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Martincuks A, Zhang C, Austria T, Li YJ, Huang R, Lugo Santiago N, Kohut A, Zhao Q, Borrero RM, Shen B, Cristea M, Wang EW, Song M, Rodriguez-Rodriguez L, Yu H. Targeting PARG induces tumor cell growth inhibition and antitumor immune response by reducing phosphorylated STAT3 in ovarian cancer. J Immunother Cancer 2024; 12:e007716. [PMID: 38580335 PMCID: PMC11002370 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2023-007716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/07/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecological malignancy, with limited treatment options after failure of standard therapies. Despite the potential of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors in treating DNA damage response (DDR)-deficient ovarian cancer, the development of resistance and immunosuppression limit their efficacy, necessitating alternative therapeutic strategies. Inhibitors of poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase (PARG) represent a novel class of inhibitors that are currently being assessed in preclinical and clinical studies for cancer treatment. METHODS By using a PARG small-molecule inhibitor, COH34, and a cell-penetrating antibody targeting the PARG's catalytic domain, we investigated the effects of PARG inhibition on signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) in OVCAR8, PEO1, and Brca1-null ID8 ovarian cancer cell lines, as well as in immune cells. We examined PARG inhibition-induced effects on STAT3 phosphorylation, nuclear localization, target gene expression, and antitumor immune responses in vitro, in patient-derived tumor organoids, and in an immunocompetent Brca1-null ID8 ovarian mouse tumor model that mirrors DDR-deficient human high-grade serous ovarian cancer. We also tested the effects of overexpressing a constitutively activated STAT3 mutant on COH34-induced tumor cell growth inhibition. RESULTS Our findings show that PARG inhibition downregulates STAT3 activity through dephosphorylation in ovarian cancer cells. Importantly, overexpression of a constitutively activated STAT3 mutant in tumor cells attenuates PARG inhibitor-induced growth inhibition. Additionally, PARG inhibition reduces STAT3 phosphorylation in immune cells, leading to the activation of antitumor immune responses, shown in immune cells cocultured with ovarian cancer patient tumor-derived organoids and in immune-competent mice-bearing mouse ovarian tumors. CONCLUSIONS We have identified a novel antitumor mechanism underlying PARG inhibition beyond its primary antitumor effects through blocking DDR in ovarian cancer. Furthermore, targeting PARG activates antitumor immune responses, thereby potentially increasing response rates to immunotherapy in patients with ovarian cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antons Martincuks
- Department of Immuno-Oncology, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Chunyan Zhang
- Department of Immuno-Oncology, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Theresa Austria
- Department of Immuno-Oncology, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Yi-Jia Li
- Department of Immuno-Oncology, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Rui Huang
- Department of Immuno-Oncology, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Nicole Lugo Santiago
- Department of Surgery, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Adrian Kohut
- Department of Surgery, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Qianqian Zhao
- Department of Immuno-Oncology, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, California, USA
- City of Hope Irell & Manella Graduate School of Biological Sciences, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Rosemarie Martinez Borrero
- Department of Immuno-Oncology, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, California, USA
- City of Hope Irell & Manella Graduate School of Biological Sciences, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Binghui Shen
- Department of Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Mihaela Cristea
- Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Edward W Wang
- Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Mihae Song
- Department of Surgery, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, California, USA
| | | | - Hua Yu
- Department of Immuno-Oncology, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, California, USA
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Ding R, Sang S, Yi J, Xie H, Wang F, Dai A. G6PD is a prognostic biomarker correlated with immune infiltrates in lung adenocarcinoma and pulmonary arterial hypertension. Aging (Albany NY) 2024; 16:466-492. [PMID: 38194707 PMCID: PMC10817399 DOI: 10.18632/aging.205381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) with Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) shows a poor prognosis. Detecting related genes is imperative for prognosis prediction. METHODS The gene expression profiles of LUAD and PAH were acquired from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, respectively. The co-expression modules associated with LUAD and PAH were evaluated using the Weighted Gene Co-Expression Network Analysis (WGCNA). The relationship between key gene expression with immune-cell infiltration and the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) was evaluated. We confirmed the mRNA and protein levels in vivo and vitro. G6PD knockdown was used to conduct the colony formation assay, transwell invasion assay, and scratch wound assay of A549 cells. EDU staining and CCK8 assay were performed on G6PD knockdown HPASMCs. We identified therapeutic drug molecules and performed molecular docking between the key gene and small drug molecules. RESULTS Three major modules and 52 overlapped genes were recognized in LUAD and PAH. We identified the key gene G6PD, which was significantly upregulated in LUAD and PAH. In addition, we discovered a significant difference in infiltration for most immune cells between high- and low-G6PD expression groups. The mRNA and protein expressions of G6PD were significantly upregulated in LUAD and PAH. G6PD knockdown decreased proliferation, cloning, and migration of A549 cells and cell proliferation in HPASMCs. We screened five potential drug molecules against G6PD and targeted glutaraldehyde by molecular docking. CONCLUSIONS This study reveals that G6PD is an immune-related biomarker and a possible therapeutic target for LUAD and PAH patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rongzhen Ding
- Department of Respiratory Diseases, Medical School, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, China
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Vascular Biology and Translational Medicine, Changsha, China
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, China
| | - Shuliu Sang
- Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jian Yi
- Department of Respiratory Diseases, Medical School, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, China
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Vascular Biology and Translational Medicine, Changsha, China
- Hunan Academy of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, China
| | - Haiping Xie
- Department of Urinary Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, China
| | - Feiying Wang
- Department of Respiratory Diseases, Medical School, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, China
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Vascular Biology and Translational Medicine, Changsha, China
| | - Aiguo Dai
- Department of Respiratory Diseases, Medical School, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, China
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Vascular Biology and Translational Medicine, Changsha, China
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, China
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Feng Q, Hao S, Fang P, Zhang P, Sheng X. Role of GPX4 inhibition-mediated ferroptosis in the chemoresistance of ovarian cancer to Taxol in vitro. Mol Biol Rep 2023; 50:10189-10198. [PMID: 37924448 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-023-08856-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 11/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ovarian cancer remains a common gynecological tumor and the fifth leading cause of death worldwide. Taxol-based chemotherapy is a standard approach to the treatment of ovarian cancer. Glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) is the key regulator of ferroptosis, which is an important form of cell death. Here, we investigate the effect of GPX4 inhibition-mediated ferroptosis on the sensitivity of ovarian cancer cells to Taxol. METHODS AND RESULTS A2780/PTX and OVCAR-3/PTX Taxol-resistant ovarian cancer cells were established, and stable GPX4 knockout cell lines were generated via lentivirus GPX4-sgRNA. The GPX4 expression level, the apoptosis rate and cell viability were analyzed. The levels of ferroptosis-related factor indicators such as malondialdehyde (MDA) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were measured. The results showed that the GPX4 protein and mRNA levels were increased in the Taxol-resistant cells. Moreover, GPX4 knockout reduced cell viability and inhibited the colony formation rate. In addition, we found that GPX4 inhibition increased Taxol sensitivity by inducing ferroptosis. CONCLUSIONS In summary, our studies reveal that GPX4 inhibition promotes ferroptosis and increases the sensitivity of ovarian cancer cells to Taxol in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Feng
- National Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital & Shenzhen Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Shenzhen, P. R. China
- Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, P. R. China
| | - Sheng Hao
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Genome Instability and Human Disease Prevention, Marshall Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, International Cancer Center, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Peng Fang
- Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Peng Zhang
- Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, P. R. China.
| | - Xiugui Sheng
- National Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital & Shenzhen Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Shenzhen, P. R. China.
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Kim HS, Bae S, Lim YJ, So KA, Kim TJ, Bae S, Lee JH. Tephrosin Suppresses the Chemoresistance of Paclitaxel-Resistant Ovarian Cancer via Inhibition of FGFR1 Signaling Pathway. Biomedicines 2023; 11:3155. [PMID: 38137377 PMCID: PMC10740824 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11123155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/26/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death among gynecologic cancers. Paclitaxel is used as a standard first-line therapeutic agent for ovarian cancer. However, chemotherapeutic resistance and high recurrence rates are major obstacles to treating ovarian cancer. We have found that tephrosin, a natural rotenoid isoflavonoid, can resensitize paclitaxel-resistant ovarian cancer cells to paclitaxel. Cell viability, immunoblotting, and a flow cytometric analysis showed that a combination treatment made up of paclitaxel and tephrosin induced apoptotic death. Tephrosin inhibited the phosphorylation of AKT, STAT3, ERK, and p38 MAPK, all of which simultaneously play important roles in survival signaling pathways. Notably, tephrosin downregulated the phosphorylation of FGFR1 and its specific adapter protein FRS2, but it had no effect on the phosphorylation of the EGFR. Immunoblotting and a fluo-3 acetoxymethyl assay showed that tephrosin did not affect the expression or function of P-glycoprotein. Additionally, treatment with N-acetylcysteine did not restore cell cytotoxicity caused by a treatment combination made up of paclitaxel and tephrosin, showing that tephrosin did not affect the reactive oxygen species scavenging pathway. Interestingly, tephrosin reduced the expression of the anti-apoptotic factor XIAP. This study demonstrates that tephrosin is a potent antitumor agent that can be used in the treatment of paclitaxel-resistant ovarian cancer via the inhibition of the FGFR1 signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hee Su Kim
- Department of Cosmetics Engineering, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05029, Republic of Korea; (H.S.K.); (S.B.); (Y.J.L.); (S.B.)
| | - Sowon Bae
- Department of Cosmetics Engineering, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05029, Republic of Korea; (H.S.K.); (S.B.); (Y.J.L.); (S.B.)
| | - Ye Jin Lim
- Department of Cosmetics Engineering, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05029, Republic of Korea; (H.S.K.); (S.B.); (Y.J.L.); (S.B.)
| | - Kyeong A So
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05030, Republic of Korea; (K.A.S.); (T.J.K.)
| | - Tae Jin Kim
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05030, Republic of Korea; (K.A.S.); (T.J.K.)
| | - Seunghee Bae
- Department of Cosmetics Engineering, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05029, Republic of Korea; (H.S.K.); (S.B.); (Y.J.L.); (S.B.)
| | - Jae Ho Lee
- Department of Cosmetics Engineering, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05029, Republic of Korea; (H.S.K.); (S.B.); (Y.J.L.); (S.B.)
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Wang C, Yu C, Chang H, Song J, Zhang S, Zhao J, Wang J, Wang T, Qi Q, Shan C. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase: a therapeutic target for ovarian cancer. Expert Opin Ther Targets 2023; 27:733-743. [PMID: 37571851 DOI: 10.1080/14728222.2023.2247558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Revised: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Ovarian cancer (OC) is a gynecological tumor disease, which is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage and has a poor prognosis. It has been established that the glucose metabolism rate of cancer cells is significantly higher than that of normal cells, and the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) is an important branch pathway for glucose metabolism. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) is the key rate-limiting enzyme in the PPP, which plays an important role in the initiation and development of cancer (such as OC), and has been considered as a promisinganti-cancer target. AREAS COVERED In this review, based on the structure and biological function of G6PD, recent research on the roles of G6PD in the progression, metastasis, and chemoresistance of OC are summarized and accompanied by proposed molecular mechanisms, which may provide a systematic understanding of targeting G6PD for the treatment of patients with OC. EXPERT OPINION Accumulating evidence demonstrates that G6PD is a promising target of cancer. The development of G6PD inhibitors for cancer treatment merits broad application prospects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenxi Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, College of Pharmacy and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Drug Research, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Chenxi Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, College of Pharmacy and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Drug Research, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Hongkai Chang
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, College of Pharmacy and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Drug Research, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Jiaqi Song
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, College of Pharmacy and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Drug Research, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Shuai Zhang
- School of Integrative Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Jianguo Zhao
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of human development and reproductive regulation, Tianjin Central Hospital of Gynecology Obstetrics, Tianjin, China
| | - Jiyan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, College of Pharmacy and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Drug Research, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Tao Wang
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of human development and reproductive regulation, Tianjin Central Hospital of Gynecology Obstetrics, Tianjin, China
| | - Qi Qi
- MOE Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Biology, Clinical Translational Center for Targeted Drug, Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Changliang Shan
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, College of Pharmacy and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Drug Research, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
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Yang X, Xu L, Yang L, Xu S. Research progress of STAT3-based dual inhibitors for cancer therapy. Bioorg Med Chem 2023; 91:117382. [PMID: 37369169 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2023.117382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Revised: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023]
Abstract
Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), a transcription factor, regulates gene levels that are associated with cell survival, cell cycle, and immune reaction. It is correlated with the grade of malignancy and the development of various cancers and targeting STAT3 protein is a potentially promising therapeutic strategy for tumors. Over the past 20 years, various compounds have been found to directly inhibit STAT3 activity via different strategies. However, numerous difficulties exist in the development of STAT3 inhibitors, such as serious toxic effects, poor therapeutic effects, and intrinsic and acquired drug resistance. STAT3 inhibitors synergistically suppress cancer development with additional anti-tumor drugs, such as indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 inhibitors (IDO1i), histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi), DNA inhibitors, pro-tumorigenic cytokine inhibitors (PTCi), NF-κB inhibitors, and tubulin inhibitors. Therefore, individual molecule- based dual-target inhibitors can be the candidate alternative or complementary treatment to overcome the disadvantages of just STAT3 or other targets as a monotherapy. In this review, we discuss the theoretical basis for formulating STAT3-based dual-target inhibitors and also summarize their structure-activity relationships (SARs).
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojuan Yang
- School of Pharmacy, Xinxiang University, Xinxiang 453003, China.
| | - Lu Xu
- School of Pharmacy, Xinxiang University, Xinxiang 453003, China
| | - Li Yang
- School of Pharmacy, Xinxiang University, Xinxiang 453003, China
| | - Shaohong Xu
- School of Pharmacy, Xinxiang University, Xinxiang 453003, China.
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Overcoming Acquired Drug Resistance to Cancer Therapies through Targeted STAT3 Inhibition. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24054722. [PMID: 36902166 PMCID: PMC10002572 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24054722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Revised: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/25/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Anti-neoplastic agents for cancer treatment utilize many different mechanisms of action and, when combined, can result in potent inhibition of cancer growth. Combination therapies can result in long-term, durable remission or even cure; however, too many times, these anti-neoplastic agents lose their efficacy due to the development of acquired drug resistance (ADR). In this review, we evaluate the scientific and medical literature that elucidate STAT3-mediated mechanisms of resistance to cancer therapeutics. Herein, we have found that at least 24 different anti-neoplastic agents-standard toxic chemotherapeutic agents, targeted kinase inhibitors, anti-hormonal agents, and monoclonal antibodies-that utilize the STAT3 signaling pathway as one mechanism of developing therapeutic resistance. Targeting STAT3, in combination with existing anti-neoplastic agents, may prove to be a successful therapeutic strategy to either prevent or even overcome ADR to standard and novel cancer therapies.
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