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Liao TT, Cheng WC, Yang CY, Chen YQ, Su SH, Yeh TY, Lan HY, Lee CC, Lin HH, Lin CC, Lu RH, Chiou AET, Jiang JK, Hwang WL. The microRNA-210-Stathmin1 Axis Decreases Cell Stiffness to Facilitate the Invasiveness of Colorectal Cancer Stem Cells. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13081833. [PMID: 33921319 PMCID: PMC8069838 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13081833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Revised: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Metastasis of tumor cells is the leading cause of death in cancer patients. Concurrent therapy with surgical removal of primary and metastatic lesions is the main approach for cancer therapy. Currently, therapeutic resistant properties of cancer stem cells (CSCs) are known to drive malignant cancer progression, including metastasis. Our study aimed to identify molecular tools dedicated to the detection and treatment of CSCs. We confirmed that microRNA-210-3p (miR-210) was upregulated in colorectal stem-like cancer cells, which targeted stathmin1 (STMN1), to decrease cell elasticity for increasing mobility. We envision that strategies for softening cellular elasticity will reduce the onset of CSC-orientated metastasis. Abstract Cell migration is critical for regional dissemination and distal metastasis of cancer cells, which remain the major causes of poor prognosis and death in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). Although cytoskeletal dynamics and cellular deformability contribute to the migration of cancer cells and metastasis, the mechanisms governing the migratory ability of cancer stem cells (CSCs), a nongenetic source of tumor heterogeneity, are unclear. Here, we expanded colorectal CSCs (CRCSCs) as colonospheres and showed that CRCSCs exhibited higher cell motility in transwell migration assays and 3D invasion assays and greater deformability in particle tracking microrheology than did their parental CRC cells. Mechanistically, in CRCSCs, microRNA-210-3p (miR-210) targeted stathmin1 (STMN1), which is known for inducing microtubule destabilization, to decrease cell elasticity in order to facilitate cell motility without affecting the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) status. Clinically, the miR-210-STMN1 axis was activated in CRC patients with liver metastasis and correlated with a worse clinical outcome. This study elucidates a miRNA-oriented mechanism regulating the deformability of CRCSCs beyond the EMT process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tsai-Tsen Liao
- Graduate Institute of Medical Science, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan; (T.-T.L.); (H.-Y.L.)
- Cell Physiology and Molecular Image Research Center, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 116, Taiwan
| | - Wei-Chung Cheng
- Ph.D. Program for Cancer Molecular Biology and Drug Discovery, China Medical University, Taichung 406, Taiwan;
- Research Center for Cancer Biology, China Medical University, Taichung 406, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Yung Yang
- Department of Education and Research, Taipei City Hospital, Taipei 106, Taiwan;
- General Education Center, University of Taipei, Taipei 100, Taiwan
| | - Yin-Quan Chen
- Cancer Progression Research Center, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei 112, Taiwan;
| | - Shu-Han Su
- Institution of Microbiology and Immunology, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 112, Taiwan; (S.-H.S.); (T.-Y.Y.)
| | - Tzu-Yu Yeh
- Institution of Microbiology and Immunology, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 112, Taiwan; (S.-H.S.); (T.-Y.Y.)
| | - Hsin-Yi Lan
- Graduate Institute of Medical Science, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan; (T.-T.L.); (H.-Y.L.)
- Department of Biotechnology and Laboratory Science in Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei 112, Taiwan;
- Department of Biotechnology and Laboratory Science in Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 112, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Chan Lee
- Department of Biotechnology and Laboratory Science in Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei 112, Taiwan;
| | - Hung-Hsin Lin
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei 112, Taiwan;
- Division of Colon & Rectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei 112, Taiwan;
| | - Chun-Chi Lin
- Division of Colon & Rectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei 112, Taiwan;
- School of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei 112, Taiwan
| | - Ruey-Hwa Lu
- Department of Surgery, Zhongxing Branch, Taipei City Hospital, Taipei 106, Taiwan;
| | - Arthur Er-Terg Chiou
- Institute of Biophotonics, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei 112, Taiwan;
| | - Jeng-Kai Jiang
- Division of Colon & Rectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei 112, Taiwan;
- School of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei 112, Taiwan
- Correspondence: (J.-K.J.); (W.-L.H.); Tel.: +886-2-2826-7000 (ext. 65832) (W.-L.H.)
| | - Wei-Lun Hwang
- Cancer Progression Research Center, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei 112, Taiwan;
- Department of Biotechnology and Laboratory Science in Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei 112, Taiwan;
- Department of Biotechnology and Laboratory Science in Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 112, Taiwan
- Correspondence: (J.-K.J.); (W.-L.H.); Tel.: +886-2-2826-7000 (ext. 65832) (W.-L.H.)
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Chakravarthi BVSK, Chandrashekar DS, Agarwal S, Balasubramanya SAH, Pathi SS, Goswami MT, Jing X, Wang R, Mehra R, Asangani IA, Chinnaiyan AM, Manne U, Sonpavde G, Netto GJ, Gordetsky J, Varambally S. miR-34a Regulates Expression of the Stathmin-1 Oncoprotein and Prostate Cancer Progression. Mol Cancer Res 2017; 16:1125-1137. [PMID: 29025958 DOI: 10.1158/1541-7786.mcr-17-0230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2017] [Revised: 08/24/2017] [Accepted: 10/09/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
In aggressive prostate cancers, the oncoprotein STMN1 (also known as stathmin 1 and oncoprotein 18) is often overexpressed. STMN1 is involved in various cellular processes, including cell proliferation, motility, and tumor metastasis. Here, it was found that the expression of STMN1 RNA and protein is elevated in metastatic prostate cancers. Knockdown of STMN1 resulted in reduced proliferation and invasion of cells and tumor growth and metastasis in vivo Furthermore, miR-34a downregulated STMN1 by directly binding to its 3'-UTR. Overexpression of miR-34a in prostate cancer cells reduced proliferation and colony formation, suggesting that it is a tumor suppressor. The transcriptional corepressor C-terminal binding protein 1 (CtBP1) negatively regulated expression of miR-34a. Furthermore, gene expression profiling of STMN1-modulated prostate cancer cells revealed molecular alterations, including elevated expression of growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15), which is involved in cancer progression and potentially in STMN1-mediated oncogenesis. Thus, in prostate cancer, CtBP1-regulated miR-34a modulates STMN1 expression and is involved in cancer progression through the CtBP1\miR-34a\STMN1\GDF15 axis.Implications: The CtBP1\miR-34a\STMN1\GDF15 axis is a potential therapeutic target for treatment of aggressive prostate cancer. Mol Cancer Res; 16(7); 1125-37. ©2017 AACR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Balabhadrapatruni V S K Chakravarthi
- Department of Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.,Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
| | | | - Sumit Agarwal
- Department of Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
| | | | - Satya S Pathi
- Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Moloy T Goswami
- Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Xiaojun Jing
- Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.,Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Rui Wang
- Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Rohit Mehra
- Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.,Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.,Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Irfan A Asangani
- Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Arul M Chinnaiyan
- Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.,Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.,Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.,Department of Urology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Upender Manne
- Department of Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.,Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
| | - Guru Sonpavde
- Department of Medical Oncology, GU section, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - George J Netto
- Department of Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
| | - Jennifer Gordetsky
- Department of Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
| | - Sooryanarayana Varambally
- Department of Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama. .,Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.,Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
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Alesi GN, Jin L, Li D, Magliocca KR, Kang Y, Chen ZG, Shin DM, Khuri FR, Kang S. RSK2 signals through stathmin to promote microtubule dynamics and tumor metastasis. Oncogene 2016; 35:5412-5421. [PMID: 27041561 DOI: 10.1038/onc.2016.79] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2015] [Revised: 02/01/2016] [Accepted: 02/13/2016] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Metastasis is responsible for >90% of cancer-related deaths. Complex signaling in cancer cells orchestrates the progression from a primary to a metastatic cancer. However, the mechanisms of these cellular changes remain elusive. We previously demonstrated that p90 ribosomal S6 kinase 2 (RSK2) promotes tumor metastasis. Here we investigated the role of RSK2 in the regulation of microtubule dynamics and its potential implication in cancer cell invasion and tumor metastasis. Stable knockdown of RSK2 disrupted microtubule stability and decreased phosphorylation of stathmin, a microtubule-destabilizing protein, at serine 16 in metastatic human cancer cells. We found that RSK2 directly binds and phosphorylates stathmin at the leading edge of cancer cells. Phosphorylation of stathmin by RSK2 reduced stathmin-mediated microtubule depolymerization. Moreover, overexpression of phospho-mimetic mutant stathmin S16D significantly rescued the decreased invasive and metastatic potential mediated by RSK2 knockdown in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, stathmin phosphorylation positively correlated with RSK2 expression and metastatic cancer progression in primary patient tumor samples. Our finding demonstrates that RSK2 directly phosphorylates stathmin and regulates microtubule polymerization to provide a pro-invasive and pro-metastatic advantage to cancer cells. Therefore, the RSK2-stathmin pathway represents a promising therapeutic target and a prognostic marker for metastatic human cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- G N Alesi
- Winship Cancer Institute, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - L Jin
- Winship Cancer Institute, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - D Li
- Winship Cancer Institute, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - K R Magliocca
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Y Kang
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Z G Chen
- Winship Cancer Institute, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - D M Shin
- Winship Cancer Institute, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - F R Khuri
- Winship Cancer Institute, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - S Kang
- Winship Cancer Institute, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
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Machado-Neto JA, Saad STO, Traina F. Stathmin 1 in normal and malignant hematopoiesis. BMB Rep 2015; 47:660-5. [PMID: 24667172 PMCID: PMC4345509 DOI: 10.5483/bmbrep.2014.47.12.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2014] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Stathmin 1 is a microtubule destabilizer that plays an important role in cell cycle progression, segregation of chromosomes, clonogenicity, cell motility and survival. Stathmin 1 overexpression has been reported in malignant hematopoietic cells and Stathmin 1 inhibition reduces the highly proliferative potential of leukemia cell lines. However, during the differentiation of primary hematopoietic cells, Stathmin 1 expression decreases in parallel to decreases in the proliferative potential of early hematopoietic progenitors. The scope of the present review is to survey the current knowledge and highlight future perspectives for Stathmin 1 in normal and malignant hematopoiesis, with regard to the expression, function and clinical implications of this protein. [BMB Reports 2014; 47(12): 660-665]
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Affiliation(s)
- João Agostinho Machado-Neto
- Hematology and Hemotherapy Center-University of Campinas/Hemocentro-Unicamp, Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia do Sangue, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Sara Teresinha Olalla Saad
- Hematology and Hemotherapy Center-University of Campinas/Hemocentro-Unicamp, Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia do Sangue, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Fabiola Traina
- Hematology and Hemotherapy Center-University of Campinas/Hemocentro-Unicamp, Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia do Sangue, Campinas; Department of Internal Medicine, University of São Paulo at Ribeirão Preto Medical School, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
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Merkel cell polyomavirus small T antigen mediates microtubule destabilization to promote cell motility and migration. J Virol 2014; 89:35-47. [PMID: 25320307 PMCID: PMC4301106 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.02317-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an aggressive skin cancer of neuroendocrine origin with a high propensity for recurrence and metastasis. Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) causes the majority of MCC cases due to the expression of the MCPyV small and large tumor antigens (ST and LT, respectively). Although a number of molecular mechanisms have been attributed to MCPyV tumor antigen-mediated cellular transformation or replication, to date, no studies have investigated any potential link between MCPyV T antigen expression and the highly metastatic nature of MCC. Here we use a quantitative proteomic approach to show that MCPyV ST promotes differential expression of cellular proteins implicated in microtubule-associated cytoskeletal organization and dynamics. Intriguingly, we demonstrate that MCPyV ST expression promotes microtubule destabilization, leading to a motile and migratory phenotype. We further highlight the essential role of the microtubule-associated protein stathmin in MCPyV ST-mediated microtubule destabilization and cell motility and implicate the cellular phosphatase catalytic subunit protein phosphatase 4C (PP4C) in the regulation of this process. These findings suggest a possible molecular mechanism for the highly metastatic phenotype associated with MCC. IMPORTANCE Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) causes the majority of cases of Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), an aggressive skin cancer with a high metastatic potential. However, the molecular mechanisms leading to virally induced cancer development have yet to be fully elucidated. In particular, no studies have investigated any potential link between the virus and the highly metastatic nature of MCC. We demonstrate that the MCPyV small tumor antigen (ST) promotes the destabilization of the host cell microtubule network, which leads to a more motile and migratory cell phenotype. We further show that MCPyV ST induces this process by regulating the phosphorylation status of the cellular microtubule-associated protein stathmin by its known association with the cellular phosphatase catalytic subunit PP4C. These findings highlight stathmin as a possible biomarker of MCC and as a target for novel antitumoral therapies.
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Machado-Neto JA. Stathmin 1, a Therapeutic Target in Esophageal Carcinoma? Asian Pac J Cancer Prev 2014; 15:6461-2. [DOI: 10.7314/apjcp.2014.15.15.6461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
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7
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Overexpression of stathmin 1 confers an independent prognostic indicator in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Tumour Biol 2013; 35:2619-29. [PMID: 24218338 DOI: 10.1007/s13277-013-1345-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2013] [Accepted: 10/17/2013] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Data mining on public domain identified that stathmin 1 (STMN1) transcript was significantly higher expressed in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Also known as the oncoprotein 18, STMN1 performs an important function in regulating rapid microtubule remodeling of the cytoskeleton in response to the cellular conditions. Immunoexpression of STMN1 was retrospectively assessed in biopsies of 124 consecutive NPC patients without initial distant metastasis and treated with consistent guidelines. The outcome was correlated with clinicopathological features and patient survivals. Results indicated that high STMN1 expressions (50 %) were correlated with advanced age (p = 0.027), higher T stage (p = 0.003), and overall clinical stage (p = 0.006) by the 7th American Joint Committee of Cancer Staging. In multivariate analyses, high STMN1 expression emerged as an independent prognosticator for worse disease-specific survival (p = 0.001), distal metastasis-free survival (p = 0.003), and local recurrence-free survival (p = 0.006). Exogenous expression of E2F transcription factor 1 (E2F1) or/and its dimeric partner, transcription factor Dp-1 (TFDP1), notably induced the STMN1 protein level in a NPC-derived cell line, TW01. Accordingly, high STMN1 protein level is commonly associated with adverse prognosticators and confers tumor aggressiveness in patients with NPC, and its upregulation might be attributed to E2F1 and/or TFDP1 transactivation.
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D'Andrea S, Berton S, Segatto I, Fabris L, Canzonieri V, Colombatti A, Vecchione A, Belletti B, Baldassarre G. Stathmin is dispensable for tumor onset in mice. PLoS One 2012; 7:e45561. [PMID: 23029098 PMCID: PMC3447788 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0045561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2012] [Accepted: 08/20/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The microtubule-destabilizing protein stathmin is highly expressed in several types of tumor, thus deserving the name of oncoprotein 18. High levels of stathmin expression and/or activity favor the metastatic spreading and mark the most aggressive tumors, thus representing a realistic marker of poor prognosis. Stathmin is a downstream target of many signaling pathways, including Ras-MAPK, PI3K and p53, involved in both tumor onset and progression. We thus hypothesized that stathmin could also play a role during the early stages of tumorigenesis, an issue completely unexplored. In order to establish whether stathmin expression is necessary for tumor initiation, we challenged wild type (WT), stathmin heterozygous and stathmin knock-out (KO) mice with different carcinogens. Using well-defined mouse models of carcinogenesis of skin, bladder and muscle by the means of 7,12-dimethylbenz[α]antracene (DMBA)/12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl) nitrosamine (BBN) and 3-methylcholanthrylene (3MC) treatments, respectively, we demonstrated that knock-out of stathmin has no impact on the onset of cancer in mice. No significant difference was noticed either when the Ras oncogene was mutated (skin carcinogenesis model) or when the p53 pathway was inactivated (bladder carcinomas and fibrosarcomas). Finally, we concomitantly impinged on p53 and Ras pathways, by generating WT and stathmin KO mouse embryo fibroblasts transformed with papilloma virus large T antigen (LgTAg) plus the K-RasG12V oncogene. In vivo growth of xenografts from these transformed fibroblasts did not highlight any significant difference depending on the presence or absence of stathmin. Overall, our work demonstrates that stathmin expression is dispensable for tumor onset, at least in mice, thus making stathmin a virtually exclusive marker of aggressive disease and a promising therapeutic target for advanced cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara D'Andrea
- Division of Experimental Oncology 2, CRO, National Cancer Institute, Aviano, Italy
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Belletti B, Baldassarre G. Stathmin: a protein with many tasks. New biomarker and potential target in cancer. Expert Opin Ther Targets 2011; 15:1249-66. [PMID: 21978024 DOI: 10.1517/14728222.2011.620951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 143] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Stathmin is a microtubule-destabilizing phosphoprotein, firstly identified as the downstream target of many signal transduction pathways. Several studies then indicated that stathmin is overexpressed in many types of human malignancies, thus deserving the name of Oncoprotein 18 (Op18). At molecular level, stathmin depolymerizes microtubules by either sequestering free tubulin dimers or directly inducing microtubule-catastrophe. A crucial role for stathmin in the control of mitosis has been proposed, since both its overexpression and its downregulation induce failure in the correct completion of cell division. Accordingly, stathmin is an important target of the main regulator of M phase, cyclin-dependent kinase 1. AREAS COVERED Recent evidences support a role for stathmin in the regulation of cell growth and motility, both in vitro and in vivo, and indicate its involvement in advanced, invasive and metastatic cancer more than in primary tumors. EXPERT OPINION Many studies suggest that high stathmin expression levels in cancer negatively influence the response to microtubule-targeting drugs. These notions together with the fact that stathmin is expressed at very low levels in most adult tissues strongly support the use of stathmin as marker of prognosis and as target for novel anti-tumoral and anti-metastatic therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Belletti
- National Cancer Institute, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico, Division of Experimental Oncology 2, Via Franco Gallini, 2, 33081 Aviano, Italy
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Hsieh SY, Huang SF, Yu MC, Yeh TS, Chen TC, Lin YJ, Chang CJ, Sung CM, Lee YL, Hsu CY. Stathmin1 overexpression associated with polyploidy, tumor-cell invasion, early recurrence, and poor prognosis in human hepatoma. Mol Carcinog 2010; 49:476-87. [PMID: 20232364 DOI: 10.1002/mc.20627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Frequent intrahepatic metastasis causes early tumor recurrence and dismaying prognosis of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We recently identified overexpression of stathmin1 (STMN1) in human HCC. This study was designed to elucidate the clinical and biological significance of overexpression of STMN1 in HCC. Expression of STMN1 was conducted by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and immunoblotting assays on 58 pairs of HCC and para-tumor liver tissues from patients with HCC along with normal liver tissues as the controls. Association of STMN1 overexpression with tumor recurrence and prognosis was investigated by Kaplan-Meier cumulative survival and Cox Regression analyses. Roles of STMN1 in cell cycle, cell motility, and invasion were determined by in vitro assays. STMN1 overexpression in hepatoma was strongly associated with local invasion (P = 0.031), early recurrence (P = 0.002), and poor prognosis (P = 0.005), and was an independent indicator for tumor recurrence (P = 0.0045). STMN1 overexpression further identified subgroups of HCC patients with higher tumor recurrence and worse prognosis among HCC patients with early tumor stage (T1) or intermediate histological grades (G2 and G3), both of whom represent the majority of HCC patients receiving primary curative hepatectomy. Silencing STMN1 expression via RNA interference suppressed invasion activity, while ectopic expression of STMN1 enhanced cell invasion and caused polyploidy of cells. In conclusion, STMN1 overexpression could predict early tumor recurrence and poor prognosis, particularly at early stage of hepatoma. Overexpression of STMN1 promoted polyploidy formation, tumor-cell invasion, and intrahepatic metastasis, suggesting that STMN1 can be a target for anti-cancer therapy of human hepatoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sen-Yung Hsieh
- Liver Research Unit, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan
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McCarroll JA, Gan PP, Liu M, Kavallaris M. betaIII-tubulin is a multifunctional protein involved in drug sensitivity and tumorigenesis in non-small cell lung cancer. Cancer Res 2010; 70:4995-5003. [PMID: 20501838 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-09-4487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has a dismal prognosis. betaIII-Tubulin, a protein highly expressed in neuronal cells, is strongly associated with drug-refractory and aggressive NSCLC. To date, the role of this protein in in vivo drug resistance and tumorigenesis has not been determined. NSCLC cells stably expressing betaIII-tubulin short hairpin RNA displayed reduced growth and increased chemotherapy sensitivity when compared with control clones. In concordance with these results, stable suppression of betaIII-tubulin reduced the incidence and significantly delayed the growth of tumors in mice relative to controls. Our findings indicate that betaIII-tubulin mediates not only drug sensitivity but also the incidence and progression of lung cancer. betaIII-Tubulin is a cellular survival factor that, when suppressed, sensitizes cells to chemotherapy via enhanced apoptosis induction and decreased tumorigenesis. Findings establish that upregulation of a neuronal tubulin isotype is a key contributor to tumor progression and drug sensitivity in lung adenocarcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua A McCarroll
- Children's Cancer Institute Australia, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia
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Holmfeldt P, Sellin ME, Gullberg M. Upregulated Op18/stathmin activity causes chromosomal instability through a mechanism that evades the spindle assembly checkpoint. Exp Cell Res 2010; 316:2017-26. [PMID: 20399773 DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2010.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2010] [Revised: 04/09/2010] [Accepted: 04/12/2010] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Op18/stathmin (Op18) is a microtubule-destabilizing protein that is phosphorylation-inactivated during mitosis and its normal function is to govern tubulin subunit partitioning during interphase. Human tumors frequently overexpress Op18 and a tumor-associated Q18-->E mutation has been identified that confers hyperactivity, destabilizes spindle microtubules, and causes mitotic aberrancies, polyploidization, and chromosome loss in K562 leukemia cells. Here we determined whether wild-type and mutant Op18 have the potential to cause chromosomal instability by some means other than interference with spindle assembly, and thereby bypassing the spindle assembly checkpoint. Our approach was based on Op18 derivatives with distinct temporal order of activity during mitosis, conferred either by differential phosphorylation inactivation or by anaphase-specific degradation through fusion with the destruction box of cyclin B1. We present evidence that excessive Op18 activity generates chromosomal instability through interference occurring subsequent to the metaphase-to-anaphase transition, which reduces the fidelity of chromosome segregation to spindle poles during anaphase. Similar to uncorrected merotelic attachment, this mechanism evades detection by the spindle assembly checkpoint and thus provides an additional route to chromosomal instability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Per Holmfeldt
- Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
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Rana S, Maples PB, Senzer N, Nemunaitis J. Stathmin 1: a novel therapeutic target for anticancer activity. Expert Rev Anticancer Ther 2008; 8:1461-70. [PMID: 18759697 DOI: 10.1586/14737140.8.9.1461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Stathmin 1 (STMN1), also known as p17, p18, p19, 19K, metablastin, oncoprotein 18, LAP 18 and Op18, is a 19 kDa cytosolic protein. It was the first discovered member of a family of phylogenetically related microtubule-destabilizing phosphoproteins critically involved in the construction and function of the mitotic spindle. A threshold level of STMN1 is required for orderly progression through mitosis in a variety of cell types. STMN1 is overexpressed across a broad range of human malignancies (leukemia, lymphoma, neuroblastoma; ovarian, prostatic, breast and lung cancers and mesothelioma). It is also upregulated in normally proliferating cell lines but is only rarely upregulated in nonproliferating cell lines with the exception of neurons, anterior pituitary cells and glial cells. Its expression is also upregulated in hepatocytes during regeneration and in lymphoid cells when they are signaled to proliferate. In this review, we summarize available data as rationale for the therapeutic manipulation of STMN1 in cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shushan Rana
- Gradalis, Inc., 2545 Golden Bear Drive, Suite 110, Carrollton, TX 75006, USA.
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14
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Belletti B, Nicoloso MS, Schiappacassi M, Berton S, Lovat F, Wolf K, Canzonieri V, D'Andrea S, Zucchetto A, Friedl P, Colombatti A, Baldassarre G. Stathmin activity influences sarcoma cell shape, motility, and metastatic potential. Mol Biol Cell 2008; 19:2003-13. [PMID: 18305103 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e07-09-0894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The balanced activity of microtubule-stabilizing and -destabilizing proteins determines the extent of microtubule dynamics, which is implicated in many cellular processes, including adhesion, migration, and morphology. Among the destabilizing proteins, stathmin is overexpressed in different human malignancies and has been recently linked to the regulation of cell motility. The observation that stathmin was overexpressed in human recurrent and metastatic sarcomas prompted us to investigate stathmin contribution to tumor local invasiveness and distant dissemination. We found that stathmin stimulated cell motility in and through the extracellular matrix (ECM) in vitro and increased the metastatic potential of sarcoma cells in vivo. On contact with the ECM, stathmin was negatively regulated by phosphorylation. Accordingly, a less phosphorylable stathmin point mutant impaired ECM-induced microtubule stabilization and conferred a higher invasive potential, inducing a rounded cell shape coupled with amoeboid-like motility in three-dimensional matrices. Our results indicate that stathmin plays a significant role in tumor metastasis formation, a finding that could lead to exploitation of stathmin as a target of new antimetastatic drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Belletti
- Division of Experimental Oncology 2, Division of Pathology, and Clinical and Experimental Hematology Research Unit, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico, Istituto Nazionale Tumori, IRCCS Aviano 33081, Italy
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15
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Abstract
Natural and synthetic compounds that disrupt microtubule dynamics are among the most successful and widely used cancer chemotherapeutic agents. However, lack of reliable markers that predict sensitivity of cancers to these agents and development of resistance remain vexing issues. There is accumulating evidence that a family of cellular proteins that are associated with and alter the dynamics of microtubules can determine sensitivity of cancer cells to microtubule-targeting agents and play a role in tumor cell resistance to these agents. This growing family of microtubule-associated proteins (MAP) includes products of oncogenes, tumor suppressors, and apoptosis regulators, suggesting that alteration of microtubule dynamics may be one of the critical events in tumorigenesis and tumor progression. The objective of this review is to integrate the knowledge on these seemingly unrelated proteins that share a common function and examine their relevance to microtubule-targeting therapies and highlight MAPs-tubulin-drug interactions as a novel avenue for new drug discovery. Based on the available evidence, we propose that rational microtubule-targeting cancer therapeutic approaches should ideally include proteomic profiling of tumor MAPs before administration of microtubule-stabilizing/destabilizing agents preferentially in combination with agents that modulate the expression of relevant MAPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kumar M R Bhat
- Department of Dermatology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
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16
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Yokoo H, Kondo T, Okano T, Nakanishi K, Sakamoto M, Kosuge T, Todo S, Hirohashi S. Protein expression associated with early intrahepatic recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma after curative surgery. Cancer Sci 2007; 98:665-73. [PMID: 17391314 DOI: 10.1111/j.1349-7006.2007.00441.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The poor prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is attributed to intrahepatic recurrence. To understand the molecular background of early intrahepatic recurrence, we conducted a global protein expression study. We compared the protein expression profiles of the primary HCC tissues of 12 patients who showed intrahepatic recurrence within 6 months post surgery with those of 15 patients who had no recurrence 2 years post surgery. Two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis identified 23 protein spots, the intensity of which was highly associated with early intrahepatic recurrence. To validate the prediction performance of the identified proteins, we examined additional HCC tissues from 13 HCC patients; six with early intrahepatic recurrence and seven without recurrence. We found that all but one of the 13 patients were grouped according to their recurrence status based on the intensity of the 23 protein spots. Mass spectrometry identified 23 proteins corresponding to the spots. Although 13 of 23 have been previously reported to be correlated with HCC, their association with early intrahepatic recurrence had not been established. The identified proteins are involved in signal transduction pathways, glucose metabolism, cytoskeletal structure, cell adhesion, or function as antioxidants and chaperones. The identified proteins may be candidates for prognostic markers and contribute to the improvement of existing therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hideki Yokoo
- Proteome Bioinformatics Project, National Cancer Center Research Institute, 5-1-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku Tokyo 104-0045, Japan
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17
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Zada AAP, Geletu MH, Pulikkan JA, Müller-Tidow C, Reddy VA, Christopeit M, Hiddemann WD, Behre HM, Tenen DG, Behre G. Proteomic analysis of acute promyelocytic leukemia: PML-RARalpha leads to decreased phosphorylation of OP18 at serine 63. Proteomics 2007; 6:5705-19. [PMID: 17001604 DOI: 10.1002/pmic.200600307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
In the present study, we employed 2-DE to characterize the effect of the acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL)-specific PML-RARalpha fusion protein on the proteome. Differentially expressed proteins, a number of which are related to the cell cycle function, including oncoprotein18 (OP18), heat shock protein70, glucose-regulated protein75, and peptidyl-prolyl isomerase, were identified by MS. Subsequent bioinformatic pathway discovery revealed an integrated network constituting SMARCB1, MYC, and TP53-regulated pathways. The data from the DNA microarray and proteomic experiments demonstrated the correlation between the translocation and higher expression of OP18 at mRNA and protein levels. Transient cotransfection assay revealed that PML-RARalpha is a potent activator of OP18 promoter and this transcriptional activation is retinoic acid sensitive. PML-RARalpha induction also leads to decreased phosphorylation on Ser63 residue of OP18, which is okadaic acid sensitive suggesting the involvement of a phosphatase pathway. Overexpression of a constitutively phosphorylated Ser63 mutant of OP18 in PML-RARalpha expressing APL patient, PR9, and NB4 cells led to a G2/M-phase arrest in contrast to a phosphorylation-deficient Ser63 mutant and untransfected control. Taken together, our results demonstrate the significance of decreased Ser63 phosphorylation of OP18 in PML-RARalpha-mediated effects on cell cycle.
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MESH Headings
- Cell Line
- Clone Cells
- Computational Biology/methods
- Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional
- Gene Expression Profiling
- Genes, Reporter
- Humans
- Leukemia, Promyelocytic, Acute/metabolism
- Leukemia, Promyelocytic, Acute/pathology
- Luciferases/metabolism
- Mass Spectrometry
- Mutation
- Oncogene Proteins, Fusion/analysis
- Oncogene Proteins, Fusion/genetics
- Oncogene Proteins, Fusion/metabolism
- Peptide Mapping
- Phosphorylation
- Protein Isoforms/chemistry
- Protein Isoforms/genetics
- Protein Structure, Secondary
- Proteome/analysis
- Proteomics/methods
- RNA, Messenger/metabolism
- Recombinant Fusion Proteins/metabolism
- Serine/metabolism
- Stathmin/chemistry
- Stathmin/genetics
- Stathmin/metabolism
- Transfection
- U937 Cells
- Zinc Sulfate
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18
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Holmfeldt P, Brännström K, Stenmark S, Gullberg M. Aneugenic activity of Op18/stathmin is potentiated by the somatic Q18-->e mutation in leukemic cells. Mol Biol Cell 2006; 17:2921-30. [PMID: 16624860 PMCID: PMC1483029 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e06-02-0165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Op18/stathmin (Op18) is a phosphorylation-regulated microtubule destabilizer that is frequently overexpressed in tumors. The importance of Op18 in malignancy was recently suggested by identification of a somatic Q18-->E mutation of Op18 in an adenocarcinoma. We addressed the functional consequences of aberrant Op18 expression in leukemias by analyzing the cell cycle of K562 cells either depleted of Op18 by expression of interfering hairpin RNA or induced to express wild-type or Q18E substituted Op18. We show here that although Op18 depletion increases microtubule density during interphase, the density of mitotic spindles is essentially unaltered and cells divide normally. This is consistent with phosphorylation-inactivation of Op18 during mitosis. Overexpression of wild-type Op18 results in aneugenic activities, manifest as aberrant mitosis, polyploidization, and chromosome loss. One particularly significant finding was that the aneugenic activity of Op18 was dramatically increased by the Q18-->E mutation. The hyperactivity of mutant Op18 is apparent in its unphosphorylated state, and this mutation also suppresses phosphorylation-inactivation of the microtubule-destabilizing activity of Op18 without any apparent effect on its phosphorylation status. Thus, although Op18 is dispensable for mitosis, the hyperactive Q18-->E mutant, or overexpressed wild-type Op18, exerts aneugenic effects that are likely to contribute to chromosomal instability in tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Per Holmfeldt
- Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden
| | | | - Sonja Stenmark
- Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Martin Gullberg
- Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden
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19
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Carinci F, Piattelli A, Martinelli M, Palmieri A, Rubini C, Fioroni M, Scapoli L, Laino G, Caputi S, Becchetti A, Pezzetti F. Genetic profiling of central giant cell granuloma of the jaws. J Craniofac Surg 2005; 16:399-407. [PMID: 15915104 DOI: 10.1097/01.scs.0000171965.39734.e8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Central giant cell granuloma (CGCG) of the jaws is a central osteolytic lesion characterized histologically by multinucleated giant cells in a background of ovoid to spindle-shaped mesenchymal cells. Whether CGCG is a reactive lesion or a truly benign neoplasm remains undetermined, and the mechanism determining the onset of the disease remains unknown. To have more information regarding the genetic events involved in CGCG, the authors decided to perform an expression profile. Samples were derived from two surgically resected CGCG of the mandible. RNA extracted from a pool of three normal bone tissues was used as control. By using DNA microarrays containing 19,200 genes, the authors identified several genes whose expression was significantly up- or down-regulated. The differentially expressed genes cover a broad range of functional activities: cell cycle regulation; signal transduction; and vesicular transport. It was also possible to detect some genes whose function is unknown. The authors believe the data reported to be the first genetic portrait of CGCG of the jaws. Several markers have been identified that can potentially help in identifying some biological behavior (ie, quiescent versus aggressive lesions), as well as genes whose products could be potentially disease-specific targets for therapy. However, the authors think that more cases are needed, especially those comparing quiescent and aggressive lesions, before the exact profile of CGCG is known.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Carinci
- Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy. crc@.unife.it
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20
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Soltani MH, Pichardo R, Song Z, Sangha N, Camacho F, Satyamoorthy K, Sangueza OP, Setaluri V. Microtubule-associated protein 2, a marker of neuronal differentiation, induces mitotic defects, inhibits growth of melanoma cells, and predicts metastatic potential of cutaneous melanoma. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY 2005; 166:1841-50. [PMID: 15920168 PMCID: PMC1602405 DOI: 10.1016/s0002-9440(10)62493-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 128] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Dynamic instability of microtubules is critical for mitotic spindle assembly and disassembly during cell division, especially in rapidly dividing tumor cells. Microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) are a family of proteins that influence this property. We showed previously that MAP2, a neuron-specific protein that stabilizes microtubules in the dendrites of postmitotic neurons, is induced in primary cutaneous melanoma but is absent in metastatic melanomas. We proposed that induction of a microtubule-stabilizing protein in primary melanoma could disrupt the dynamic instability of microtubules, inhibit cell division and prevent or delay tumor progression. Here we show, by Kaplan-Meier survival and multivariate Cox regression analysis, that patients diagnosed with MAP2+ primary melanomas have significantly better metastatic disease-free survival than those with MAP2- disease. Investigation of the mechanisms that underlie the effect of MAP2 on melanoma progression showed that MAP2 expression in metastatic melanoma cell lines leads to microtubule stabilization, cell cycle arrest in G2-M phase and growth inhibition. Disruption of microtubule dynamics by MAP2 resulted in multipolar mitotic spindles, defects in cytokinesis and accumulation of cells with large nuclei, similar to those seen in vivo in MAP2+ primary melanomas cells. These data suggest that ectopic activation of a neuronal differentiation gene in melanoma during early tumor progression inhibits cell division and correlates with inhibition or delay of metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad H Soltani
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
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21
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Abstract
The sequencing of the human genome has had an enormous impact on the proteomic analysis of cancer by providing a sequence-based framework for understanding the human proteome of tumor cells, tissues, and biological fluids. There is intense interest in applying proteomic technologies to uncover, at the protein level, processes involved in neoplastic transformation and new biomarkers that correlate with early diagnosis, as well as to accelerate the development of new therapeutic targets. To that effect, new technologies are being developed in order to meet the needs for the high throughput and high sensitivity that is required for cancer-related applications of proteomics. These innovative technologies have greatly enhanced our ability to separate and characterize complex protein mixtures, and have aided our ability to identify proteins with greater sensitivity, thereby providing the groundwork for future scientific breakthroughs and possibly providing impetus for the development of personalized cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- David E Misek
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, 1150 West Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109-0656, USA.
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22
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Neuronal-associated microtubule proteins class III β-tubulin and MAP2c in neuroblastoma: Role in resistance to microtubule-targeted drugs. Mol Cancer Ther 2004. [DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.1137.3.9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Advanced stage neuroblastoma has a poor clinical outcome and microtubule-destabilizing agents, such as the Vinca alkaloids, are an important component in the treatment of this childhood cancer. Vinca alkaloids bind to β-tubulin on the α/β-tubulin heterodimer and disrupt microtubule dynamics, leading to cell death. To date, studies examining the contribution of microtubules and associated proteins to the efficacy of microtubule-destabilizing agents in neuroblastoma have been limited. In this study, BE(2)-C neuroblastoma cells previously selected for resistance to either vincristine (BE/VCR10) or colchicine (BE/CHCb0.2) were found to display significant decreases in neuronal-specific class III β-tubulin. Interestingly, vincristine-selected cells exhibited increased levels of polymerized tubulin that were not due to α-tubulin and class I, II, or III β-tubulin mutations. Expression levels of the microtubule-depolymerizing protein stathmin were significantly increased in BE/VCR10 cells. In contrast, levels of MAP2a and MAP2b were relatively unaltered. A marked decrease in the neuronal protein, MAP2c, was identified in the vincristine-selected cells and, to a lesser extent, in the colchicine-selected cells. This is the first report describing specific microtubule alterations in neuroblastoma cells resistant to tubulin-targeted agents. The results indicate a need to identify the factors responsible for resistance to tubulin-targeted agents in neuroblastoma so that improved and novel treatment strategies can be developed for this drug refractory disease.
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23
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Chen G, Wang H, Gharib TG, Huang CC, Thomas DG, Shedden KA, Kuick R, Taylor JMG, Kardia SLR, Misek DE, Giordano TJ, Iannettoni MD, Orringer MB, Hanash SM, Beer DG. Overexpression of oncoprotein 18 correlates with poor differentiation in lung adenocarcinomas. Mol Cell Proteomics 2003; 2:107-16. [PMID: 12644570 DOI: 10.1074/mcp.m200055-mcp200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
We examined the expression of oncoprotein 18 (Op18) in 93 lung adenocarcinomas and 10 uninvolved lung samples using quantitative two-dimensional PAGE analysis with confirmation by mass spectrometry and two-dimensional Western blot analysis. mRNA expression was examined using oligonucleotide microarrays, and the cellular localization of the Op18 protein was examined using immunohistochemical analysis of tissue microarrays. Three phosphorylated forms and one unphosphorylated form of the Op18 protein were identified and found to be overexpressed in lung adenocarcinomas as compared with normal lung. The percentage of phosphorylated to total Op18 protein isoforms increased from 3.2% in normal lung to 7.9% in lung tumors. Both the phosphorylated and unphosphorylated Op18 proteins were significantly increased in poorly differentiated tumors as compared with moderately or well differentiated lung adenocarcinomas (p<0.03), suggesting that up-regulated expression of Op18 reflects a poor differentiation status and higher cell proliferation rates. This was further verified in A549 and SKLU1 lung adenocarcinoma cell lines by examining Op18 levels and phosphorylation status following treatment that altered either cell proliferation or differentiation. The increased expression of Op18 protein was significantly correlated with its mRNA level indicating that increased transcription likely underlies elevated expression of Op18. The overexpression of Op18 proteins in poorly differentiated lung adenocarcinomas and the elevated expression of the phosphorylated forms of Op18 may offer a new target for drug- or gene-directed therapy and may have potential utility as a tumor marker.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guoan Chen
- Department of Surgery, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
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