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Kumar A, Das SK, Emdad L, Fisher PB. Applications of tissue-specific and cancer-selective gene promoters for cancer diagnosis and therapy. Adv Cancer Res 2023; 160:253-315. [PMID: 37704290 DOI: 10.1016/bs.acr.2023.03.005] [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] [Indexed: 09/15/2023]
Abstract
Current treatment of solid tumors with standard of care chemotherapies, radiation therapy and/or immunotherapies are often limited by severe adverse toxic effects, resulting in a narrow therapeutic index. Cancer gene therapy represents a targeted approach that in principle could significantly reduce undesirable side effects in normal tissues while significantly inhibiting tumor growth and progression. To be effective, this strategy requires a clear understanding of the molecular biology of cancer development and evolution and developing biological vectors that can serve as vehicles to target cancer cells. The advent and fine tuning of omics technologies that permit the collective and spatial recognition of genes (genomics), mRNAs (transcriptomics), proteins (proteomics), metabolites (metabolomics), epiomics (epigenomics, epitranscriptomics, and epiproteomics), and their interactomics in defined complex biological samples provide a roadmap for identifying crucial targets of relevance to the cancer paradigm. Combining these strategies with identified genetic elements that control target gene expression uncovers significant opportunities for developing guided gene-based therapeutics for cancer. The purpose of this review is to overview the current state and potential limitations in developing gene promoter-directed targeted expression of key genes and highlights their potential applications in cancer gene therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amit Kumar
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, United States; VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Swadesh K Das
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, United States; VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, United States; VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Luni Emdad
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, United States; VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, United States; VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Paul B Fisher
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, United States; VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, United States; VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, United States.
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2
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Karimi S, Khorsandi LS, Ai J. Fabrication of bioartificial pancreas using decellularized rat testicular tissue. Acta Histochem 2022; 124:151928. [DOI: 10.1016/j.acthis.2022.151928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Revised: 06/26/2022] [Accepted: 06/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Montaño-Samaniego M, Bravo-Estupiñan DM, Méndez-Guerrero O, Alarcón-Hernández E, Ibáñez-Hernández M. Strategies for Targeting Gene Therapy in Cancer Cells With Tumor-Specific Promoters. Front Oncol 2020; 10:605380. [PMID: 33381459 PMCID: PMC7768042 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2020.605380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2020] [Accepted: 10/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer is the second cause of death worldwide, surpassed only by cardiovascular diseases, due to the lack of early diagnosis, and high relapse rate after conventional therapies. Chemotherapy inhibits the rapid growth of cancer cells, but it also affects normal cells with fast proliferation rate. Therefore, it is imperative to develop other safe and more effective treatment strategies, such as gene therapy, in order to significantly improve the survival rate and life expectancy of patients with cancer. The aim of gene therapy is to transfect a therapeutic gene into the host cells to express itself and cause a beneficial biological effect. However, the efficacy of the proposed strategies has been insufficient for delivering the full potential of gene therapy in the clinic. The type of delivery vehicle (viral or non viral) chosen depends on the desired specificity of the gene therapy. The first gene therapy trials were performed with therapeutic genes driven by viral promoters such as the CMV promoter, which induces non-specific toxicity in normal cells and tissues, in addition to cancer cells. The use of tumor-specific promoters over-expressed in the tumor, induces specific expression of therapeutic genes in a given tumor, increasing their localized activity. Several cancer- and/or tumor-specific promoters systems have been developed to target cancer cells. This review aims to provide up-to-date information concerning targeting gene therapy with cancer- and/or tumor-specific promoters including cancer suppressor genes, suicide genes, anti-tumor angiogenesis, gene silencing, and gene-editing technology, as well as the type of delivery vehicle employed. Gene therapy can be used to complement traditional therapies to provide more effective treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariela Montaño-Samaniego
- Laboratorio de Terapia Génica, Departamento de Bioquímica, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Diana M. Bravo-Estupiñan
- Laboratorio de Terapia Génica, Departamento de Bioquímica, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Oscar Méndez-Guerrero
- Laboratorio de Terapia Génica, Departamento de Bioquímica, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Ernesto Alarcón-Hernández
- Laboratorio de Genética Molecular, Departamento de Bioquímica, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Miguel Ibáñez-Hernández
- Laboratorio de Terapia Génica, Departamento de Bioquímica, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México, México
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Creeden JF, Alganem K, Imami AS, Brunicardi FC, Liu SH, Shukla R, Tomar T, Naji F, McCullumsmith RE. Kinome Array Profiling of Patient-Derived Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Identifies Differentially Active Protein Tyrosine Kinases. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21228679. [PMID: 33213062 PMCID: PMC7698519 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21228679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Revised: 11/12/2020] [Accepted: 11/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer remains one of the most difficult malignancies to treat. Minimal improvements in patient outcomes and persistently abysmal patient survival rates underscore the great need for new treatment strategies. Currently, there is intense interest in therapeutic strategies that target tyrosine protein kinases. Here, we employed kinome arrays and bioinformatic pipelines capable of identifying differentially active protein tyrosine kinases in different patient-derived pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cell lines and wild-type pancreatic tissue to investigate the unique kinomic networks of PDAC samples and posit novel target kinases for pancreatic cancer therapy. Consistent with previously described reports, the resultant peptide-based kinome array profiles identified increased protein tyrosine kinase activity in pancreatic cancer for the following kinases: epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), fms related receptor tyrosine kinase 4/vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 3 (FLT4/VEGFR-3), insulin receptor (INSR), ephrin receptor A2 (EPHA2), platelet derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRA), SRC proto-oncogene kinase (SRC), and tyrosine kinase non receptor 2 (TNK2). Furthermore, this study identified increased activity for protein tyrosine kinases with limited prior evidence of differential activity in pancreatic cancer. These protein tyrosine kinases include B lymphoid kinase (BLK), Fyn-related kinase (FRK), Lck/Yes-related novel kinase (LYN), FYN proto-oncogene kinase (FYN), lymphocyte cell-specific kinase (LCK), tec protein kinase (TEC), hemopoietic cell kinase (HCK), ABL proto-oncogene 2 kinase (ABL2), discoidin domain receptor 1 kinase (DDR1), and ephrin receptor A8 kinase (EPHA8). Together, these results support the utility of peptide array kinomic analyses in the generation of potential candidate kinases for future pancreatic cancer therapeutic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin F. Creeden
- Department of Neurosciences, College of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43614, USA; (K.A.); (A.S.I.); (R.S.); (R.E.M.)
- Department of Cancer Biology, College of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43614, USA; (F.C.B.); (S.-H.L.)
- Department of Surgery, College of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43614, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-419-383-6474
| | - Khaled Alganem
- Department of Neurosciences, College of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43614, USA; (K.A.); (A.S.I.); (R.S.); (R.E.M.)
| | - Ali S. Imami
- Department of Neurosciences, College of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43614, USA; (K.A.); (A.S.I.); (R.S.); (R.E.M.)
| | - F. Charles Brunicardi
- Department of Cancer Biology, College of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43614, USA; (F.C.B.); (S.-H.L.)
- Department of Surgery, College of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43614, USA
| | - Shi-He Liu
- Department of Cancer Biology, College of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43614, USA; (F.C.B.); (S.-H.L.)
- Department of Surgery, College of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43614, USA
| | - Rammohan Shukla
- Department of Neurosciences, College of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43614, USA; (K.A.); (A.S.I.); (R.S.); (R.E.M.)
| | - Tushar Tomar
- PamGene International BV, 5200 BJ’s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands; (T.T.); (F.N.)
| | - Faris Naji
- PamGene International BV, 5200 BJ’s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands; (T.T.); (F.N.)
| | - Robert E. McCullumsmith
- Department of Neurosciences, College of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43614, USA; (K.A.); (A.S.I.); (R.S.); (R.E.M.)
- Neurosciences Institute, ProMedica, Toledo, OH 43606, USA
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5
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Liu SH, Yu J, Creeden JF, Sutton JM, Markowiak S, Sanchez R, Nemunaitis J, Kalinoski A, Zhang JT, Damoiseaux R, Erhardt P, Brunicardi FC. Repurposing metformin, simvastatin and digoxin as a combination for targeted therapy for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Cancer Lett 2020; 491:97-107. [PMID: 32829010 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2020.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Revised: 07/23/2020] [Accepted: 08/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) have a 5-year survival rate of 8%, the lowest of any cancer in the United States. Traditional chemotherapeutic regimens, such as gemcitabine- and fluorouracil-based regimens, often only prolong survival by months. Effective precision targeted therapy is therefore urgently needed to substantially improve survival. In an effort to expedite approval and delivery of targeted therapy to patients, we utilized a platform to develop a novel combination of FDA approved drugs that would target pancreaticoduodenal homeobox1 (PDX1) and baculoviral inhibitor of apoptosis repeat-containing 5 (BIRC5) utilizing super-promoters of the target genes to interrogate an FDA approved drug library. We identified and selected metformin, simvastatin and digoxin (C3) as a novel combination of FDA approved drugs, which were shown to effectively target PDX1 and BIRC5 in human PDAC tumors in mice with no toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shi-He Liu
- Department of Surgery, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH, 43614, USA; Department of Cancer Biology, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH, 43614, USA.
| | - Juehua Yu
- Department of Surgery, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Justin F Creeden
- Department of Surgery, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH, 43614, USA; Department of Cancer Biology, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH, 43614, USA
| | - Jeffrey M Sutton
- Department of Surgery, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH, 43614, USA
| | - Stephen Markowiak
- Department of Surgery, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH, 43614, USA
| | - Robbi Sanchez
- Department of Surgery, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - John Nemunaitis
- Department of Medicine, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH, 43614, USA
| | - Andrea Kalinoski
- Department of Surgery, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH, 43614, USA
| | - Jian-Ting Zhang
- Department of Cancer Biology, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH, 43614, USA
| | - Robert Damoiseaux
- Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Paul Erhardt
- Department of Medicinal and Biological Chemistry, University of Toledo College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Toledo, OH, 43614, USA
| | - F Charles Brunicardi
- Department of Surgery, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH, 43614, USA; Department of Cancer Biology, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH, 43614, USA
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Qadir MMF, Álvarez-Cubela S, Weitz J, Panzer JK, Klein D, Moreno-Hernández Y, Cechin S, Tamayo A, Almaça J, Hiller H, Beery M, Kusmartseva I, Atkinson M, Speier S, Ricordi C, Pugliese A, Caicedo A, Fraker CA, Pastori RL, Domínguez-Bendala J. Long-term culture of human pancreatic slices as a model to study real-time islet regeneration. Nat Commun 2020; 11:3265. [PMID: 32601271 PMCID: PMC7324563 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-17040-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2019] [Accepted: 06/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The culture of live pancreatic tissue slices is a powerful tool for the interrogation of physiology and pathology in an in vitro setting that retains near-intact cytoarchitecture. However, current culture conditions for human pancreatic slices (HPSs) have only been tested for short-term applications, which are not permissive for the long-term, longitudinal study of pancreatic endocrine regeneration. Using a culture system designed to mimic the physiological oxygenation of the pancreas, we demonstrate high viability and preserved endocrine and exocrine function in HPS for at least 10 days after sectioning. This extended lifespan allowed us to dynamically lineage trace and quantify the formation of insulin-producing cells in HPS from both non-diabetic and type 2 diabetic donors. This technology is expected to be of great impact for the conduct of real-time regeneration/developmental studies in the human pancreas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirza Muhammad Fahd Qadir
- Diabetes Research Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, 33136, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, 33136, USA
| | - Silvia Álvarez-Cubela
- Diabetes Research Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, 33136, USA
| | - Jonathan Weitz
- Department of Medicine, Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Diabetes, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, 33136, USA
| | - Julia K Panzer
- Department of Medicine, Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Diabetes, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, 33136, USA
| | - Dagmar Klein
- Diabetes Research Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, 33136, USA
| | - Yaisa Moreno-Hernández
- Diabetes Research Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, 33136, USA
- Universidad Francisco de Vitoria, Madrid, Spain
| | - Sirlene Cechin
- Diabetes Research Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, 33136, USA
| | - Alejandro Tamayo
- Department of Medicine, Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Diabetes, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, 33136, USA
| | - Joana Almaça
- Department of Medicine, Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Diabetes, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, 33136, USA
| | - Helmut Hiller
- nPOD Laboratory, Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Maria Beery
- nPOD Laboratory, Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Irina Kusmartseva
- nPOD Laboratory, Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Mark Atkinson
- nPOD Laboratory, Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
- Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Stephan Speier
- Paul Langerhans Institute Dresden (PLID) of the Helmholtz Zentrum München at the University Clinic Carl Gustav Carus of Technische Universität Dresden, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Physiology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), München, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Camillo Ricordi
- Diabetes Research Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, 33136, USA
- Department of Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, 33136, USA
| | - Alberto Pugliese
- Department of Medicine, Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Diabetes, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, 33136, USA
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, 33136, USA
| | - Alejandro Caicedo
- Department of Medicine, Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Diabetes, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, 33136, USA
| | - Christopher A Fraker
- Diabetes Research Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, 33136, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, 33136, USA
| | - Ricardo Luis Pastori
- Diabetes Research Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, 33136, USA.
- Department of Medicine, Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Diabetes, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, 33136, USA.
| | - Juan Domínguez-Bendala
- Diabetes Research Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, 33136, USA.
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, 33136, USA.
- Department of Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, 33136, USA.
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7
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Yan J, Yu S, Jia C, Li M, Chen J. Molecular subtyping in pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms: New insights into clinical, pathological unmet needs and challenges. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2020; 1874:188367. [PMID: 32339609 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2020.188367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2020] [Revised: 04/04/2020] [Accepted: 04/23/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (PanNENs) contain two primary subtypes with distinct molecular features and associated clinical outcomes: well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) and poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinomas (NECs). PanNENs are a group of clinically heterogeneous tumors, whose diagnosis is based on tumor morphologic features and proliferation indices. However, these standards incompletely meet clinical needs by failing to adequately assess the likelihood of tumor recurrence and the potential for therapeutic response. We therefore focused on discussing molecular advances that facilitate the understanding of heterogeneity and exploration of reliable recurrence/treatment predictors. Taking advantage of high-throughput technologies, emerging methods of molecular subtyping in PanNETs include classifications based on co-existing multi-gene mutations, a large-scale loss of heterozygosity or copy number variation, and islet cell type-specific signatures. PanNEC molecular updates were discussed as well. This review aims to help the field classify PanNEN molecular subtypes, gain insights to aid in the solving of clinical, pathological unmet needs, and detect challenges and concerns of genetically-driven trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Yan
- Department of Pathology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China; Department of Medicine, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Department of Surgery, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
| | - Shuangni Yu
- Department of Pathology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Congwei Jia
- Department of Pathology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Min Li
- Department of Medicine, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Department of Surgery, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA.
| | - Jie Chen
- Department of Pathology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
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Liu SH, Hong Y, Markowiak S, Sanchez R, Creeden J, Nemunaitis J, Kalinoski A, Willey J, Erhardt P, Lee J, van Dam M, Brunicardi FC. BIRC5 is a target for molecular imaging and detection of human pancreatic cancer. Cancer Lett 2019; 457:10-19. [PMID: 31059751 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2019.04.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2019] [Revised: 04/25/2019] [Accepted: 04/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a major cause of cancer mortality with a dismal overall survival rate and an urgent need for detection of minute tumors. Current diagnostic modalities have high sensitivity and specificity for larger tumors, but not for minute PDAC. In this study, we test the feasibility of a precision diagnostic platform for detecting and localizing minute human PDAC in mice. This platform includes: 1) defining BIRC5 as an early PDAC-upregulated gene and utilizing an enhanced BIRC5 super-promoter to drive expression of dual Gaussia luciferase (GLuc) and sr39 thymidine kinase (sr39TK) reporter genes exponentially and specifically in PDAC; 2) utilizing a genetically-engineered AAV2RGD to ensure targeted delivery of GLuc and sr39TK specifically to PDAC; 3) using serologic GLuc and sr39TK microPET/CT imaging to detect and localize minute human PDAC in mice. The study demonstrates feasibility of a precision diagnostic platform using an integrated technology through a multiple-stage amplification strategy of dual reporter genes to enhance the specificity and sensitivity of detection and localization of minute PDAC tumors and currently undetectable disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shi-He Liu
- Department of Surgery, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH, 43614, USA; Department of Cancer Biology, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH, 43614, USA
| | - Yeahwa Hong
- Department of Surgery, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH, 43614, USA
| | - Stephen Markowiak
- Department of Surgery, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH, 43614, USA
| | - Robbi Sanchez
- Department of Surgery, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Justin Creeden
- Department of Surgery, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH, 43614, USA; Department of Cancer Biology, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH, 43614, USA
| | - John Nemunaitis
- Department of Medicine, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH, 43614, USA
| | - Andrea Kalinoski
- Department of Surgery, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH, 43614, USA
| | - James Willey
- Department of Medicine, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH, 43614, USA
| | - Paul Erhardt
- Department of Pharmacology-Medicinal/Biological Chemistry, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH, 43614, USA
| | - Jason Lee
- Crump Institute for Molecular Imaging, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA; Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA; Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Michael van Dam
- Crump Institute for Molecular Imaging, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA; Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA; Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - F Charles Brunicardi
- Department of Surgery, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH, 43614, USA; Department of Cancer Biology, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH, 43614, USA.
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9
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Dong ZQ, Hu ZG, Li HQ, Jiang YM, Cao MY, Chen P, Lu C, Pan MH. Construction and characterization of a synthetic Baculovirus-inducible 39K promoter. J Biol Eng 2018; 12:30. [PMID: 30534200 PMCID: PMC6280533 DOI: 10.1186/s13036-018-0121-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2018] [Accepted: 11/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Silkworm genetic engineering is widely used in gene function, silk engineering and disease-resistant engineering in most of Asia. Some of the earliest promoter elements are used to control the development of silkworm transgenic expression and gene therapy. However, the low expression and specificity of natural promoters limit the applications of genetic engineering. To construct a highly efficient synthetic inducible promoter in the Bombyx mori (Lepidoptera), we analyzed the regulatory elements and functional regions of the B. mori nucleopolyhedrovirus 39 K promoter. Results Truncated mutation analysis of the 39 K promoter showed that the transcriptional regulatory region spanning positions - 573 to - 274 and + 1 to + 62 are essential for virus-inducible promoter activity. Further investigations using the electrophoretic mobility shift assay revealed that the baculovirus IE-1 protein binds to the 39 K promoter at the - 310 to - 355 region, and transcription activates the expression of 39 K promoter assay. Finally, we successfully constructed a synthetic inducible promoter that increased the virus-inducing activity of other promoters using the baculovirus-inducible transcriptional activation region that binds to specific core elements of 39 K (i.e., spanning the region - 310 to - 355). Conclusions In summary, we constructed a novel, synthetic, and highly efficient biological tool, namely, a virus-inducible 39 K promoter, which provides endless possibilities for future research on gene function, gene therapy, and pest control in genetic engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhan-Qi Dong
- 1State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400716 China
| | - Zhi-Gang Hu
- 1State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400716 China
| | - Hai-Qing Li
- 1State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400716 China
| | - Ya-Ming Jiang
- 1State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400716 China
| | - Ming-Ya Cao
- 3Joint National Laboratory for Antibody Drug Engineering, Institute of Immunology, Henan University School of Medicine, Kaifeng, 475004 China
| | - Peng Chen
- 1State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400716 China
| | - Cheng Lu
- 1State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400716 China.,2Key Laboratory for Sericulture Functional Genomics and Biotechnology of Agricultural Ministry, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400716 China
| | - Min-Hui Pan
- 1State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400716 China.,2Key Laboratory for Sericulture Functional Genomics and Biotechnology of Agricultural Ministry, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400716 China
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