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Fang XL, Cao XP, Xiao J, Hu Y, Chen M, Raza HK, Wang HY, He X, Gu JF, Zhang KJ. Overview of role of survivin in cancer: expression, regulation, functions, and its potential as a therapeutic target. J Drug Target 2024; 32:223-240. [PMID: 38252514 DOI: 10.1080/1061186x.2024.2309563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 11/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Survivin holds significant importance as a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis protein (IAP) family due to its predominant expression in tumours rather than normal terminally differentiated adult tissues. The high expression level of survivin in tumours is closely linked to chemotherapy resistance, heightened tumour recurrence, and increased tumour aggressiveness and serves as a negative prognostic factor for cancer patients. Consequently, survivin has emerged as a promising therapeutic target for cancer treatment. In this review, we delve into the various biological characteristics of survivin in cancers and its pivotal role in maintaining immune system homeostasis. Additionally, we explore different therapeutic strategies aimed at targeting survivin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xian-Long Fang
- Academician Expert Workstation of Fengxian District, Shanghai Yuansong Biotechnology Limited Company, Shanghai, China
| | - Xue-Ping Cao
- Academician Expert Workstation of Fengxian District, Shanghai Yuansong Biotechnology Limited Company, Shanghai, China
| | - Jun Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Cell Biology, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Yun Hu
- Academician Expert Workstation of Fengxian District, Shanghai Yuansong Biotechnology Limited Company, Shanghai, China
| | - Mian Chen
- Academician Expert Workstation of Fengxian District, Shanghai Yuansong Biotechnology Limited Company, Shanghai, China
| | - Hafiz Khuram Raza
- Academician Expert Workstation of Fengxian District, Shanghai Yuansong Biotechnology Limited Company, Shanghai, China
| | - Huai-Yuan Wang
- Institute of Smart Biomedical Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xu He
- Department of Stomatology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jin-Fa Gu
- Academician Expert Workstation of Fengxian District, Shanghai Yuansong Biotechnology Limited Company, Shanghai, China
| | - Kang-Jian Zhang
- Academician Expert Workstation of Fengxian District, Shanghai Yuansong Biotechnology Limited Company, Shanghai, China
- State Key Laboratory of Cell Biology, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- Institute of Smart Biomedical Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China
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Flood D, Lee ES, Taylor CT. Intracellular energy production and distribution in hypoxia. J Biol Chem 2023; 299:105103. [PMID: 37507013 PMCID: PMC10480318 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.105103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The hydrolysis of ATP is the primary source of metabolic energy for eukaryotic cells. Under physiological conditions, cells generally produce more than sufficient levels of ATP to fuel the active biological processes necessary to maintain homeostasis. However, mechanisms underpinning the distribution of ATP to subcellular microenvironments with high local demand remain poorly understood. Intracellular distribution of ATP in normal physiological conditions has been proposed to rely on passive diffusion across concentration gradients generated by ATP producing systems such as the mitochondria and the glycolytic pathway. However, subcellular microenvironments can develop with ATP deficiency due to increases in local ATP consumption. Alternatively, ATP production can be reduced during bioenergetic stress during hypoxia. Mammalian cells therefore need to have the capacity to alter their metabolism and energy distribution strategies to compensate for local ATP deficits while also controlling ATP production. It is highly likely that satisfying the bioenergetic requirements of the cell involves the regulated distribution of ATP producing systems to areas of high ATP demand within the cell. Recently, the distribution (both spatially and temporally) of ATP-producing systems has become an area of intense investigation. Here, we review what is known (and unknown) about intracellular energy production and distribution and explore potential mechanisms through which this targeted distribution can be altered in hypoxia, with the aim of stimulating investigation in this important, yet poorly understood field of research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darragh Flood
- Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research and School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Eun Sang Lee
- Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research and School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Cormac T Taylor
- Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research and School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
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Wright S, Burkholz SR, Zelinsky C, Wittman C, Carback RT, Harris PE, Blankenberg T, Herst CV, Rubsamen RM. Survivin Expression in Luminal Breast Cancer and Adjacent Normal Tissue for Immuno-Oncology Applications. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:11827. [PMID: 37511584 PMCID: PMC10380623 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241411827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2023] [Revised: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Survivin (BIRC5) is a tumor-associated antigen (TAA) overexpressed in various tumors but present at low to undetectable levels in normal tissue. Survivin is known to have a high expression in breast cancer (e.g., Ductal Carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and triple negative breast cancer). Previous studies have not compared survivin expression levels in DCIS tumor samples to levels in adjacent, normal breast tissue from the same patient. To ensure the effective use of survivin as a target for T cell immunotherapy of breast cancer, it is essential to ascertain the varying levels of survivin expression between DCIS tumor tissue samples and the adjacent normal breast tissue taken from the same patient simultaneously. Next-generation sequencing of RNA (RNA-seq) in normal breast tissue and tumor breast tissue from five women presenting with DCIS for lumpectomy was used to identify sequence variation and expression levels of survivin. The identity of both tumor and adjacent normal tissue samples were corroborated by histopathology. Survivin was overexpressed in human breast tissue tumor samples relative to the corresponding adjacent human normal breast tissue. Wild-type survivin transcripts were the predominant species identified in all tumor tissue sequenced. This study demonstrates upregulated expression of wild type survivin in DCIS tumor tissue versus normal breast tissue taken from the same patient at the same time, and provides evidence that developing selective cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) immunotherapy for DCIS targeting survivin warrants further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharon Wright
- Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center, Reno, NV 89503, USA; (S.W.); (C.Z.); (C.W.)
- Western Surgical Group, Reno, NV 89502, USA
| | - Scott R. Burkholz
- Flow Pharma Inc., Warrensville Heights, OH 44128, USA; (S.R.B.); (R.T.C.); (P.E.H.); (T.B.); (C.V.H.)
| | - Cathy Zelinsky
- Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center, Reno, NV 89503, USA; (S.W.); (C.Z.); (C.W.)
| | - Connor Wittman
- Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center, Reno, NV 89503, USA; (S.W.); (C.Z.); (C.W.)
| | - Richard T. Carback
- Flow Pharma Inc., Warrensville Heights, OH 44128, USA; (S.R.B.); (R.T.C.); (P.E.H.); (T.B.); (C.V.H.)
| | - Paul E. Harris
- Flow Pharma Inc., Warrensville Heights, OH 44128, USA; (S.R.B.); (R.T.C.); (P.E.H.); (T.B.); (C.V.H.)
| | - Tikoes Blankenberg
- Flow Pharma Inc., Warrensville Heights, OH 44128, USA; (S.R.B.); (R.T.C.); (P.E.H.); (T.B.); (C.V.H.)
- Shasta Pathology Associates, Redding, CA 96001, USA
| | - Charles V. Herst
- Flow Pharma Inc., Warrensville Heights, OH 44128, USA; (S.R.B.); (R.T.C.); (P.E.H.); (T.B.); (C.V.H.)
| | - Reid M. Rubsamen
- Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center, Reno, NV 89503, USA; (S.W.); (C.Z.); (C.W.)
- Flow Pharma Inc., Warrensville Heights, OH 44128, USA; (S.R.B.); (R.T.C.); (P.E.H.); (T.B.); (C.V.H.)
- Cleveland Medical Center, University Hospitals, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
- Case Western Reserve School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
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Chen LC, Mokgautsi N, Kuo YC, Wu ATH, Huang HS. In Silico Evaluation of HN-N07 Small Molecule as an Inhibitor of Angiogenesis and Lymphangiogenesis Oncogenic Signatures in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. Biomedicines 2023; 11:2011. [PMID: 37509650 PMCID: PMC10376976 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11072011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/14/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Tumor angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis pathways have been identified as important therapeutic targets in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Bevacizumab, which is a monoclonal antibody, was the initial inhibitor of angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis that received approval for use in the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in combination with chemotherapy. Despite its usage, patients may still develop resistance to the treatment, which can be attributed to various histological subtypes and the initiation of treatment at advanced stages of cancer. Due to their better specificity, selectivity, and safety compared to chemotherapy, small molecules have been approved for treating advanced NSCLC. Based on the development of multiple small-molecule antiangiogenic drugs either in house and abroad or in other laboratories to treat NSCLC, we used a quinoline-derived small molecule-HN-N07-as a potential target drug for NSCLC. Accordingly, we used computational simulation tools and evaluated the drug-likeness properties of HN-N07. Moreover, we identified target genes, resulting in the discovery of the target BIRC5/HIF1A/FLT4 pro-angiogenic genes. Furthermore, we used in silico molecular docking analysis to determine whether HN-N07 could potentially inhibit BIRC5/HIF1A/FLT4. Interestingly, the results of docking HN-N07 with the BIRC5, FLT4, and HIF1A oncogenes revealed unique binding affinities, which were significantly higher than those of standard inhibitors. In summary, these results indicate that HN-N07 shows promise as a potential inhibitor of oncogenic signaling pathways in NSCLC. Ongoing studies that involve in vitro experiments and in vivo investigations using tumor-bearing mice are in progress, aiming to evaluate the therapeutic effectiveness of the HN-N07 small molecule.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lung-Ching Chen
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital, Taipei 11101, Taiwan
- School of Medicine, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei 24205, Taiwan
| | - Ntlotlang Mokgautsi
- PhD Program for Cancer Molecular Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University and Academia Sinica, Taipei 11031, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute for Cancer Biology & Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Cheng Kuo
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan
- School of Post-Baccalaureate Chinese Medicine, College of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan
| | - Alexander T H Wu
- The PhD Program of Translational Medicine, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan
- Clinical Research Center, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan
- TMU Research Center of Cancer Translational Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 11490, Taiwan
| | - Hsu-Shan Huang
- PhD Program for Cancer Molecular Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University and Academia Sinica, Taipei 11031, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute for Cancer Biology & Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 11490, Taiwan
- School of Pharmacy, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 11490, Taiwan
- PhD Program in Drug Discovery and Development Industry, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan
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Kumar A, Das SK, Emdad L, Fisher PB. Applications of tissue-specific and cancer-selective gene promoters for cancer diagnosis and therapy. Adv Cancer Res 2023; 160:253-315. [PMID: 37704290 DOI: 10.1016/bs.acr.2023.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/15/2023]
Abstract
Current treatment of solid tumors with standard of care chemotherapies, radiation therapy and/or immunotherapies are often limited by severe adverse toxic effects, resulting in a narrow therapeutic index. Cancer gene therapy represents a targeted approach that in principle could significantly reduce undesirable side effects in normal tissues while significantly inhibiting tumor growth and progression. To be effective, this strategy requires a clear understanding of the molecular biology of cancer development and evolution and developing biological vectors that can serve as vehicles to target cancer cells. The advent and fine tuning of omics technologies that permit the collective and spatial recognition of genes (genomics), mRNAs (transcriptomics), proteins (proteomics), metabolites (metabolomics), epiomics (epigenomics, epitranscriptomics, and epiproteomics), and their interactomics in defined complex biological samples provide a roadmap for identifying crucial targets of relevance to the cancer paradigm. Combining these strategies with identified genetic elements that control target gene expression uncovers significant opportunities for developing guided gene-based therapeutics for cancer. The purpose of this review is to overview the current state and potential limitations in developing gene promoter-directed targeted expression of key genes and highlights their potential applications in cancer gene therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amit Kumar
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, United States; VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Swadesh K Das
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, United States; VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, United States; VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Luni Emdad
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, United States; VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, United States; VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Paul B Fisher
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, United States; VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, United States; VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, United States.
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Fanian M, Rafiei G, Alizadeh Zarei M, Takhshid MA. Targeted Overexpression of NDRG2 using Survivin Promoter Reduces Viability and Invasiveness of A549 Cell Line. Avicenna J Med Biotechnol 2023; 15:84-90. [PMID: 37034887 PMCID: PMC10073922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Anti-tumor effects of N-myc Downstream Regulated Gene2 (NDRG2) have been demonstrated in many tumors. In the present study, NDRG2 was specifically overexpressed in lung cancer cell line using Survivin Promoter (Sur-P). Then, the effects of NDRG2 overexpression on viability, apoptosis, migration, and invasion of A549 cells were evaluated. Methods Recombinant pAdenoVator-Sur-P-NDRG2-IRES-GFP plasmid harboring NDRG2 gene under transcriptional control of Sur-P and mock plasmid were constructed. A549 lung tumor cells and LX-2 cells (non-tumor cell line) were transfected with pAdenoVator-Sur-P-NDRG2-IRES-GFP, pAdenoVator-CMV-NDRG2-IRES-GFP, or mock plasmids. Tumor specificity of Sur-P was evaluated using fluorescent microscopy for GFP expression. The effects of NDRG2 overexpression on cell viability, apoptosis, and migration of A549 cells were measured using MTT, annexinV/7-AAD flow cytometry, and transwell migration assay, respectively. NDRG2 and matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) expression were measured using real time-PCR. Results pAdenoVator-Sur-P-NDRG2-IRES-GFP transfection resulted in a huge GFP expression in A549 cells, but not in LX-2 cells. The results of real time-PCR analysis also showed that pAdenoVator-Sur-P-NDRG2-IRES-GFP transfection led to an abundant NDRG2 expression in A549 cells. NDRG2 overexpression decreased A549 cell viability through increasing cell apoptosis. In addition, migration, invasion, and MMP-2 expression decreased following NDRG2 overexpression in A549 cells. Conclusion The findings indicate that the targeted overexpression of NDRG2 using Sur-P can reduce the viability and invasiveness of A549 cells, suggesting possible benefits of this approach in lung cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Fanian
- Division of Medical Biotechnology, Department of Laboratory Sciences, School of Paramedical Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
| | - Gholamreza Rafiei
- Diagnostic Laboratory Sciences and Technology Research Center, School of Paramedical Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Marzieh Alizadeh Zarei
- Division of Medical Biotechnology, Department of Laboratory Sciences, School of Paramedical Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Mohammad Ali Takhshid
- Division of Medical Biotechnology, Department of Laboratory Sciences, School of Paramedical Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
- Diagnostic Laboratory Sciences and Technology Research Center, School of Paramedical Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
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Chang YC, Shieh MC, Chang YH, Huang WL, Su WC, Cheng FY, Cheung CHA. Development of a cancer cells self‑activating and miR‑125a‑5p expressing poly‑pharmacological nanodrug for cancer treatment. Int J Mol Med 2022; 50:102. [PMID: 35703361 PMCID: PMC9239037 DOI: 10.3892/ijmm.2022.5158] [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: 03/06/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer cells can acquire resistance to targeted therapeutic agents when the designated targets or their downstream signaling molecules develop protein conformational or activity changes. There is an increasing interest in developing poly-pharmacologic anticancer agents to target multiple oncoproteins or signaling pathways in cancer cells. The microRNA 125a-5p (miR-125a-5p) is a tumor suppressor, and its expression has frequently been downregulated in tumors. By contrast, the anti-apoptotic molecule BIRC5/SURVIVIN is highly expressed in tumors but not in the differentiated normal tissues. In the present study, the development of a BIRC5 gene promoter-driven, miR-125a-5p expressing, poly-L-lysine-conjugated magnetite iron poly-pharmacologic nanodrug (pL-MNP-pSur-125a) was reported. The cancer cells self-activating property and the anticancer effects of this nanodrug were examined in both the multidrug efflux protein ABCB1/MDR1-expressing/-non-expressing cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. It was demonstrated that pL-MNP-pSur-125a decreased the expression of ERBB2/HER2, HDAC5, BIRC5, and SP1, which are hot therapeutic targets for cancer in vitro. Notably, pL-MNP-pSur-125a also downregulated the expression of TDO2 in the human KB cervical carcinoma cells. PL-MNP-pSur-125a decreased the viability of various BIRC5-expressing cancer cells, regardless of the tissue origin or the expression of ABCB1, but not of the human BIRC5-non-expressing HMEC-1 endothelial cells. In vivo, pL-MNP-pSur-125a exhibited potent antitumor growth effects, but without inducing liver toxicity, in various zebrafish human-ABCB1-expressing and ABCB1-non-expressing tumor xenograft models. In conclusion, pL-MNP-pSur-125a is an easy-to-prepare and a promising poly-pharmacological anticancer nanodrug that has the potential to manage numerous malignancies, particularly for patients with BIRC5/ABCB1-related drug resistance after prolonged chemotherapeutic treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yung-Chieh Chang
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701401, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Min-Chieh Shieh
- Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgery, Ditmanson Medical Foundation Chia‑Yi Christian Hospital, Chiayi 600566, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Yen-Hsuan Chang
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701401, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Wei-Lun Huang
- Center of Applied Nanomedicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701401, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Wu-Chou Su
- Center of Applied Nanomedicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701401, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Fong-Yu Cheng
- Department of Chemistry, College of Sciences, Chinese Culture University, Taipei 111396, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Chun Hei Antonio Cheung
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701401, Taiwan, R.O.C
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Hypoxia signaling in human health and diseases: implications and prospects for therapeutics. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2022; 7:218. [PMID: 35798726 PMCID: PMC9261907 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-022-01080-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 42.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2022] [Revised: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Molecular oxygen (O2) is essential for most biological reactions in mammalian cells. When the intracellular oxygen content decreases, it is called hypoxia. The process of hypoxia is linked to several biological processes, including pathogenic microbe infection, metabolic adaptation, cancer, acute and chronic diseases, and other stress responses. The mechanism underlying cells respond to oxygen changes to mediate subsequent signal response is the central question during hypoxia. Hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) sense hypoxia to regulate the expressions of a series of downstream genes expression, which participate in multiple processes including cell metabolism, cell growth/death, cell proliferation, glycolysis, immune response, microbe infection, tumorigenesis, and metastasis. Importantly, hypoxia signaling also interacts with other cellular pathways, such as phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)-mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling, nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) pathway, extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) signaling, and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. This paper systematically reviews the mechanisms of hypoxia signaling activation, the control of HIF signaling, and the function of HIF signaling in human health and diseases. In addition, the therapeutic targets involved in HIF signaling to balance health and diseases are summarized and highlighted, which would provide novel strategies for the design and development of therapeutic drugs.
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Wang Y, Zhang G, Meng Q, Huang S, Guo P, Leng Q, Sun L, Liu G, Huang X, Liu J. Precise tumor immune rewiring via synthetic CRISPRa circuits gated by concurrent gain/loss of transcription factors. Nat Commun 2022; 13:1454. [PMID: 35304449 PMCID: PMC8933567 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29120-y] [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] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Reinvigoration of antitumor immunity has recently become the central theme for the development of cancer therapies. Nevertheless, the precise delivery of immunotherapeutic activities to the tumors remains challenging. Here, we explore a synthetic gene circuit-based strategy for specific tumor identification, and for subsequently engaging immune activation. By design, these circuits are assembled from two interactive modules, i.e., an oncogenic TF-driven CRISPRa effector, and a corresponding p53-inducible off-switch (NOT gate), which jointly execute an AND-NOT logic for accurate tumor targeting. In particular, two forms of the NOT gate are developed, via the use of an inhibitory sgRNA or an anti-CRISPR protein, with the second form showing a superior performance in gating CRISPRa by p53 loss. Functionally, the optimized AND-NOT logic circuit can empower a highly specific and effective tumor recognition/immune rewiring axis, leading to therapeutic effects in vivo. Taken together, our work presents an adaptable strategy for the development of precisely delivered immunotherapy. “Reinvigoration of antitumor immunity has recently become the central theme for the development of cancer therapies. Here the authors present an adaptable gene circuit to harness the CRISPRa for tumorlocalized immune activation.”
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Affiliation(s)
- Yafeng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Model Animal Research Center at Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210061, China.,Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, 210008, China
| | - Guiquan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Model Animal Research Center at Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210061, China
| | - Qingzhou Meng
- Affiliated Cancer Hospital & Institute of Guangzhou Medical University, 78 Hengzhigang Road, Guangzhou, 510095, China
| | - Shisheng Huang
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China
| | - Panpan Guo
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, 210008, China
| | - Qibin Leng
- Affiliated Cancer Hospital & Institute of Guangzhou Medical University, 78 Hengzhigang Road, Guangzhou, 510095, China
| | - Lingyun Sun
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, 210008, China
| | - Geng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Model Animal Research Center at Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210061, China. .,Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China.
| | - Xingxu Huang
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China. .,Zhejiang Laboratory, Hangzhou, 311100, China.
| | - Jianghuai Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Model Animal Research Center at Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210061, China. .,Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China.
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10
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He H, Liao Q, Zhao C, Zhu C, Feng M, Liu Z, Jiang L, Zhang L, Ding X, Yuan M, Zhang X, Xu J. Conditioned CAR-T cells by hypoxia-inducible transcription amplification (HiTA) system significantly enhances systemic safety and retains antitumor efficacy. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:jitc-2021-002755. [PMID: 34615704 PMCID: PMC8496395 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-002755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Hypoxia is a striking feature of most solid tumors and could be used to discriminate tumors from normoxic tissues. Therefore, the design of hypoxia-conditioned Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T cells is a promising strategy to reduce on-target off-tumor toxicity in adoptive cell therapy. However, existing hypoxia-conditioned CAR-T designs have been only partially successful in enhancing safety profile but accompanied with reduced cytotoxic efficacy. Our goal is to further improve safety profile with retained excellent antitumor efficacy. Methods In this study, we designed and constructed a hypoxia-inducible transcription amplification system (HiTA-system) to control the expression of CAR in T (HiTA-CAR-T) cells. CAR expression was determined by Flow cytometry, and the activation and cytotoxicity of HiTA-CAR-T cells in vitro were evaluated in response to antigenic stimulations under hypoxic or normoxic conditions. The safety of HiTA-CAR-T cells was profiled in a mouse model for its on-target toxicity to normal liver and other tissues, and antitumor efficacy in vivo was monitored in murine xenograft models. Results Our results showed that HiTA-CAR-T cells are highly restricted to hypoxia for their CAR expression, activation and cytotoxicity to tumor cells in vitro. In a mouse model in vivo, HiTA-CAR-T cells targeting Her2 antigen showed undetectable CAR expression in all different normoxic tissues including human Her2-expresing liver, accordingly, no liver and systemic toxicity were observed; In contrast, regular CAR-T cells targeting Her2 displayed significant toxicity on human Her2-expression liver. Importantly, HiTA-CAR-T cells were able to achieve significant tumor suppression in murine xenograft models. Conclusion Our HiTA system showed a remarkable improvement in hypoxia-restricted transgene expression in comparison with currently available systems. HiTA-CAR-T cells presented significant antitumor activities in absence of any significant liver or systemic toxicity in vivo. This approach could be also applied to design CAR-T cell targeting other tumor antigens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huan He
- Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center & Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Qibin Liao
- Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center & Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Chen Zhao
- Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center & Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Cuisong Zhu
- Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center & Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Meiqi Feng
- Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center & Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhuoqun Liu
- Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center & Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Lang Jiang
- Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center & Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Linxia Zhang
- Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center & Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiangqing Ding
- Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center & Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Min Yuan
- Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaoyan Zhang
- Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center & Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jianqing Xu
- Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center & Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
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11
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Minaiyan G, Shafiee F, Akbari V. Survivin Promoter-Driven DFF40 Gene Expression Sensitizes Melanoma Cancer Cells to Chemotherapy. Int J Toxicol 2021; 40:380-387. [PMID: 33960240 DOI: 10.1177/10915818211014170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Downregulation of the apoptotic protein DNA fragmentation factor 40 (DFF40) is correlated with poor overall survival in some malignancies, including melanoma. In this study, DFF40 gene expression driven by survivin promoter, a tumor-specific promoter, was used to selectively induce cytotoxicity in melanoma cells. The activity and strength of survivin promoter were examined in B16F10 murine melanoma, and L929 murine normal fibroblast cell lines using enhanced green fluorescent protein reporter assay and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The effect of expression of DFF40 under the control of cytomegalovirus (CMV) or survivin promoter on viability of cancerous and normal cells was determined by MTT [3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-Diphenyltetrazolium Bromide] assay. Apoptosis induction by expression of DFF40 was evaluated using Annexin-V/propidium iodide staining. Our findings showed high activity of survivin promoter comparable to the control promoter (ie, CMV) in melanoma cells, while survivin activity in normal cells was negligible. Survivin promoter-derived DFF40 gene expression led to selective inhibition of cell viability and induction of apoptosis in cancerous cells. Low and sublethal concentrations of a chemotherapeutic drug, dacarbazine, significantly enhanced the growth inhibitory effect of DFF40 gene therapy. Combination of survivin-driven gene therapy and chemotherapy could be considered as a potential therapeutic treatment for melanoma and possibly other malignancies with similar features.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ghazale Minaiyan
- Student Research Committee, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Shafiee
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and Isfahan Pharmaceutical Research Center, Faculty of Pharmacy, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Vajihe Akbari
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and Isfahan Pharmaceutical Research Center, Faculty of Pharmacy, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
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12
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Dong L, You S, Zhang Q, Osuka S, Devi NS, Kaluz S, Ferguson JH, Yang H, Chen G, Wang B, Grossniklaus HE, Van Meir EG. Arylsulfonamide 64B Inhibits Hypoxia/HIF-Induced Expression of c-Met and CXCR4 and Reduces Primary Tumor Growth and Metastasis of Uveal Melanoma. Clin Cancer Res 2018; 25:2206-2218. [PMID: 30563937 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-18-1368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2018] [Revised: 10/02/2018] [Accepted: 12/14/2018] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most prevalent and lethal intraocular malignancy in adults. Here, we examined the importance of hypoxia in UM growth and tested the antitumor effects of arylsulfonamide 64B, an inhibitor of the hypoxia-induced factor (HIF) pathway in animal models of UM and investigated the related mechanisms. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN UM cells were implanted in the uvea of mice eyes and mice systemically treated with 64B. Drug effect on primary eye tumor growth, circulating tumor cells, metastasis formation in liver, and survival were examined. 64B effects on UM cell growth, invasion and hypoxia-induced expression of C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4) and mesenchymal-epithelial transition factor (c-Met) were measured. Luciferase reporter assays, chromatin immunoprecipitation, co-immunoprecipitation, and cellular thermal shift assays were used to determine how 64B interferes with the HIF transcriptional complex. RESULTS Systemic administration of 64B had potent antitumor effects against UM in several orthotopic mouse models, suppressing UM growth in the eye (∼70% reduction) and spontaneous liver metastasis (∼50% reduction), and extending mice survival (P < 0.001) while being well tolerated. 64B inhibited hypoxia-induced expression of CXCR4 and c-Met, 2 key drivers of tumor invasion and metastasis. 64B disrupted the HIF-1 complex by interfering with HIF-1α binding to p300/CBP co-factors, thus reducing p300 recruitment to the MET and CXCR4 gene promoters. 64B could thermostabilize p300, supporting direct 64B binding to p300. CONCLUSIONS Our preclinical efficacy studies support the further optimization of the 64B chemical scaffold toward a clinical candidate for the treatment of UM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Dong
- Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Shuo You
- Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Qing Zhang
- Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Satoru Osuka
- Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Narra S Devi
- Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Stefan Kaluz
- Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.,Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | | | - Hua Yang
- Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Guoliang Chen
- Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drugs Design and Discovery of Ministry of Education, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, PR China
| | - Binghe Wang
- Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.,Department of Chemistry, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Hans E Grossniklaus
- Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.,Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Erwin G Van Meir
- Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia. .,Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.,Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
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13
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Mokhtary P, Javan B, Sharbatkhari M, Soltani A, Erfani-Moghadam V. Cationic vesicles for efficient shRNA transfection in the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line. Int J Nanomedicine 2018; 13:7107-7121. [PMID: 30464462 PMCID: PMC6228047 DOI: 10.2147/ijn.s177674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Novel and safe delivery solutions for RNAi therapeutics are essential to obtain the full potential of cancer gene therapy. METHODS In this study, cationic vesicular nanocarrier was applied for delivering lnc urothelial carcinoma-associated 1 (lnc UCA1) shRNA expression vector to MCF-7 cells. The physicochemical characteristics, cytotoxicity, and transfection efficiency of cationic vesicles prepared from various molar ratios of amphiphilic surfactant Tween 80 (T), squalene (S), cationic charge lipid didodecyldimethylammonium bromide, and polyethylenimine were investigated. The particle sizes of the vesicles in the nanosize range were determined by dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy. RESULTS Gel protection assay with agarose gel electrophoresis showed cationic vesicles can protect the shRNA plasmid from DNase 1 enzyme. 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H tetrazolium, inner salt result showed no significant cytotoxicity was caused in MCF-7 cancer cell line by (T:S):polyethylenimine cationic vesicles. 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H tetrazolium, inner salt assay, fluorescence microscope images, and flow cytometry analyses confirmed that (T:S)1,040 μM with 4.3 μg/mL of PEI vesicles provided effective transfection without significant cytotoxicity. Furthermore, we found efficient UCA1 shRNA transfection and significant (P<0.05) cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in MCF-7 cancer cells. CONCLUSION The novel nonviral vesicular nanocarrier, (T:S)1,040 μM with 4.3 μg/mL of PEI, might be safe and efficient for cancer gene therapy and can be used in further in vitro and in vivo studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pardis Mokhtary
- Medical Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran,
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran,
| | - Bita Javan
- Medical Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran,
- Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran
| | | | - Alireza Soltani
- Golestan Rheumatology Research Center, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran
| | - Vahid Erfani-Moghadam
- Medical Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran,
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran,
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14
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Suzuki T, Mochizuki Y, Kimura S, Akazawa-Ogawa Y, Hagihara Y, Nemoto N. Anti-survivin single-domain antibodies derived from an artificial library including three synthetic random regions by in vitro selection using cDNA display. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2018; 503:2054-2060. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2018.07.158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2018] [Accepted: 07/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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15
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Chen C, Yue D, Lei L, Wang H, Lu J, Zhou Y, Liu S, Ding T, Guo M, Xu L. Promoter-Operating Targeted Expression of Gene Therapy in Cancer: Current Stage and Prospect. MOLECULAR THERAPY. NUCLEIC ACIDS 2018; 11:508-514. [PMID: 29858085 PMCID: PMC5992480 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2018.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2017] [Revised: 03/24/2018] [Accepted: 04/09/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The technique of targeted expression of interesting genes, including distinct delivery systems and specific gene promoter-operating expression, is an important strategy for gene therapy against cancers. Up to now, extensive literature documented the efficacy of distinct delivery systems, such as the liposome system, nano-particle system, polyetherimide (PEI) system, and so on, in cancer gene therapy. However, a related document on the potential value of using a specific gene promoter, such as a tumor suppressor, in cancer gene therapy was still scary. The main obstacle might be that the selection of an ideal gene promoter to operate interesting gene expression in cancer gene therapy is still not fully understood. Therefore, many efforts need to be done in order to make it a real power tool for the human clinical treatment of cancer patients. The purpose of this review is to clarify the current state and some problematics in development of promoter-operating targeted expression of interesting genes and highlight its potential in cancer gene therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Chen
- Special Key Laboratory of Gene Detection and Therapy of Guizhou Province, Guizhou 563000, China; Department of Immunology, Zunyi Medical University, Guizhou 563000, China
| | - Dongxu Yue
- Special Key Laboratory of Gene Detection and Therapy of Guizhou Province, Guizhou 563000, China; Department of Immunology, Zunyi Medical University, Guizhou 563000, China
| | - Liangyu Lei
- Special Key Laboratory of Gene Detection and Therapy of Guizhou Province, Guizhou 563000, China; Department of Immunology, Zunyi Medical University, Guizhou 563000, China
| | - Hairong Wang
- Special Key Laboratory of Gene Detection and Therapy of Guizhou Province, Guizhou 563000, China; Department of Immunology, Zunyi Medical University, Guizhou 563000, China
| | - Jia Lu
- Special Key Laboratory of Gene Detection and Therapy of Guizhou Province, Guizhou 563000, China; Department of Immunology, Zunyi Medical University, Guizhou 563000, China
| | - Ya Zhou
- Department of Medical Physics, Zunyi Medical University, Guizhou 563000, China
| | - Shiming Liu
- Special Key Laboratory of Gene Detection and Therapy of Guizhou Province, Guizhou 563000, China; Department of Immunology, Zunyi Medical University, Guizhou 563000, China
| | - Tao Ding
- Special Key Laboratory of Gene Detection and Therapy of Guizhou Province, Guizhou 563000, China; Department of Immunology, Zunyi Medical University, Guizhou 563000, China
| | - Mengmeng Guo
- Special Key Laboratory of Gene Detection and Therapy of Guizhou Province, Guizhou 563000, China; Department of Immunology, Zunyi Medical University, Guizhou 563000, China
| | - Lin Xu
- Special Key Laboratory of Gene Detection and Therapy of Guizhou Province, Guizhou 563000, China; Department of Immunology, Zunyi Medical University, Guizhou 563000, China.
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16
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Javan B, Shahbazi M. Hypoxia-inducible tumour-specific promoters as a dual-targeting transcriptional regulation system for cancer gene therapy. Ecancermedicalscience 2017; 11:751. [PMID: 28798809 PMCID: PMC5533602 DOI: 10.3332/ecancer.2017.751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcriptional targeting is the best approach for specific gene therapy. Hypoxia is a common feature of the tumour microenvironment. Therefore, targeting gene expression in hypoxic cells by placing transgene under the control of a hypoxia-responsive promoter can be a good strategy for cancer-specific gene therapy. The hypoxia-inducible gene expression system has been investigated more in suicide gene therapy and it can also be of great help in knocking down cancer gene therapy with siRNAs. However, this system needs to be optimised to have maximum efficacy with minimum side effects in normal tissues. The combination of tissue-/tumour-specific promoters with HRE core sequences has been found to enhance the specificity and efficacy of this system. In this review, hypoxia-inducible gene expression system as well as gene therapy strategies targeting tumour hypoxia will be discussed. This review will also focus on hypoxia-inducible tumour-specific promoters as a dual-targeting transcriptional regulation systems developed for cancer-specific gene therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bita Javan
- Medical Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan 4934174515, Iran
| | - Majid Shahbazi
- Medical Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan 4934174515, Iran
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17
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Chow YP, Alias H, Jamal R. Meta-analysis of gene expression in relapsed childhood B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia. BMC Cancer 2017; 17:120. [PMID: 28183295 PMCID: PMC5301337 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-017-3103-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2016] [Accepted: 02/01/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Relapsed pediatric B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) remains as the leading cause of cancer death among children. Other than stem cell transplantation and intensified chemotherapy, no other improved treatment strategies have been approved clinically. Gene expression profiling represents a powerful approach to identify potential biomarkers and new therapeutic targets for various diseases including leukemias. However, inadequate sample size in many individual experiments has failed to provide adequate study power to yield translatable findings. With the hope of getting new insights into the biological mechanisms underpinning relapsed ALL and identifying more promising biomarkers or therapeutic targets, we conducted a meta-analysis of gene expression studies involving ALL from 3 separate studies. Method By using the keywords “acute lymphoblastic leukemia”, and “microarray”, a total of 280 and 275 microarray datasets were found listed in Gene Expression Omnibus database GEO and ArrayExpress database respectively. Further manual inspection found that only three studies (GSE18497, GSE28460, GSE3910) were focused on gene expression profiling of paired diagnosis-relapsed pediatric B-ALL. These three datasets which comprised of a total of 108 matched diagnosis-relapsed pediatric B-ALL samples were then included for this meta-analysis using RankProd approach. Results Our analysis identified a total of 1795 upregulated probes which corresponded to 1527 genes (pfp < 0.01; FC > 1), and 1493 downregulated probes which corresponded to 1214 genes (pfp < 0.01; FC < 1) respectively. S100A8 appeared as the top most overexpressed gene (pfp < 0.01, FC = 1.8) and is a potential target for further validation. Based on gene ontology biological process annotation, the upregulated genes were most enriched in cell cycle processes (enrichment score = 15.3), whilst the downregulated genes were clustered in transcription regulation (enrichment score = 12.6). Elevated expression of cell cycle regulators (e.g kinesins, AURKA, CDKs) was the key genetic defect implicated in relapsed ALL, and serve as attractive targets for therapeutic intervention. Conclusion We identified S100A8 as the most overexpressed gene, and the cell cycle pathway as the most promising biomarker and therapeutic target for relapsed childhood B-ALL. The validity of the results warrants further investigation. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12885-017-3103-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yock-Ping Chow
- UKM Medical Molecular Biology Institute (UMBI), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Center, 56000, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Hamidah Alias
- UKM Medical Molecular Biology Institute (UMBI), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Center, 56000, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.,Department of Pediatric, Faculty of Medicine, National University of Malaysia, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Center, 56000, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Rahman Jamal
- UKM Medical Molecular Biology Institute (UMBI), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Center, 56000, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. .,Department of Pediatric, Faculty of Medicine, National University of Malaysia, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Center, 56000, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
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18
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Zhou Y, Bobba KN, Lv XW, Yang D, Velusamy N, Zhang JF, Bhuniya S. A biotinylated piperazine-rhodol derivative: a ‘turn-on’ probe for nitroreductase triggered hypoxia imaging. Analyst 2017; 142:345-350. [DOI: 10.1039/c6an02107g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
We developed a nitroreductase responsive theranostic probe1; it comprises biotinylated rhodol in conjunction withp-nitrobenzyl functionality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Zhou
- College of Chemical Science and Technology
- Yunnan University
- 650091-Kunming
- China
| | - Kondapa Naidu Bobba
- Amrita Centre for Industrial Research & Innovation
- Amrita School of Engineering
- Coimbatore
- India
| | - Xue Wei Lv
- College of Chemical Science and Technology
- Yunnan University
- 650091-Kunming
- China
| | - Dan Yang
- College of Chemical Science and Technology
- Yunnan University
- 650091-Kunming
- China
| | - Nithya Velusamy
- Amrita Centre for Industrial Research & Innovation
- Amrita School of Engineering
- Coimbatore
- India
| | - Jun Feng Zhang
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
- Yunnan University
- Kunming
- China
| | - Sankarprasad Bhuniya
- Amrita Centre for Industrial Research & Innovation
- Amrita School of Engineering
- Coimbatore
- India
- Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science
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19
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Sanhueza C, Wehinger S, Castillo Bennett J, Valenzuela M, Owen GI, Quest AFG. The twisted survivin connection to angiogenesis. Mol Cancer 2015; 14:198. [PMID: 26584646 PMCID: PMC4653922 DOI: 10.1186/s12943-015-0467-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2015] [Accepted: 11/08/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Survivin, a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis family of proteins (IAPs) that controls cell division, apoptosis, metastasis and angiogenesis, is overexpressed in essentially all human cancers. As a consequence, the gene/protein is considered an attractive target for cancer treatment. Here, we discuss recent findings related to the regulation of survivin expression and its role in angiogenesis, particularly in the context of hypoxia. We propose a novel role for survivin in cancer, whereby expression of the protein in tumor cells promotes VEGF synthesis, secretion and angiogenesis. Mechanistically, we propose the existence of a positive feed-back loop involving PI3-kinase/Akt activation and enhanced β-Catenin-TCF/LEF-dependent VEGF expression followed by secretion. Finally, we elaborate on the possibility that this mechanism operating in cancer cells may contribute to enhanced tumor vascularization by vasculogenic mimicry together with conventional angiogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Sanhueza
- Cellular and Molecular Physiology Laboratory (CMPL), Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, 8330024, Chile
| | - S Wehinger
- Interdisciplinary Excellence Research Program on Healthy Aging (PIEI-ES), Universidad de Talca, Talca, Chile
| | - J Castillo Bennett
- Cellular Communication Laboratory, Center for Molecular Studies of the Cell (CEMC), Program of Cell and Molecular Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences (ICBM), Faculty of Medicine, Av. Independencia 1027, Santiago, Chile.,Advanced Center for Chronic Diseases (ACCDiS), Santiago, Chile
| | - M Valenzuela
- Cellular Communication Laboratory, Center for Molecular Studies of the Cell (CEMC), Program of Cell and Molecular Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences (ICBM), Faculty of Medicine, Av. Independencia 1027, Santiago, Chile.,Advanced Center for Chronic Diseases (ACCDiS), Santiago, Chile
| | - G I Owen
- Advanced Center for Chronic Diseases (ACCDiS), Santiago, Chile.,Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas & Center UC Investigation in Oncology, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - A F G Quest
- Cellular Communication Laboratory, Center for Molecular Studies of the Cell (CEMC), Program of Cell and Molecular Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences (ICBM), Faculty of Medicine, Av. Independencia 1027, Santiago, Chile. .,Advanced Center for Chronic Diseases (ACCDiS), Santiago, Chile.
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20
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Chan WT, Balsa D, Espinosa M. One cannot rule them all: Are bacterial toxins-antitoxins druggable? FEMS Microbiol Rev 2015; 39:522-40. [PMID: 25796610 PMCID: PMC4487406 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuv002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/02/2015] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Type II (proteic) toxin–antitoxin (TA) operons are widely spread in bacteria and archaea. They are organized as operons in which, usually, the antitoxin gene precedes the cognate toxin gene. The antitoxin generally acts as a transcriptional self-repressor, whereas the toxin acts as a co-repressor, both proteins constituting a harmless complex. When bacteria encounter a stressful environment, TAs are triggered. The antitoxin protein is unstable and will be degraded by host proteases, releasing the free toxin to halt essential processes. The result is a cessation of cell growth or even death. Because of their ubiquity and the essential processes targeted, TAs have been proposed as good candidates for development of novel antimicrobials. We discuss here the possible druggability of TAs as antivirals and antibacterials, with focus on the potentials and the challenges that their use may find in the ‘real’ world. We present strategies to develop TAs as antibacterials in view of novel technologies, such as the use of very small molecules (fragments) as inhibitors of protein–protein interactions. Appropriate fragments could disrupt the T:A interfaces leading to the release of the targeted TA pair. Possible ways of delivery and formulation of Tas are also discussed. We consider various approaches to develop the toxins of the type II family as possible candidates to drug discovery; druggability of toxins-antitoxins could be possible as antivirals. As antibacterials, they might be considered as druggable but delivery and formulation may not be simple so far.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wai Ting Chan
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Ramiro de Maeztu, 9, 28006-Madrid, Spain
| | - Dolors Balsa
- Immunology & Vaccines, Laboratorios LETI, Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes 184. 08034-Barcelona, Spain
| | - Manuel Espinosa
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Ramiro de Maeztu, 9, 28006-Madrid, Spain
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21
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The diagnostic value of survivin in malignant pleural effusion: A meta-analysis. Clin Chim Acta 2015; 441:142-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cca.2014.12.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2014] [Revised: 12/21/2014] [Accepted: 12/22/2014] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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22
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Hypoxia as a target for tissue specific gene therapy. J Control Release 2013; 172:484-94. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2013.05.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2013] [Revised: 05/13/2013] [Accepted: 05/24/2013] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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23
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Li W, Chen YQ, Shen YB, Shu HM, Wang XJ, Zhao CL, Chen CJ. HIF-1α knockdown by miRNA decreases survivin expression and inhibits A549 cell growth in vitro and in vivo. Int J Mol Med 2013; 32:271-80. [PMID: 23732337 PMCID: PMC3776716 DOI: 10.3892/ijmm.2013.1405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2013] [Accepted: 03/19/2013] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study examined the downregulation of survivin expression by hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) miRNA and its effect in the inhibition of A549 cell growth in vitro and in vivo. Survivin expression, apoptosis, proliferation and migration under normoxic and hypoxic conditions were assessed by standard methods. Cotransfection and chromatin immunoprecipitation were used to observe the effects of HIF-1α on survivin transcription. HIF-1α knockdown in A549 cells were injected into nude mice to examine survivin expression and suppression of tumorigenicity. Transfection of A549 cells with HIF-1α miRNA led to decreased expression of HIF-1α and survivin mRNA and protein. Survivin overexpression is mediated by HIF-1α by direct binding to a putative binding site in the survivin core promoter. HIF-1α-miRNA induced apoptosis and inhibited proliferation of A549 cells under hypoxic, but not normoxic, conditions, whereas transfection by survivin expression vectors partly rescued the apoptotic phenotype and revived cell proliferation under hypoxic conditions. However, cell migration was substantially suppressed by HIF-1α silencing under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. After A549 cells were xenografted in nude mice, survivin expression in mice treated with HIF-1α miRNA was downregulated, and tumor growth was significantly inhibited. Silenced HIF-1α gene expression induced apoptosis and suppressed growth of A549 cells by downregulating survivin expression in vitro and in vivo. Our results also provide a basis to target the HIF-1α pathway in lung cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Li
- Department of Respiration, First Affiliated Hospital, Bengbu Medical College, Provincial Key Laboratory of Respiratory disease in Anhui, Bengbu, Anhui 233004, P.R. China
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Alekseenko IV, Pleshkan VV, Kopantzev EP, Stukacheva EA, Chernov IP, Vinogradova TV, Sverdlov ED. Activity of the upstream component of tandem TERT/survivin promoters depends on features of the downstream component. PLoS One 2012; 7:e46474. [PMID: 23056318 PMCID: PMC3463601 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0046474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2011] [Accepted: 08/31/2012] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
We spliced the promoters of the human telomerase and human survivin genes (PhTERT and PhSurv, respectively) widely used for gene therapy and known to have the broadest cancer type spectrum of activity. Two head-to-tail constructs were obtained: the PhTERT-PhSurv and PhSurv-PhTERT tandems. The splicing caused quantitative and qualitative changes in the promoter features. In both constructs, only the promoter proximal to the transcribed gene retained its ability to initiate transcription, whereas the distal promoter was silent, the phenomenon never reported before. However, the distal promoter modulated the activity of the proximal one by increasing its strength and causing an appearance of additional transcription start sites. We suggested that this suppression might be due to the presence of Sp1 transcription factor binding sites in both promoters and Sp1-bridges between these sites. Such Sp1-bridges might convert the tandem promoter linear DNA into a stem-loop structure. If localized inside the formed loop, the distal promoter could lose its ability to initiate transcription. To test this hypothesis, we constructed two modified double promoters, where the proximal PhSurv promoter was replaced either by a shortened variant of the survivin promoter (PhSurv269) or by the mouse survivin promoter. Both PhSurv substitutes were considerably shorter than PhSurv and had different numbers and/or positions of Sp1 sites. In modified tandems, transcription was initiated from both promoters. We also prepared two mutant forms of the PhSurv-PhTERT tandem with two or four Sp1 sites removed from the distal "long" PhSurv promoter. In the first case, the distal PhSurv promoter remained silent, whereas the removal of four Sp1 binding sites restored its activity. In the majority of studied cancer cell lines the efficiency of transcription from the hTERT-(shortened hSurv269) promoter tandem was markedly higher than from each constituent promoter. In normal lung fibroblast cells, the tandem promoter activity was considerably lower.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina V Alekseenko
- Institute of Molecular Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
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Bai H, Ge S, Lu J, Qian G, Xu R. Hypoxia inducible factor-1α-mediated activation of survivin in cervical cancer cells. J Obstet Gynaecol Res 2012; 39:555-63. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1447-0756.2012.01995.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Yin S, Kaluz S, Devi NS, Jabbar AA, de Noronha RG, Mun J, Zhang Z, Boreddy PR, Wang W, Wang Z, Abbruscato T, Chen Z, Olson JJ, Zhang R, Goodman MM, Nicolaou KC, Van Meir EG. Arylsulfonamide KCN1 inhibits in vivo glioma growth and interferes with HIF signaling by disrupting HIF-1α interaction with cofactors p300/CBP. Clin Cancer Res 2012; 18:6623-33. [PMID: 22923450 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-12-0861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) plays a critical role in tumor adaptation to hypoxia, and its elevated expression correlates with poor prognosis and treatment failure in patients with cancer. In this study, we determined whether 3,4-dimethoxy-N-[(2,2-dimethyl-2H-chromen-6-yl)methyl]-N-phenylbenzenesulfonamide, KCN1, the lead inhibitor in a novel class of arylsulfonamide inhibitors of the HIF-1 pathway, had antitumorigenic properties in vivo and further defined its mechanism of action. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN We studied the inhibitory effect of systemic KCN1 delivery on the growth of human brain tumors in mice. To define mechanisms of KCN1 anti-HIF activities, we examined its influence on the assembly of a functional HIF-1α/HIF-1β/p300 transcription complex. RESULTS KCN1 specifically inhibited HIF reporter gene activity in several glioma cell lines at the nanomolar level. KCN1 also downregulated transcription of endogenous HIF-1 target genes, such as VEGF, Glut-1, and carbonic anhydrase 9, in a hypoxia-responsive element (HRE)-dependent manner. KCN1 potently inhibited the growth of subcutaneous malignant glioma tumor xenografts with minimal adverse effects on the host. It also induced a temporary survival benefit in an intracranial model of glioma but had no effect in a model of melanoma metastasis to the brain. Mechanistically, KCN1 did not downregulate the levels of HIF-1α or other components of the HIF transcriptional complex; rather, it antagonized hypoxia-inducible transcription by disrupting the interaction of HIF-1α with transcriptional coactivators p300/CBP. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that the new HIF pathway inhibitor KCN1 has antitumor activity in mouse models, supporting its further translation for the treatment of human tumors displaying hypoxia or HIF overexpression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaoman Yin
- Departments of Neurosurgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, 30322, USA
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Mun J, Jabbar AA, Devi NS, Yin S, Wang Y, Tan C, Culver D, Snyder JP, Van Meir EG, Goodman MM. Design and in vitro activities of N-alkyl-N-[(8-R-2,2-dimethyl-2H-chromen-6-yl)methyl]heteroarylsulfonamides, novel, small-molecule hypoxia inducible factor-1 pathway inhibitors and anticancer agents. J Med Chem 2012; 55:6738-50. [PMID: 22746274 PMCID: PMC3756490 DOI: 10.1021/jm300752n] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
The hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) pathway is an attractive target for cancer, as it controls tumor adaptation to growth under hypoxia and mediates chemotherapy and radiation resistance. We previously discovered 3,4-dimethoxy-N-[(2,2-dimethyl-2H-chromen-6-yl)methyl]-N-phenylbenzenesulfonamide as a novel, small-molecule HIF-1 pathway inhibitor in a high-throughput cell-based assay, but its in vivo delivery is hampered by poor aqueous solubility (0.009 μM in water; log P(7.4) = 3.7). Here we describe the synthesis of 12 N-alkyl-N-[(8-R-2,2-dimethyl-2H-chromen-6-yl)methyl]heteroarylsulfonamides, which were designed to possess optimal lipophilicities and aqueous solubilities by in silico calculations. Experimental log P(7.4) values of 8 of the 12 new analogs ranged from 1.2-3.1. Aqueous solubilities of three analogs were measured, among which the most soluble N-[(8-methoxy-2,2-dimethyl-2H-chromen-6-yl)methyl]-N-(propan-2-yl)pyridine-2-sulfonamide had an aqueous solubility of 80 μM, e.g., a solubility improvement of ∼9000-fold. The pharmacological optimization had limited impact on drug efficacy as the compounds retained IC(50) values at or below 5 μM in our HIF-dependent reporter assay.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiyoung Mun
- Department of Radiology and imaging sciences, Emory University CSI, Wesley Woods Health Center, 1841 Clifton Road, NE, Atlanta, GA 30329
| | - Adnan Abdul Jabbar
- Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322
| | | | - Shaoman Yin
- Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322
| | - Yingzhe Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Mercer University College of Pharmacy, Atlanta, GA 30341
| | - Chalet Tan
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Mercer University College of Pharmacy, Atlanta, GA 30341
| | - Deborah Culver
- Emory Institute for Drug Discovery, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322
| | - James P. Snyder
- Emory Institute for Drug Discovery, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322
- Department of Chemistry, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, 30322
| | - Erwin G. Van Meir
- Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322
- Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322
- Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322
| | - Mark M. Goodman
- Department of Radiology and imaging sciences, Emory University CSI, Wesley Woods Health Center, 1841 Clifton Road, NE, Atlanta, GA 30329
- Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322
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Abo El-Magd GH, Mohamed AS, Abd El-Fattah O, Abd Elateef A. The utility of survivin mRNA as a diagnostic biomarker in lung cancer with malignant pleural effusion. EGYPTIAN JOURNAL OF CHEST DISEASES AND TUBERCULOSIS 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejcdt.2012.10.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022] Open
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Survivin is highly expressed in CD34(+)38(-) leukemic stem/progenitor cells and predicts poor clinical outcomes in AML. Blood 2012; 120:173-80. [PMID: 22645176 DOI: 10.1182/blood-2012-02-409888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Survivin, a member of the inhibitors of apoptosis protein family, plays important roles in cell proliferation and survival and is highly expressed in various malignancies, including leukemias. To better understand its role in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), we profiled survivin expression in samples obtained from 511 newly diagnosed AML patients and in CD34(+)38(-) AML stem/progenitor cells using a validated reverse-phase protein array; we correlated its levels with clinical outcomes and with levels of other proteins in the same sample set. We found that survivin levels were higher in bone marrow than in paired peripheral blood leukemic cells (n = 140, P = .0001) and that higher survivin levels significantly predicted shorter overall (P = .016) and event-free (P = .023) survival in multivariate Cox model analysis. Importantly, survivin levels were significantly higher in CD34(+)38(-) AML stem/progenitor cells than in bulk blasts and total CD34(+) AML cells (P < .05). Survivin expression correlated with the expressions of multiple proteins involved with cell proliferation and survival. Particularly, its expression strongly correlated with HIF1α in the stem/progenitor cell compartment. These results suggest that survivin is a prognostic biomarker in AML and that survivin, which is overexpressed in AML stem/progenitor cells, remains a potentially important target for leukemia therapy.
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Pourhassan-Moghaddam M, Farhadi B, Nejati-Koshki K, Moharrami T. Promoters of cancer genes for recombinant protein expression in human cancer cell lines. BIOIMPACTS : BI 2012; 2:55-60. [PMID: 23678442 DOI: 10.5681/bi.2012.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2011] [Revised: 02/11/2012] [Accepted: 02/29/2012] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Production of complex human recombinant proteins is an important issue in medical biotechnology. These proteins are mostly expressed in non-human mammalian host cells. This has some problems including non-human post-translational modifications, application of high-cost agents for inducing protein expression and low yields. Thus, it is necessary to use new expression systems to overcome the indicated challenges. METHODS In this paper, we hypothesize the application of promoter regions of cancer genes, which have a high rate of transcription in human cancer cell lines, for designing new expression vectors. RESULTS After designing, these vectors could be applied to produce complex hu-man recombinant proteins in the human cancer cell lines as production hosts. CONCLUSION Application of these expression vectors for the production of recombinant human proteins in the human cancer cell lines have some advantages including authentic post-translational modifications, proper-cost of commercialization, and high yields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Pourhassan-Moghaddam
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran ; Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran ; Students' Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
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High expression of survivin predicts poor prognosis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma following radiotherapy. Tumour Biol 2011; 32:1147-53. [PMID: 21826474 DOI: 10.1007/s13277-011-0217-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2011] [Accepted: 07/25/2011] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Radiotherapy is one of the main treatments for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, but there are still no biomarkers to differentiate patients who will benefit from radiation. Although treatment with a combination of radiotherapy with chemotherapy, and/or surgery improves the prognosis of patients, no biomarkers can distinguish between the responses obtained with the combined therapies. Therefore, in this study, we selected patients treated with radiotherapy alone to evaluate survivin as a predictor for radiotherapy. One hundred two biopsy samples collected by endoscopy were immunostained by survivin antibody. Positive staining for survivin was obtained in 60.8% tumor samples. Survivin expression, metastasis, and clinical stage correlated significantly with overall survival. In multivariate analysis, survivin was an independent prognostic factor for predicting overall survival of patients with esophageal cancer. Moreover, in esophageal cancer cell lines, overexpression of survivin reduced the percentage of cell death induced by radiation. Our data indicate that survivin could be a potential predictor to define those patients with esophageal squamous carcinoma who would benefit from radiotherapy.
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Tan C, de Noronha RG, Devi NS, Jabbar AA, Kaluz S, Liu Y, Mooring SR, Nicolaou KC, Wang B, Van Meir EG. Sulfonamides as a new scaffold for hypoxia inducible factor pathway inhibitors. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2011; 21:5528-32. [PMID: 21831638 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2011.06.099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2011] [Revised: 06/21/2011] [Accepted: 06/22/2011] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Solid tumors generally grow under hypoxic conditions, a pathophysiological change, which activates the expression of genes responsible for malignant, aggressive, and treatment-refractory properties. Hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) is the chief transcription factor regulating hypoxia-driven gene expression. Therefore, the HIF pathway has become a critical target for cancer therapeutics development. We screened a privileged library of about 10,000 natural-product-like compounds using a cell-based assay for HIF-dependent transcriptional activity and identified several arylsulfonamide HIF pathway inhibitors. Among these compounds, the most potent ones showed an IC(50) of ∼0.5 μM in the hypoxia-responsive element (HRE)-luciferase reporter system. Further studies are needed to fully elucidate the mechanism of action of this class of compounds and their structure-activity relationship.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chalet Tan
- Laboratory of Molecular Neuro-Oncology, Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
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Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSC) are a very small subset of all cancer cells and possess characteristics very similar to normal stem cells, in particular, the capacity for self-renewal, multipotency and relative quiescence. These chemo- and radiation resistant cells are responsible for maintaining tumor volume leading to therapy failure and recurrence. In glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common primary intracranial malignancy, glioma stem cells have been implicated as one of the key players in treatment failure. Many novel treatment modalities are being investigated to specifically target this small group of cells. In this review, we shed light on one such targeted therapy, specifically, oncolytic virotherapy, and review the literature to highlight the advances and challenges in designing effective oncolytic virotherapy for glioma stem cells.
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Abstract
Survivin, the smallest member of the inhibitors of apoptosis proteins (IAPs), plays an important role in the control of apoptosis, cell division, and cell migration/metastasis. Survivin is expressed and required for normal fetal development but is then generally no longer present in most adult tissues. However, reexpression of survivin is observed in numerous human cancers where presence of the protein is associated with enhanced proliferation, metastasis, poor prognosis, and decreased patient survival. Given the relatively selective expression in cancer cells, but not in normal tissue (tumor-associated antigen), and its importance in tumor cell biology, survivin has emerged as an attractive target for cancer treatment. Here, we discuss some aspects of survivin biology by focusing on why the protein appears to be so important for cancer cells and then discuss strategies that harness this dependence to eradicate tumors and situate survivin as a potential Achilles' heel of cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alvaro Lladser
- Laboratory of Gene Immunotherapy, Fundacion Ciencia para la Vida, Santiago, Chile
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Lu J, Murakami M, Verma SC, Cai Q, Haldar S, Kaul R, Wasik MA, Middeldorp J, Robertson ES. Epstein-Barr Virus nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA1) confers resistance to apoptosis in EBV-positive B-lymphoma cells through up-regulation of survivin. Virology 2010; 410:64-75. [PMID: 21093004 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2010.10.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2010] [Revised: 08/10/2010] [Accepted: 10/18/2010] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Resistance to apoptosis is an important component of the overall mechanism which drives the tumorigenic process. EBV is a ubiquitous human gamma-herpesvirus which preferentially establishes latent infection in viral infected B-lymphocytes. EBNA1 is typically expressed in most forms of EBV-positive malignancies and is important for replication of the latent episome in concert with replication of the host cells. Here, we investigate the effects of EBNA1 on survivin up-regulation in EBV-infected human B-lymphoma cells. We present evidence which demonstrates that EBNA1 forms a complex with Sp1 or Sp1-like proteins bound to their cis-element at the survivin promoter. This enhances the activity of the complex and up-regulates survivin. Knockdown of survivin and EBNA1 showed enhanced apoptosis in infected cells and thus supports a role for EBNA1 in suppressing apoptosis in EBV-infected cells. Here, we suggest that EBV encoded EBNA1 can contribute to the oncogenic process by up-regulating the apoptosis suppressor protein, survivin in EBV-associated B-lymphoma cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Lu
- Department of Microbiology and Tumor Virology Program, Abramson Comprehensive Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 202E Johnson Pavilion, 3610 Hamilton Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
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Kobliakov VA. Mechanisms of tumor promotion by reactive oxygen species. BIOCHEMISTRY (MOSCOW) 2010; 75:675-85. [PMID: 20636258 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297910060015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
This review analyzes the available information concerning mechanisms of non-genotoxic action of reactive oxygen species (ROS) during tumor promotion and pathways of their generation under the influence of chemical compounds. Special attention is given to the ability of ROS to induce pseudohypoxia through inhibition of prolyl oxidase, which is an oxygen sensor in the cell. Functions of HIF-1alpha as a main contributor to the ROS-induced promotion are analyzed. Data suggest that an unregulated high level of HIF-1alpha in the cell could induce the development of tumors. Hypothetical possibilities of ROS production under the influence of different environmental pollutants, which are promoters of tumorigenesis, include functioning of cytochrome P450 during oxidation of substrates, functioning of the mitochondrial respiratory chain, and action of peroxisome proliferators.
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Affiliation(s)
- V A Kobliakov
- Blokhin Russian Cancer Research Center, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
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Dudek AZ. Endothelial lineage cell as a vehicle for systemic delivery of cancer gene therapy. Transl Res 2010; 156:136-46. [PMID: 20801410 DOI: 10.1016/j.trsl.2010.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2010] [Revised: 07/12/2010] [Accepted: 07/13/2010] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
A major limitation of cancer gene therapy is the difficulty of delivering a therapeutic gene to distant sites of metastatic disease. A promising strategy to address this difficulty is to use expanded ex vivo cells to produce a therapeutic protein. As with other approaches to gene therapy, this strategy is attractive when the therapeutic protein is unstable ex vivo or has a short circulating half life in vivo. The initial step to develop a cancer gene therapy using autologous cell delivery is the identification of a cell type that migrates to the tumor site, is readily available for harvesting, and is manipulated easily ex vivo. Recent evidence suggests that endothelial progenitor, precursor, and blood outgrowth endothelial cells are attracted to the tumor vasculature by its angiogenic drive. Here, we review recent advances in the study of circulating endothelial cell-mediated tumor vasculogenesis and discuss the advantages and challenges of bringing endothelial lineage-based cancer gene therapy closer to clinical application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arkadiusz Z Dudek
- Division of Hematology, Oncologyand Transplantation, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
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Bevacizumab enhances chemosensitivity of hepatocellular carcinoma to adriamycin related to inhibition of survivin expression. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 2010; 137:505-12. [PMID: 20490863 DOI: 10.1007/s00432-010-0914-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2010] [Accepted: 05/06/2010] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE In recent years, anti-angiogenesis drugs have shown promising clinical effects against many tumors, particularly in combination with chemotherapy. Although the combination has become a standard of care for many tumors, the mechanisms of the chemosensitizing activity of anti-angiogenic drugs are not fully understood. Here, we sought to determine if anti-angiogenesis drug bevacizumab could enhance the chemosensitivity of HCC by inhibition of survivin. METHODS After treatment of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell line PLC/PRF/5 (PLC) with bevacizumab or/and adriamycin, the direct effects were examined by survival assays, and the expression of Akt, Phospho-Akt and survivin were evaluated by western blot. Tumor growth was observed in a human HCC xenograft nude mouse model treated with different drugs, and the expression of PCNA, CD31 and survivin in tumor tissues were evaluated by means of immunohistochemistry. RESULTS Bevacizumab enhanced the chemosensitivity of HCC by inhibiting the VEGF-PI3 K/Akt-survivin signaling cascade in endothelial cells. The combination of bevacizumab with adriamycin therapy resulted in better outcomes compared with monotherapy in hepatocellular carcinoma xenografts; bevacizumab significantly inhibited tumor angiogenesis and growth. In addition, bevacizumab reduced survivin expression in tumor tissues, including tumor vascular endothelial cells in vivo, although it did not inhibit survivin expression in tumor cells in vitro. CONCLUSION These results implicate the bevacizumab-increased efficacy of adriamycin via an inhibition of survivin expression in malignant cells as well as tumor vasculature cells, which provides other insights into the mechanism of enhanced efficacy by combination of VEGF blocker and chemotherapeutic agents.
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Lee M. Hypoxia targeting gene expression for breast cancer gene therapy. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2009; 61:842-9. [PMID: 19426773 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2009.04.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2008] [Accepted: 04/28/2009] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Gene therapy is a promising strategy to treat various inherited and acquired diseases. However, targeting gene expression to specific tissue is required to minimize side effects of gene therapy. Hypoxia is present in the microenvironment of solid tumors such as breast tumors. A hypoxic tumor targeting gene expression system has been developed for cancer gene therapy. In hypoxic tissues, hypoxia inducible factor (HIF)-1alpha is accumulated and stimulates transcription of the genes that have hypoxia response elements (HREs) in their promoters. Therefore, transcriptional regulation with a hypoxia inducible promoter is the most widely used strategy for hypoxic tumors targeting gene therapy. In breast cancer gene therapy, breast tumor specific promoters in combination with HREs have been used to induce gene expression in hypoxic breast tumors. Post-transcriptional regulation using an untranslated region (UTR) is also a useful strategy to increase gene expression in hypoxic tumor tissue. In addition, post-translational regulation with the oxygen-dependent degradation (ODD) domain is effective to eliminate therapeutic gene products and reduce side effects in normal tissue. In combination with the breast tumor specific promoters, hypoxic tumor targeting strategies will be useful for the development of a safe breast cancer gene therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minhyung Lee
- Department of Bioengineering, College of Engineering, Hanyang University, 17 Haengdang-dong, Seongdong-gu, Seoul 133-791, Republic of Korea.
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Dey M, Ulasov IV, Lesniak MS. Virotherapy against malignant glioma stem cells. Cancer Lett 2009; 289:1-10. [PMID: 19643532 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2009.04.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2009] [Revised: 04/14/2009] [Accepted: 04/16/2009] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Glioblastoma multiforme, the most common primary intracranial malignancy, is associated with very poor outcome despite advances in surgical techniques and chemo- and radiation therapy. Many novel treatment modalities are being investigated with varying amount of success. Evolution of cancer stem cell hypothesis provides a new venue for developmental therapeutics. In this review, we highlight the literature regarding the existence of glioma stem cells and their characteristics. We also discuss the potential for virotherapy, a novel therapeutic approach utilizing conditionally replicative viruses, to directly target this population of self-renewing cancer stem cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahua Dey
- The Brain Tumor Center, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
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Sullivan R, Graham CH. Hypoxia prevents etoposide-induced DNA damage in cancer cells through a mechanism involving hypoxia-inducible factor 1. Mol Cancer Ther 2009; 8:1702-13. [PMID: 19509259 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-08-1090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Intratumoral hypoxia is associated with resistance to therapy in many human cancers, and preexposure of tumor cells to hypoxia confers multidrug resistance. Whereas most anticancer drugs kill proliferating tumor cells by causing DNA damage, a role for hypoxia in the prevention and/or repair of drug-induced DNA damage has not been clear. Using the alkaline comet assay, we provide direct evidence that hypoxia-induced resistance to etoposide in human tumor cells (MDA-MB-231 breast carcinoma and DU-145 prostatic adenocarcinoma) is mainly due to prevention of drug-induced DNA damage (i.e., strand breaks) and that the amount of DNA damage present immediately after etoposide exposure is a good independent predictor of clonogenic survival. Our results also revealed that preexposure to hypoxia did not affect the apparent DNA repair capacity of cells. These findings indicate that the extent of DNA damage resulting from etoposide exposure is a more important determinant of survival than subsequent events after DNA damage. Furthermore, immunofluorescence analysis showed that, in a subpopulation of cells, preexposure to hypoxia decreased the levels of topoisomerase IIalpha, an enzyme that generates DNA strand breaks when poisoned with etoposide. Treatment of cells with small interfering RNA targeting hypoxia-inducible factor 1 prevented the hypoxia-induced decreases in topoisomerase IIalpha levels, abolished the protective effect of hypoxia against etoposide-induced DNA damage, and inhibited hypoxia-induced etoposide resistance. These findings support a model of hypoxia-induced drug resistance in which etoposide-induced DNA damage is prevented by HIF-1-dependent adaptations to hypoxia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Sullivan
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
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Yun HJ, Cho YH, Moon Y, Park YW, Yoon HK, Kim YJ, Cho SH, Lee YI, Kang BS, Kim WJ, Park K, Seo W. Transcriptional targeting of gene expression in breast cancer by the promoters of protein regulator of cytokinesis 1 and ribonuclease reductase 2. Exp Mol Med 2009; 40:345-53. [PMID: 18587273 DOI: 10.3858/emm.2008.40.3.345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
For cancer gene therapy, cancer-specific over- expression of a therapeutic gene is required to reduce side effects derived from expression of the gene in normal cells. To develop such an expression vector, we searched for genes over-expressed and/or specifically expressed in cancer cells using bioinformatics and have selected genes coding for protein regulator of cytokinesis 1 (PRC1) and ribonuclease reductase 2 (RRM2) as candidates. Their cancer-specific expressions were confirmed in both breast cancer cell lines and patient tissues. We compared each promoter's cancer-specific activity in the breast normal and cancer cell lines using the luciferase gene as a reporter and confirmed cancer-specific expression of both PRC1 and RRM2 promoters. To test activities of these promoters in viral vectors, the promoters were also cloned into an adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector containing green fluorescence protein (GFP) as the reporter. The GFP expression levels by these promoters were various depending on cell lines tested and, in MDA-MB-231 cells, GFP activities derived from the PRC1 and RRM2 promoters were as strong as that from the cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter. Our result showed that a vector containing the PRC1 or RRM2 promoter could be used for breast cancer specific overexpression in gene therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hye Jin Yun
- Institute for Brain Science and Technology, Inje University, Busan, Korea
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Fan LF, Dong WG, Jiang CQ, Qian Q, Yu QF. Role of Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha and Survivin in colorectal carcinoma progression. Int J Colorectal Dis 2008; 23:1057-64. [PMID: 18704463 DOI: 10.1007/s00384-008-0511-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/03/2008] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1 alpha) is the main active subunit of HIF-1 that promoted tumor cells survival and critical steps in tumor progression and aggressiveness. The authors aimed to investigate the role of HIF-1 alpha and Survivin in colorectal cancer (CRC) progression. MATERIALS AND METHODS Plasmid expressing small interfering RNA (siRNA) against HIF-1 alpha was constructed and transfected into LS174T cells with Lipofectamine. The LS174T cells were incubated for 24 h under hypoxic condition. The inhibitory effects of siRNA on HIF-1 alpha gene was determined by semiquantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and Western blot. Expression of HIF-1 alpha and Survivin was investigated by immunohistochemistry in colorectal adenocarcinomas tissue microarrays. RESULTS HIF-1 alpha and Survivin expressions were markedly downregulated after the siRNA expression vector against HIF-1 alpha was transfected into the LS174T cells. Of the eight adenoma lesions, one case (12.25%) and four cases (50%) were positive for HIF-1 alpha and Survivin, respectively. Of the 69 cases of CRCs, 46 cases (66.7%) and 39 cases (56.5%) were positive for HIF-1 alpha and Survivin, respectively. The positive rate of HIF-1 alpha protein in CRCs was significantly higher than that in colorectal adenoma lesions (P < 0.05). HIF-1 alpha protein expression was significantly higher in patients with stage III than in patients with stage I-II CRCs (P < 0.01). In addition, overexpression of HIF-1 alpha in higher stages of CRCs was found to correlate positively with Survivin levels (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Our data demonstrate that HIF-1 alpha and Survivin are mostly expressed in invasive CRCs. Inhibition of HIF-1 alpha may lead to exploration of its potential as a diagnostic tool and possibly a target for gene therapy for colorectal carcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li-Fang Fan
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
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Correlation between the levels of survivin and survivin promoter-driven gene expression in cancer and non-cancer cells. Cell Mol Biol Lett 2008; 14:70-89. [PMID: 18839071 PMCID: PMC6275586 DOI: 10.2478/s11658-008-0034-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2008] [Accepted: 09/01/2008] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Survivin, a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) protein family, is associated with malignant transformation and is over-expressed in most human tumors. Using lipoplex-mediated transfection, we evaluated the activity of the reporter enzyme, luciferase, expressed from plasmids encoding the enzyme under the control of either the cytomegalovirus (CMV) or survivin promoters, in tumor- and non-tumor-derived human and murine cells. We also examined whether there is a correlation between the survivin promoter-driven expression of luciferase and the level of endogenous survivin. Human cancer cells (HeLa, KB, HSC-3, H357, H376, H413), oral keratinocytes, GMSM-K, and chemically immortalized human mammary cells, 184A-1, were transfected with Metafectene at 2 μl/1 μg DNA. Murine squamous cell carcinoma cells, SCCVII, mouse embryonic fibroblasts, NIH-3T3, and murine immortalized mammary cells, NMuMG, were transfected with Metafectene PRO at 2 μl/1 μg DNA. The expression of luciferase was driven by the CMV promoter (pCMV.Luc), the human survivin promoter (pSRVN.Luc-1430), or the murine survivin promoters (pSRVN.Luc-1342 and pSRVN.Luc-194). Luciferase activity was measured, using the Luciferase Assay System and expressed as relative light units (RLU) per ml of cell lysate or per mg of protein. The level of survivin in the lysates of human cells was determined by ELISA and expressed as ng survivin/mg protein. In all cell lines, significantly higher luciferase activity was driven by the CMV promoter than by survivin promoters. The expression of luciferase driven by the CMV and survivin promoters in murine cells was much higher than that in human cells. The cells displayed very different susceptibilities to transfection; nevertheless, high CMV-driven luciferase activity appeared to correlate with high survivin-promoter driven luciferase expression. The survivin concentration in lysates of cancer cells ranged from 5.8 ± 2.3 to 24.3 ± 2.9 ng/mg protein (mean, 13.7 ng/mg). Surprisingly, elevated survivin protein was determined in lysates of non-tumor-derived cells. Survivin levels for GMSM-K and 184A-1 cells, were 16.7 ± 8.7 and 13.5 ± 6.2 ng/mg protein, respectively. The expression of endogenous survivin did not correlate with the level of survivin promoter-driven transgene activity in the same cells. The expression of survivin by non-tumorigenic, transformed cell lines may be necessary for their proliferative activity. The level of survivin promoter-driven gene expression achieved via liposomal vectors in OSCC cells was too low to be useful in cancer-cell specific gene therapy.
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Survivin and caspase-3 expression in breast cancer: correlation with prognostic parameters, proliferation, angiogenesis, and outcome. Appl Immunohistochem Mol Morphol 2008; 16:113-20. [PMID: 18227733 DOI: 10.1097/pai.0b013e318032ea73] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Survivin is an inhibitor of apoptosis protein that is overexpressed in most human cancers, including breast, but is not expressed in normal tissue. Survivin is associated with more aggressive behavior and decreased survival in a variety of tumor types. It regulates the G2/M phase of the cell cycle by associating with mitotic spindle microtubules, and it directly inhibits caspase-3 and caspase-7 activity. We used a breast cancer tissue microarray to assess survivin and caspase-3 expression in breast cancer and to correlate both markers with proliferation (MIB-1), angiogenesis (CD31), and prognosis. DESIGN A breast cancer tissue microarray with a total of 190 1-mm tissue samples (2 from each specimen) were immunostained for survivin, caspase-3, MIB-1, and CD31. The microarray contains 91 cases of breast carcinoma diagnosed at Emory University Hospital between 1992 and 2000, and 4 normal breast tissue controls. Follow-up information was obtained from hospital records and the Winship Cancer Center database. RESULTS Eighty-four percent of breast carcinoma showed nuclear survivin expression. Normal breast tissue was immunonegative. Fifty-seven percent and 43% of breast cancer showed reduced and absent caspase-3 expression, respectively. Survivin (nuclear) and caspase (nuclear/cytoplasmic) expression showed significant correlation with histologic grade (P=0.008 and 0.041) and MIB-1 expression (P=0.033 and 0.012). Survivin nuclear expression also correlated significantly with tumor stage (P=0.012) and tended to correlate with estrogen receptor (P=0.050). There was no significant correlation between survivin and caspase expression. Furthermore, there was no correlation of both markers with other clinicopathologic parameters (age, tumor size, histologic type, progesterone receptor, Her-2 neu status, lymph node status), angiogenesis (CD31), or outcome (overall and disease-free survival). CONCLUSIONS Survivin and caspase-3 expression correlate with poor prognostic parameters (higher histologic grade and high proliferation), but not with outcome, in breast carcinoma patients.
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Abstract
PURPOSE Hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) primarily mediates the hypoxic response. HIF-1alpha induction by various stimuli contributes to cell proliferation and survival. To investigate the effect of HIF-1alpha, we used small interfering RNA (siRNA), and expected that cell apoptosis and sensitivity to chemotherapeutic drug increase, when we blocked the HIF-1alpha gene. Thus we performed in vitro and in vivo experiment to clarify the effect of hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha on tumor growth. MATERIALS AND METHODS We made control and HIF-1alpha siRNA using vector plasmid and then transfected Mia-paca cell lines with these RNAs. After selection with geneticin, two new cell lines were made, confirmed via immunoblotting. After treating with gemcitabine, each cell line was assayed to confirm the effect of HIF-1alpha siRNA using the cell proliferation assay and capase-3 assay. And then in vivo study was performed using female athymic nude mice. After subcutaneously injecting each new cell lines, intraperitoneal gemicitabine chemotherapy was performed for 3 weeks. During that period, we analyzed the difference of tumor growth rate. RESULTS The tumor growth of HIF-1alpha siRNA-transfected group was slower than that of the control group both in vitro and in vivo experiment. CONCLUSION The suppression of HIF-1alpha results in decrease of cell proliferation and increase of chemosensitivity of pancreatic cancer cell line. Therefore, targeting the HIF-1alpha may be useful treatment modality for some pancreatic cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lily Yang
- Department of Surgery, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
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Mamori S, Asakura T, Ohkawa K, Tajiri H. Survivin expression in early hepatocellular carcinoma and post-treatment with anti-cancer drug under hypoxic culture condition. World J Gastroenterol 2007; 13:5306-11. [PMID: 17879398 PMCID: PMC4171318 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v13.i40.5306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
AIM: To investigate the expression of survivin during the early stages of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
METHODS: Immunohistochemical expression of survivin in liver tumor and non-tumor tissue specimens taken from 17 patients was compared. In addition, to determine the survivin expression in response to anti-cancer drugs in early stage HCC, the survivin expression was determined after the treatment of the HCC cells with anti-cancer drugs under hypoxic culture conditions.
RESULTS: Survivin proteins were expressed in 64.7% of cells in early HCC specimens. A correlation between the survivin expression rate in the peritumoral hepatocytes and the rate of expression in the HCC specimens (low-rate group vs high-rate group) was observed. The survivin protein concentration in HCC cells was increased by the combination of hypoxia and anti-cancer drugs.
CONCLUSION: This study suggests that survivin could be used as a therapeutic target in early HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satoshi Mamori
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, The Jikei University School of Medicine, 3-25-8 Nishi-shinbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-8461, Japan.
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Kappler M, Rot S, Taubert H, Greither T, Bartel F, Dellas K, Hänsgen G, Trott KR, Bache M. The effects of knockdown of wild-type survivin, survivin-2B or survivin-delta3 on the radiosensitization in a soft tissue sarcoma cells in vitro under different oxygen conditions. Cancer Gene Ther 2007; 14:994-1001. [PMID: 17885676 DOI: 10.1038/sj.cgt.7701090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The inhibitor of apoptosis wild-type survivin is a multifunctional protein that suppresses apoptosis and regulates cell cycle progression. An association between wild-type survivin expression and radiosensitivity has been described in different tumor cells. The effects of siRNA-induced knockdown of wild-type survivin and survivin-splice variants survivin-2B and survivin-Delta3 were investigated under normoxic and hypoxic conditions in the human sarcoma cell line US 8-93 (mutant p53). Inhibition of the survivin isoforms by siRNA resulted in a decrease of target mRNA down to 14-70% compared to cells treated with control siRNA independent of the oxygen level. The mRNA expression of survivin isoforms was decreased by the factor of 1-12 when the cells were cultivated under hypoxic conditions. Moreover, the knockdown of wild-type survivin reduced colony formation independent of oxygen concentration down to 70% and induced formation of polyploid cells. Less reduction of plating efficiency was observed after specific knockdown of survivin-2B and survivin-Delta3 under hypoxic or normoxic conditions. A knockdown of wild-type survivin, survivin-Delta3 and survivin-2B isoforms in combination with irradiation caused no radiosensitization in cell line US 8-93, neither under hypoxic nor under normoxic conditions tested in the colony-forming assay. However, knockdown of wild-type survivin caused radiosensitization in the megacolony assay.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Kappler
- Department of Radiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Halle-Wittenberg, Halle/Saale, Germany.
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Liu SH, Davis A, Li Z, Ballian N, Davis E, Wang XP, Fisher W, Brunicardi FC. Effective ablation of pancreatic cancer cells in SCID mice using systemic adenoviral RIP-TK/GCV gene therapy. J Surg Res 2007; 141:45-52. [PMID: 17512546 DOI: 10.1016/j.jss.2007.02.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2007] [Revised: 02/20/2007] [Accepted: 02/26/2007] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Studies have demonstrated that adenovirus subtype 5 mediated rat insulin promoter directed thymidine kinase (A-5-RIP-TK)/ganciclovir (GCV) gene therapy resulted in significant enhanced cytotoxicity to both PANC-1 and MIA PaCa2 pancreatic cancer cells in vitro. However, little is known about the effect in vivo. In this study we examine the in vivo safety and efficacy of intravenous A-5-RIP-TK/GCV gene therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS 1 x 10(6) Mia PaCa2 cells were injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) into SCID mice to create a mouse model of human pancreatic cancer. A-5-RIP-TK gene construct was administered intravenously (i.v.), followed by i.p. GCV administration. Intravenous injection of A-5-RIP-lacZ reporter gene constructs was used for evaluation of Ad-RIP-gene expression in tumors and other tissues. Optimal adenoviral and GCV doses and treatment duration were determined. Tumor volume, serum insulin, and glucose levels were measured. Immunohistochemical staining of pancreata and tumors were performed to assess morphology and hormone expression and apoptotic rates were determined. RESULTS All A-5-RIP-TK/GCV-treated mice had reduced tumor volume compared with controls, but maximal tumor volume reduction was observed with 10(8) vp followed by GCV treatment for 4 wk. A-5-RIP-TK/GCV gene therapy contributed to significant survival advantage in MIA PaCa2 bearing mice, and the greatest survival benefit was observed with 10(8) vp and was not affected by length of treatment of GCV. A-5-RIP-TK/GCV therapy increased PDX-1 expression and tumor cells apoptosis, and altered islet morphology. However, A-5-RIP-TK/GCV gene therapy caused diabetes associated with islet cell apoptosis, increased delta-cells and reduced pancreatic polypeptide (PP)-cell numbers. CONCLUSIONS Systemically administered A-5-RIP-TK/GCV is an effective treatment of pancreatic cancer. A-5-RIP-TK/GCV cytotoxicity to malignant cells varies with adenoviral dose and length of GCV treatment. However, A-5-RIP-TK/GCV is associated with islet cell toxicity and diabetogenesis. The type of diabetes observed is distinct from Types 1 and 2 and is associated with islet cell apoptosis and reduced delta- and PP-cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shi-He Liu
- Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
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