1
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Wang H, Zhang L, Hu C, Li H, Jiang M. Wnt signaling and tumors (Review). Mol Clin Oncol 2024; 21:45. [PMID: 38798312 PMCID: PMC11117032 DOI: 10.3892/mco.2024.2743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Wnt signaling is a highly conserved evolutionary pathway that plays a key role in regulation of embryonic development, as well as tissue homeostasis and regeneration. Abnormalities in Wnt signaling are associated with tumorigenesis and development, leading to poor prognosis in patients with cancer. However, the pharmacological effects and mechanisms underlying Wnt signaling and its inhibition in cancer treatment remain unclear. In addition, potential side effects of inhibiting this process are not well understood. Therefore, the present review outlines the role of Wnt signaling in tumorigenesis, development, metastasis, cancer stem cells, radiotherapy resistance and tumor immunity. The present review further identifies inhibitors that target Wnt signaling to provide a potential novel direction for cancer treatment. This may facilitate early application of safe and effective drugs targeting Wnt signaling in clinical settings. An in-depth understanding of the mechanisms underlying inhibition of Wnt signaling may improve the prognosis of patients with cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huaishi Wang
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Xiangtan Central Hospital, Xiangtan, Hunan 411100, P.R. China
| | - Lihai Zhang
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Xiangtan Central Hospital, Xiangtan, Hunan 411100, P.R. China
| | - Chao Hu
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Xiangtan Central Hospital, Xiangtan, Hunan 411100, P.R. China
| | - Hui Li
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Xiangtan Central Hospital, Xiangtan, Hunan 411100, P.R. China
| | - Mingyan Jiang
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Xiangtan Central Hospital, Xiangtan, Hunan 411100, P.R. China
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2
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Yu M, Qin K, Fan J, Zhao G, Zhao P, Zeng W, Chen C, Wang A, Wang Y, Zhong J, Zhu Y, Wagstaff W, Haydon RC, Luu HH, Ho S, Lee MJ, Strelzow J, Reid RR, He TC. The evolving roles of Wnt signaling in stem cell proliferation and differentiation, the development of human diseases, and therapeutic opportunities. Genes Dis 2024; 11:101026. [PMID: 38292186 PMCID: PMC10825312 DOI: 10.1016/j.gendis.2023.04.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Revised: 03/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2024] Open
Abstract
The evolutionarily conserved Wnt signaling pathway plays a central role in development and adult tissue homeostasis across species. Wnt proteins are secreted, lipid-modified signaling molecules that activate the canonical (β-catenin dependent) and non-canonical (β-catenin independent) Wnt signaling pathways. Cellular behaviors such as proliferation, differentiation, maturation, and proper body-axis specification are carried out by the canonical pathway, which is the best characterized of the known Wnt signaling paths. Wnt signaling has emerged as an important factor in stem cell biology and is known to affect the self-renewal of stem cells in various tissues. This includes but is not limited to embryonic, hematopoietic, mesenchymal, gut, neural, and epidermal stem cells. Wnt signaling has also been implicated in tumor cells that exhibit stem cell-like properties. Wnt signaling is crucial for bone formation and presents a potential target for the development of therapeutics for bone disorders. Not surprisingly, aberrant Wnt signaling is also associated with a wide variety of diseases, including cancer. Mutations of Wnt pathway members in cancer can lead to unchecked cell proliferation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and metastasis. Altogether, advances in the understanding of dysregulated Wnt signaling in disease have paved the way for the development of novel therapeutics that target components of the Wnt pathway. Beginning with a brief overview of the mechanisms of canonical and non-canonical Wnt, this review aims to summarize the current knowledge of Wnt signaling in stem cells, aberrations to the Wnt pathway associated with diseases, and novel therapeutics targeting the Wnt pathway in preclinical and clinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Yu
- School of Medicine, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL 60064, USA
- Molecular Oncology Laboratory, Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Kevin Qin
- School of Medicine, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL 60064, USA
- Molecular Oncology Laboratory, Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Jiaming Fan
- Molecular Oncology Laboratory, Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Diagnostic Medicine, and Department of Clinical Biochemistry, The School of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Guozhi Zhao
- Molecular Oncology Laboratory, Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Piao Zhao
- Molecular Oncology Laboratory, Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Wei Zeng
- Molecular Oncology Laboratory, Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
- Department of Neurology, The First Dongguan Affiliated Hospital, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan, Guangdong 523475, China
| | - Connie Chen
- Molecular Oncology Laboratory, Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Annie Wang
- Molecular Oncology Laboratory, Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Yonghui Wang
- Molecular Oncology Laboratory, Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200000, China
| | - Jiamin Zhong
- Molecular Oncology Laboratory, Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Diagnostic Medicine, and Department of Clinical Biochemistry, The School of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Yi Zhu
- Molecular Oncology Laboratory, Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China
| | - William Wagstaff
- Molecular Oncology Laboratory, Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Rex C. Haydon
- Molecular Oncology Laboratory, Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Hue H. Luu
- Molecular Oncology Laboratory, Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Sherwin Ho
- Molecular Oncology Laboratory, Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Michael J. Lee
- Molecular Oncology Laboratory, Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Jason Strelzow
- Molecular Oncology Laboratory, Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Russell R. Reid
- Molecular Oncology Laboratory, Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
- Laboratory of Craniofacial Suture Biology and Development, Department of Surgery Section of Plastic Surgery, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Tong-Chuan He
- Molecular Oncology Laboratory, Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
- Laboratory of Craniofacial Suture Biology and Development, Department of Surgery Section of Plastic Surgery, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
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3
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Hoover E, Ruggiero OM, Swingler RN, Day ES. FZD7-Targeted Nanoparticles to Enhance Doxorubicin Treatment of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer. ACS OMEGA 2024; 9:14323-14335. [PMID: 38559981 PMCID: PMC10976388 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c10275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Revised: 03/01/2024] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Doxorubicin (DOX) is a chemotherapy agent commonly used to treat triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), but it has insufficient efficacy against the disease and considerable toxicity due to its off-target delivery. To improve the specificity of DOX for TNBC, we encapsulated it in poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles (NPs) coated with antibodies against Frizzled7 (FZD7), a receptor that is overexpressed on TNBC cells and which is a key activator of the Wnt signaling pathway. In vitro studies show that DOX encapsulation does not hinder its ability to localize to the nucleus in human TNBC cell cultures and that DOX delivered via NPs induces apoptosis and DNA damage via H2A.X phosphorylation to the same degree as freely delivered DOX. FZD7-targeted NPs delivering DOX caused significantly greater inhibition of metabolic activity and led to a smaller cell population following treatment when compared to freely delivered DOX or DOX-loaded NPs coated only with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). The FZD7 antibodies additionally provided significant levels of Wnt pathway inhibition, as demonstrated by an increase in β-catenin phosphorylation, indicative of β-catenin destruction and downregulation. These results show that FZD7-targeted platforms have great promise for improving the therapeutic window of otherwise toxic chemotherapies like DOX in TNBC and other cancers that display the overexpression of FZD7 receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elise
C. Hoover
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, University of
Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19713, United States
| | - Olivia M. Ruggiero
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, University of
Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19713, United States
| | - Rachel N. Swingler
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, University of
Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19713, United States
| | - Emily S. Day
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, University of
Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19713, United States
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, University
of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
- Helen
F. Graham Cancer Center and Research Institute, Newark, Delaware 19713, United States
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4
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Pastena P, Perera H, Martinino A, Kartsonis W, Giovinazzo F. Unraveling Biomarker Signatures in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review for Targeted Approaches. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:2559. [PMID: 38473804 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25052559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2024] [Revised: 02/16/2024] [Accepted: 02/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is one of the most aggressive subtypes of breast cancer, marked by poor outcomes and dismal prognosis. Due to the absence of targetable receptors, chemotherapy still represents the main therapeutic option. Therefore, current research is now focusing on understanding the specific molecular pathways implicated in TNBC, in order to identify novel biomarker signatures and develop targeted therapies able to improve its clinical management. With the aim of identifying novel molecular features characterizing TNBC, elucidating the mechanisms by which these molecular biomarkers are implicated in the tumor development and progression, and assessing the impact on cancerous cells following their inhibition or modulation, we conducted a literature search from the earliest works to December 2023 on PubMed, Scopus, and Web Of Science. A total of 146 studies were selected. The results obtained demonstrated that TNBC is characterized by a heterogeneous molecular profile. Several biomarkers have proven not only to be characteristic of TNBC but also to serve as potential effective therapeutic targets, holding the promise of a new era of personalized treatments able to improve its prognosis. The pre-clinical findings that have emerged from our systematic review set the stage for further investigation in forthcoming clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Pastena
- Department of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, Brookhaven, NY 11794, USA
| | - Hiran Perera
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, Brookhaven, NY 11794, USA
| | | | - William Kartsonis
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, Brookhaven, NY 11794, USA
| | - Francesco Giovinazzo
- Department of Surgery, Saint Camillus Hospital, 31100 Treviso, Italy
- Department of Surgery, UniCamillus-Saint Camillus International University of Health Sciences, 00131 Rome, Italy
- Department of Surgery, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
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5
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Khodaverdi E, Shabani AA, Madanchi H, Farahmand L. Synthesis of the scFv fragment of anti-Frizzled-7 antibody and evaluation of its effects on triple-negative breast cancer in vitro study. Clin Transl Oncol 2024; 26:231-238. [PMID: 37310573 DOI: 10.1007/s12094-023-03242-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Among the most promising antibody formats in terms of inhibiting carcinogenesis are single-stranded variable fragments, whose targeted binding to the Fzd7 receptor has been proven effective at suppressing tumorigenesis. In this study, we investigated the effectiveness of an anti-Fzd7 antibody fragment against both tumor growth and metastasis of breast cancer cells. METHODS To develop anti-Fzd7 antibodies, bioinformatics approaches were used and the antibodies were expressed recombinantly in E. coli BL21 (DE3). The expression of anti-Fzd7 fragments was verified by Western blotting. Analysis of the antibody's binding capacity to Fzd7 was conducted by flow cytometry. Cell death and apoptosis were assessed by MTT and Annexin V/PI assays. The transwell migration and invasion assays, as well as the scratch method, were used to evaluate cell motility and invasiveness. RESULTS The anti-Fzd7 antibody was expressed successfully as a single band of 31 kDa. It could bind to 21.5% of MDA-MB-231 cells, as opposed to only 0.54% of SKBR-3 cells as negative control. According to MTT assay, induced apoptosis was 73.7% in MDA-MB-231 cells, compared with 29.5% in SKBR-3 cells. Also, the antibody exerted a significant inhibitory effect of 76% and 58% on migration and invasion of MDA-MB-231 cells, respectively. CONCLUSION The recombinantly developed anti-Fzd7 scFv of this study could exhibit significant antiproliferative and antimigratory properties, along with a high apoptosis-inducing potential, making it suitable for the immunotherapy of triple negative breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ebrahim Khodaverdi
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
- Student Research Committee, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
| | - Ali Akbar Shabani
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran.
| | - Hamid Madanchi
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
- Nervous System Stem Cells Research Center, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
- Drug Design and Bioinformatics Unit, Biotechnology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Leila Farahmand
- Recombinant Proteins Department, Breast Cancer Research Center, Motamed Cancer Institute, ACECR, Tehran, Iran.
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6
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Berkel C, Cacan E. The expression of O-linked glycosyltransferase GALNT7 in breast cancer is dependent on estrogen-, progesterone-, and HER2-receptor status, with prognostic implications. Glycoconj J 2023; 40:631-644. [PMID: 37947928 DOI: 10.1007/s10719-023-10137-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Revised: 10/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
GALNT7 is a glycosyltransferase enzyme transferring N-acetylgalactosamine to initiate O-linked glycosylation in the Golgi apparatus. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women globally. Estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2; ERBB2) are important biomarkers in the prognosis and molecular subtyping of breast cancer. Here, we showed that ER-positive, PR-positive or HER2-positive breast tumors have higher expression of GALNT7 compared to ER-negative, PR-negative or HER2-negative breast tumors, respectively. We found that CpG-aggregated methylation of GALNT7 gene is decreased, and in parallel, its transcript levels are increased in breast cancer compared to healthy breast tissue. We observed that the difference in the expression of GALNT7 between negative and positive status of the receptors is the highest for HER2, followed by ER and PR, pointing that HER2 might be relatively more influential than ER and PR on the expression of GALNT7 in breast cancer. We reported that basal-like breast tumors have decreased expression of GALNT7 compared to non-basal-like tumors, and that high GALNT7 expression is associated with favorable relapse-free and distant metastasis-free survival in HER2 status-dependent manner in breast cancer patients. Moreover, we showed that GALNT7 expression in breast cancer is cell type- (epithelial vs stromal cells), tumor grade- and ethnicity-dependent. Combined, we propose that GALNT7 might contribute to different clinical outcomes depending on the receptor status in breast cancer, and that a better understanding of GALNT7 and its function in the context of breast cancer is needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caglar Berkel
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Tokat Gaziosmanpasa University, Tokat, Turkey.
| | - Ercan Cacan
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Tokat Gaziosmanpasa University, Tokat, Turkey
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7
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He A, Tian S, Kopper O, Horan DJ, Chen P, Bronson RT, Sheng R, Wu H, Sui L, Zhou K, Tao L, Wu Q, Huang Y, Shen Z, Han S, Chen X, Chen H, He X, Robling AG, Jin R, Clevers H, Xiang D, Li Z, Dong M. Targeted inhibition of Wnt signaling with a Clostridioides difficile toxin B fragment suppresses breast cancer tumor growth. PLoS Biol 2023; 21:e3002353. [PMID: 37943878 PMCID: PMC10635564 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Wnt signaling pathways are transmitted via 10 homologous frizzled receptors (FZD1-10) in humans. Reagents broadly inhibiting Wnt signaling pathways reduce growth and metastasis of many tumors, but their therapeutic development has been hampered by the side effect. Inhibitors targeting specific Wnt-FZD pair(s) enriched in cancer cells may reduce side effect, but the therapeutic effect of narrow-spectrum Wnt-FZD inhibitors remains to be established in vivo. Here, we developed a fragment of C. difficile toxin B (TcdBFBD), which recognizes and inhibits a subclass of FZDs, FZD1/2/7, and examined whether targeting this FZD subgroup may offer therapeutic benefits for treating breast cancer models in mice. Utilizing 2 basal-like and 1 luminal-like breast cancer models, we found that TcdBFBD reduces tumor-initiating cells and attenuates growth of basal-like mammary tumor organoids and xenografted tumors, without damaging Wnt-sensitive tissues such as bones in vivo. Furthermore, FZD1/2/7-positive cells are enriched in chemotherapy-resistant cells in both basal-like and luminal mammary tumors treated with cisplatin, and TcdBFBD synergizes strongly with cisplatin in inhibiting both tumor types. These data demonstrate the therapeutic value of narrow-spectrum Wnt signaling inhibitor in treating breast cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aina He
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Jiaotong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Urology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Microbiology and Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Songhai Tian
- Department of Urology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Microbiology and Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, Department of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
| | - Oded Kopper
- Hubrecht Institute, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences and University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Daniel J. Horan
- Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Barnhill, Indianapolis, United States of America
| | - Peng Chen
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, California, United States of America
| | - Roderick T. Bronson
- Rodent Histopathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Ren Sheng
- Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Hao Wu
- Department of Vascular Biology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Lufei Sui
- Department of Vascular Biology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Kun Zhou
- Department of Vascular Biology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Liang Tao
- Department of Urology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Microbiology and Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Quan Wu
- Department of Urology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Microbiology and Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Central Laboratory of Medical Research Centre, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yujing Huang
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Jiaotong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
| | - Zan Shen
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Jiaotong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
| | - Sen Han
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Xueqing Chen
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Hong Chen
- Department of Vascular Biology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Xi He
- Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Alexander G. Robling
- Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Barnhill, Indianapolis, United States of America
| | - Rongsheng Jin
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, California, United States of America
| | - Hans Clevers
- Hubrecht Institute, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences and University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Dongxi Xiang
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
| | - Zhe Li
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Min Dong
- Department of Urology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Microbiology and Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
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8
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Li C, Wu Y, Wang W, Xu L, Zhou Y, Yue Y, Wu T, Yang M, Qiu Y, Huang M, Zhou F, Zhou Y, Hao P, Lin Z, Wang MW, Zhao S, Yang D, Xu F, Tao H. Structure-Based Ligand Discovery Targeting the Transmembrane Domain of Frizzled Receptor FZD7. J Med Chem 2023; 66:11855-11868. [PMID: 37669317 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c01795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/07/2023]
Abstract
Despite the essential roles of Frizzled receptors (FZDs) in mediating Wnt signaling in embryonic development and tissue homeostasis, ligands targeting FZDs are rare. A few antibodies and peptide modulators have been developed that mainly bind to the family-conserved extracellular cysteine-rich domain of FZDs, while the canonical binding sites in the transmembrane domain (TMD) are far from sufficiently addressed. Based on the recent structures of FZDs, we explored small-molecule ligand discovery by targeting TMD. From the ChemDiv library with ∼1.6 million compounds, we identified compound F7H as an antagonist of FZD7 with an IC50 at 1.25 ± 0.38 μM. Focusing on this hit, the structural dissection study, together with computing studies such as molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulation, and free energy perturbation calculations, defined the binding pocket with key residue recognition. Our results revealed the structural basis of ligand recognition and demonstrated the feasibility of structure-guided ligand discovery for FZD7-TMD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cuixia Li
- iHuman Institute, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Yiran Wu
- iHuman Institute, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Wenli Wang
- Shenzhen Jingtai Technology Co., Ltd. (XtalPi), Floor 3, Sf Industrial Plant, No. 2 Hongliu Road, Fubao Community, Fubao Street, Futian District, Shenzhen 518045, China
| | - Lu Xu
- iHuman Institute, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Yan Zhou
- The National Center for Drug Screening, The CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 201203 Shanghai, China
| | - Yang Yue
- iHuman Institute, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Tingting Wu
- iHuman Institute, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Meifang Yang
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology, Innovation Research Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Yanli Qiu
- iHuman Institute, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology, Innovation Research Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Minhao Huang
- Shenzhen Jingtai Technology Co., Ltd. (XtalPi), Floor 3, Sf Industrial Plant, No. 2 Hongliu Road, Fubao Community, Fubao Street, Futian District, Shenzhen 518045, China
| | - Fangfang Zhou
- iHuman Institute, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Yiqing Zhou
- School of Biotechnology and Food Engineering, Changshu Institute of Technology, Suzhou 215500, China
| | - Piliang Hao
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Zhixiong Lin
- Shenzhen Jingtai Technology Co., Ltd. (XtalPi), Floor 3, Sf Industrial Plant, No. 2 Hongliu Road, Fubao Community, Fubao Street, Futian District, Shenzhen 518045, China
| | - Ming-Wei Wang
- The National Center for Drug Screening, The CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 201203 Shanghai, China
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Suwen Zhao
- iHuman Institute, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Dehua Yang
- The National Center for Drug Screening, The CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 201203 Shanghai, China
| | - Fei Xu
- iHuman Institute, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Houchao Tao
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology, Innovation Research Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
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9
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Zhang N, Shen H, Chen B, Hu H, Liu C, Chen Y, Cong W. The recent progress of peptide regulators for the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Front Med (Lausanne) 2023; 10:1164656. [PMID: 37396899 PMCID: PMC10311566 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2023.1164656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Wnt signaling plays an important role in many biological processes such as stem cell self-renewal, cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation. The β-catenin-dependent signaling pathway mainly regulates cell proliferation, differentiation, and migration. In the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, the Wnt family ligands transduce signals through LRP5/6 and Frizzled receptors to the Wnt/β-catenin signaling cascades. Wnt-targeted therapy has garnered extensive attention. The most commonly used approach in targeted therapy is small-molecule regulators. However, it is difficult for small-molecule regulators to make great progress due to their inherent defects. Therapeutic peptide regulators targeting the Wnt signaling pathway have become an alternative therapy, promising to fill the gaps in the clinical application of small-molecule regulators. In this review, we describe recent advances in peptide regulators for Wnt/β-catenin signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan Zhang
- School of Medicine or Institute of Translational Medicine, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China
| | - Huaxing Shen
- School of Medicine or Institute of Translational Medicine, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China
| | - Baobao Chen
- School of Medicine or Institute of Translational Medicine, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China
| | - Honggang Hu
- School of Medicine or Institute of Translational Medicine, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China
| | - Chao Liu
- School of Medicine or Institute of Translational Medicine, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yan Chen
- Department of Pharmacy, Medical Supplies Center of People's Liberation Army (PLA) General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Wei Cong
- School of Medicine or Institute of Translational Medicine, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China
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10
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Kitsios K, Sharifi S, Mahmoudi M. Nanomedicine Technologies for Diagnosis and Treatment of Breast Cancer. ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci 2023; 6:671-682. [PMID: 37200812 PMCID: PMC10186357 DOI: 10.1021/acsptsci.3c00044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in women worldwide, yet conventional treatments have several shortcomings, including low specificity, systemic toxicity, and drug resistance. Nanomedicine technologies provide a promising alternative while also overcoming the limitations posed by conventional therapies. This mini-Review highlights important signaling pathways related to occurrence and development of breast cancer and current breast cancer therapies, followed by an analysis of various nanomedicine technologies developed for diagnosis and treatment of breast cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katerina Kitsios
- Department of Radiology and
Precision Health Program, Michigan State
University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
| | - Shahriar Sharifi
- Department of Radiology and
Precision Health Program, Michigan State
University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
| | - Morteza Mahmoudi
- Department of Radiology and
Precision Health Program, Michigan State
University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
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11
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Mustafa Karim A, Eun Kwon J, Ali T, Jang J, Ullah I, Lee YG, Won Park D, Park J, Woo Jeang J, Chan Kang S. Triple-negative breast cancer: epidemiology, molecular mechanisms, and modern vaccine-based treatment strategies. Biochem Pharmacol 2023; 212:115545. [PMID: 37044296 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2023.115545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2023] [Revised: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 04/14/2023]
Abstract
Long-standing scarcity of efficacious treatments and tumor heterogeneity have contributed to triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), a subtype with a poor prognosis and aggressive behavior that accounts for 10-15% of all new cases of breast cancer. TNBC is characterized by the absence of progesterone and estrogen receptor expression and lacks gene amplification or overexpression of HER2. Genomic sequencing has detected that the unique mutational profile of both the somatic and germline modifications in TNBC is staggeringly dissimilar from other breast tumor subtypes. The clinical utility of sequencing germline BRCA1/2 genes has been well established in TNBC. Nevertheless, reports regarding the penetrance and risk of other susceptibility genes are relatively scarce. Recurring mutations (e.g., TP53 and PI3KCA mutations) occur together with rare mutations in TNBC, and the shared effects of genomic modifications drive its progression. Given the heterogeneity and complexity of this disease, a clinical understanding of the genomic modifications in TNBC can pave an innovative way toward its therapy. In this review, we summarized the most recent discoveries associated with the underlying biology of developmental signaling pathways in TNBC. We also summarize the recent advancements in genetics and epidemiology and discuss state-of-the-art vaccine-based therapeutic strategies for TNBC that will enable tailored therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asad Mustafa Karim
- Department of Oriental Medicine and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Kyung Hee University, Yongin-si, 17104, Republic of Korea.
| | - Jeong Eun Kwon
- Department of Oriental Medicine and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Kyung Hee University, Yongin-si, 17104, Republic of Korea
| | - Tanveer Ali
- Department of Host Defense, Graduate School of Medicine, University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara, Japan
| | - Jinsoo Jang
- Department of Oriental Medicine and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Kyung Hee University, Yongin-si, 17104, Republic of Korea
| | - Irfan Ullah
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Yeong-Geun Lee
- Department of Oriental Medicine and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Kyung Hee University, Yongin-si, 17104, Republic of Korea
| | - Dae Won Park
- Department of Oriental Medicine and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Kyung Hee University, Yongin-si, 17104, Republic of Korea
| | - Juha Park
- Department of Oriental Medicine and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Kyung Hee University, Yongin-si, 17104, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin Woo Jeang
- Department of Oriental Medicine and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Kyung Hee University, Yongin-si, 17104, Republic of Korea
| | - Se Chan Kang
- Department of Oriental Medicine and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Kyung Hee University, Yongin-si, 17104, Republic of Korea.
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12
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Yang A, Yan S, Yin Y, Chen C, Tang X, Ran M, Chen B. FZD7, Regulated by Non-CpG Methylation, Plays an Important Role in Immature Porcine Sertoli Cell Proliferation. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24076179. [PMID: 37047150 PMCID: PMC10094452 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24076179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Revised: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The regulatory role of non-CpG methylation in mammals has been important in whole-genome bisulfite sequencing. It has also been suggested that non-CpG methylation regulates gene expression to affect the development and health of mammals. However, the dynamic regulatory mechanisms of genome-wide, non-CpG methylation during testicular development still require intensive study. In this study, we analyzed the dataset from the whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) and the RNA-seq of precocious porcine testicular tissues across two developmental stages (1 and 75 days old) in order to explore the regulatory roles of non-CpG methylation. Our results showed that genes regulated by non-CpG methylation affect the development of testes in multiple pathways. Furthermore, several hub genes that are regulated by non-CpG methylation during testicular development-such as VEGFA, PECAM1, and FZD7-were also identified. We also found that the relative expression of FZD7 was downregulated by the zebularine-induced demethylation of the first exon of FZD7. This regulatory relationship was consistent with the results of the WGBS and RNA-seq analysis. The immature porcine Sertoli cells were transfected with RNAi to mimic the expression patterns of FZD7 during testicular development. The results of the simulation test showed that cell proliferation was significantly impeded and that cell cycle arrest at the G2 phase was caused by the siRNA-induced FZD7 inhibition. We also found that the percentage of early apoptotic Sertoli cells was decreased by transfecting them with the RNAi for FZD7. This indicates that FZD7 is an important factor in linking the proliferation and apoptosis of Sertoli cells. We further demonstrated that Sertoli cells that were treated with the medium collected from apoptotic cells could stimulate proliferation. These findings will contribute to the exploration of the regulatory mechanisms of non-CpG methylation in testicular development and of the relationship between the proliferation and apoptosis of normal somatic cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anqi Yang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Genetic Improvement of Domestic Animal, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China
| | - Saina Yan
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Genetic Improvement of Domestic Animal, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China
| | - Yanfei Yin
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Genetic Improvement of Domestic Animal, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China
| | - Chujie Chen
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Genetic Improvement of Domestic Animal, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China
| | - Xiangwei Tang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Genetic Improvement of Domestic Animal, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China
| | - Maoliang Ran
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Genetic Improvement of Domestic Animal, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China
| | - Bin Chen
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Genetic Improvement of Domestic Animal, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China
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13
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Uttarkar A, Kishore AP, Srinivas SM, Rangappa S, Kusanur R, Niranjan V. Coumarin derivative as a potent drug candidate against triple negative breast cancer targeting the frizzled receptor of wingless-related integration site signaling pathway. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023; 41:1561-1573. [PMID: 34984961 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2021.2022536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Triple negative breast cancer constitutes to about 21.8 percent of the total breast cancer related cases. Its ability to affect young ladies and in pre-menstrual stage makes this a disease of concern worldwide. The current treatment regimens involve chemotherapy which are used for treatment of other cancer types. In this regard, there is a need for specific and targeted drug candidate for its effective treatment. In the current study, assessment of coumarin derivative 2-(2-(6- Methyl-2-Oxo-2H-chromen-4-yl) acetamido)-3-phenylpropanoic acid is carried out both In-silico and In-vitro methods. Frizzled transmembrane proteins of Wingless-related integration site signaling pathway was targeted in which Frizzled-7 proved to a prospective target and showed a binding energy of -6.78 kcal/mol. The complex was subjected to molecular dynamics simulation for 200 ns and showed stable interaction with cysteine rich domain of the receptor. Cell proliferation, viability and apoptosis assay were performed on MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468 cell lines with an IC50 value of 81.23 and 84.68 µM, respectively. The results provide a drug candidate which is derivative of a natural compound with targeted TNBC inhibitory effect. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akshay Uttarkar
- Department of Biotechnology, R V College of Engineering, Bengaluru, India
| | | | - Sudhanva M Srinivas
- Adichunchanagiri Institute for Molecular Medicine, Adichunchanagiri University, Mandya, India
| | - Shobith Rangappa
- Adichunchanagiri Institute for Molecular Medicine, Adichunchanagiri University, Mandya, India
| | - Raviraj Kusanur
- Department of Chemistry, R V College of Engineering, Bengaluru, India
| | - Vidya Niranjan
- Department of Biotechnology, R V College of Engineering, Bengaluru, India
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14
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You Q, Wang F, Du R, Pi J, Wang H, Huo Y, Liu J, Wang C, Yu J, Yang Y, Zhu L. m 6 A Reader YTHDF1-Targeting Engineered Small Extracellular Vesicles for Gastric Cancer Therapy via Epigenetic and Immune Regulation. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2023; 35:e2204910. [PMID: 36484103 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202204910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
N6 -methyladenosine (m6 A) modulators decide the fate of m6 A-modified transcripts and drive cancer development. RNA interference targeting m6 A modulators promise to be an emerging cancer therapy but is challenging due to its poor tumor targeting and high systematic toxicity. Here engineered small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) with high CD47 expression and cyclic arginine-glycine-aspartic (c(RGDyC)) modification are developed for effective delivery of short interfering RNA against m6 A reader YTH N6-methyladenosine RNA binding protein 1 (YTHDF1) to treat gastric cancer via epigenetic and immune regulation. This nanosystem efficiently depletes YTHDF1 expression and suppresses gastric cancer progression and metastasis through hampering frizzled7 translation and inactivating Wnt/β-catenin pathway in an m6 A dependent manner. Loss of YTHDF1 mediates overexpression of interferon (IFN)-γ receptor 1 and enhances IFN-γ response, promoting expression of major histocompatibility complex class I on tumor cells to achieve self-presentation of the immunogenic tumor cells to stimulate strong cytotoxic T lymphocytes responses. CD47 expression on the engineered sEVs can competitively bind with signal regulatory protein α to enhance phagocytosis of the tumor cells by tumor-associated macrophages. This versatile nanoplatform provides an efficient and low toxic strategy to inhibit epigenetic regulators and holds great potential in promoting immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing You
- CAS Key Laboratory of Standardization and Measurement for Nanotechnology, CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing, 100190, China
- National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, P. R. China
| | - Fang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100005, P. R. China
- The Key Laboratory of RNA and Hematopoietic Regulation, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100005, P. R. China
| | - Rong Du
- CAS Key Laboratory of Standardization and Measurement for Nanotechnology, CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing, 100190, China
- National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, P. R. China
| | - Jingnan Pi
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100005, P. R. China
- The Key Laboratory of RNA and Hematopoietic Regulation, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100005, P. R. China
| | - Huayi Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Standardization and Measurement for Nanotechnology, CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing, 100190, China
- Translational Medicine Center, Chinese Institute for Brain Research (CIBR), Beijing, 102206, P. R. China
| | - Yue Huo
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100005, P. R. China
- The Key Laboratory of RNA and Hematopoietic Regulation, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100005, P. R. China
| | - Jingyi Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Standardization and Measurement for Nanotechnology, CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing, 100190, China
- National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, P. R. China
| | - Chen Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Standardization and Measurement for Nanotechnology, CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing, 100190, China
- National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, P. R. China
| | - Jia Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100005, P. R. China
- The Key Laboratory of RNA and Hematopoietic Regulation, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100005, P. R. China
| | - Yanlian Yang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Standardization and Measurement for Nanotechnology, CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing, 100190, China
- National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, P. R. China
| | - Ling Zhu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Standardization and Measurement for Nanotechnology, CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing, 100190, China
- National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, P. R. China
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15
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Chen Y, Zhang XF, Ou-Yang L. Inferring cancer common and specific gene networks via multi-layer joint graphical model. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2023; 21:974-990. [PMID: 36733706 PMCID: PMC9873583 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2023.01.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Revised: 01/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer is a complex disease caused primarily by genetic variants. Reconstructing gene networks within tumors is essential for understanding the functional regulatory mechanisms of carcinogenesis. Advances in high-throughput sequencing technologies have provided tremendous opportunities for inferring gene networks via computational approaches. However, due to the heterogeneity of the same cancer type and the similarities between different cancer types, it remains a challenge to systematically investigate the commonalities and specificities between gene networks of different cancer types, which is a crucial step towards precision cancer diagnosis and treatment. In this study, we propose a new sparse regularized multi-layer decomposition graphical model to jointly estimate the gene networks of multiple cancer types. Our model can handle various types of gene expression data and decomposes each cancer-type-specific network into three components, i.e., globally shared, partially shared and cancer-type-unique components. By identifying the globally and partially shared gene network components, our model can explore the heterogeneous similarities between different cancer types, and our identified cancer-type-unique components can help to reveal the regulatory mechanisms unique to each cancer type. Extensive experiments on synthetic data illustrate the effectiveness of our model in joint estimation of multiple gene networks. We also apply our model to two real data sets to infer the gene networks of multiple cancer subtypes or cell lines. By analyzing our estimated globally shared, partially shared, and cancer-type-unique components, we identified a number of important genes associated with common and specific regulatory mechanisms across different cancer types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanxiao Chen
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Intelligent Information Processing, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Media Security, and Guangdong Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Economy(SZ), Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Xiao-Fei Zhang
- School of Mathematics and Statistics & Hubei Key Laboratory of Mathematical Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
| | - Le Ou-Yang
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Intelligent Information Processing, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Media Security, and Guangdong Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Economy(SZ), Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China,Corresponding author.
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16
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Ge Q, Teng M, Li X, Guo Q, Tao Y. An epitope-directed selection strategy facilitating the identification of Frizzled receptor selective antibodies. Structure 2023; 31:33-43.e5. [PMID: 36513066 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2022.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Revised: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The lack of incorporating epitope information into the selection process makes the conventional antibody screening method less effective in identifying antibodies with desired functions. Here, we developed an epitope-directed antibody selection method by designing a directed library favoring the target epitope and a precise "counter" antigen for clearing irrelevant binders in the library. With this method, we successfully isolated an antibody, pF7_A5, that targets the less conserved region on the FZD2/7 CRD as designed. Guided by the structure of pF7_A5-FZD2CRD, a further round of evolution was conducted together with the "counter" antigen selection strategy, and ultimately, an FZD2-specific antibody and an FZD7-preferred antibody were obtained. Because of targeting the predefined functional site, all these antibodies exhibited the expected modulatory activity on the Wnt pathway. Together, the method developed here will be useful in antibody drug discovery, and the identified FZD antibodies will have clinical potential in FZD-related cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiangqiang Ge
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Membraneless Organelles & Cellular Dynamics, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, 230027 Hefei, P.R. China
| | - Maikun Teng
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Membraneless Organelles & Cellular Dynamics, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, 230027 Hefei, P.R. China.
| | - Xu Li
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Membraneless Organelles & Cellular Dynamics, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, 230027 Hefei, P.R. China.
| | - Qiong Guo
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Membraneless Organelles & Cellular Dynamics, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, 230027 Hefei, P.R. China.
| | - Yuyong Tao
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Membraneless Organelles & Cellular Dynamics, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, 230027 Hefei, P.R. China; Joint Laboratory of Innovation in Life Sciences University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) and Changchun Zhuoyi Biological Co. Ltd., 130616 Changchun, P.R. China.
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17
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Yousefi H, Bahramy A, Zafari N, Delavar MR, Nguyen K, Haghi A, Kandelouei T, Vittori C, Jazireian P, Maleki S, Imani D, Moshksar A, Bitaraf A, Babashah S. Notch signaling pathway: a comprehensive prognostic and gene expression profile analysis in breast cancer. BMC Cancer 2022; 22:1282. [PMID: 36476410 PMCID: PMC9730604 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-022-10383-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is a complex disease exhibiting a great degree of heterogeneity due to different molecular subtypes. Notch signaling regulates the differentiation of breast epithelial cells during normal development and plays a crucial role in breast cancer progression through the abnormal expression of the Notch up-and down-stream effectors. To date, there are only a few patient-centered clinical studies using datasets characterizing the role of Notch signaling pathway regulators in breast cancer; thus, we investigate the role and functionality of these factors in different subtypes using publicly available databases containing records from large studies. High-throughput genomic data and clinical information extracted from TCGA were analyzed. We performed Kaplan-Meier survival and differential gene expression analyses using the HALLMARK_NOTCH_SIGNALING gene set. To determine if epigenetic regulation of the Notch regulators contributes to their expression, we analyzed methylation levels of these factors using the TCGA HumanMethylation450 Array data. Notch receptors and ligands expression is generally associated with the tumor subtype, grade, and stage. Furthermore, we showed gene expression levels of most Notch factors were associated with DNA methylation rate. Modulating the expression levels of Notch receptors and effectors can be a potential therapeutic approach for breast cancer. As we outline herein, elucidating the novel prognostic and regulatory roles of Notch implicate this pathway as an essential mediator controlling breast cancer progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hassan Yousefi
- Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Louisiana State University Health Science Center (LSUHSC), New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Afshin Bahramy
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Narges Zafari
- Department of Medical Genetics, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahsa Rostamian Delavar
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Science and Technology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Khoa Nguyen
- Department of Medicine, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Atousa Haghi
- Hematology Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Tahmineh Kandelouei
- Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - Cecilia Vittori
- Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center (LSUHSC), and Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Parham Jazireian
- Department of Biology, University Campus 2, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran
| | - Sajad Maleki
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Danyal Imani
- Department of Immunology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran
| | - Amin Moshksar
- Interventional Radiology, University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Amirreza Bitaraf
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, P.O. Box, Tehran, 14115-154, Iran
| | - Sadegh Babashah
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, P.O. Box, Tehran, 14115-154, Iran.
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18
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Liu Q, Guan C, Liu C, Li H, Wu J, Sun C. Targeting hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha: A new strategy for triple-negative breast cancer therapy. Biomed Pharmacother 2022; 156:113861. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2022.113861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2022] [Revised: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022] Open
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19
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Guha L, Bhat IA, Bashir A, Rahman JU, Pottoo FH. Nanotechnological Approaches for the Treatment of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: A Comprehensive Review. Curr Drug Metab 2022; 23:781-799. [PMID: 35676850 DOI: 10.2174/1389200223666220608144551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Revised: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer in women around the world, having a sudden spread nowadays because of the poor sedentary lifestyle of people. Comprising several subtypes, one of the most dangerous and aggressive ones is triple-negative breast cancer or TNBC. Even though conventional surgical approaches like single and double mastectomy and preventive chemotherapeutic approaches are available, they are not selective to cancer cells and are only for symptomatic treatment. A new branch called nanotechnology has emerged in the last few decades that offers various novel characteristics, such as size in nanometric scale, enhanced adherence to multiple targeting moieties, active and passive targeting, controlled release, and site-specific targeting. Among various nanotherapeutic approaches like dendrimers, lipid-structured nanocarriers, carbon nanotubes, etc., nanoparticle targeted therapeutics can be termed the best among all for their specific cytotoxicity to cancer cells and increased bioavailability to a target site. This review focuses on the types and molecular pathways involving TNBC, existing treatment strategies, various nanotechnological approaches like exosomes, carbon nanotubes, dendrimers, lipid, and carbon-based nanocarriers, and especially various nanoparticles (NPs) like polymeric, photodynamic, peptide conjugated, antibody-conjugated, metallic, inorganic, natural product capped, and CRISPR based nanoparticles already approved for treatment or are under clinical and pre-clinical trials for TNBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lahanya Guha
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research Mohali, S.A.S Nagar, Punjab 160062, India
| | - Ishfaq Ahmad Bhat
- Northern Railway Hospital, Sri Mata Vaishno Devi, Katra, Reasi 182320, India
| | - Aasiya Bashir
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Applied Sciences and Technology, University of Kashmir, Hazratbal, Srinagar-190006, J&K, India
| | - Jawad Ur Rahman
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, P.O.BOX 1982, Dammam 31441, Saudi Arabia
| | - Faheem Hyder Pottoo
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Clinical Pharmacy, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, P.O.BOX 1982, Dammam 31441, Saudi Arabia
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20
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Hu X, Zhang Q, Xing W, Wang W. Role of microRNA/lncRNA Intertwined With the Wnt/β-Catenin Axis in Regulating the Pathogenesis of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:814971. [PMID: 35814205 PMCID: PMC9263262 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.814971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective (s): In this mini-review, we aimed to discuss the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway modulation in triple-negative breast cancer, particularly the contribution of lncRNAs and miRNAs in its regulation and their possible entwining role in breast cancer pathogenesis, proliferation, migration, or malignancy.Background: Malignant tumor formation is very high for breast cancer in women and is a leading cause of death all over the globe. Among breast cancer subtypes, triple-negative breast cancer is rife in premenopausal women, most invasive, and prone to metastasis. Complex pathways are involved in this cancer’s pathogenesis, advancement, and malignancy, including the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. This pathway is conserved among vertebrates and is necessary for sustaining cell homeostasis. It is regulated by several elements such as transcription factors, enhancers, non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs and miRNAs), etc.Methods: We evaluated lncRNAs and miRNAs differentially expressed in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) from the cDNA microarray data set literature survey. Using in silico analyses combined with a review of the current literature, we anticipated identifying lncRNAs and miRNAs that might modulate the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.Result: The miRNAs and lncRNAs specific to triple-negative breast cancer have been identified based on literature and database searches. Tumorigenesis, metastasis, and EMT were all given special attention. Apart from cross-talk being essential for TNBC tumorigenesis and treatment outcomes, our results indicated eight upregulated and seven downregulated miRNAs and 19 upregulated and three downregulated lncRNAs that can be used as predictive or diagnostic markers. This consolidated information could be useful in the clinic and provide a combined literature resource for TNBC researchers working on the Wnt/β-catenin miRNA/lncRNA axis.Conclusion: In conclusion, because the Wnt pathway and miRNAs/lncRNAs can modulate TNBC, their intertwinement results in a cascade of complex reactions that affect TNBC and related processes. Their function in TNBC pathogenesis has been highlighted in molecular processes underlying the disease progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Hu
- Department of Breast Surgery, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Qiang Zhang
- Department of Breast Surgery, Cancer Hospital of China Medical University, Liaoning Cancer Hospital & Institute, Shenyang, China
| | - Wanying Xing
- Department of Breast Surgery, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Wan Wang
- Department of Breast Surgery, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
- *Correspondence: Wan Wang,
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21
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Ning WJ, Liu X, Zeng HY, An ZQ, Luo WX, Xia NS. Recent progress in antibody-based therapeutics for triple-negative breast cancer. Expert Opin Drug Deliv 2022; 19:815-832. [PMID: 35738312 DOI: 10.1080/17425247.2022.2093853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a subtype of severely aggressive breast cancer that lacks the expression of oestrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) and is highly metastatic and related to a poor prognosis. Current standard treatments are still limited to systemic chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgical resection. More effective treatments are urgently needed. AREAS COVERED The immunogenicity of TNBC has provided opportunities for the development of targeted immunotherapy. In this review, we focus on the recent development in antibody-based drug modalities, including angiogenesis inhibitors, immune checkpoint inhibitors, antibody-drug conjugates, immunoconjugates, T cell-redirecting bispecific antibodies and CAR-T cells, and their mechanisms of action in TNBC. EXPERT OPINION At present, the treatment of TNBC is still a major challenge that needs to be addressed. Novel immunotherapies are promising opportunities for improving the management of this aggressive disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Jing Ning
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics & National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Xue Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics & National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Hong-Ye Zeng
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics & National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Zhi-Qiang An
- Texas Therapeutics Institute, Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Wen-Xin Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics & National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Ning-Shao Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics & National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
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22
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Kadian LK, Arora M, Prasad CP, Pramanik R, Chauhan SS. Signaling pathways and their potential therapeutic utility in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Clin Transl Oncol 2022; 24:1014-1032. [PMID: 34990001 DOI: 10.1007/s12094-021-02763-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Esophageal cancer is a complex gastrointestinal malignancy with an extremely poor outcome. Approximately 80% of cases of this malignancy in Asian countries including India are of squamous cell origin, termed Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma (ESCC).The five-year survival rate in ESCC patients is less than 20%. Neo-adjuvant chemo-radiotherapy (NACRT) followed by surgical resection remains the major therapeutic strategy for patients with operable ESCC. However, resistance to NACRT and local recurrence after initial treatment are the leading cause of dismal outcomes in these patients. Therefore, an alternative strategy to promote response to the therapy and reduce the post-operative disease recurrence is highly needed. At the molecular level, wide variations have been observed in tumor characteristics among different populations, nevertheless, several common molecular features have been identified which orchestrate disease progression and clinical outcome in the malignancy. Therefore, determination of candidate molecular pathways for targeted therapy remains the mainstream idea of focus in ESCC research. In this review, we have discussed the key signaling pathways associated with ESCC, i.e., Notch, Wnt, and Nrf2 pathways, and their crosstalk during disease progression. We further discuss the recent developments of novel agents to target these pathways in the context of targeted cancer therapy. In-depth research of the signaling pathways, gene signatures, and a combinatorial approach may help in discovering targeted therapy for ESCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- L K Kadian
- Department of Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | - M Arora
- Department of Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | - C P Prasad
- Department of Medical Oncology (Lab), Dr. B. R. Ambedkar-IRCH, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | - R Pramanik
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar-IRCH, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | - S S Chauhan
- Department of Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
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23
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Abreu de Oliveira WA, El Laithy Y, Bruna A, Annibali D, Lluis F. Wnt Signaling in the Breast: From Development to Disease. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:884467. [PMID: 35663403 PMCID: PMC9157790 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.884467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The Wnt cascade is a primordial developmental signaling pathway that plays a myriad of essential functions throughout development and adult homeostasis in virtually all animal species. Aberrant Wnt activity is implicated in embryonic and tissue morphogenesis defects, and several diseases, most notably cancer. The role of Wnt signaling in mammary gland development and breast cancer initiation, maintenance, and progression is far from being completely understood and is rather shrouded in controversy. In this review, we dissect the fundamental role of Wnt signaling in mammary gland development and adult homeostasis and explore how defects in its tightly regulated and intricated molecular network are interlinked with cancer, with a focus on the breast.
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Affiliation(s)
- Willy Antoni Abreu de Oliveira
- Department of Development and Regeneration, Stem Cell Institute, Katholieke Universiteit (KU) Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- *Correspondence: Willy Antoni Abreu de Oliveira, ; Frederic Lluis,
| | - Youssef El Laithy
- Department of Development and Regeneration, Stem Cell Institute, Katholieke Universiteit (KU) Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Alejandra Bruna
- Centre for Paediatric Oncology Experimental Medicine, Centre for Cancer Evolution, Molecular Pathology Division, London, United Kingdom
| | - Daniela Annibali
- Department of Oncology, Gynecological Oncology Laboratory, Leuven Cancer Institute (LKI), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Division of Oncogenomics, Oncode Institute, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Frederic Lluis
- Department of Development and Regeneration, Stem Cell Institute, Katholieke Universiteit (KU) Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- *Correspondence: Willy Antoni Abreu de Oliveira, ; Frederic Lluis,
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24
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Huber R, Koval A, Marcourt L, Héritier M, Schnee S, Michellod E, Scapozza L, Katanaev VL, Wolfender JL, Gindro K, Ferreira Queiroz E. Chemoenzymatic Synthesis of Original Stilbene Dimers Possessing Wnt Inhibition Activity in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells Using the Enzymatic Secretome of Botrytis cinerea Pers. Front Chem 2022; 10:881298. [PMID: 35518712 PMCID: PMC9062038 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2022.881298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The Wnt signaling pathway controls multiple events during embryonic development of multicellular animals and is carcinogenic when aberrantly activated in adults. Breast cancer and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) in particular depend upon Wnt pathway overactivation. Despite this importance, no Wnt pathway-targeting drugs are currently available, which necessitates novel approaches to search for therapeutically relevant compounds targeting this oncogenic pathway. Stilbene analogs represent an under-explored field of therapeutic natural products research. In the present work, a library of complex stilbene derivatives was obtained through biotransformation of a mixture of resveratrol and pterostilbene using the enzymatic secretome of Botrytis cinerea. To improve the chemodiversity, the reactions were performed using i-PrOH, n-BuOH, i-BuOH, EtOH, or MeOH as cosolvents. Using this strategy, a series of 73 unusual derivatives was generated distributed among 6 scaffolds; 55 derivatives represent novel compounds. The structure of each compound isolated was determined by nuclear magnetic resonance and high-resolution mass spectrometry. The inhibitory activity of the isolated compounds against the oncogenic Wnt pathway was comprehensively quantified and correlated with their capacity to inhibit the growth of the cancer cells, leading to insights into structure-activity relationships of the derivatives. Finally, we have dissected mechanistic details of the stilbene derivatives activity within the pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin Huber
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Geneva, CMU, Geneva, Switzerland.,Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Western Switzerland, University of Geneva, CMU, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Alexey Koval
- Department of Cell Physiology and Metabolism, Translational Research Centre in Oncohaematology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, CMU, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Laurence Marcourt
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Geneva, CMU, Geneva, Switzerland.,Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Western Switzerland, University of Geneva, CMU, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Margaux Héritier
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Geneva, CMU, Geneva, Switzerland.,Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Western Switzerland, University of Geneva, CMU, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Sylvain Schnee
- Mycology Group, Research Department Plant Protection, Agroscope, Nyon, Switzerland
| | - Emilie Michellod
- Mycology Group, Research Department Plant Protection, Agroscope, Nyon, Switzerland
| | - Leonardo Scapozza
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Geneva, CMU, Geneva, Switzerland.,Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Western Switzerland, University of Geneva, CMU, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Vladimir L Katanaev
- Department of Cell Physiology and Metabolism, Translational Research Centre in Oncohaematology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, CMU, Geneva, Switzerland.,Institute of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok, Russia
| | - Jean-Luc Wolfender
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Geneva, CMU, Geneva, Switzerland.,Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Western Switzerland, University of Geneva, CMU, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Katia Gindro
- Mycology Group, Research Department Plant Protection, Agroscope, Nyon, Switzerland
| | - Emerson Ferreira Queiroz
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Geneva, CMU, Geneva, Switzerland.,Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Western Switzerland, University of Geneva, CMU, Geneva, Switzerland
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25
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Ebrahimi N, Kharazmi K, Ghanaatian M, Miraghel SA, Amiri Y, Seyedebrahimi SS, Mobarak H, Yazdani E, Parkhideh S, Hamblin MR, Aref AR. Role of the Wnt and GTPase pathways in breast cancer tumorigenesis and treatment. Cytokine Growth Factor Rev 2022; 67:11-24. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cytogfr.2022.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2022] [Revised: 04/30/2022] [Accepted: 05/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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26
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Binuclear Heteroleptic Ru(III) Dithiocarbamate Complexes: A Step towards Tunable Antiproliferative Agents. INORGANICS 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/inorganics10030037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Binuclear dithiocarbamate complexes of Ru(III) are promising candidates in the search for outstanding metal-based anticancer agents. While different dithiocarbamates have shown ligand-dependent cytotoxicity in homoleptic binuclear Ru(III) complexes, the properties of heteroleptic analogues with different dithiocarbamate (DTC) ligands have yet to be explored. We herein propose the introduction of heteroleptic ligands as tunable features for the development of improved ruthenium-based antiproliferative agents and report a synthetic strategy for their synthesis as well as the evaluation of the cytotoxic activity of a selection of binuclear heteroleptic Ru(III) compounds towards MDA-MB-231 and PC3 cells.
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27
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Thompson JW, Michel MFV, Phillips BT. Centrosomal Enrichment and Proteasomal Degradation of SYS-1/β-catenin Requires the Microtubule Motor Dynein. Mol Biol Cell 2022; 33:ar42. [PMID: 35196020 PMCID: PMC9282011 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e22-02-0031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The Caenorhabditis elegans Wnt/β-catenin asymmetry (WβA) pathway utilizes asymmetric regulation of SYS-1/β-catenin and POP-1/TCF coactivators. WβA differentially regulates gene expression during cell fate decisions, specifically by asymmetric localization of determinants in mother cells to produce daughters biased toward their appropriate cell fate. Despite the induction of asymmetry, β-catenin localizes symmetrically to mitotic centrosomes in both mammals and C. elegans. Owing to the mitosis-specific localization of SYS-1 to centrosomes and enrichment of SYS-1 at kinetochore microtubules when SYS-1 centrosomal loading is disrupted, we investigated active trafficking in SYS-1 centrosomal localization. Here, we demonstrate that trafficking by microtubule motor dynein is required to maintain SYS-1 centrosomal enrichment, by dynein RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated decreases in SYS-1 centrosomal enrichment and by temperature-sensitive allele of the dynein heavy chain. Conversely, we observe depletion of microtubules by nocodazole treatment or RNAi of dynein-proteasome adapter ECPS-1 exhibits increased centrosomal enrichment of SYS-1. Moreover, disruptions to SYS-1 or negative regulator microtubule trafficking are sufficient to significantly exacerbate SYS-1 dependent cell fate misspecifications. We propose a model whereby retrograde microtubule-mediated trafficking enables SYS-1 enrichment at centrosomes, enhancing its eventual proteasomal degradation. These studies support the link between centrosomal localization and enhancement of proteasomal degradation, particularly for proteins not generally considered “centrosomal.”
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Maria F Valdes Michel
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Genetics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242-1324
| | - Bryan T Phillips
- Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242-1324.,Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Genetics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242-1324
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28
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Assidi M, Buhmeida A, Al-Zahrani MH, Al-Maghrabi J, Rasool M, Naseer MI, Alkhatabi H, Alrefaei AF, Zari A, Elkhatib R, Abuzenadah A, Pushparaj PN, Abu-Elmagd M. The Prognostic Value of the Developmental Gene FZD6 in Young Saudi Breast Cancer Patients: A Biomarkers Discovery and Cancer Inducers OncoScreen Approach. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 9:783735. [PMID: 35237656 PMCID: PMC8883113 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.783735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Wnt signalling receptors, Frizzleds (FZDs), play a pivotal role in many cellular events during embryonic development and cancer. Female breast cancer (BC) is currently the worldwide leading incident cancer type that cause 1 in 6 cancer-related death. FZD receptors expression in cancer was shown to be associated with tumour development and patient outcomes including recurrence and survival. FZD6 received little attention for its role in BC and hence we analysed its expression pattern in a Saudi BC cohort to assess its prognostic potential and unravel the impacted signalling pathway. Paraffin blocks from approximately 405 randomly selected BC patients aged between 25 and 70 years old were processed for tissue microarray using an automated tissue arrayer and then subjected to FZD6 immunohistochemistry staining using the Ventana platform. Besides, Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) knowledgebase was used to decipher the upstream and downstream regulators of FZD6 in BC. TargetScan and miRabel target-prediction databases were used to identify the potential microRNA to regulate FZD6 expression in BC. Results showed that 60% of the BC samples had a low expression pattern while 40% showed a higher expression level. FZD6 expression analysis showed a significant correlation with tumour invasion (p < 0.05), and borderline significance with tumour grade (p = 0.07). FZD6 expression showed a highly significant association with the BC patients’ survival outcomes. This was mainly due to the overall patients’ cohort where tumours with FZD6 elevated expression showed higher recurrence rates (DFS, p < 0.0001, log-rank) and shorter survival times (DSS, p < 0.02, log-rank). Interestingly, the FZD6 prognostic value was more potent in younger BC patients as compared to those with late onset of the disease. TargetScan microRNA target-prediction analysis and validated by miRabel showed that FZD6 is a potential target for a considerable number of microRNAs expressed in BC. The current study demonstrates a potential prognostic role of FZD6 expression in young BC female patients and provides a better understanding of the involved molecular silencing machinery of the Wnt/FZD6 signalling. Our results should provide a better understanding of FZD6 role in BC by adding more knowledge that should help in BC prevention and theranostics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mourad Assidi
- Center of Excellence in Genomic Medicine Research, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdelbaset Buhmeida
- Center of Excellence in Genomic Medicine Research, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Maryam H. Al-Zahrani
- Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Jaudah Al-Maghrabi
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mahmood Rasool
- Center of Excellence in Genomic Medicine Research, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Muhammad I. Naseer
- Center of Excellence in Genomic Medicine Research, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Heba Alkhatabi
- Center of Excellence in Genomic Medicine Research, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdulmajeed F. Alrefaei
- Department of Biology, Jamoum University College, Umm Al-Qura University, Mecca, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ali Zari
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Razan Elkhatib
- Center of Excellence in Genomic Medicine Research, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Adel Abuzenadah
- Center of Excellence in Genomic Medicine Research, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Peter N. Pushparaj
- Center of Excellence in Genomic Medicine Research, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Center for Transdisciplinary Research, Department of Pharmacology, Saveetha Dental College and Hospital, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Chennai, India
| | - Muhammad Abu-Elmagd
- Center of Excellence in Genomic Medicine Research, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- *Correspondence: Muhammad Abu-Elmagd,
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29
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Bae SJ, Jo Y, Cho MK, Jin JS, Kim JY, Shim J, Kim YH, Park JK, Ryu D, Lee HJ, Joo J, Ha KT. Identification and analysis of novel endometriosis biomarkers via integrative bioinformatics. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2022; 13:942368. [PMID: 36339397 PMCID: PMC9630743 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2022.942368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Endometriosis is a gynecological disease prevalent in women of reproductive age, and it is characterized by the ectopic presence and growth of the eutopic endometrium. The pathophysiology and diagnostic biomarkers of endometriosis have not yet been comprehensively determined. To discover molecular markers and pathways underlying the pathogenesis of endometriosis, we identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in three Gene Expression Omnibus microarray datasets (GSE11691, GSE23339, and GSE7305) and performed gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analyses. We also validated the identified genes via immunohistochemical analysis of tissues obtained from patients with endometriosis or healthy volunteers. A total of 118 DEGs (79 upregulated and 39 downregulated) were detected in each dataset with a lower (fold change) FC cutoff (log2|FC| > 1), and 17 DEGs (11 upregulated and six downregulated) with a higher FC cutoff (log2|FC| > 2). KEGG and GO functional analyses revealed enrichment of signaling pathways associated with inflammation, complement activation, cell adhesion, and extracellular matrix in endometriotic tissues. Upregulation of seven genes (C7, CFH, FZD7, LY96, PDLIM3, PTGIS, and WISP2) out of 17 was validated via comparison with external gene sets, and protein expression of four genes (LY96, PDLIM3, PTGIS, and WISP2) was further analyzed by immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis. Based on these results, we suggest that TLR4/NF-κB and Wnt/frizzled signaling pathways, as well as estrogen receptors, regulate the progression of endometriosis. These pathways may be therapeutic and diagnostic targets for endometriosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sung-Jin Bae
- Department of Molecular Biology and Immunology, Kosin University College of Medicine, Busan, South Korea
| | - Yunju Jo
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Suwon, South Korea
| | - Min Kyoung Cho
- Korean Medical Research Center for Healthy Aging, Pusan National University, Yangsan, South Korea
| | - Jung-Sook Jin
- Korean Medical Research Center for Healthy Aging, Pusan National University, Yangsan, South Korea
| | - Jin-Young Kim
- Department of Korean Medical Science, School of Korean Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, South Korea
| | - Jaewon Shim
- Department of Biochemistry, Kosin University College of Medicine, Busan, South Korea
| | - Yun Hak Kim
- Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, South Korea
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, School of Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, South Korea
| | - Jang-Kyung Park
- Department of Korean Medicine Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pusan National University Korean Medicine Hospital, Yangsan, South Korea
| | - Dongryeol Ryu
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Suwon, South Korea
| | - Hyun Joo Lee
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, South Korea
| | - Jongkil Joo
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, South Korea
- *Correspondence: Jongkil Joo, ; Ki-Tae Ha,
| | - Ki-Tae Ha
- Korean Medical Research Center for Healthy Aging, Pusan National University, Yangsan, South Korea
- Department of Korean Medical Science, School of Korean Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, South Korea
- *Correspondence: Jongkil Joo, ; Ki-Tae Ha,
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30
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Do M, Wu CCN, Sonavane PR, Juarez EF, Adams SR, Ross J, Rodriguez Y Baena A, Patel C, Mesirov JP, Carson DA, Advani SJ, Willert K. A FZD7-specific Antibody-Drug Conjugate Induces Ovarian Tumor Regression in Preclinical Models. Mol Cancer Ther 2022; 21:113-124. [PMID: 34667113 PMCID: PMC8742765 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-21-0548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2021] [Revised: 08/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Although WNT signaling is frequently dysregulated in solid tumors, drugging this pathway has been challenging due to off-tumor effects. Current clinical pan-WNT inhibitors are nonspecific and lead to adverse effects, highlighting the urgent need for more specific WNT pathway-targeting strategies. We identified elevated expression of the WNT receptor Frizzled class receptor 7 (FZD7) in multiple solid cancers in The Cancer Genome Atlas, particularly in the mesenchymal and proliferative subtypes of ovarian serous cystadenocarcinoma, which correlate with poorer median patient survival. Moreover, we observed increased FZD7 protein expression in ovarian tumors compared with normal ovarian tissue, indicating that FZD7 may be a tumor-specific antigen. We therefore developed a novel antibody-drug conjugate, septuximab vedotin (F7-ADC), which is composed of a chimeric human-mouse antibody to human FZD7 conjugated to the microtubule-inhibiting drug monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE). F7-ADC selectively binds human FZD7, potently kills ovarian cancer cells in vitro, and induces regression of ovarian tumor xenografts in murine models. To evaluate F7-ADC toxicity in vivo, we generated mice harboring a modified Fzd7 gene where the resulting Fzd7 protein is reactive with the human-targeting F7-ADC. F7-ADC treatment of these mice did not induce acute toxicities, indicating a potentially favorable safety profile in patients. Overall, our data suggest that the antibody-drug conjugate approach may be a powerful strategy to combat FZD7-expressing ovarian cancers in the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myan Do
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Christina C N Wu
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Pooja R Sonavane
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Edwin F Juarez
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Stephen R Adams
- Department of Pharmacology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Jason Ross
- Department of Global Creative Studio, Illumina, Inc., San Diego, California
| | | | - Charmi Patel
- Department of Pathology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Jill P Mesirov
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California.,Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Dennis A Carson
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Sunil J Advani
- Department of Radiation Medicine and Applied Science, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Karl Willert
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California.
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31
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Larasati Y, Boudou C, Koval A, Katanaev VL. Unlocking the Wnt pathway: Therapeutic potential of selective targeting FZD 7 in cancer. Drug Discov Today 2021; 27:777-792. [PMID: 34915171 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2021.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2021] [Revised: 09/09/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
The Wnt signaling is of paramount pathophysiological importance. Despite showing promising anticancer activities in pre-clinical studies, current Wnt pathway inhibitors face complications in clinical trials resulting from on-target toxicity. Hence, the targeting of pathway component(s) that are essential for cancer but dispensable for normal physiology is key to the development of a safe Wnt signaling inhibitor. Frizzled7 (FZD7) is a Wnt pathway receptor that is redundant in healthy tissues but crucial in various cancers. FZD7 modulates diverse aspects of carcinogenesis, including cancer growth, metastasis, maintenance of cancer stem cells, and chemoresistance. In this review, we describe state-of-the-art knowledge of the functions of FZD7 in carcinogenesis and adult tissue homeostasis. Next, we overview the development of small molecules and biomolecules that target FZD7. Finally, we discuss challenges and possibilities in developing FZD7-selective antagonists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yonika Larasati
- Department of Cell Physiology and Metabolism, Translational Research Centre in Oncohaematology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, 1206 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Cédric Boudou
- Department of Cell Physiology and Metabolism, Translational Research Centre in Oncohaematology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, 1206 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Alexey Koval
- Department of Cell Physiology and Metabolism, Translational Research Centre in Oncohaematology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, 1206 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Vladimir L Katanaev
- Department of Cell Physiology and Metabolism, Translational Research Centre in Oncohaematology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, 1206 Geneva, Switzerland; School of Biomedicine, Far Eastern Federal University, 690922 Vladivostok, Russia.
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32
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Sahu R, Pattanayak SP. Strategic Developments & Future Perspective on Gene Therapy for Breast Cancer: Role of mTOR and Brk/ PTK6 as Molecular Targets. Curr Gene Ther 2021; 20:237-258. [PMID: 32807051 DOI: 10.2174/1566523220999200731002408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2020] [Revised: 07/16/2020] [Accepted: 07/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Breast cancer is a serious health issue and a major concern in biomedical research. Alteration in major signaling (viz. PI3K-AKT-mTOR, Ras-Raf-MEK-Erk, NF-kB, cyclin D1, JAK-STAT, Wnt, Notch, Hedgehog signaling and apoptotic pathway) contributes to the development of major subtypes of mammary carcinoma such as HER2 positive, TNBC, luminal A and B and normal-like breast cancer. Further, mutation and expression parameters of different genes involved in the growth and development of cells play an important role in the progress of different types of carcinoma, making gene therapy an emerging new therapeutic approach for the management of life-threatening diseases like cancer. The genetic targets (oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes) play a major role in the formation of a tumor. Brk/PTK6 and mTOR are two central molecules that are involved in the regulation of numerous signaling related to cell growth, proliferation, angiogenesis, survival, invasion, metastasis, apoptosis, and autophagy. Since these two proteins are highly upregulated in mammary carcinogenesis, this can be used as targeted genes for the treatment of breast cancer. However, not much work has been done on them. This review highlights the therapeutic significance of Brk and mTOR and their associated signaling in mammary carcinogenesis, which may provide a strategy to develop gene therapy for breast cancer management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roja Sahu
- Division of Advanced Pharmacology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology, Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi, Jharkhand- 835 215, India
| | - Shakti P Pattanayak
- Division of Advanced Pharmacology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology, Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi, Jharkhand- 835 215, India,Department of Pharmacy, Central University of South Bihar (Gaya), Bihar-824 236, India
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33
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Garcia-Peterson LM, Li X. Trending topics of SIRT1 in tumorigenicity. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2021; 1865:129952. [PMID: 34147543 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2021.129952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Revised: 06/09/2021] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Carcinogenesis is governed by a series of genetic alterations and epigenetic changes that lead to aberrant patterns in neoplastic cells. Sirtuin-1(SIRT1), an NAD+-dependent protein deacetylase, is capable of deacetylating histones and non-histone substrates that regulate various physiological activities during tumorigenesis. Recent studies have identified the role of SIRT1 in different stages of cancer, including genome instability, tumor initiation, proliferation, metabolism, and therapeutic response. However, the action of SIRT1 has been reported to be both oncogenic and tumor suppressive during carcinogenesis. Consequently, the biological functions of SIRT1 in cancer remain controversial. SCOPE OF REVIEW We highlight the most recent findings on SIRT1 in different stages of tumorigenesis, and update the current status of SIRT1 small molecule modulators in clinical application of cancer treatment. MAJOR CONCLUSION By targeting both tumor suppressors and oncogenic proteins, SIRT1 has a bifunctional role at different stages of tumorigenesis. The impact of SIRT1 on tumorigenesis is also distinct at different stages and is dependent on its dosages. SIRT1 suppresses tumor initiation through its functions in promoting DNA repair, increasing genome stability, and inhibiting inflammation at the pre-cancer stage. However, SIRT1 enhances tumor proliferation, survival, and drug resistance through its roles in anti-apoptosis, pro-tumor metabolism, and anti-inflammation (inhibition of anti-tumor immunity) at the stages of tumor progression, metastasis, and relapse. Consequently, both SIRT1 inhibitors and activators have been explored for cancer treatment. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE Better understanding the dose- and stage-dependent roles of SIRT1 in each cancer type can provide new avenues of exploration for therapy development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liz M Garcia-Peterson
- Signal Transduction Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
| | - Xiaoling Li
- Signal Transduction Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA.
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34
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Fiscon G, Pegoraro S, Conte F, Manfioletti G, Paci P. Gene network analysis using SWIM reveals interplay between the transcription factor-encoding genes HMGA1, FOXM1, and MYBL2 in triple-negative breast cancer. FEBS Lett 2021; 595:1569-1586. [PMID: 33835503 DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.14085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Revised: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Among breast cancer subtypes, triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive with the worst prognosis and the highest rates of metastatic disease. To identify TNBC gene signatures, we applied the network-based methodology implemented by the SWIM software to gene expression data of TNBC patients in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. SWIM enables to predict key (switch) genes within the co-expression network, whose perturbations in expression pattern and abundance may contribute to the (patho)biological phenotype. Here, SWIM analysis revealed an interesting interplay between the genes encoding the transcription factors HMGA1, FOXM1, and MYBL2, suggesting a potential cooperation among these three switch genes in TNBC development. The correlative nature of this interplay in TNBC was assessed by in vitro experiments, demonstrating how they may actually modulate the expression of each other.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Fiscon
- Institute for Systems Analysis and Computer Science "Antonio Ruberti", National Research Council, Rome, Italy.,Fondazione per la Medicina Personalizzata, Genova, Italy
| | | | - Federica Conte
- Institute for Systems Analysis and Computer Science "Antonio Ruberti", National Research Council, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Paola Paci
- Institute for Systems Analysis and Computer Science "Antonio Ruberti", National Research Council, Rome, Italy.,Department of Computer, Control and Management Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
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35
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Liu Z, Wang P, Wold EA, Song Q, Zhao C, Wang C, Zhou J. Small-Molecule Inhibitors Targeting the Canonical WNT Signaling Pathway for the Treatment of Cancer. J Med Chem 2021; 64:4257-4288. [PMID: 33822624 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c01799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Canonical WNT signaling is an important developmental pathway that has attracted increased attention for anticancer drug discovery. From the production and secretion of WNT ligands, their binding to membrane receptors, and the β-catenin destruction complex to the expansive β-catenin transcriptional complex, multiple components have been investigated as drug targets to modulate WNT signaling. Significant progress in developing WNT inhibitors such as porcupine inhibitors, tankyrase inhibitors, β-catenin/coactivators, protein-protein interaction inhibitors, casein kinase modulators, DVL inhibitors, and dCTPP1 inhibitors has been made, with several candidates (e.g., LGK-974, PRI-724, and ETC-159) in human clinical trials. Herein we summarize recent progress in the drug discovery and development of small-molecule inhibitors targeting the canonical WNT pathway, focusing on their specific target proteins, in vitro and in vivo activities, physicochemical properties, and therapeutic potential. The relevant opportunities and challenges toward maintaining the balance between efficacy and toxicity in effectively targeting this pathway are also highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiqing Liu
- Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, College of Food Science and Technology, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China
| | - Pingyuan Wang
- Chemical Biology Program, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Galveston, Texas 77555, United States
| | - Eric A Wold
- Chemical Biology Program, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Galveston, Texas 77555, United States
| | - Qiaoling Song
- Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, College of Food Science and Technology, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China
| | - Chenyang Zhao
- Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, College of Food Science and Technology, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China
| | - Changyun Wang
- Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, College of Food Science and Technology, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China
| | - Jia Zhou
- Chemical Biology Program, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Galveston, Texas 77555, United States
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36
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Guo CH, Hsia S, Chung CH, Lin YC, Shih MY, Chen PC, Hsu GSW, Fan CT, Peng CL. Combination of Fish Oil and Selenium Enhances Anticancer Efficacy and Targets Multiple Signaling Pathways in Anti-VEGF Agent Treated-TNBC Tumor-Bearing Mice. Mar Drugs 2021; 19:193. [PMID: 33805447 PMCID: PMC8065403 DOI: 10.3390/md19040193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Fish oil (FO) and selenium (Se) possess antiangiogenic potential in malignant tumors. This study aimed to determine whether combination of FO and Se enhanced treatment efficacy of low-dose antiangiogenic agent Avastin (bevacizumab) in a dose-dependent manner and targeted multiple signaling pathways in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC)-bearing mice. Randomized into five groups, mice received treatment with either physiological saline (control), Avastin alone, or Avastin in combination with low, medium, and high doses of FO/Se. The target signaling molecules for anticancer were determined either by measuring protein or mRNA expression. Avastin-treated mice receiving FO/Se showed lower tumor growth and metastasis than did mice treated with Avastin alone. Combination-treated mice exhibited lower expressions in multiple proangiogenic (growth) factors and their membrane receptors, and altered cytoplasmic signaling molecules (PI3K-PTEN-AKT-TSC-mTOR-p70S6K-4EBP1, Ras-Raf-MEK-ERK, c-Src-JAK2-STAT3-TMEPAI-Smad, LKB1-AMPK, and GSK3β/β-catenin). Dose-dependent inhibition of down-stream targets including epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition transcription factors, nuclear cyclin and cyclin-dependent kinases, cancer stem cell markers, heat shock protein (HSP-90), hypoxia-inducible factors (HIF-1α/-2α), matrix metalloprotease (MMP-9), and increased apoptosis were observed. These results suggest that combination treatment with FO and Se increases the therapeutic efficacy of Avastin against TNBC in a dose-dependent manner through multiple signaling pathways in membrane, cytoplasmic, and nucleic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chih-Hung Guo
- Micronutrition and Biomedical Nutrition Laboratories, Institute of Biomedical Nutrition, Hung-Kuang University, Taichung 433, Taiwan; (C.-H.C.); (Y.-C.L.); (M.-Y.S.)
- Taiwan Nutraceutical Association, Taipei 105, Taiwan; (S.H.); (P.-C.C.); (C.-T.F.); (C.-L.P.)
| | - Simon Hsia
- Taiwan Nutraceutical Association, Taipei 105, Taiwan; (S.H.); (P.-C.C.); (C.-T.F.); (C.-L.P.)
| | - Chieh-Han Chung
- Micronutrition and Biomedical Nutrition Laboratories, Institute of Biomedical Nutrition, Hung-Kuang University, Taichung 433, Taiwan; (C.-H.C.); (Y.-C.L.); (M.-Y.S.)
- Taiwan Nutraceutical Association, Taipei 105, Taiwan; (S.H.); (P.-C.C.); (C.-T.F.); (C.-L.P.)
| | - Yi-Chun Lin
- Micronutrition and Biomedical Nutrition Laboratories, Institute of Biomedical Nutrition, Hung-Kuang University, Taichung 433, Taiwan; (C.-H.C.); (Y.-C.L.); (M.-Y.S.)
- Taiwan Nutraceutical Association, Taipei 105, Taiwan; (S.H.); (P.-C.C.); (C.-T.F.); (C.-L.P.)
| | - Min-Yi Shih
- Micronutrition and Biomedical Nutrition Laboratories, Institute of Biomedical Nutrition, Hung-Kuang University, Taichung 433, Taiwan; (C.-H.C.); (Y.-C.L.); (M.-Y.S.)
- Taiwan Nutraceutical Association, Taipei 105, Taiwan; (S.H.); (P.-C.C.); (C.-T.F.); (C.-L.P.)
| | - Pei-Chung Chen
- Taiwan Nutraceutical Association, Taipei 105, Taiwan; (S.H.); (P.-C.C.); (C.-T.F.); (C.-L.P.)
| | - Guoo-Shyng W. Hsu
- Human Ecology College, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City 242, Taiwan;
| | - Ciou-Ting Fan
- Taiwan Nutraceutical Association, Taipei 105, Taiwan; (S.H.); (P.-C.C.); (C.-T.F.); (C.-L.P.)
| | - Chia-Lin Peng
- Taiwan Nutraceutical Association, Taipei 105, Taiwan; (S.H.); (P.-C.C.); (C.-T.F.); (C.-L.P.)
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37
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Dehghanbanadaki N, Taghdir M, Naderi-Manesh H. Investigation of Atrial Natriuretic Peptide as A Competitive Inhibitory Candidate Against Wnt/β-Catenin Signalling: A Molecular Dynamics Approach. Int J Pept Res Ther 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10989-020-10085-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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38
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Li L, Huang H, Zhu M, Wu J. Identification of Hub Genes and Pathways of Triple Negative Breast Cancer by Expression Profiles Analysis. Cancer Manag Res 2021; 13:2095-2104. [PMID: 33688252 PMCID: PMC7935333 DOI: 10.2147/cmar.s295951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 02/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an intrinsic subtype of breast cancer with a poor prognosis, characterized by a lack of ER and PR expression and the absence of HER2 amplification. The aim of this study is to characterize hub genes (key genes in the molecular interaction network) expression in TNBC, which may serve as prognostic predictors for TNBC treatment. Methods Four transcriptome microarray datasets GSE27447, GSE39004, GSE43358 and GSE45827 were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, and R package limma and RobustRankAggreg were employed to identify common differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were conducted by DAVID and KOBAS database. Thereafter, protein–protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed according to STRING online database. Functional modules and hub genes were screened by MCODE and cytohubba plug-ins, and the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) survival analysis and qRT-PCR were utilized to validate the expression of these hub genes on TNBC. Results A total of 134 DEGs were identified by differential expression analysis, consisting of 88 up- and 46 down-regulated genes. GO and KEGG analyses showed that the terms and pathways enriched were mainly associated with cell adhesion, tumorigenesis and cellular immunity. From the PPI network, we identified six hub genes, including CD3D, CD3E, CD3G, FYN, GRAP2 and ITK. Survival analysis and the qRT-PCR results confirmed the robustness of the identified hub genes. Conclusion This study provides a new insight into the understanding of the molecular mechanisms associated with TNBC and suggested that the hub genes may serve as prognostic predictors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liqi Li
- Department of Breast Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Hu Huang
- Department of Breast Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Mingjie Zhu
- Department of Breast Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Junqiang Wu
- Department of Breast Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
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Wu D, Zhu J, Fu Y, Li C, Wu B. LncRNA HOTAIR promotes breast cancer progression through regulating the miR-129-5p/FZD7 axis. Cancer Biomark 2021; 30:203-212. [PMID: 33104019 DOI: 10.3233/cbm-190913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Breast cancer is the most common malignancies worldwide. LncRNA HOX transcript antisense intergenic RNA (HOTAIR) has been shown to promote progression and metastasis of various cancers, including breast cancer. This reasearch aimed to investigate the downstream regulatory pathways of HOTAIR in breast cancer. The levels of HOTAIR and miR-129-5p were examined in breast cancer tissues and SKBR3 and MCF7 cells by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Cell proliferation was examined by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. Cell migration and invasion were estimated by transwell assay. Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related markers (E-cadherin, N-cadherin and Vimentin) were measured by Western blot assay. The expression of Frizzled 7 (FZD7) was detected using qRT-PCR or Western blot assay. Bioinformatics analysis, luciferase reporter assay or RNA Immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay was performed to explore the molecular mechanism of HOTAIR in breast cancer. Xenograft analysis was utilized to evaluate the tumor growth in vivo. HOTAIR and FZD7 were upregulated, while miR-129-5p was down-regulated in breast cancer tissues and cells. Knockdown of miR-129-5p reversed the effect of HOTAIR knockdown on cell proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT. FZD7 restored the inhibition of miR-129-5p on breast cancer progression. Furthermore, HOTAIR was a sponge of miR-129-5p and FZD7 was a target of miR-129-5p. Knockdown of HOTAIR inhibited the tumor growth in vivo. HOTAIR facilitated breast cancer progression by regulating the miR-129-5p/FZD7 axis, indicating that HOTAIR may be a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for breast cancer.
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40
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Cao W, Jiang Y, Ji X, Guan X, Lin Q, Ma L. Identification of novel prognostic genes of triple-negative breast cancer using meta-analysis and weighted gene co-expressed network analysis. ANNALS OF TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE 2021; 9:205. [PMID: 33708832 PMCID: PMC7940929 DOI: 10.21037/atm-20-5989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Background Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype of breast cancer with high rates of metastasis and recurrence. Conventional clinical treatments are ineffective for it as it lacks therapeutic biomarkers. Figuring out the biomarkers related to TNBC will be beneficial for its clinical treatment and prognosis. Methods Five independent datasets downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database were merged to identify differentially expressed genes between TNBC and non-TNBC samples by using the MetaDE.ES method followed by mapping the differentially expressed genes into a protein-protein interaction network. Meanwhile, the weighted gene co-expressed network analysis (WGCNA) of The Cancer Genome Atlas data was performed to screen the hub genes. The gene functional analyses were conducted by Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis. The correlation between gene expression level and patient overall survival was evaluated by survival analysis. Results A total of 11 differentially expressed genes (CDH1, SP1, MYC, FAF2, IFI16, MDM2, AR, DBN1, HSPB1, FLNA, YWHAB) were obtained from the protein-protein interaction network with degree >10. WGCNA revealed 5 hub genes (TPX2, CTPS1, KIF2C, MELK, CDCA8) that were significantly associated with TNBC. Cell cycle, oocyte meiosis, spliceosome were the pathways significantly enriched in these genes according to GO functionally annotated terms and KEGG pathways analysis. The Kaplan-Meier curves showed that the expression levels of HSPB1, IFI16, TPX2 were significantly associated with the survival time of TNBC patients (P<0.05). Conclusions A total of 16 genes significantly associated with TNBC were identified by bioinformatic analyses. Among these 16 genes, HSPB1, IFI16, TPX2 might be able to be used as biomarkers of TNBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenning Cao
- Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.,State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yike Jiang
- Institute of Biomedical Health Technology and Engineering, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, China.,Precision Medicine and Healthcare Research Center, Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute, Shenzhen, China
| | - Xiang Ji
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, China.,School of Life Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Xuejiao Guan
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, China.,School of Life Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Qianyu Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, China.,Precision Medicine and Healthcare Research Center, Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute, Shenzhen, China
| | - Lan Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, China.,Institute of Biomedical Health Technology and Engineering, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, China.,Precision Medicine and Healthcare Research Center, Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute, Shenzhen, China.,Institute of Biopharmaceutical and Health Engineering, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, China
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41
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Azbazdar Y, Karabicici M, Erdal E, Ozhan G. Regulation of Wnt Signaling Pathways at the Plasma Membrane and Their Misregulation in Cancer. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:631623. [PMID: 33585487 PMCID: PMC7873896 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.631623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Wnt signaling is one of the key signaling pathways that govern numerous physiological activities such as growth, differentiation and migration during development and homeostasis. As pathway misregulation has been extensively linked to pathological processes including malignant tumors, a thorough understanding of pathway regulation is essential for development of effective therapeutic approaches. A prominent feature of cancer cells is that they significantly differ from healthy cells with respect to their plasma membrane composition and lipid organization. Here, we review the key role of membrane composition and lipid order in activation of Wnt signaling pathway by tightly regulating formation and interactions of the Wnt-receptor complex. We also discuss in detail how plasma membrane components, in particular the ligands, (co)receptors and extracellular or membrane-bound modulators, of Wnt pathways are affected in lung, colorectal, liver and breast cancers that have been associated with abnormal activation of Wnt signaling. Wnt-receptor complex components and their modulators are frequently misexpressed in these cancers and this appears to correlate with metastasis and cancer progression. Thus, composition and organization of the plasma membrane can be exploited to develop new anticancer drugs that are targeted in a highly specific manner to the Wnt-receptor complex, rendering a more effective therapeutic outcome possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yagmur Azbazdar
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, Dokuz Eylul University Health Campus, İzmir, Turkey.,Izmir International Biomedicine and Genome Institute (IBG-Izmir), Dokuz Eylul University, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Mustafa Karabicici
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, Dokuz Eylul University Health Campus, İzmir, Turkey.,Izmir International Biomedicine and Genome Institute (IBG-Izmir), Dokuz Eylul University, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Esra Erdal
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, Dokuz Eylul University Health Campus, İzmir, Turkey.,Department of Medical Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Dokuz Eylul University, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Gunes Ozhan
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, Dokuz Eylul University Health Campus, İzmir, Turkey.,Izmir International Biomedicine and Genome Institute (IBG-Izmir), Dokuz Eylul University, İzmir, Turkey
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42
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Wang Y, Zhao G, Condello S, Huang H, Cardenas H, Tanner EJ, Wei J, Ji Y, Li J, Tan Y, Davuluri RV, Peter ME, Cheng JX, Matei D. Frizzled-7 Identifies Platinum-Tolerant Ovarian Cancer Cells Susceptible to Ferroptosis. Cancer Res 2021; 81:384-399. [PMID: 33172933 PMCID: PMC7855035 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-20-1488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2020] [Revised: 10/03/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Defining traits of platinum-tolerant cancer cells could expose new treatment vulnerabilities. Here, new markers associated with platinum-tolerant cells and tumors were identified using in vitro and in vivo ovarian cancer models treated repetitively with carboplatin and validated in human specimens. Platinum-tolerant cells and tumors were enriched in ALDH+ cells, formed more spheroids, and expressed increased levels of stemness-related transcription factors compared with parental cells. Additionally, platinum-tolerant cells and tumors exhibited expression of the Wnt receptor Frizzled-7 (FZD7). Knockdown of FZD7 improved sensitivity to platinum, decreased spheroid formation, and delayed tumor initiation. The molecular signature distinguishing FZD7+ from FZD7- cells included epithelial-to-mesenchymal (EMT), stemness, and oxidative phosphorylation-enriched gene sets. Overexpression of FZD7 activated the oncogenic factor Tp63, driving upregulation of glutathione metabolism pathways, including glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), which protected cells from chemotherapy-induced oxidative stress. FZD7+ platinum-tolerant ovarian cancer cells were more sensitive and underwent ferroptosis after treatment with GPX4 inhibitors. FZD7, Tp63, and glutathione metabolism gene sets were strongly correlated in the ovarian cancer Tumor Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and in residual human ovarian cancer specimens after chemotherapy. These results support the existence of a platinum-tolerant cell population with partial cancer stem cell features, characterized by FZD7 expression and dependent on the FZD7-β-catenin-Tp63-GPX4 pathway for survival. The findings reveal a novel therapeutic vulnerability of platinum-tolerant cancer cells and provide new insight into a potential "persister cancer cell" phenotype. SIGNIFICANCE: Frizzled-7 marks platinum-tolerant cancer cells harboring stemness features and altered glutathione metabolism that depend on GPX4 for survival and are highly susceptible to ferroptosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yinu Wang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Guangyuan Zhao
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Salvatore Condello
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - Hao Huang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Horacio Cardenas
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Edward J Tanner
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
| | - JianJun Wei
- Department of Pathology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
- Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Yanrong Ji
- Division of Health and Biomedical Informatics, Department of Preventive Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Junjie Li
- Department of Physics, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Yuying Tan
- Department of Physics, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Ramana V Davuluri
- Division of Health and Biomedical Informatics, Department of Preventive Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Marcus E Peter
- Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chicago, Illinois
- Department of Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Ji-Xin Cheng
- Department of Physics, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Daniela Matei
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois.
- Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chicago, Illinois
- Jesse Brown Veteran Affairs Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois
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43
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Xie W, Zhao H, Wang F, Wang Y, He Y, Wang T, Zhang K, Yang H, Zhou Z, Shi H, Wang J, Huang G. A novel humanized Frizzled-7-targeting antibody enhances antitumor effects of Bevacizumab against triple-negative breast cancer via blocking Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL & CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH : CR 2021; 40:30. [PMID: 33436039 PMCID: PMC7802198 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-020-01800-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 12/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anti-angiogenic therapy has been widely applied to the clinical treatment of malignant tumors. However, the efficacy of such treatments has been called into question, especially in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Bevacizumab, the first anti-angiogenic agent approved by FDA, actually increases invasive and metastatic properties of TNBC cells, resulting from the activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in response to hypoxia. As a critical receptor of Wnt/β-catenin signaling, Frizzled-7 (Fzd7) is aberrantly expressed in TNBC, indicating Fzd7 a potential target for developing drugs to be combined with anti-angiogenic agents. METHODS Hybridoma technique and antibody humanization technique were utilized to generate a Fzd7-targeting antibody (SHH002-hu1). Biolayer interferometry (BLI) assay and near infrared (NIR) imaging were conducted to detect the affinity and targeting ability of SHH002-hu1. Next, whether SHH002-hu1 could suppress the invasion and migration of TNBC cells induced by Bevacizumab were validated, and the underlying molecular mechanisms were elucidated by luciferase reporter and western blot assays. The nude-mice transplanted TNBC models were established to assess the anti-TNBC activities of SHH002-hu1 when combined with Bevacizumab. Then, the effects on putative TNBC stem-like cells and Wnt/β-catenin signaling were evaluated by immunofluorescence (IF). Further, the tumor-initiating and self-renew capacity of TNBC cells were studied by secondary nude mouse xenograft model and sphere formation assay. In addition, the effects of SHH002-hu1 on the adaptation of TNBC cells to hypoxia were evaluated by the detection of vasculogenic mimicry (VM) and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) transcriptional activity. RESULTS The novel humanized antibody targeting Fzd7 (SHH002-hu1) exhibited extremely high affinity with Fzd7, and specifically targeted to Fzd7+ cells and tumor tissues. SHH002-hu1 repressed invasion, migration and epithelial-mesenchymal cell transformation (EMT) of TNBC cells induced by Bevacizumab through abating Wnt/β-catenin signaling. SHH002-hu1 significantly enhanced the capacity of Bevacizumab to inhibit the growth of TNBC via reducing the subpopulation of putative TNBC stem-like cells, further attenuating Bevacizumab-enhanced tumor-initiating and self-renew capacity of TNBC cells. Moreover, SHH002-hu1 effectively restrained the adaptation of TNBC cells to hypoxia via disrupting Wnt/β-catenin signaling. CONCLUSION SHH002-hu1 significantly enhances the anti-TNBC capacity of Bevacizumab, and shows the potential of preventing TNBC recurrence, suggesting SHH002-hu1 a good candidate for the synergistic therapy together with Bevacizumab.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Xie
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences, 279 Zhouzhu Highway, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, China. .,School of Pharmacy, Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Shanghai, 201318, People's Republic of China.
| | - Huijie Zhao
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences, 279 Zhouzhu Highway, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, China.,School of Pharmacy, Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Shanghai, 201318, People's Republic of China
| | - Fengxian Wang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences, 279 Zhouzhu Highway, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, China.,School of Pharmacy, Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Shanghai, 201318, People's Republic of China
| | - Yiyun Wang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences, 279 Zhouzhu Highway, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, China.,School of Pharmacy, Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Shanghai, 201318, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuan He
- Department of Basic Medicine, School of Basic Medicine and Clinical Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, People's Republic of China
| | - Tong Wang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences, 279 Zhouzhu Highway, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, China
| | - Kunchi Zhang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences, 279 Zhouzhu Highway, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, China
| | - Hao Yang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences, 279 Zhouzhu Highway, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhaoli Zhou
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences, 279 Zhouzhu Highway, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, China
| | - Haibin Shi
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences, 279 Zhouzhu Highway, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, China.,State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, School for Radiological and Interdisciplinary Sciences (RAD-X) and Collaborative Innovation Center of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, People's Republic of China
| | - Jin Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Shanghai, 201318, People's Republic of China.
| | - Gang Huang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences, 279 Zhouzhu Highway, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, China.
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Yadav V, Jobe N, Mehdawi L, Andersson T. Targeting Oncogenic WNT Signalling with WNT Signalling-Derived Peptides. Handb Exp Pharmacol 2021; 269:279-303. [PMID: 34455485 DOI: 10.1007/164_2021_528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
WNT signalling is known to be a crucial regulator of embryonic development and tissue homeostasis. Aberrant expression of WNT signalling elements or their mutations has been implicated in carcinogenesis and/or the progression of several different cancer types. Investigations of how WNT signalling affects carcinogenesis and cancer progression have revealed that it has essential roles in the regulation of proliferation, apoptosis, and cancer stemness and in angiogenesis and metastasis. Consequently, WNT-targeted therapy has gained much attention and has resulted in the development of several small molecules, the majority of which act as inhibitors of different WNT signalling events. However, although numerous inhibitory WNT signalling drug candidates have been included in clinical trials, no significant breakthroughs have been made. This could possibly be due to problems with inefficient binding to the target, compensatory signalling mechanisms and toxicity towards normal cells. Therapeutic peptides targeting WNT signalling in cancer cells have been developed as an alternative approach, with the hope that they might overcome the limitations reported for small WNT inhibitory molecules. In this chapter, we describe recent developments made in the design and characterization of WNT signalling-derived peptides aiming at their use as alternative cancer therapeutics and/or combined adjuvant therapy to conventional therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vikas Yadav
- Experimental Pathology, Department of Translational Medicine, Clinical Research Centre, Lund University, Skåne University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden
| | - Njainday Jobe
- Experimental Pathology, Department of Translational Medicine, Clinical Research Centre, Lund University, Skåne University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden
| | - Lubna Mehdawi
- Experimental Pathology, Department of Translational Medicine, Clinical Research Centre, Lund University, Skåne University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden
| | - Tommy Andersson
- Experimental Pathology, Department of Translational Medicine, Clinical Research Centre, Lund University, Skåne University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden.
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45
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Katanaev VL, Blagodatski A, Xu J, Khotimchenko Y, Koval A. Mining Natural Compounds to Target WNT Signaling: Land and Sea Tales. Handb Exp Pharmacol 2021; 269:215-248. [PMID: 34455487 DOI: 10.1007/164_2021_530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
WNT signaling plays paramount roles in organism development, physiology, and disease, representing a highly attractive target for drug development. However, no WNT-modulating drugs have been approved, with several candidates trudging through the early clinical trials. This delay instigates alternative approaches to discover WNT-modulating drugs. Natural products were the source of therapeutics for centuries, but the chemical diversity they offer, especially when looking at different taxonomic groups and habitats, is still to a large extent unexplored. These considerations urge researchers to screen natural compounds for the WNT-modulatory activities. Since several reviews on such endeavors exist, we here have attempted to present these efforts as "Land and sea tales" (citing the book title by Rudyard Kipling) superimposing them onto the traditional pipeline of drug discovery and early development. In doing so, we illustrate each step of the pipeline with case studies stemming from our own research. It will become obvious that several steps of the pipeline need to be modified when applied to natural products rather than to synthetic libraries. Yet the main message of this chapter is that natural compounds represent a powerful source for the WNT signaling modulators and can be developed towards drug candidates against WNT-dependent maladies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir L Katanaev
- Department of Cell Physiology and Metabolism, Faculty of Medicine, Translational Research Centre in Oncohaematology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
- School of Biomedicine, Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok, Russia.
| | - Artem Blagodatski
- School of Biomedicine, Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok, Russia
- Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Biophysics, Russian Academy of Sciences Pushchino, Moscow, Russia
| | - Jiabin Xu
- Department of Cell Physiology and Metabolism, Faculty of Medicine, Translational Research Centre in Oncohaematology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Yuri Khotimchenko
- School of Biomedicine, Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok, Russia
- National Scientific Center for Marine Biology, Far Eastern Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok, Russia
| | - Alexey Koval
- Department of Cell Physiology and Metabolism, Faculty of Medicine, Translational Research Centre in Oncohaematology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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46
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de Man SMA, van Amerongen R. Zooming in on the WNT/CTNNB1 Destruction Complex: Functional Mechanistic Details with Implications for Therapeutic Targeting. Handb Exp Pharmacol 2021; 269:137-173. [PMID: 34486095 DOI: 10.1007/164_2021_522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
WNT/CTNNB1 signaling is crucial for balancing cell proliferation and differentiation in all multicellular animals. CTNNB1 accumulation is the hallmark of WNT/CTNNB1 pathway activation and the key downstream event in both a physiological and an oncogenic context. In the absence of WNT stimulation, the cytoplasmic and nuclear levels of CTNNB1 are kept low because of its sequestration and phosphorylation by the so-called destruction complex, which targets CTNNB1 for proteasomal degradation. In the presence of WNT proteins, or as a result of oncogenic mutations, this process is impaired and CTNNB1 levels become elevated.Here we discuss recent advances in our understanding of destruction complex activity and inactivation, focusing on the individual components and interactions that ultimately control CTNNB1 turnover (in the "WNT off" situation) and stabilization (in the "WNT on" situation). We especially highlight the insights gleaned from recent quantitative, image-based studies, which paint an unprecedentedly detailed picture of the dynamic events that control destruction protein complex composition and function. We argue that these mechanistic details may reveal new opportunities for therapeutic intervention and could result in the destruction complex re-emerging as a target for therapy in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saskia Madelon Ada de Man
- Developmental, Stem Cell and Cancer Biology, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Renée van Amerongen
- Developmental, Stem Cell and Cancer Biology, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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47
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Agostino M, Pohl SÖG. Activation barriers in Class F G protein-coupled receptors revealed by umbrella sampling simulations. Org Biomol Chem 2020; 18:9816-9825. [PMID: 33290484 DOI: 10.1039/d0ob02175j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The Class F G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) include Smoothened and the ten Frizzled receptors, which are major cell membrane receptors in the Hedgehog and Wnt signalling pathways respectively and of enormous interest in embryonic development and as therapeutic targets in cancer. Recent crystal structures of Smoothened provide the opportunity to investigate the structural biology of Class F GPCRs in more detail, in turn, informing the development of therapeutics. A key question in this area is how one receptor may trigger distinct pathways - particularly relevant for Wnt signalling, in which signals may be transduced from a Frizzled via Dishevelled or G proteins, depending on the context. In this study, we employ adiabatic biased molecular dynamics and umbrella sampling to investigate the activation of Smoothened and Frizzled-7 in both the native state and bound to endogenous ligands, as well as how the clinically used Smoothened antagonist vismodegib alters this signalling. The results highlight key energetic barriers in the activation of these receptors, and the molecular features of the receptors mediating these barriers, demonstrating our approach as a robust means of investigating signalling through these receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Agostino
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute (CHIRI), and Curtin Institute for Computation, Curtin University, Bentley, Western Australia, Australia.
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de Bastos DR, Conceição MPF, Michelli APP, Leite JMRS, da Silva RA, Cintra RC, Sanchez JJD, Vilanova-Costa CAST, Silva AMTC. An In Silico Analysis Identified FZD9 as a Potential Prognostic Biomarker in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Patients. Eur J Breast Health 2020; 17:42-52. [PMID: 33796830 DOI: 10.4274/ejbh.2020.5804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2020] [Accepted: 09/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Objective Breast cancer (BC) is the main cause of cancer-related deaths in women across the world. It can be classified into different subtypes, including triple-negative (TN), which is characterized by the absence of hormone receptors for estrogen and progesterone and the lack of the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2. These tumors have high heterogeneity, acquire therapeutic resistance, and have no established target-driven treatment yet. The identification of differentially expressed genes in TN breast tumors and the in silico validation of their prognostic role in these tumors. Materials and Methods We employed a microarray dataset and, by using the GEO2R tool, we identified a list of differentially expressed genes. The in silico validation was conducted using several online platforms including the KM Plotter, cBioPortal, bc-GenExMiner, Prognoscan, and Roc Plotter. Results We observed that FZD9 was among the top differentially expressed genes in a cohort of patients with different TNBC subtypes. The FZD9 expression was significantly different in TN breast tumors than in non-TN (nTN) breast tumors (p<0.0001), and the basal TN subtype showed the highest levels (p<0.0001). In addition, the FZD9 levels were significantly inversely and positively proportional (p<0.0001) to estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 clinical parameters. The high levels of FZD9 were associated with worse overall survival (p=0.007), relapse-free survival (p=5.8e-05), and worse survival in patients who received chemotherapy (p=3.2e-05; 0.007). Conclusion Our cumulative results demonstrated that FZD9 plays an important role in TNBC and may be a potential prognostic biomarker. Nevertheless, further in vitro and in vivo assays are necessary to confirm our findings and to strengthen the evidences about the mechanisms by which FZD9 functions in these tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ana Paula Picaro Michelli
- Department of Biological Sciences, Thyroid Molecular Science Laboratory, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Rafael André da Silva
- Department of Cellular & Developmental Biology, Universidade de São Paulo, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ricardo Cesar Cintra
- Department of Biochemistry, Universidade de São Paulo, Institute of Chemistry, São Paulo, Brazil
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Sun Y, Wang Z, Na L, Dong D, Wang W, Zhao C. FZD5 contributes to TNBC proliferation, DNA damage repair and stemness. Cell Death Dis 2020; 11:1060. [PMID: 33311446 PMCID: PMC7733599 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-020-03282-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Revised: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/25/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Chemotherapy currently remains the standard treatment for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). However, TNBC frequently develop chemoresistance, which is responsible for cancer recurrence and distal metastasis. Both DNA damage repair and stemness are related to chemoresistance. FZD5, a member in Frizzled family, was identified to be preferentially expressed in TNBC, and associated with unfavorable prognosis. Loss and gain of function studies revealed that FZD5 contributed to TNBC cell G1/S transition, DNA replication, DNA damage repair, survival, and stemness. Mechanistically, transcription factor FOXM1, which promoted BRCA1 and BIRC5 transcription, acted as a downstream effecter of FZD5 signaling. FOXM1 overexpression in FZD5-deficient/low TNBC cells induced FZD5-associated phenotype. Finally, Wnt7B, a specific ligand for FZD5, was shown to be involved in cell proliferation, DNA damage repair, and stemness. Taken together, FZD5 is a novel target for the development of therapeutic strategies to overcome chemoresistance and prevent recurrence in TNBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Sun
- Department of Pathophysiology, College of Basic Medical Science, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Zhuo Wang
- Department of Pathophysiology, College of Basic Medical Science, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Lei Na
- Department of Pathophysiology, College of Basic Medical Science, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Dan Dong
- Department of Pathophysiology, College of Basic Medical Science, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Wei Wang
- Department of Pathophysiology, College of Basic Medical Science, China Medical University, Shenyang, China.
| | - Chenghai Zhao
- Department of Pathophysiology, College of Basic Medical Science, China Medical University, Shenyang, China.
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50
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Xu X, Zhang M, Xu F, Jiang S. Wnt signaling in breast cancer: biological mechanisms, challenges and opportunities. Mol Cancer 2020; 19:165. [PMID: 33234169 PMCID: PMC7686704 DOI: 10.1186/s12943-020-01276-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 200] [Impact Index Per Article: 50.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Wnt signaling is a highly conserved signaling pathway that plays a critical role in controlling embryonic and organ development, as well as cancer progression. Genome-wide sequencing and gene expression profile analyses have demonstrated that Wnt signaling is involved mainly in the processes of breast cancer proliferation and metastasis. The most recent studies have indicated that Wnt signaling is also crucial in breast cancer immune microenvironment regulation, stemness maintenance, therapeutic resistance, phenotype shaping, etc. Wnt/β-Catenin, Wnt-planar cell polarity (PCP), and Wnt-Ca2+ signaling are three well-established Wnt signaling pathways that share overlapping components and play different roles in breast cancer progression. In this review, we summarize the main findings concerning the relationship between Wnt signaling and breast cancer and provide an overview of existing mechanisms, challenges, and potential opportunities for advancing the therapy and diagnosis of breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiufang Xu
- School of Medical Imaging, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, 310053 Zhejiang China
| | - Miaofeng Zhang
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310009 Zhejiang China
| | - Faying Xu
- School of Medical Imaging, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, 310053 Zhejiang China
| | - Shaojie Jiang
- School of Medical Imaging, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, 310053 Zhejiang China
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