Antagonizing STK25 Signaling Suppresses the Development of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Through Targeting Metabolic, Inflammatory, and Pro-Oncogenic Pathways

Therapeutic Potential of STE20-Type Kinase STK25 Inhibition for the Prevention and Treatment of Metabolically Induced Hepatocellular Carcinoma

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a rapidly growing malignancy with high mortality. Recently, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) has emerged as a major HCC catalyst; however, signals driving transition of MASH to HCC remain elusive and treatment options are limited. Herein, we investigated the role of STE20-type kinase STK25, a critical regulator of hepatocellular lipotoxic milieu and MASH susceptibility, in the initiation and progression of MASH-related HCC.

METHODS

The clinical relevance of STK25 in HCC was assessed in publicly available datasets and by RT-qPCR and proximity ligation assay in a validation cohort. The functional significance of STK25 silencing in human hepatoma cells was evaluated in vitro and in a subcutaneous xenograft mouse model. The therapeutic potential of STK25 antagonism was examined in a mouse model of MASH-driven HCC, induced by a single diethylnitrosamine injection combined with a high-fat diet.

RESULTS

Analysis of public databases and in-house cohorts revealed that STK25 expression in human liver biopsies positively correlated with HCC incidence and severity. The in vitro silencing of STK25 in human hepatoma cells suppressed proliferation, migration, and invasion with efficacy comparable to that achieved by anti-HCC drugs sorafenib or regorafenib. STK25 knockout in human hepatoma cells also blocked tumor formation and growth in a subcutaneous xenograft mouse model. Furthermore, pharmacologic inhibition of STK25 with antisense oligonucleotides-administered systemically or hepatocyte-specifically-efficiently mitigated the development and exacerbation of hepatocarcinogenesis in a mouse model of MASH-driven HCC.

CONCLUSION

This study underscores STK25 antagonism as a promising therapeutic strategy for the prevention and treatment of HCC in the context of MASH.

Molecular mechanism and therapeutic significance of essential amino acids in metabolically associated fatty liver disease

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), also known as metabolically associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), is a systemic metabolic disease characterized by lipid accumulation in the liver, lipid toxicity, insulin resistance, intestinal dysbiosis, and inflammation that can progress from simple steatosis to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and even cirrhosis or cancer. It is the most prevalent illness threatening world health. Currently, there are almost no approved drug interventions for MAFLD, mainly dietary changes and exercise to control weight and regulate metabolic disorders. Meanwhile, the metabolic pathway involved in amino acid metabolism also influences the onset and development of MAFLD in the body, and most amino acid metabolism takes place in the liver. Essential amino acids are those amino acids that must be supplemented from outside the diet and that cannot be synthesized in the body or cannot be synthesized at a rate sufficient to meet the body's needs, including leucine, isoleucine, valine (collectively known as branched-chain amino acids), tryptophan, phenylalanine (which are aromatic amino acids), histidine, methionine, threonine and lysine. The metabolic balance of the body is closely linked to these essential amino acids, and essential amino acids are closely linked to the pathophysiological process of MAFLD. In this paper, we will focus on the metabolism of essential amino acids in the body and further explore the therapeutic strategies for MAFLD based on the studies conducted in recent years.

STK25: a viable therapeutic target for cancer treatments?

Serine/threonine protein kinase 25 (STK25) is a critical regulator of ectopic lipid storage, glucose and insulin homeostasis, fibrosis, and meta-inflammation. More and more studies have revealed a strong correlation between STK25 and human diseases. On the one hand, STK25 can affect glucose and fatty acid metabolism in normal cells or tumors. On the other hand, STK25 participates in autophagy, cell polarity, cell apoptosis, and cell migration by activating various signaling pathways. This article reviews the composition and function of STK25, the energy metabolism and potential drugs that may target STK25, and the research progress of STK25 in the occurrence and development of tumors, to provide a reference for the clinical treatment of tumors.

Advances in experimental animal models of hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common malignant tumor with insidious early symptoms, easy metastasis, postoperative recurrence, poor drug efficacy, and a high drug resistance rate when surgery is missed, leading to a low 5-year survival rate. Research on the pathogenesis and drugs is particularly important for clinical treatment. Animal models are crucial for basic research, which is conducive to studying pathogenesis and drug screening more conveniently and effectively. An appropriate animal model can better reflect disease occurrence and development, and the process of anti-tumor immune response in the human body. This review summarizes the classification, characteristics, and advances in experimental animal models of HCC to provide a reference for researchers on model selection.

Emerging novel targets for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease treatment: Evidence from recent basic studies

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a leading chronic disease worldwide, affects approximately a quarter of the global population. Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is an advanced form of NAFLD and is more likely to progress to liver fibrosis than simple steatosis. NASH is also identified as the most rapidly growing cause of hepatocellular carcinoma. Although in the past decade, several phase II/III clinical trials have shown promising results in the use of novel drugs targeting lipid synthase, farnesoid X receptor signaling, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor signaling, hepatocellular injury, and inflammatory signaling, proven pharmaceutical agents to treat NASH are still lacking. Thus, continuous exploration of the mechanism underlying the pathogenesis of NAFLD and the identification of novel therapeutic targets remain urgent tasks in the field. In the current review, we summarize studies reported in recent years that not only provide new insights into the mechanisms of NAFLD development but also explore the possibility of treating NAFLD by targeting newly identified signaling pathways. We also discuss evidence focusing on the intrahepatic targets involved in the pathogenesis of NAFLD as well as extrahepatic targets affecting liver metabolism and function.

GCKIII kinases in lipotoxicity: Roles in NAFLD and beyond

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is defined by excessive accumulation of lipid droplets within hepatocytes. The STE20-type kinases comprising the germinal center kinase III (GCKIII) subfamily - MST3, MST4, and STK25 - decorate intrahepatocellular lipid droplets and have recently emerged as critical regulators of the initiation and progression of NAFLD. While significant advancement has been made toward deciphering the role of GCKIII kinases in hepatic fat accumulation (i.e., steatosis) as well as the aggravation of NAFLD into its severe form nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), much remains to be resolved. This review provides a brief overview of the recent studies in patient cohorts, cultured human cells, and mouse models, which have characterized the function of MST3, MST4, and STK25 in the regulation of hepatic lipid accretion, meta-inflammation, and associated cell damage in the context of NAFLD/NASH. We also highlight the conflicting data and emphasize future research directions that are needed to advance our understanding of GCKIII kinases as potential targets in the therapy of NAFLD and its comorbidities. Conclusions: Several lines of evidence suggest that GCKIII proteins govern the susceptibility to hepatic lipotoxicity and that pharmacological inhibition of these kinases could mitigate NAFLD development and aggravation. Comprehensive characterization of the molecular mode-of-action of MST3, MST4, and STK25 in hepatocytes as well as extrahepatic tissues is important, especially in relation to their impact on carcinogenesis, to fully understand the efficacy as well as safety of GCKIII antagonism.

Disruption of Growth Hormone Receptor Signaling Abrogates Hepatocellular Carcinoma Development

Introduction

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of primary liver cancers. It is an aggressive neoplasm with dismal outcome because most of the patients present with an advanced-stage disease, which precludes curative surgical options. Therefore, these patients require systemic therapies that typically induce small improvements in overall survival. Hence, it is crucial to identify new and promising therapeutic targets for HCC to improve the current outcome. The liver is a key organ in the signaling cascade triggered by the growth hormone receptor (GHR). Previous studies have shown that GHR signaling stimulates the proliferation and regeneration of liver cells and tissues; however, a definitive role of GHR signaling in HCC pathogenesis has not been identified.

Methods

In this study, we used a direct and specific approach to analyze the role of GHR in HCC development. This approach encompasses mice with global (Ghr-/- ) or liver-specific (LiGhr-/- ) disruption of GHR expression, and the injection of diethylnitrosamine (DEN) to develop HCC in these mice.

Results

Our data show that DEN induced HCC in a substantial majority of the Ghr+/+ (93.5%) and Ghr +/- (87.1%) mice but not in the Ghr-/- (5.6%) mice (P < 0.0001). Although 57.7% of LiGhr-/- mice developed HCC after injection of DEN, these mice had significantly fewer tumors than LiGhr+/+ (P < 0.001), which implies that the expression of GHR in the liver cells might increase tumor burden. Notably, the pathologic, histologic, and biochemical characteristics of DEN-induced HCC in mice resembled to a great extent human HCC, despite the fact that etiologically this model does not mimic this cancer in humans. Our data also show that the effects of DEN on mice livers were primarily related to its carcinogenic effects and ability to induce HCC, with minimal effects related to toxic effects.

Conclusion

Collectively, our data support an important role of GHR in HCC development, and suggest that exploiting GHR signaling may represent a promising approach to treat HCC.

Bioactive xanthones, benzophenones and biphenyls from mangosteen root with potential anti-migration against hepatocellular carcinoma cells

Liver cancer refers primarily to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounting for over 90% of cases and is the highest incidence in men in Thailand. Over the past decades, the incidence of HCC dramatically increased with a strong rise of mortality rates. Garcinia mangostana, “Queen of Fruit” of Thailand, is known as a rich source of xanthones with potent cytotoxic properties against various cancer cells. Study on xanthones is provoking not only due to the structural diversity but also a wide variety of pharmacological activities. Hence the aim of the current study is to determine the effects of metabolites from G. mangostana root on cell proliferation and migration of hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Twenty-two metabolites, including two new benzophenones and one new biphenyl, were isolated and characterized. Five xanthones with a prenyl moiety showed significant cytotoxicity against both HCC cells tested; however, only dulxanthone D displayed the most promising activity on the migration of Huh7 HCC cells, comparable to sorafenib, a standard drug. Moreover, the compound dose-dependently induced apoptosis in Huh7 cells via mitochondrial pathway. Accordingly, dulxanthone D held a great potential for development as a novel migration inhibitor for effective HCC treatment.

STK25 enhances hepatocellular carcinoma progression through the STRN/AMPK/ACC1 pathway

Background

Serine/threonine protein kinase 25 (STK25) plays an important role in regulating glucose and insulin homeostasis and in ectopic lipid accumulation. It directly affects the progression and prognosis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, the effects of STK25 on lipid metabolism in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain unexplored. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of STK25 in HCC and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms.

Methods

Immunohistochemistry was used to measure the expression of STK25 in hepatic tissues of HCC patients, and public datasets were used as supplementary material for predicting the expression of STK25 and the prognosis of patients with HCC. The interaction between STK25 and striatin (STRN) was determined by the STRING database, immunohistochemistry and western blot analyses. The involved signaling pathway was detected by the KEGG database and western blot. Moreover, the biological behaviors of the HCC cells were detected by wound healing assays, Transwell invasion assays and oil red O staining. Finally, it was verified again by xenograft model.

Results

STK25 is highly expressed in HCC patients and is associated with poor prognosis. STK25 knockdown inhibited the HCC cell invasion and proliferation, promotes apoptosis. Consistently, STK25 knockdown inhibited tumor growth in xenograft mouse model. Besides, STK25 deficiency decreased lipid synthesis, energy reserve, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) by down-regulating lipid metabolism signaling pathway. STRN could reverse the change of lipid metabolism.

Conclusions

Our results demonstrated that STK25 interacted with STRN to regulates the energy reserve and EMT via lipid metabolism reprogramming. Accordingly, high expression of STK25 may be associated with HCC patients and poor prognosis, which implicates STK25 could be a potential target for lipid metabolism in cancer therapy.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12935-021-02421-w.