pathways, as well as functional categories such as microRNAs in cancer and transcriptional misregulation in cancer, were affected in SW480 cells following the treatment with plantaricin BM-1. In conclusion, plantaricin BM-1 induced death in SW480 cells via the caspase-dependent apoptosis pathway. Our study provides important information for further development of plantaricin BM-1 for potential applications in anti-colorectal cancer.

MYC and therapy resistance in cancer: risks and opportunities

The MYC transcription factor, encoded by the c-MYC proto-oncogene, is activated by growth-promoting signals, and is a key regulator of biosynthetic and metabolic pathways driving cell growth and proliferation. These same processes are deregulated in MYC-driven tumors, where they become critical for cancer cell proliferation and survival. As other oncogenic insults, overexpressed MYC induces a series of cellular stresses (metabolic, oxidative, replicative, etc.) collectively known as oncogenic stress, which impact not only on tumor progression, but also on the response to therapy, with profound, multifaceted consequences on clinical outcome. On one hand, recent evidence uncovered a widespread role for MYC in therapy resistance in multiple cancer types, with either standard chemotherapeutic or targeted regimens. Reciprocally, oncogenic MYC imparts a series of molecular and metabolic dependencies to cells, thus giving rise to cancer-specific vulnerabilities that may be exploited to obtain synthetic-lethal interactions with novel anticancer drugs. Here we will review the current knowledge on the links between MYC and therapeutic responses, and will discuss possible strategies to overcome resistance through new, targeted interventions.

Structure-guided design and development of cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors: A review on therapeutic implications

Cyclin-dependent kinase 6 (EC 2.7.11.22) play significant roles in numerous biological processes and triggers cell cycle events. CDK6 controlled the transcriptional regulation. A dysregulated function of CDK6 is linked with the development of progression of multiple tumor types. Thus, it is considered as an effective drug target for cancer therapy. Based on the direct roles of CDK4/6 in tumor development, numerous inhibitors developed as promising anti-cancer agents. CDK4/6 inhibitors regulate the G1 to S transition by preventing Rb phosphorylation and E2F liberation, showing potent anti-cancer activity in several tumors, including HR+/HER2- breast cancer. CDK4/6 inhibitors such as abemaciclib, palbociclib, and ribociclib, control cell cycle, provoke cell senescence, and induces tumor cell disturbance in pre-clinical studies. Here, we discuss the roles of CDK6 in cancer along with the present status of CDK4/6 inhibitors in cancer therapy. We further discussed, how structural features of CDK4/6 could be implicated in the design and development of potential anti-cancer agents. In addition, the therapeutic potential and limitations of available CDK4/6 inhibitors are described in detail. Recent pre-clinical and clinical information for CDK4/6 inhibitors are highlighted. In addition, combination of CDK4/6 inhibitors with other drugs for the therapeutic management of cancer are discussed.

The Role of PIM Kinases in Pediatric Solid Tumors

PIM kinases have been identified as potential therapeutic targets in several malignancies. Here, we provide an in-depth review of PIM kinases, including their structure, expression, activity, regulation, and role in pediatric carcinogenesis. Also included is a brief summary of the currently available pharmaceutical agents targeting PIM kinases and existing clinical trials.