1
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Ku AF, Sharma KL, Ta HM, Sutton CM, Bohren KM, Wang Y, Chamakuri S, Chen R, Hakenjos JM, Jimmidi R, Kent K, Li F, Li JY, Ma L, Madasu C, Palaniappan M, Palmer SS, Qin X, Robers MB, Sankaran B, Tan Z, Vasquez YM, Wang J, Wilkinson J, Yu Z, Ye Q, Young DW, Teng M, Kim C, Matzuk MM. Reversible male contraception by targeted inhibition of serine/threonine kinase 33. Science 2024; 384:885-890. [PMID: 38781365 DOI: 10.1126/science.adl2688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Men or mice with homozygous serine/threonine kinase 33 (STK33) mutations are sterile owing to defective sperm morphology and motility. To chemically evaluate STK33 for male contraception with STK33-specific inhibitors, we screened our multibillion-compound collection of DNA-encoded chemical libraries, uncovered potent STK33-specific inhibitors, determined the STK33 kinase domain structure bound with a truncated hit CDD-2211, and generated an optimized hit CDD-2807 that demonstrates nanomolar cellular potency (half-maximal inhibitory concentration = 9.2 nanomolar) and favorable metabolic stability. In mice, CDD-2807 exhibited no toxicity, efficiently crossed the blood-testis barrier, did not accumulate in brain, and induced a reversible contraceptive effect that phenocopied genetic STK33 perturbations without altering testis size. Thus, STK33 is a chemically validated, nonhormonal contraceptive target, and CDD-2807 is an effective tool compound.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela F Ku
- Center for Drug Discovery, Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Kiran L Sharma
- Center for Drug Discovery, Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Hai Minh Ta
- Center for Drug Discovery, Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Courtney M Sutton
- Center for Drug Discovery, Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Kurt M Bohren
- Center for Drug Discovery, Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Yong Wang
- Center for Drug Discovery, Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Srinivas Chamakuri
- Center for Drug Discovery, Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Ruihong Chen
- Center for Drug Discovery, Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - John M Hakenjos
- Center for Drug Discovery, Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Ravikumar Jimmidi
- Center for Drug Discovery, Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Katarzyna Kent
- Center for Drug Discovery, Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Feng Li
- Center for Drug Discovery, Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Jian-Yuan Li
- Center for Drug Discovery, Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Lang Ma
- Center for Drug Discovery, Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Chandrashekhar Madasu
- Center for Drug Discovery, Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Murugesan Palaniappan
- Center for Drug Discovery, Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Stephen S Palmer
- Center for Drug Discovery, Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Xuan Qin
- Center for Drug Discovery, Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | | | - Banumathi Sankaran
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging, Berkeley Center for Structural Biology, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Zhi Tan
- Center for Drug Discovery, Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Yasmin M Vasquez
- Center for Drug Discovery, Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Jian Wang
- Center for Drug Discovery, Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | | | - Zhifeng Yu
- Center for Drug Discovery, Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Qiuji Ye
- Center for Drug Discovery, Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Damian W Young
- Center for Drug Discovery, Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Mingxing Teng
- Center for Drug Discovery, Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Choel Kim
- Center for Drug Discovery, Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Martin M Matzuk
- Center for Drug Discovery, Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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2
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Wilson B, Esmaeili F, Parsons M, Salah W, Su Z, Dutta A. sRNA-Effector: A tool to expedite discovery of small RNA regulators. iScience 2024; 27:109300. [PMID: 38469560 PMCID: PMC10926228 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2023] [Revised: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024] Open
Abstract
microRNAs (miRNAs) are small regulatory RNAs that repress target mRNA transcripts through base pairing. Although the mechanisms of miRNA production and function are clearly established, new insights into miRNA regulation or miRNA-mediated gene silencing are still emerging. In order to facilitate the discovery of miRNA regulators or effectors, we have developed sRNA-Effector, a machine learning algorithm trained on enhanced crosslinking and immunoprecipitation sequencing and RNA sequencing data following knockdown of specific genes. sRNA-Effector can accurately identify known miRNA biogenesis and effector proteins and identifies 9 putative regulators of miRNA function, including serine/threonine kinase STK33, splicing factor SFPQ, and proto-oncogene BMI1. We validated the role of STK33, SFPQ, and BMI1 in miRNA regulation, showing that sRNA-Effector is useful for identifying new players in small RNA biology. sRNA-Effector will be a web tool available for all researchers to identify potential miRNA regulators in any cell line of interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Briana Wilson
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22901, USA
| | - Fatemeh Esmaeili
- Department of Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA
| | - Matthew Parsons
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22901, USA
| | - Wafa Salah
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22901, USA
| | - Zhangli Su
- Department of Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA
| | - Anindya Dutta
- Department of Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA
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3
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Jiang H, Li L, Ma T, Wang R, Chen X, Xu K, Chen C, Liu Z, Wang H, Huang L. Serine/Threonine Kinase (STK) 33 promotes the proliferation and metastasis of human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma via inflammation-related pathway. Pathol Res Pract 2024; 254:155154. [PMID: 38286054 DOI: 10.1016/j.prp.2024.155154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Revised: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 01/31/2024]
Abstract
The serine/threonine kinase (STK) 33 plays a key role in cancer cell proliferation and metastasis. Abnormal STK33 expression is closely related to malignancy of numerous cancers. This study suggests the important role of STK33 in the pathogenesis and metastatic progression of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). STK33 expression in human ESCC tissues was detected by immunohistochemical technique. Further, we analyzed the relationship between STK33 and clinical and pathological factors as well as the prognosis of patients. ECa109 cell line was cultured and transfected with STK33-RNAi lentiviral vector to perform Hochest33342 & PI and metastasis experiments. The TCGA database was used to analyze the STK33 expression level in ESCC. All statistical analyses were performed in SPSS 23.0 software. Differences with P < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. In human ESCC specimens, STK33 was overexpressed and associated with poor prognosis. Silencing STK33 expression suppressed ESCC proliferation, migration, invasion, and tumor growth. STK33 also mediated angiogenesis, TGFβ, and inflammatory response in ESCC. Mechanistic investigations revealed that STK33 regulates ESCC through multiple complex pathways. Dysregulated STK33 signaling promotes ESCC growth and progression. Thus, our findings identified STK33 as a candidate treatment target that improves ESCC therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haifeng Jiang
- Department of Pathology, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
| | - Liping Li
- Public Health and Management College in Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
| | - Tao Ma
- Department of Pathology, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
| | - Ruixiao Wang
- Department of Pathology, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
| | - Xiaozhen Chen
- Department of Pathology, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
| | - Ke Xu
- Department of Pathology, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China; Ningxia Armed Police Corps, Yinchuan 750004, China
| | - Chen Chen
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan 250021, China; Department of Pathology and Pathophysiology, Shandong University, Cheeloo Healthy Science Center, Jinan 250012, China
| | - Zijin Liu
- Clinical Medical College in Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
| | - Hongmei Wang
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, Jiangsu, China; School of Medicine, Shanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xi'an 712046, China.
| | - Lingyan Huang
- Department of Pathology, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China.
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4
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Okamoto K, Imamura T, Tanaka S, Urata T, Yoshida H, Shiba N, Iehara T. The Nup98::Nsd1 fusion gene induces CD123 expression in 32D cells. Int J Hematol 2023:10.1007/s12185-023-03612-z. [PMID: 37173550 DOI: 10.1007/s12185-023-03612-z] [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: 11/10/2022] [Revised: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
The NUP98::NSD1 fusion gene is associated with extremely poor prognosis in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). NUP98::NSD1 induces self-renewal and blocks differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells, leading to development of leukemia. Despite its association with poor prognosis, targeted therapy for NUP98::NSD1-positive AML is lacking, as the details of NUP98::NSD1 function are unknown. Here, we generated 32D cells (a murine interleukin-3 (IL-3)-dependent myeloid progenitor cell line) expressing mouse Nup98::Nsd1 to explore the function of NUP98::NSD1 in AML, including comprehensive gene expression analysis. We identified two properties of Nup98::Nsd1 + 32D cells in vitro. First, Nup98::Nsd1 promoted blocking of AML cell differentiation, consistent with a previous report. Second, Nup98::Nsd1 increased dependence on IL-3 for cell proliferation, due to overexpression of the alpha subunit of the IL-3 receptor (IL3-RA, also known as CD123). Consistent with our in vitro data, IL3-RA was also upregulated in samples from patients with NUP98::NSD1-positive AML. These results highlight CD123 as a potential new therapeutic target in NUP98::NSD1-positive AML.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenji Okamoto
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, 465, Kajii-cho, Kawaramachi-Hirokoji, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto, 602-8566, Japan
| | - Toshihiko Imamura
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, 465, Kajii-cho, Kawaramachi-Hirokoji, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto, 602-8566, Japan.
| | - Seiji Tanaka
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, 465, Kajii-cho, Kawaramachi-Hirokoji, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto, 602-8566, Japan
| | - Takayo Urata
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, 465, Kajii-cho, Kawaramachi-Hirokoji, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto, 602-8566, Japan
| | - Hideki Yoshida
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, 465, Kajii-cho, Kawaramachi-Hirokoji, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto, 602-8566, Japan
| | - Norio Shiba
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama City University, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Tomoko Iehara
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, 465, Kajii-cho, Kawaramachi-Hirokoji, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto, 602-8566, Japan
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5
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Zhang D, Lindstrom A, Kim EJ, Hwang CI, Hall ML, Lin TY, Li Y. SEMA3C Supports Pancreatic Cancer Progression by Regulating the Autophagy Process and Tumor Immune Microenvironment. Front Oncol 2022; 12:890154. [PMID: 35785187 PMCID: PMC9243227 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.890154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
To date, driver genes for pancreatic cancer treatment are difficult to pursue therapeutically. Targeting mutated KRAS, the most renowned driver gene in pancreatic cancer, is an active area of study. We discovered a gene named SEMA3C was highly expressed in pancreatic cancer cell lines and patients with a G12D mutation in KRAS. High expression of SEMA3C in patients was significantly associated with the decreased survival of pancreatic cancer patients based on the TCGA database. In pancreatic cancer cells, SEMA3C knockdown or inhibition exhibited growth/colony inhibition and cell cycle arrest. In addition, SEMA3C inhibition sensitized KRAS or MEK1/2 inhibition in pancreatic cancer cells. Overexpression of SEMA3C resulted in the induction of autophagy, whereas depletion of SEMA3C compromised induction of autophagy. SEMA3C modified the PD-L1 expression in tumor and immune cells and is correlated with the M2-like macrophage marker ARG1/CD163 expression, which could reshape the tumor microenvironment. Inhibition of SEMA3C decreased tumor formation in the xenograft model in vivo. Taken together, our data suggest that SEMA3C plays a substantial role in promoting cancer cell survival by regulating the autophagy process and impacting the tumor environment immune response. SEMA3C can be used as a novel target or marker with therapeutic or diagnostic potential in pancreatic cancer especially in tumors harboring the specific KRAS G12D mutation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dalin Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA, United States
| | - Aaron Lindstrom
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA, United States
| | - Edward J Kim
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA, United States
| | - Chang-il Hwang
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Madison Lee Hall
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Tzu-Yin Lin
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA, United States
| | - Yuanpei Li
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA, United States,*Correspondence: Yuanpei Li,
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6
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Zhu JY, Huang X, Fu Y, Wang Y, Zheng P, Liu Y, Han Z. Pharmacological or genetic inhibition of hypoxia signaling attenuates oncogenic RAS-induced cancer phenotypes. Dis Model Mech 2022; 15:272327. [PMID: 34580712 PMCID: PMC8617310 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.048953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 09/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Oncogenic Ras mutations are highly prevalent in hematopoietic malignancies. However, it is difficult to directly target oncogenic RAS proteins for therapeutic intervention. We have developed a Drosophila acute myeloid leukemia model induced by human KRASG12V, which exhibits a dramatic increase in myeloid-like leukemia cells. We performed both genetic and drug screens using this model. The genetic screen identified 24 candidate genes able to attenuate the oncogenic RAS-induced phenotype, including two key hypoxia pathway genes HIF1A and ARNT (HIF1B). The drug screen revealed that echinomycin, an inhibitor of HIF1A, can effectively attenuate the leukemia phenotype caused by KRASG12V. Furthermore, we showed that echinomycin treatment can effectively suppress oncogenic RAS-driven leukemia cell proliferation, using both human leukemia cell lines and a mouse xenograft model. These data suggest that inhibiting the hypoxia pathway could be an effective treatment approach and that echinomycin is a promising targeted drug to attenuate oncogenic RAS-induced cancer phenotypes. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper. Summary: Hypoxia pathway inhibition, either genetically or pharmacologically, rescues RAS-induced oncogenesis in a Drosophila acute myeloid leukemia model, mouse xenograft model and human leukemia cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun-Yi Zhu
- Center for Precision Disease Modeling, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.,Division of Immunotherapy, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Xiaohu Huang
- Center for Precision Disease Modeling, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.,Division of Immunotherapy, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Yulong Fu
- Center for Precision Disease Modeling, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Yin Wang
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Pan Zheng
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Yang Liu
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Zhe Han
- Center for Precision Disease Modeling, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.,Division of Immunotherapy, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
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Poloznikov A, Nikulin S, Bolotina L, Kachmazov A, Raigorodskaya M, Kudryavtseva A, Bakhtogarimov I, Rodin S, Gaisina I, Topchiy M, Asachenko A, Novosad V, Tonevitsky A, Alekseev B. 9-ING-41, a Small Molecule Inhibitor of GSK-3β, Potentiates the Effects of Chemotherapy on Colorectal Cancer Cells. Front Pharmacol 2021; 12:777114. [PMID: 34955846 PMCID: PMC8696016 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.777114] [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: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common and lethal types of cancer. Although researchers have made significant efforts to study the mechanisms underlying CRC drug resistance, our knowledge of this disease is still limited, and novel therapies are in high demand. It is urgent to find new targeted therapy considering limited chemotherapy options. KRAS mutations are the most frequent molecular alterations in CRC. However, there are no approved K-Ras targeted therapies for these tumors yet. GSK-3β is demonstrated to be a critically important kinase for the survival and proliferation of K-Ras–dependent pancreatic cancer cells. In this study, we tested combinations of standard-of-care therapy and 9-ING-41, a small molecule inhibitor of GSK-3β, in CRC cell lines and patient-derived tumor organoid models of CRC. We demonstrate that 9-ING-41 inhibits the growth of CRC cells via a distinct from chemotherapy mechanism of action. Although molecular biomarkers of 9-ING-41 efficacy are yet to be identified, the addition of 9-ING-41 to the standard-of-care drugs 5-FU and oxaliplatin could significantly enhance growth inhibition in certain CRC cells. The results of the transcriptomic analysis support our findings of cell cycle arrest and DNA repair deficiency in 9-ING-41–treated CRC cells. Notably, we find substantial similarity in the changes of the transcriptomic profile after inhibition of GSK-3β and suppression of STK33, another critically important kinase for K-Ras–dependent cells, which could be an interesting point for future research. Overall, the results of this study provide a rationale for the further investigation of GSK-3 inhibitors in combination with standard-of-care treatment of CRC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrey Poloznikov
- Faculty of Biology and Biotechnologies, Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia.,P. Hertsen Moscow Oncology Research Institute-Branch of the National Medical Research Radiological Centre of the Ministry of Health of Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia
| | - Sergey Nikulin
- Faculty of Biology and Biotechnologies, Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia.,P. Hertsen Moscow Oncology Research Institute-Branch of the National Medical Research Radiological Centre of the Ministry of Health of Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia.,School of Biomedicine, Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok, Russia
| | - Larisa Bolotina
- P. Hertsen Moscow Oncology Research Institute-Branch of the National Medical Research Radiological Centre of the Ministry of Health of Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia
| | - Andrei Kachmazov
- P. Hertsen Moscow Oncology Research Institute-Branch of the National Medical Research Radiological Centre of the Ministry of Health of Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia
| | | | - Anna Kudryavtseva
- Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Ildar Bakhtogarimov
- Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Sergey Rodin
- Department of Surgical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Irina Gaisina
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Maxim Topchiy
- A. V. Topchiev Institute of Petrochemical Synthesis, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Andrey Asachenko
- A. V. Topchiev Institute of Petrochemical Synthesis, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Victor Novosad
- Laboratory of Microfluidic Technologies for Biomedicine, Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry RAS, Moscow, Russia
| | - Alexander Tonevitsky
- Faculty of Biology and Biotechnologies, Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia.,Scientific Research Centre Bioclinicum, Moscow, Russia.,Laboratory of Microfluidic Technologies for Biomedicine, Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry RAS, Moscow, Russia
| | - Boris Alekseev
- P. Hertsen Moscow Oncology Research Institute-Branch of the National Medical Research Radiological Centre of the Ministry of Health of Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia
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8
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Targeting STK33: from inhibition to degradation. Future Med Chem 2021; 14:127-129. [PMID: 34605274 DOI: 10.4155/fmc-2021-0224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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9
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Paradzik T, Bandini C, Mereu E, Labrador M, Taiana E, Amodio N, Neri A, Piva R. The Landscape of Signaling Pathways and Proteasome Inhibitors Combinations in Multiple Myeloma. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:1235. [PMID: 33799793 PMCID: PMC8000754 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13061235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2021] [Revised: 03/04/2021] [Accepted: 03/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiple myeloma is a malignancy of terminally differentiated plasma cells, characterized by an extreme genetic heterogeneity that poses great challenges for its successful treatment. Due to antibody overproduction, MM cells depend on the precise regulation of the protein degradation systems. Despite the success of PIs in MM treatment, resistance and adverse toxic effects such as peripheral neuropathy and cardiotoxicity could arise. To this end, the use of rational combinatorial treatments might allow lowering the dose of inhibitors and therefore, minimize their side-effects. Even though the suppression of different cellular pathways in combination with proteasome inhibitors have shown remarkable anti-myeloma activities in preclinical models, many of these promising combinations often failed in clinical trials. Substantial progress has been made by the simultaneous targeting of proteasome and different aspects of MM-associated immune dysfunctions. Moreover, targeting deranged metabolic hubs could represent a new avenue to identify effective therapeutic combinations with PIs. Finally, epigenetic drugs targeting either DNA methylation, histone modifiers/readers, or chromatin remodelers are showing pleiotropic anti-myeloma effects alone and in combination with PIs. We envisage that the positive outcome of patients will probably depend on the availability of more effective drug combinations and treatment of early MM stages. Therefore, the identification of sensitive targets and aberrant signaling pathways is instrumental for the development of new personalized therapies for MM patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tina Paradzik
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, 10126 Torino, Italy; (T.P.); (C.B.); (E.M.); (M.L.)
| | - Cecilia Bandini
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, 10126 Torino, Italy; (T.P.); (C.B.); (E.M.); (M.L.)
| | - Elisabetta Mereu
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, 10126 Torino, Italy; (T.P.); (C.B.); (E.M.); (M.L.)
| | - Maria Labrador
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, 10126 Torino, Italy; (T.P.); (C.B.); (E.M.); (M.L.)
| | - Elisa Taiana
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-oncology, University of Milano, 20122 Milano, Italy; (E.T.); (A.N.)
- Hematology Unit, Fondazione Cà Granda IRCCS, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, 20122 Milano, Italy
| | - Nicola Amodio
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy;
| | - Antonino Neri
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-oncology, University of Milano, 20122 Milano, Italy; (E.T.); (A.N.)
- Hematology Unit, Fondazione Cà Granda IRCCS, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, 20122 Milano, Italy
| | - Roberto Piva
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, 10126 Torino, Italy; (T.P.); (C.B.); (E.M.); (M.L.)
- Città Della Salute e della Scienza Hospital, 10126 Torino, Italy
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10
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Merz V, Gaule M, Zecchetto C, Cavaliere A, Casalino S, Pesoni C, Contarelli S, Sabbadini F, Bertolini M, Mangiameli D, Milella M, Fedele V, Melisi D. Targeting KRAS: The Elephant in the Room of Epithelial Cancers. Front Oncol 2021; 11:638360. [PMID: 33777798 PMCID: PMC7991835 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.638360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2020] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutations of the proto-oncogene KRAS are the most frequent gain-of-function alterations found in cancer. KRAS is mutated in about 30% of all human tumors, but it could reach more than 90% in certain cancer types such as pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Although historically considered to be undruggable, a particular KRAS mutation, the G12C variant, has recently emerged as an actionable alteration especially in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). KRASG12C and pan-KRAS inhibitors are being tested in clinical trials and have recently shown promising activity. Due to the difficulties in direct targeting of KRAS, other approaches are being explored. The inhibition of target upstream activators or downstream effectors of KRAS pathway has shown to be moderately effective given the evidence of emerging mechanisms of resistance. Various synthetic lethal partners of KRAS have recently being identified and the inhibition of some of those might prove to be successful in the future. The study of escape mechanisms to KRAS inhibition could support the utility of combination strategies in overcoming intrinsic and adaptive resistance and enhancing clinical benefit of KRASG12C inhibitors. Considering the role of the microenvironment in influencing tumor initiation and promotion, the immune tumor niche of KRAS mutant tumors has been deeply explored and characterized for its unique immunosuppressive skewing. However, a number of aspects remains to be fully understood, and modulating this tumor niche might revert the immunoresistance of KRAS mutant tumors. Synergistic associations of KRASG12C and immune checkpoint inhibitors are being tested.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeria Merz
- Digestive Molecular Clinical Oncology Research Unit, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.,Medical Oncology Unit, Santa Chiara Hospital, Trento, Italy
| | - Marina Gaule
- Digestive Molecular Clinical Oncology Research Unit, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.,Section of Medical Oncology, Università degli Studi di Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Camilla Zecchetto
- Digestive Molecular Clinical Oncology Research Unit, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.,Section of Medical Oncology, Università degli Studi di Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Alessandro Cavaliere
- Digestive Molecular Clinical Oncology Research Unit, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.,Section of Medical Oncology, Università degli Studi di Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Simona Casalino
- Digestive Molecular Clinical Oncology Research Unit, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.,Section of Medical Oncology, Università degli Studi di Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Camilla Pesoni
- Digestive Molecular Clinical Oncology Research Unit, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.,Section of Medical Oncology, Università degli Studi di Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Serena Contarelli
- Digestive Molecular Clinical Oncology Research Unit, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Fabio Sabbadini
- Digestive Molecular Clinical Oncology Research Unit, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Monica Bertolini
- Digestive Molecular Clinical Oncology Research Unit, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Domenico Mangiameli
- Digestive Molecular Clinical Oncology Research Unit, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Michele Milella
- Section of Medical Oncology, Università degli Studi di Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Vita Fedele
- Digestive Molecular Clinical Oncology Research Unit, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Davide Melisi
- Digestive Molecular Clinical Oncology Research Unit, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.,Section of Medical Oncology, Università degli Studi di Verona, Verona, Italy
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11
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Kattan WE, Hancock JF. RAS Function in cancer cells: translating membrane biology and biochemistry into new therapeutics. Biochem J 2020; 477:2893-2919. [PMID: 32797215 PMCID: PMC7891675 DOI: 10.1042/bcj20190839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2020] [Revised: 07/20/2020] [Accepted: 07/22/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The three human RAS proteins are mutated and constitutively activated in ∼20% of cancers leading to cell growth and proliferation. For the past three decades, many attempts have been made to inhibit these proteins with little success. Recently; however, multiple methods have emerged to inhibit KRAS, the most prevalently mutated isoform. These methods and the underlying biology will be discussed in this review with a special focus on KRAS-plasma membrane interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Walaa E. Kattan
- Department of Integrative Biology and Pharmacology, McGovern Medical School University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, TX 77030, USA
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, TX 77030, USA
| | - John F. Hancock
- Department of Integrative Biology and Pharmacology, McGovern Medical School University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, TX 77030, USA
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, TX 77030, USA
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12
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Haley B, Roudnicky F. Functional Genomics for Cancer Drug Target Discovery. Cancer Cell 2020; 38:31-43. [PMID: 32442401 DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2020.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2019] [Revised: 02/06/2020] [Accepted: 04/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Functional genomics describes a field of biology that uses a range of approaches for assessing gene function with high-throughput molecular, genetic, and cellular technologies. The near limitless potential for applying these concepts to study the activities of all genetic loci has completely upended how today's cancer biologists tackle drug target discovery. We provide an overview of contemporary functional genomics platforms, highlighting areas of distinction and complementarity across technologies, so as to aid in the development or interpretation of cancer-focused screening efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Haley
- Molecular Biology Department, Genentech Inc, 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA.
| | - Filip Roudnicky
- Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Basel 4070, Switzerland.
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13
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Mues M, Karra L, Romero-Moya D, Wandler A, Hangauer MJ, Ksionda O, Thus Y, Lindenbergh M, Shannon K, McManus MT, Roose JP. High-Complexity shRNA Libraries and PI3 Kinase Inhibition in Cancer: High-Fidelity Synthetic Lethality Predictions. Cell Rep 2020; 27:631-647.e5. [PMID: 30970263 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.03.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2017] [Revised: 10/11/2018] [Accepted: 03/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Deregulated signal transduction is a cancer hallmark, and its complexity and interconnectivity imply that combination therapy should be considered, but large data volumes that cover the complexity are required in user-friendly ways. Here, we present a searchable database resource of synthetic lethality with a PI3 kinase signal transduction inhibitor by performing a saturation screen with an ultra-complex shRNA library containing 30 independent shRNAs per gene target. We focus on Ras-PI3 kinase signaling with T cell leukemia as a screening platform for multiple clinical and experimental reasons. Our resource predicts multiple combination-based therapies with high fidelity, ten of which we confirmed with small molecule inhibitors. Included are biochemical assays, as well as the IPI145 (duvelisib) inhibitor. We uncover the mechanism of synergy between the PI3 kinase inhibitor GDC0941 (pictilisib) and the tubulin inhibitor vincristine and demonstrate broad synergy in 28 cell lines of 5 cancer types and efficacy in preclinical leukemia mouse trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marsilius Mues
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Laila Karra
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Damia Romero-Moya
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Anica Wandler
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Matthew J Hangauer
- Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Olga Ksionda
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Yvonne Thus
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Marthe Lindenbergh
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Kevin Shannon
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Michael T McManus
- Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Jeroen P Roose
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
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14
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Lin A, Sheltzer JM. Discovering and validating cancer genetic dependencies: approaches and pitfalls. Nat Rev Genet 2020; 21:671-682. [DOI: 10.1038/s41576-020-0247-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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15
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Ku AA, Hu HM, Zhao X, Shah KN, Kongara S, Wu D, McCormick F, Balmain A, Bandyopadhyay S. Integration of multiple biological contexts reveals principles of synthetic lethality that affect reproducibility. Nat Commun 2020; 11:2375. [PMID: 32398776 PMCID: PMC7217969 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16078-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2019] [Accepted: 04/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Synthetic lethal screens have the potential to identify new vulnerabilities incurred by specific cancer mutations but have been hindered by lack of agreement between studies. In the case of KRAS, we identify that published synthetic lethal screen hits significantly overlap at the pathway rather than gene level. Analysis of pathways encoded as protein networks could identify synthetic lethal candidates that are more reproducible than those previously reported. Lack of overlap likely stems from biological rather than technical limitations as most synthetic lethal phenotypes are strongly modulated by changes in cellular conditions or genetic context, the latter determined using a pairwise genetic interaction map that identifies numerous interactions that suppress synthetic lethal effects. Accounting for pathway, cellular and genetic context nominates a DNA repair dependency in KRAS-mutant cells, mediated by a network containing BRCA1. We provide evidence for why most reported synthetic lethals are not reproducible which is addressable using a multi-faceted testing framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angel A Ku
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Hsien-Ming Hu
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Xin Zhao
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Khyati N Shah
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Sameera Kongara
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Di Wu
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Frank McCormick
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Allan Balmain
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Sourav Bandyopadhyay
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA.
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA.
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16
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Sato M. Phenotypic screening using large-scale genomic libraries to identify drug targets for the treatment of cancer. Oncol Lett 2020; 19:3617-3626. [PMID: 32391087 PMCID: PMC7204489 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2020.11512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2019] [Accepted: 02/04/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
During malignant progression to overt cancer cells, normal cells accumulate multiple genetic and non-genetic changes, which result in the acquisition of various oncogenic properties, such as uncontrolled proliferation, drug resistance, invasiveness, anoikis-resistance, the ability to bypass oncogene-induced senescence and cancer stemness. To identify potential novel drug targets contributing to these malignant phenotypes, researchers have performed large-scale genomic screening using various in vitro and in vivo screening models and identified numerous promising cancer drug target genes. However, there are issues with these identified genes, such as low reproducibility between different datasets. In the present study, the recent advances in the functional screening for identification of cancer drug target genes are summarized, and current issues and future perspectives are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitsuo Sato
- Department of Pathophysiological Laboratory Sciences, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi 461-8673, Japan
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17
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Colic M, Hart T. Chemogenetic interactions in human cancer cells. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2019; 17:1318-1325. [PMID: 31921397 PMCID: PMC6945272 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2019.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2019] [Revised: 09/24/2019] [Accepted: 09/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Chemogenetic profiling enables the identification of genes that enhance or suppress the phenotypic effect of chemical compounds. Using this approach in cancer therapies could improve our ability to predict the response of specific tumor genotypes to chemotherapeutic agents, thus accelerating the development of personalized drug therapy. In the not so distant past, this strategy was only applied in model organisms because there was no feasible technology to thoroughly exploit desired genetic mutations and their impact on drug efficacy in human cells. Today, with the advent of CRISPR gene-editing technology and its application to pooled library screens in mammalian cells, chemogenetic screens are performed directly in human cell lines with high sensitivity and specificity. Chemogenetic profiling provides insights into drug mechanism-of-action, genetic vulnerabilities, and resistance mechanisms, all of which will help to accurately deliver the right drug to the right target in the right patient while minimizing side effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Medina Colic
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology and Department of Cancer Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
- UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Traver Hart
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology and Department of Cancer Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
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18
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Abstract
RAS genes are the most commonly mutated oncogenes in cancer, but effective therapeutic strategies to target RAS-mutant cancers have proved elusive. A key aspect of this challenge is the fact that direct inhibition of RAS proteins has proved difficult, leading researchers to test numerous alternative strategies aimed at exploiting RAS-related vulnerabilities or targeting RAS effectors. In the past few years, we have witnessed renewed efforts to target RAS directly, with several promising strategies being tested in clinical trials at different stages of completion. Important advances have also been made in approaches designed to indirectly target RAS by improving inhibition of RAS effectors, exploiting synthetic lethal interactions or metabolic dependencies, using therapeutic combination strategies or harnessing the immune system. In this Review, we describe historical and ongoing efforts to target RAS-mutant cancers and outline the current therapeutic landscape in the collective quest to overcome the effects of this crucial oncogene.
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19
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STK33/ERK2 signal pathway contribute the tumorigenesis of colorectal cancer HCT15 cells. Biosci Rep 2019; 39:BSR20182351. [PMID: 30760631 PMCID: PMC6395305 DOI: 10.1042/bsr20182351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2018] [Revised: 01/15/2019] [Accepted: 01/16/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Serine/threonine kinase 33 (STK33) is a serine/threonine kinase and participates in many apoptotic process. Herein, we found that the extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2 (ERK2) was a substrate of STK33. STK33 phosphorylated ERK2 and increased the activity of ERK2 and promote the tumorigenesis of colorectal cancer HCT15 cells. Clinical simple showed that STK33 was highly expression in colorectal cells and tissues. Ex vivo and in vivo studies demonstrated that STK33 accelerate tumorigenic properties in NCM460 cells and athymic nude rats. In vitro kinase assay results indicated that STK33 can phosphorylate ERK2. Ex vivo studies further showed that STK33 can bind with ERK2 and take part in the regulation of ERKs signaling pathway. In short, our results showed that STK33 is a novel upstream kinase of ERK2. It may provide a better prospect for STK33 based prevention and treatment for colorectal cancer patients.
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20
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Schmitt A, Feldmann G, Zander T, Reinhardt HC. Targeting Defects in the Cellular DNA Damage Response for the Treatment of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma. Oncol Res Treat 2018; 41:619-625. [DOI: 10.1159/000493401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2018] [Accepted: 08/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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21
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Liu K, Guo J, Liu K, Fan P, Zeng Y, Xu C, Zhong J, Li Q, Zhou Y. Integrative analysis reveals distinct subtypes with therapeutic implications in KRAS-mutant lung adenocarcinoma. EBioMedicine 2018; 36:196-208. [PMID: 30268834 PMCID: PMC6197714 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2018.09.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2018] [Revised: 09/11/2018] [Accepted: 09/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND KRAS-mutant lung adenocarcinomas (LUADs) are heterogeneous and frequently occur in smokers. The heterogeneity of KRAS-mutant LUAD has been an obstacle for the drug discovery. METHODS We integrated multiplatform datatypes and identified two corresponding subtypes in the patients and cell lines. We further characterized the features of these two subtypes and performed drug screening to identify subtype-specific drugs. Finally, we used the defining features of the KRAS subtypes for drug sensitivity prediction. FINDINGS Patient-Subtype 1 (PS1) was characterized by increased smoking-related mutational signature activity, a low tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL)-associating score and STK11/KEAP1 co-mutations. Patient-Subtype 2 (PS2) was characterized by an increased smoking-related methylation signature activity, a high TIL-associating score and increased KRAS dependency. The cell line subtypes faithfully recapitulated all the patients' features. Drug screening of the two cell line subtypes yielded several potential candidates, such as cytarabine and enzastaurin for Cell-line-Subtype 1 (CS1) and a BTK inhibitor QL-XII-61 for Cell-line-Subtype 2 (CS2). The defining features, such as smoking-related methylation signature, were significantly associated with the sensitivity to several drugs. INTERPRETATION The heterogeneity of KRAS-mutant LUAD is associated with smoking-related genomic and epigenomic aberration along with other features such as immunogenicity, KRAS dependency and STK11/KEAP1 co-mutations. These features might be used as biomarkers for drug sensitivity prediction. FUND: This research was funded by the Young Scientists Fund of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province, China and the Education and Research Foundation for Young Scholars of Education Department of Fujian Province, China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Liu
- Department of Translational Medicine, Medical College of Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; Center for Biomedical Big Data Research, Medical College of Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Jintao Guo
- Department of Translational Medicine, Medical College of Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; Center for Biomedical Big Data Research, Medical College of Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Kuai Liu
- Department of Translational Medicine, Medical College of Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; Center for Biomedical Big Data Research, Medical College of Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Peiyang Fan
- Department of Translational Medicine, Medical College of Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; Center for Biomedical Big Data Research, Medical College of Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Yuanyuan Zeng
- BGI-Shenzhen, Bei Shan Industrial Zone, Yantian District, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province 518083, China
| | - Chaoqun Xu
- Department of Translational Medicine, Medical College of Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; Center for Biomedical Big Data Research, Medical College of Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Jiaxin Zhong
- Department of Translational Medicine, Medical College of Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; Center for Biomedical Big Data Research, Medical College of Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Qiyuan Li
- Department of Translational Medicine, Medical College of Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; Center for Biomedical Big Data Research, Medical College of Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China.
| | - Ying Zhou
- Department of Translational Medicine, Medical College of Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; Center for Biomedical Big Data Research, Medical College of Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China.
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22
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Coan M, Rampioni Vinciguerra GL, Cesaratto L, Gardenal E, Bianchet R, Dassi E, Vecchione A, Baldassarre G, Spizzo R, Nicoloso MS. Exploring the Role of Fallopian Ciliated Cells in the Pathogenesis of High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2018; 19:ijms19092512. [PMID: 30149579 PMCID: PMC6163198 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19092512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2018] [Revised: 08/20/2018] [Accepted: 08/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
High-grade serous epithelial ovarian cancer (HGSOC) is the fifth leading cause of cancer death in women and the first among gynecological malignancies. Despite an initial response to standard chemotherapy, most HGSOC patients relapse. To improve treatment options, we must continue investigating tumor biology. Tumor characteristics (e.g., risk factors and epidemiology) are valuable clues to accomplish this task. The two most frequent risk factors for HGSOC are the lifetime number of ovulations, which is associated with increased oxidative stress in the pelvic area caused by ovulation fluid, and a positive family history due to genetic factors. In the attempt to identify novel genetic factors (i.e., genes) associated with HGSOC, we observed that several genes in linkage with HGSOC are expressed in the ciliated cells of the fallopian tube. This finding made us hypothesize that ciliated cells, despite not being the cell of origin for HGSOC, may take part in HGSOC tumor initiation. Specifically, malfunction of the ciliary beat impairs the laminar fluid flow above the fallopian tube epithelia, thus likely reducing the clearance of oxidative stress caused by follicular fluid. Herein, we review the up-to-date findings dealing with HGSOC predisposition with the hypothesis that fallopian ciliated cells take part in HGSOC onset. Finally, we review the up-to-date literature concerning genes that are located in genomic loci associated with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) predisposition that are expressed by the fallopian ciliated cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michela Coan
- Division of Molecular Oncology, Department of Translational Research, IRCCS CRO Aviano-National Cancer Institute, Via Franco Gallini, 2 33081 Aviano PN, Italy.
| | - Gian Luca Rampioni Vinciguerra
- Division of Molecular Oncology, Department of Translational Research, IRCCS CRO Aviano-National Cancer Institute, Via Franco Gallini, 2 33081 Aviano PN, Italy.
| | - Laura Cesaratto
- Division of Molecular Oncology, Department of Translational Research, IRCCS CRO Aviano-National Cancer Institute, Via Franco Gallini, 2 33081 Aviano PN, Italy.
| | - Emanuela Gardenal
- Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata, University of Verona, 37129 Verona, Italy.
| | - Riccardo Bianchet
- Scientific Direction, CRO Aviano Italy, Via Franco Gallini, 2 33081 Aviano, Italy.
| | - Erik Dassi
- Centre for Integrative Biology, University of Trento, 38122 Trento, Italy.
| | - Andrea Vecchione
- Department of clinical and molecular medicine, university of Rome "Sapienza", c/o sant andrea hospital, Via di Grottarossa 1035, 00189 Rome, Italy.
| | - Gustavo Baldassarre
- Division of Molecular Oncology, Department of Translational Research, IRCCS CRO Aviano-National Cancer Institute, Via Franco Gallini, 2 33081 Aviano PN, Italy.
| | - Riccardo Spizzo
- Division of Molecular Oncology, Department of Translational Research, IRCCS CRO Aviano-National Cancer Institute, Via Franco Gallini, 2 33081 Aviano PN, Italy.
| | - Milena Sabrina Nicoloso
- Division of Molecular Oncology, Department of Translational Research, IRCCS CRO Aviano-National Cancer Institute, Via Franco Gallini, 2 33081 Aviano PN, Italy.
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23
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Pyatnitskiy MA, Karpov DS, Moshkovskii SA. [Searching for essential genes in cancer genomes]. BIOMEDIT︠S︡INSKAI︠A︡ KHIMII︠A︡ 2018; 64:303-314. [PMID: 30135277 DOI: 10.18097/pbmc20186404303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The concept of essential genes, whose loss of functionality leads to cell death, is one of the fundamental concepts of genetics and is important for fundamental and applied research. This field is particularly promising in relation to oncology, since the search for genetic vulnerabilities of cancer cells allows us to identify new potential targets for antitumor therapy. The modern biotechnology capacities allow carrying out large-scale projects for sequencing somatic mutations in tumors, as well as directly interfering the genetic apparatus of cancer cells. They provided accumulation of a considerable body of knowledge about genetic variants and corresponding phenotypic manifestations in tumors. In the near future this knowledge will find application in clinical practice. This review describes the main experimental and computational approaches to the search for essential genes, concentrating on the application of these methods in the field of molecular oncology.
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Affiliation(s)
- M A Pyatnitskiy
- Institute of Biomedical Chemistry, Moscow, Russia; Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia
| | - D S Karpov
- Institute of Biomedical Chemistry, Moscow, Russia; Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - S A Moshkovskii
- Institute of Biomedical Chemistry, Moscow, Russia; Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow, Russia
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24
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Aguirre AJ, Hahn WC. Synthetic Lethal Vulnerabilities in KRAS-Mutant Cancers. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med 2018; 8:cshperspect.a031518. [PMID: 29101114 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a031518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
KRAS is the most commonly mutated oncogene in human cancer. Most KRAS-mutant cancers depend on sustained expression and signaling of KRAS, thus making it a high-priority therapeutic target. Unfortunately, development of direct small molecule inhibitors of KRAS function has been challenging. An alternative therapeutic strategy for KRAS-mutant malignancies involves targeting codependent vulnerabilities or synthetic lethal partners that are preferentially essential in the setting of oncogenic KRAS. KRAS activates numerous effector pathways that mediate proliferation and survival signals. Moreover, cancer cells must cope with substantial oncogenic stress conferred by mutant KRAS. These oncogenic signaling pathways and compensatory coping mechanisms of KRAS-mutant cancer cells form the basis for synthetic lethal interactions. Here, we review the compendium of previously identified codependencies in KRAS-mutant cancers, including the results of numerous functional genetic screens aimed at identifying KRAS synthetic lethal targets. Importantly, many of these vulnerabilities may represent tractable therapeutic opportunities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Aguirre
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215.,Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142.,Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - William C Hahn
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215.,Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142.,Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
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Kota S, Hou S, Guerrant W, Madoux F, Troutman S, Fernandez-Vega V, Alekseeva N, Madala N, Scampavia L, Kissil J, Spicer TP. A novel three-dimensional high-throughput screening approach identifies inducers of a mutant KRAS selective lethal phenotype. Oncogene 2018; 37:4372-4384. [PMID: 29743592 PMCID: PMC6138545 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-018-0257-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2018] [Revised: 03/04/2018] [Accepted: 03/16/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The RAS proteins are the most frequently mutated oncogenes in cancer, with highest frequency found in pancreatic, lung, and colon tumors. Moreover, the activity of RAS is required for the proliferation and/or survival of these tumor cells and thus represents a high-value target for therapeutic development. Direct targeting of RAS has proven challenging for multiple reasons stemming from the biology of the protein, the complexity of downstream effector pathways and upstream regulatory networks. Thus, significant efforts have been directed at identifying downstream targets on which RAS is dependent. These efforts have proven challenging, in part due to confounding factors such as reliance on two-dimensional adherent monolayer cell cultures that inadequately recapitulate the physiologic context to which cells are exposed in vivo. To overcome these issues, we implemented a High Throughput Screening (HTS) approach using a spheroid-based 3-dimensional culture format, thought to more closely reflect conditions experienced by cells in vivo. Using isogenic cell pairs, differing in the status of KRAS, we identified Proscillaridin A as a selective inhibitor of cells harboring the oncogenic KRasG12V allele. Significantly, the identification of Proscillaridin A was facilitated by the 3D screening platform and would not have been discovered employing standard 2D culturing methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Smitha Kota
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, Florida, USA
| | - Shurong Hou
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, Florida, USA
| | - William Guerrant
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, Florida, USA
| | - Franck Madoux
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, Florida, USA.,Amgen Inc., Thousand Oaks, CA, USA
| | - Scott Troutman
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, Florida, USA
| | | | - Nina Alekseeva
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, Florida, USA
| | - Neeharika Madala
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, Florida, USA
| | - Louis Scampavia
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, Florida, USA
| | - Joseph Kissil
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, Florida, USA.
| | - Timothy P Spicer
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, Florida, USA.
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New tools for old drugs: Functional genetic screens to optimize current chemotherapy. Drug Resist Updat 2018; 36:30-46. [PMID: 29499836 PMCID: PMC5844649 DOI: 10.1016/j.drup.2018.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2017] [Revised: 12/29/2017] [Accepted: 01/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Despite substantial advances in the treatment of various cancers, many patients still receive anti-cancer therapies that hardly eradicate tumor cells but inflict considerable side effects. To provide the best treatment regimen for an individual patient, a major goal in molecular oncology is to identify predictive markers for a personalized therapeutic strategy. Regarding novel targeted anti-cancer therapies, there are usually good markers available. Unfortunately, however, targeted therapies alone often result in rather short remissions and little cytotoxic effect on the cancer cells. Therefore, classical chemotherapy with frequent long remissions, cures, and a clear effect on cancer cell eradication remains a corner stone in current anti-cancer therapy. Reliable biomarkers which predict the response of tumors to classical chemotherapy are rare, in contrast to the situation for targeted therapy. For the bulk of cytotoxic therapeutic agents, including DNA-damaging drugs, drugs targeting microtubules or antimetabolites, there are still no reliable biomarkers used in the clinic to predict tumor response. To make progress in this direction, meticulous studies of classical chemotherapeutic drug action and resistance mechanisms are required. For this purpose, novel functional screening technologies have emerged as successful technologies to study chemotherapeutic drug response in a variety of models. They allow a systematic analysis of genetic contributions to a drug-responsive or −sensitive phenotype and facilitate a better understanding of the mode of action of these drugs. These functional genomic approaches are not only useful for the development of novel targeted anti-cancer drugs but may also guide the use of classical chemotherapeutic drugs by deciphering novel mechanisms influencing a tumor’s drug response. Moreover, due to the advances of 3D organoid cultures from patient tumors and in vivo screens in mice, these genetic screens can be applied using conditions that are more representative of the clinical setting. Patient-derived 3D organoid lines furthermore allow the characterization of the “essentialome”, the specific set of genes required for survival of these cells, of an individual tumor, which could be monitored over the course of treatment and help understanding how drug resistance evolves in clinical tumors. Thus, we expect that these functional screens will enable the discovery of novel cancer-specific vulnerabilities, and through clinical validation, move the field of predictive biomarkers forward. This review focuses on novel advanced techniques to decipher the interplay between genetic alterations and drug response.
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27
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Yin MD, Ma SP, Liu F, Chen YZ. Role of serine/threonine kinase 33 methylation in colorectal cancer and its clinical significance. Oncol Lett 2017; 15:2153-2160. [PMID: 29434919 PMCID: PMC5776884 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2017.7614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2016] [Accepted: 11/07/2017] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Serine/threonine kinase 33 (STK33) is a novel protein that has been the focus of an increasing number of studies in recent years; however, the role of STK33 in tumorigenesis remains controversial. Previous studies have demonstrated that STK33 is overexpressed in several human cancers and exerts a pro-tumorigenic effect through the promotion of cell proliferation. However, the role of STK33 in colorectal cancer (CRC), which is one of the most aggressive human malignancies, remains unclear. The aim of the current study was to investigate the methylation status of STK33 in CRC and to determine its clinical significance. The results demonstrated that STK33 was hypermethylated in CRC cell lines and promoted the proliferation of CRC cells. In addition, the methylation status and expression of STK33 in 94 pairs of cancer and noncancerous tissues obtained from patients with CRC was investigated. STK33 methylation was significantly increased in cancer tissues when compared with adjacent noncancerous tissues (P<0.001). STK33 methylation was associated with lymph node metastasis (P<0.05), tumor invasion (P<0.05), distant metastases (P<0.01) and tumor stage (P<0.01). Reduced STK33 mRNA and protein expression in CRC was associated with STK33 hypermethylation (P<0.001). In addition, patients with hypermethylated STK33 exhibited shorter overall survival rates when compared with those with unmethylated STK33 (P<0.01). In conclusion, the results of the current study suggest that STK33 hypermethylation may be a promising novel biomarker for the diagnosis, prognosis and suitable treatment of CRC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming-Di Yin
- Department of Colon and Rectum Surgery, Cancer Hospital of China Medical University, Liaoning Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shenyang, Liaoning 110042, P.R. China
| | - Si-Ping Ma
- Department of Colon and Rectum Surgery, Cancer Hospital of China Medical University, Liaoning Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shenyang, Liaoning 110042, P.R. China
| | - Fang Liu
- Department of Colon and Rectum Surgery, Cancer Hospital of China Medical University, Liaoning Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shenyang, Liaoning 110042, P.R. China
| | - Yu-Ze Chen
- Department of Colon and Rectum Surgery, Cancer Hospital of China Medical University, Liaoning Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shenyang, Liaoning 110042, P.R. China
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Lu Y, Tang J, Zhang W, Shen C, Xu L, Yang D. Correlation between STK33 and the pathology and prognosis of lung cancer. Oncol Lett 2017; 14:4800-4804. [PMID: 29085482 PMCID: PMC5649584 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2017.6766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2017] [Accepted: 08/11/2017] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Correlation between the expression of STK33 and the pathology of lung cancer was investigated, to explore its effects on prognosis. Hundred and two lung cancer patients diagnosed by pathological examinations were randomly selected in Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital from February, 2012 to February, 2017 to serve as observation group, and the tumor tissues were collected. At the same time, 19 patients with lung benign lesions were selected and lung tissues were also collected to serve as control group. RT-qPCR was used to detect the expression of STK33 mRNA in tissues. Expression levels of STK33 protein were detected and compared by SP immunohistochemistry staining and western blot analysis. Statistical analysis was performed to analyze the correlation between STK33 expression and the pathology and prognosis of lung cancer. Results of PCR showed that expression level of STK33 gene in control group was significantly lower than that in observation group (p<0.05). The expression level of STK33 mRNA in lung adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma was lower than that in lung small cell carcinoma and large cell carcinoma (p<0.05). Western blot analysis showed that the expression level of STK33 protein in lung small cell carcinoma and large cell carcinoma was significantly higher than that in lung adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma (p<0.05). Immunohistochemistry staining showed that the positive rate of STK33 in lung large cell carcinoma (100%) and small cell carcinoma (100%) was significantly higher than that in lung adenocarcinoma (88.1%) and squamous cell carcinoma (86.2%) (p<0.05). The 5-year survival rate analysis showed that the recurrence-free survival rate and overall survival rate of STK33 gene high expression level group were significantly lower than those of low expression level group (p<0.05). The differential expression level of STK33 is related to the pathology and prognosis of lung cancer, which is of great value in clinical diagnosis and prognosis evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Lu
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai 200233, P.R. China
| | - Jie Tang
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai 200233, P.R. China
| | - Wenmei Zhang
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai 200233, P.R. China
| | - Ce Shen
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai 200233, P.R. China
| | - Ling Xu
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai 200233, P.R. China
| | - Danrong Yang
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai 200233, P.R. China
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Jaiswal A, Peddinti G, Akimov Y, Wennerberg K, Kuznetsov S, Tang J, Aittokallio T. Seed-effect modeling improves the consistency of genome-wide loss-of-function screens and identifies synthetic lethal vulnerabilities in cancer cells. Genome Med 2017; 9:51. [PMID: 28569207 PMCID: PMC5452371 DOI: 10.1186/s13073-017-0440-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2017] [Accepted: 05/15/2017] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Genome-wide loss-of-function profiling is widely used for systematic identification of genetic dependencies in cancer cells; however, the poor reproducibility of RNA interference (RNAi) screens has been a major concern due to frequent off-target effects. Currently, a detailed understanding of the key factors contributing to the sub-optimal consistency is still a lacking, especially on how to improve the reliability of future RNAi screens by controlling for factors that determine their off-target propensity. METHODS We performed a systematic, quantitative analysis of the consistency between two genome-wide shRNA screens conducted on a compendium of cancer cell lines, and also compared several gene summarization methods for inferring gene essentiality from shRNA level data. We then devised novel concepts of seed essentiality and shRNA family, based on seed region sequences of shRNAs, to study in-depth the contribution of seed-mediated off-target effects to the consistency of the two screens. We further investigated two seed-sequence properties, seed pairing stability, and target abundance in terms of their capability to minimize the off-target effects in post-screening data analysis. Finally, we applied this novel methodology to identify genetic interactions and synthetic lethal partners of cancer drivers, and confirmed differential essentiality phenotypes by detailed CRISPR/Cas9 experiments. RESULTS Using the novel concepts of seed essentiality and shRNA family, we demonstrate how genome-wide loss-of-function profiling of a common set of cancer cell lines can be actually made fairly reproducible when considering seed-mediated off-target effects. Importantly, by excluding shRNAs having higher propensity for off-target effects, based on their seed-sequence properties, one can remove noise from the genome-wide shRNA datasets. As a translational application case, we demonstrate enhanced reproducibility of genetic interaction partners of common cancer drivers, as well as identify novel synthetic lethal partners of a major oncogenic driver, PIK3CA, supported by a complementary CRISPR/Cas9 experiment. CONCLUSIONS We provide practical guidelines for improved design and analysis of genome-wide loss-of-function profiling and demonstrate how this novel strategy can be applied towards improved mapping of genetic dependencies of cancer cells to aid development of targeted anticancer treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alok Jaiswal
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Gopal Peddinti
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Yevhen Akimov
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Krister Wennerberg
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Sergey Kuznetsov
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jing Tang
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Tero Aittokallio
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
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31
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Zhang Q, Xu L, Zhang Y, Wang T, Zou X, Zhu Y, Zhao Y, Li C, Chen K, Sun Y, Sun J, Zhao Q, Wang Q. A novel ViewRNA in situ hybridization method for the detection of the dynamic distribution of Classical Swine Fever Virus RNA in PK15 cells. Virol J 2017; 14:81. [PMID: 28420390 PMCID: PMC5395781 DOI: 10.1186/s12985-017-0734-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2016] [Accepted: 03/22/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Classical swine fever (CSF) is a highly contagious fatal infectious disease caused by classical swine fever virus (CSFV). A better understanding of CSFV replication is important for the study of pathogenic mechanism of CSF. With the development of novel RNA in situ Hybridization method, quantitatively localization and visualization of the virus RNA molecular in cultured cell or tissue section becomes very important tool to address these pivotal pathogenic questions. In this study, we established ViewRNA ISH method to reveal the dynamic distribution of CSFV RNA in PK15 cells. METHODS We designed several specific probes of CSFV RNA and reference gene β-actin for host PK15 cells to monitor the relative location of CSFV RNA and house-keeping gene in the infected cells. After determining the titer of reference strain CSFV (HeBHH1/95) with the 50% tissue culture infective dose (TCID50), we optimized the protease K concentration and formalin fixation time to analyze the hybridization efficiency, fluorescence intensity and repeatability. In order to measure the sensitivity of this assay, we compared it with the fluorescent antibody test (FAT) and immunohistochemical(IHC) method. Specificity of the ViewRNA ISH was tested by detecting several sub genotypes of CSFV (sub genotype 1.1, 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3) which are present in China and other normal pig infectious virus (bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), porcine parvovirus (PPV), porcine pseudorabies virus (PRV) and porcine circovirusII(PCV-2). RESULTS The lowest detection threshold of the ViewRNA ISH method was 10-8, while the sensitivity of FAT and IHC were 10-5 and 10-4, respectively. The ViewRNA ISH was specific for CSFV RNA including 1.1, 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3 subtypes, meanwhile, there was no cross-reaction with negative control and other viruses including BVDV, PPV, PRV and PCV-2. Our results showed that after infection at 0.5 hpi (hours post inoculation, hpi), the CSFV RNA can be detected in nucleus and cytoplasm; during 3-9 hpi, RNA was mainly distributed in nucleus and reached a maximum at 12hpi, then RNA copy number was gradually increased around the cell nucleus during 24-48 hpi and reached the peak at 72hpi. CONCLUSIONS To our knowledge, this is the first to reveal the dynamic distribution of medium virulence CSFV RNA in PK15 cells using the ViewRNA ISH method. The sensitivity of the ViewRNA ISH was three to four orders of magnitude higher than that of FAT and IHC methods. The specificity experiment showed that the ViewRNA ISH was highly specific for CSFV and no cross-reaction occurred to negative control and other pig infectious virus. This assay is more suitable for studying the CSFV RNA life cycle in cell nucleus. The results proved that CSFV RNA enters into PK15 cells earlier than 0.5hpi, relative to the eclipse period of cytoplasm is 6-9 hpi and CSFV RNA has ever existed in nucleus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qianyi Zhang
- National Classical Swine Fever Reference Laboratory, China Institute of Veterinary Drug Control, Beijing, China
| | - Lu Xu
- National Classical Swine Fever Reference Laboratory, China Institute of Veterinary Drug Control, Beijing, China
| | - Yujie Zhang
- National Classical Swine Fever Reference Laboratory, China Institute of Veterinary Drug Control, Beijing, China
| | - Tuanjie Wang
- National Classical Swine Fever Reference Laboratory, China Institute of Veterinary Drug Control, Beijing, China
| | - Xingqi Zou
- National Classical Swine Fever Reference Laboratory, China Institute of Veterinary Drug Control, Beijing, China
| | - Yuanyuan Zhu
- National Classical Swine Fever Reference Laboratory, China Institute of Veterinary Drug Control, Beijing, China
| | - Yan Zhao
- National Classical Swine Fever Reference Laboratory, China Institute of Veterinary Drug Control, Beijing, China
| | - Cui Li
- National Classical Swine Fever Reference Laboratory, China Institute of Veterinary Drug Control, Beijing, China
| | - Kai Chen
- National Classical Swine Fever Reference Laboratory, China Institute of Veterinary Drug Control, Beijing, China
| | - Yongfang Sun
- National Classical Swine Fever Reference Laboratory, China Institute of Veterinary Drug Control, Beijing, China
| | - Junxiang Sun
- National Classical Swine Fever Reference Laboratory, China Institute of Veterinary Drug Control, Beijing, China
| | - Qizu Zhao
- National Classical Swine Fever Reference Laboratory, China Institute of Veterinary Drug Control, Beijing, China.
| | - Qin Wang
- National Classical Swine Fever Reference Laboratory, China Institute of Veterinary Drug Control, Beijing, China.
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Sagri E, Koskinioti P, Gregoriou ME, Tsoumani KT, Bassiakos YC, Mathiopoulos KD. Housekeeping in Tephritid insects: the best gene choice for expression analyses in the medfly and the olive fly. Sci Rep 2017; 7:45634. [PMID: 28368031 PMCID: PMC5377319 DOI: 10.1038/srep45634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2016] [Accepted: 03/01/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Real-time quantitative-PCR has been a priceless tool for gene expression analyses. The reaction, however, needs proper normalization with the use of housekeeping genes (HKGs), whose expression remains stable throughout the experimental conditions. Often, the combination of several genes is required for accurate normalization. Most importantly, there are no universal HKGs which can be used since their expression varies among different organisms, tissues or experimental conditions. In the present study, nine common HKGs (RPL19, tbp, ubx, GAPDH, α-TUB, β-TUB, 14-3-3zeta, RPE and actin3) are evaluated in thirteen different body parts, developmental stages and reproductive and olfactory tissues of two insects of agricultural importance, the medfly and the olive fly. Three software programs based on different algorithms were used (geNorm, NormFinder and BestKeeper) and gave different ranking of HKG stabilities. This confirms once again that the stability of common HKGs should not be taken for granted and demonstrates the caution that is needed in the choice of the appropriate HKGs. Finally, by estimating the average of a standard score of the stability values resulted by the three programs we were able to provide a useful consensus key for the choice of the best HKG combination in various tissues of the two insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Efthimia Sagri
- Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece
| | - Panagiota Koskinioti
- Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece
| | - Maria-Eleni Gregoriou
- Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece
| | | | - Yiannis C Bassiakos
- Department of Economic Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, 10559, Greece
| | - Kostas D Mathiopoulos
- Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece
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Jackson RA, Chen ES. Synthetic lethal approaches for assessing combinatorial efficacy of chemotherapeutic drugs. Pharmacol Ther 2016; 162:69-85. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2016.01.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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Papke B, Murarka S, Vogel HA, Martín-Gago P, Kovacevic M, Truxius DC, Fansa EK, Ismail S, Zimmermann G, Heinelt K, Schultz-Fademrecht C, Al Saabi A, Baumann M, Nussbaumer P, Wittinghofer A, Waldmann H, Bastiaens PI. Identification of pyrazolopyridazinones as PDEδ inhibitors. Nat Commun 2016; 7:11360. [PMID: 27094677 PMCID: PMC4843002 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms11360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2015] [Accepted: 03/17/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The prenyl-binding protein PDEδ is crucial for the plasma membrane localization of prenylated Ras. Recently, we have reported that the small-molecule Deltarasin binds to the prenyl-binding pocket of PDEδ, and impairs Ras enrichment at the plasma membrane, thereby affecting the proliferation of KRas-dependent human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cell lines. Here, using structure-based compound design, we have now identified pyrazolopyridazinones as a novel, unrelated chemotype that binds to the prenyl-binding pocket of PDEδ with high affinity, thereby displacing prenylated Ras proteins in cells. Our results show that the new PDEδ inhibitor, named Deltazinone 1, is highly selective, exhibits less unspecific cytotoxicity than the previously reported Deltarasin and demonstrates a high correlation with the phenotypic effect of PDEδ knockdown in a set of human pancreatic cancer cell lines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Björn Papke
- Department of Systemic Cell Biology, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, D-44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Sandip Murarka
- Department of Chemical Biology, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, D-44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Holger A Vogel
- Department of Systemic Cell Biology, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, D-44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Pablo Martín-Gago
- Department of Chemical Biology, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, D-44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Marija Kovacevic
- Department of Systemic Cell Biology, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, D-44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Dina C Truxius
- Department of Systemic Cell Biology, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, D-44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Eyad K Fansa
- Structural Biology Group, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Physiology, D-44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Shehab Ismail
- Structural Biology Group, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Physiology, D-44227 Dortmund, Germany
- Beatson Institute for Cancer Research, Bearsden, Glasgow G61 1BD, UK
| | - Gunther Zimmermann
- Department of Chemical Biology, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, D-44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Kaatje Heinelt
- Department of Systemic Cell Biology, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, D-44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | | | - Alaa Al Saabi
- Lead Discovery Center GmbH, D-44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | | | | | - Alfred Wittinghofer
- Structural Biology Group, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Physiology, D-44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Herbert Waldmann
- Department of Chemical Biology, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, D-44227 Dortmund, Germany
- TU Dortmund, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, D-44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Philippe I.H. Bastiaens
- Department of Systemic Cell Biology, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, D-44227 Dortmund, Germany
- TU Dortmund, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, D-44227 Dortmund, Germany
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Jensen KJ, Moyer CB, Janes KA. Network Architecture Predisposes an Enzyme to Either Pharmacologic or Genetic Targeting. Cell Syst 2016; 2:112-121. [PMID: 26942229 DOI: 10.1016/j.cels.2016.01.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Chemical inhibition and genetic knockdown of enzymes are not equivalent in cells, but network-level mechanisms that cause discrepancies between knockdown and inhibitor perturbations are not understood. Here we report that enzymes regulated by negative feedback are robust to knockdown but susceptible to inhibition. Using the Raf-MEK-ERK kinase cascade as a model system, we find that ERK activation is resistant to genetic knockdown of MEK but susceptible to a comparable degree of chemical MEK inhibition. We demonstrate that negative feedback from ERK to Raf causes this knockdown-versus-inhibitor discrepancy in vivo. Exhaustive mathematical modeling of three-tiered enzyme cascades suggests that this result is general: negative autoregulation or feedback favors inhibitor potency, whereas positive autoregulation or feedback favors knockdown potency. Our findings provide a rationale for selecting pharmacologic versus genetic perturbations in vivo and point out the dangers of using knockdown approaches in search of drug targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karin J Jensen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA; Sanofi Oncology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Christian B Moyer
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA; Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Kevin A Janes
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
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Porrello A, Piergentili RB. Contextualizing the Genes Altered in Bladder Neoplasms in Pediatric andTeen Patients Allows Identifying Two Main Classes of Biological ProcessesInvolved and New Potential Therapeutic Targets. Curr Genomics 2016; 17:33-61. [PMID: 27013923 PMCID: PMC4780474 DOI: 10.2174/1389202916666151014222603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2015] [Revised: 06/29/2015] [Accepted: 07/08/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Research on bladder neoplasms in pediatric and teen patients (BNPTP) has described 21 genes, which are variously involved in this disease and are mostly responsible for deregulated cell proliferation. However, due to the limited number of publications on this subject, it is still unclear what type of relationships there are among these genes and which are the chances that, while having different molecular functions, they i) act as downstream effector genes of well-known pro- or anti- proliferative stimuli and/or interplay with biochemical pathways having oncological relevance or ii) are specific and, possibly, early biomarkers of these pathologies. A Gene Ontology (GO)-based analysis showed that these 21 genes are involved in biological processes, which can be split into two main classes: cell regulation-based and differentiation/development-based. In order to understand the involvement/overlapping with main cancer-related pathways, we performed a meta-analysis dependent on the 189 oncogenic signatures of the Molecular Signatures Database (OSMSD) curated by the Broad Institute. We generated a binary matrix with 53 gene signatures having at least one hit; this analysis i) suggests that some genes of the original list show inconsistencies and might need to be experimentally re- assessed or evaluated as biomarkers (in particular, ACTA2) and ii) allows hypothesizing that important (proto)oncogenes (E2F3, ERBB2/HER2, CCND1, WNT1, and YAP1) and (putative) tumor suppressors (BRCA1, RBBP8/CTIP, and RB1-RBL2/p130) may participate in the onset of this disease or worsen the observed phenotype, thus expanding the list of possible molecular targets for the treatment of BNPTP.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. Porrello
- Comprehensive Cancer Center (LCCC), University of North Carolina (UNC)-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, 27599 NC, USA
| | - R. b Piergentili
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Pathology at CNR (CNR-IBPM); Department of Biology and Biotechnologies, Sapienza – Università di Roma, Italy
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Jinesh GG, Molina JR, Huang L, Laing NM, Mills GB, Bar-Eli M, Kamat AM. Mitochondrial oligomers boost glycolysis in cancer stem cells to facilitate blebbishield-mediated transformation after apoptosis. Cell Death Discov 2016; 2:16003. [PMID: 27551498 PMCID: PMC4979437 DOI: 10.1038/cddiscovery.2016.3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2015] [Accepted: 12/24/2015] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Apoptosis culminates in secondary necrosis due to lack of ATP. Cancer stem cells form spheres after apoptosis by evoking the blebbishield emergency program. Hence, determining how blebbishields avoid secondary necrosis is crucial. Here we demonstrate that N-Myc and VEGFR2 control transformation from blebbishields, during which oligomers of K-Ras, p27, BAD, Bax, and Bak boost glycolysis to avoid secondary necrosis. Non-apoptotic cancer cells also utilize oligomers to boost glycolysis, which differentiates the glycolytic function of oligomers from their apoptotic action. Smac mimetic in combination with TNF-α or TRAIL but not in combination with FasL abrogates transformation from blebbishields by inducing secondary necrosis. Thus blebbishield-mediated transformation is dependent on glycolysis, and Smac mimetics represent potential candidates to abrogate the blebbishield emergency program.
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Affiliation(s)
- G G Jinesh
- Department of Urology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center , Houston, TX, USA
| | - J R Molina
- Department of Systems Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center , Houston, TX, USA
| | - L Huang
- Department of Cancer Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center , Houston, TX, USA
| | | | - G B Mills
- Department of Systems Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center , Houston, TX, USA
| | - M Bar-Eli
- Department of Cancer Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center , Houston, TX, USA
| | - A M Kamat
- Department of Urology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center , Houston, TX, USA
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Hale CM, Cheng Q, Ortuno D, Huang M, Nojima D, Kassner PD, Wang S, Ollmann MM, Carlisle HJ. Identification of modulators of autophagic flux in an image-based high content siRNA screen. Autophagy 2016; 12:713-26. [PMID: 27050463 PMCID: PMC4836002 DOI: 10.1080/15548627.2016.1147669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2015] [Revised: 01/17/2016] [Accepted: 01/23/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Autophagy is the primary process for recycling cellular constituents through lysosomal degradation. In addition to nonselective autophagic engulfment of cytoplasm, autophagosomes can recognize specific cargo by interacting with ubiquitin-binding autophagy receptors such as SQSTM1/p62 (sequestosome 1). This selective form of autophagy is important for degrading aggregation-prone proteins prominent in many neurodegenerative diseases. We carried out a high content image-based siRNA screen (4 to 8 siRNA per gene) for modulators of autophagic flux by monitoring fluorescence of GFP-SQSTM1 as well as colocalization of GFP-SQSTM1 with LAMP2 (lysosomal-associated membrane protein 2)-positive lysosomal vesicles. GFP-SQSTM1 and LAMP2 phenotypes of primary screen hits were confirmed in 2 cell types and profiled with image-based viability and MTOR signaling assays. Common seed analysis guided siRNA selection for these assays to reduce bias toward off-target effects. Confirmed hits were further validated in a live-cell assay to monitor fusion of autophagosomes with lysosomes. Knockdown of 10 targets resulted in phenotypic profiles across multiple assays that were consistent with upregulation of autophagic flux. These hits include modulators of transcription, lysine acetylation, and ubiquitination. Two targets, KAT8 (K[lysine] acetyltransferase 8) and CSNK1A1 (casein kinase 1, α 1), have been implicated in autophagic regulatory feedback loops. We confirmed that CSNK1A1 knockout (KO) cell lines have accelerated turnover of long-lived proteins labeled with (14)C-leucine in a pulse-chase assay as additional validation of our screening assays. Data from this comprehensive autophagy screen point toward novel regulatory pathways that might yield new therapeutic targets for neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Qingwen Cheng
- b Department of Neuroscience Research , Amgen Inc. , Thousand Oaks , CA , USA
| | - Danny Ortuno
- b Department of Neuroscience Research , Amgen Inc. , Thousand Oaks , CA , USA
| | - Ming Huang
- b Department of Neuroscience Research , Amgen Inc. , Thousand Oaks , CA , USA
| | - Dana Nojima
- a Discovery Technologies, Amgen Inc. , Thousand Oaks , CA , USA
| | - Paul D Kassner
- c Genome Analysis Unit, Amgen Inc. , Thousand Oaks , CA , USA
| | - Songli Wang
- c Genome Analysis Unit, Amgen Inc. , Thousand Oaks , CA , USA
| | | | - Holly J Carlisle
- b Department of Neuroscience Research , Amgen Inc. , Thousand Oaks , CA , USA
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Yang T, Song B, Zhang J, Yang GS, Zhang H, Yu WF, Wu MC, Lu JH, Shen F. STK33 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma through binding to c-Myc. Gut 2016; 65:124-33. [PMID: 25398772 PMCID: PMC4717356 DOI: 10.1136/gutjnl-2014-307545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2014] [Accepted: 10/29/2014] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE STK33 has been reported to play an important role in cancer cell proliferation. We investigated the role of STK33 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its underlying mechanisms. DESIGN 251 patients with HCC were analysed for association between STK33 expression and clinical stage and survival rate. Tamoxifen (TAM)-inducible, hepatocyte-specific STK33 transgenic and knockout mice models were used to study the role of STK33 in liver tumorigenesis. HCC cell lines were used to study the role of STK33 in cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS STK33 expression was found to be frequently upregulated in patients with HCC. Significant associations were found between increased expression of STK33 and advanced HCC staging and shorter disease-free survival of patients. Overexpression of STK33 increased HCC cell proliferation both in vitro and in vivo, whereas suppression of STK33 inhibited this effect. Using a TAM-inducible, hepatocyte-specific STK33 transgenic mouse model, we found that overexpression of STK33 resulted in increased hepatocyte proliferation, leading to tumour cell burst. Using a TAM-inducible, hepatocyte-specific STK33 knockout mouse model, we found that, when subjected to the diethylnitrosamine (DEN) liver cancer bioassay, STK33KO(flox/flox, Alb-ERT2-Cre) mice exhibited a markedly lower incidence of tumour formation compared with control mice. The underlying mechanism may be that STK33 binds directly to c-Myc and increases its transcriptional activity. In particular, the C-terminus of STK33 blocks STK33/c-Myc association, downregulates HCC cell proliferation, and reduces DEN-induced liver tumour cell number and tumour size. CONCLUSIONS STK33 plays an essential role in hepatocellular proliferation and liver tumorigenesis. The C-terminus of STK33 could be a potential therapeutic target in the treatment of patients with STK33-overexpressed HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tian Yang
- Department of Hepatic Surgery, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Bin Song
- The 3rd Department of General Surgery, Changhai Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jin Zhang
- Department of Hepatic Surgery, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Guang-Shun Yang
- Department of Hepatic Surgery, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Han Zhang
- Department of Hepatic Surgery, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wei-Feng Yu
- Department of Hepatic Surgery, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Meng-Chao Wu
- Department of Hepatic Surgery, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jun-Hua Lu
- Department of Hepatic Surgery, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Feng Shen
- Department of Hepatic Surgery, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
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Hamblett KJ, Jacob AP, Gurgel JL, Tometsko ME, Rock BM, Patel SK, Milburn RR, Siu S, Ragan SP, Rock DA, Borths CJ, O'Neill JW, Chang WS, Weidner MF, Bio MM, Quon KC, Fanslow WC. SLC46A3 Is Required to Transport Catabolites of Noncleavable Antibody Maytansine Conjugates from the Lysosome to the Cytoplasm. Cancer Res 2015; 75:5329-40. [PMID: 26631267 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-15-1610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2015] [Accepted: 09/17/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) target cytotoxic drugs to antigen-positive cells for treating cancer. After internalization, ADCs with noncleavable linkers are catabolized to amino acid-linker-warheads within the lysosome, which then enter the cytoplasm by an unknown mechanism. We hypothesized that a lysosomal transporter was responsible for delivering noncleavable ADC catabolites into the cytoplasm. To identify candidate transporters, we performed a phenotypic shRNA screen with an anti-CD70 maytansine-based ADC. This screen revealed the lysosomal membrane protein SLC46A3, the genetic attenuation of which inhibited the potency of multiple noncleavable antibody-maytansine ADCs, including ado-trastuzumab emtansine. In contrast, the potencies of noncleavable ADCs carrying the structurally distinct monomethyl auristatin F were unaffected by SLC46A3 attenuation. Structure-activity experiments suggested that maytansine is a substrate for SLC46A3. Notably, SLC46A3 silencing led to relative increases in catabolite concentrations in the lysosome. Taken together, our results establish SLC46A3 as a direct transporter of maytansine-based catabolites from the lysosome to the cytoplasm, prompting further investigation of SLC46A3 as a predictive response marker in breast cancer specimens.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Allison P Jacob
- Amgen Inc., Therapeutic Innovation Unit, Seattle, Washington
| | - Jesse L Gurgel
- Amgen Inc., Therapeutic Innovation Unit, Seattle, Washington
| | - Mark E Tometsko
- Amgen Inc., Therapeutic Innovation Unit, Seattle, Washington
| | - Brooke M Rock
- Amgen Inc., Pharmacokinetics and Drug Metabolism, Seattle, Washington
| | - Sonal K Patel
- Amgen Inc., Pharmacokinetics and Drug Metabolism, Seattle, Washington
| | - Robert R Milburn
- Amgen Inc., Small Molecule Purification and Process Development, Thousand Oaks, California
| | - Sophia Siu
- Amgen Inc., Therapeutic Discovery, Seattle, Washington
| | | | - Dan A Rock
- Amgen Inc., Pharmacokinetics and Drug Metabolism, Seattle, Washington
| | - Christopher J Borths
- Amgen Inc., Small Molecule Purification and Process Development, Thousand Oaks, California
| | | | - Wesley S Chang
- Amgen Inc., Clinical Immunology, South San Francisco, California
| | | | - Matthew M Bio
- Amgen Inc., Small Molecule Purification and Process Development, Thousand Oaks, California
| | - Kim C Quon
- Amgen Inc., Therapeutic Innovation Unit, Seattle, Washington
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Kacsinta AD, Dowdy SF. Current views on inducing synthetic lethal RNAi responses in the treatment of cancer. Expert Opin Biol Ther 2015; 16:161-72. [PMID: 26630128 DOI: 10.1517/14712598.2016.1110141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Cancer cells arise from normal cells that have incurred mutations in oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. The mutations are often unique and not readily found in normal cells, giving rise to the opportunity of exploiting these mutations to induce synthetic lethality. Synthetic lethality occurs when inhibition or mutation in two or more separate genes leads to cell death while inhibition or mutations of either gene alone has no lethal effect on the cell. Using RNA interference (RNAi) to identify synthetic lethality has become a growingly popular screening approach. AREAS COVERED In this review, we cover the use of RNAi therapeutics to induce synthetic lethality in cancer. Additionally, we discuss several select small molecule inhibitors that were identified or verified by RNAi that induce synthetic lethality in specific cancers. We also discuss the identification of novel synthetic lethal combinations and the cancer model that the combination was validated in. Lastly, we discuss RNAi delivery vehicles. EXPERT OPINION While RNAi therapeutics have great potential to treat cancer, due to the siRNA delivery problem, RNAi remains more commonly used as a tool, rather than a therapeutic. However, with emerging technological advances in the field of RNAi therapeutics, it is only a matter of time before RNAi-induced synthetic lethal clinical studies are initiated in cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Apollo D Kacsinta
- a Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine , UCSD School of Medicine , La Jolla , CA , USA
| | - Steven F Dowdy
- a Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine , UCSD School of Medicine , La Jolla , CA , USA
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Zhan T, Boutros M. Towards a compendium of essential genes - From model organisms to synthetic lethality in cancer cells. Crit Rev Biochem Mol Biol 2015; 51:74-85. [PMID: 26627871 PMCID: PMC4819810 DOI: 10.3109/10409238.2015.1117053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Essential genes are defined by their requirement to sustain life in cells or whole organisms. The systematic identification of essential gene sets not only allows insights into the fundamental building blocks of life, but may also provide novel therapeutic targets in oncology. The discovery of essential genes has been tightly linked to the development and deployment of various screening technologies. Here, we describe how gene essentiality was addressed in different eukaryotic model organisms, covering a range of organisms from yeast to mouse. We describe how increasing knowledge of evolutionarily divergent genomes facilitate identification of gene essentiality across species. Finally, the impact of gene essentiality and synthetic lethality on cancer research and the clinical translation of screening results are highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianzuo Zhan
- a Department of Cell and Molecular Biology , Division of Signaling and Functional Genomics, Medical Faculty Mannheim, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg University , Heidelberg , Germany and.,b Department of Medicine II , Medical Faculty Mannheim, University Hospital Mannheim, Heidelberg University , Mannheim , Germany
| | - Michael Boutros
- a Department of Cell and Molecular Biology , Division of Signaling and Functional Genomics, Medical Faculty Mannheim, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg University , Heidelberg , Germany and
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Modeling K-Ras-driven lung adenocarcinoma in mice: preclinical validation of therapeutic targets. J Mol Med (Berl) 2015; 94:121-35. [DOI: 10.1007/s00109-015-1360-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2015] [Accepted: 10/22/2015] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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Yu J, Silva J, Califano A. ScreenBEAM: a novel meta-analysis algorithm for functional genomics screens via Bayesian hierarchical modeling. Bioinformatics 2015; 32:260-7. [PMID: 26415723 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btv556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2015] [Accepted: 09/21/2015] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
MOTIVATION Functional genomics (FG) screens, using RNAi or CRISPR technology, have become a standard tool for systematic, genome-wide loss-of-function studies for therapeutic target discovery. As in many large-scale assays, however, off-target effects, variable reagents' potency and experimental noise must be accounted for appropriately control for false positives. Indeed, rigorous statistical analysis of high-throughput FG screening data remains challenging, particularly when integrative analyses are used to combine multiple sh/sgRNAs targeting the same gene in the library. METHOD We use large RNAi and CRISPR repositories that are publicly available to evaluate a novel meta-analysis approach for FG screens via Bayesian hierarchical modeling, Screening Bayesian Evaluation and Analysis Method (ScreenBEAM). RESULTS Results from our analysis show that the proposed strategy, which seamlessly combines all available data, robustly outperforms classical algorithms developed for microarray data sets as well as recent approaches designed for next generation sequencing technologies. Remarkably, the ScreenBEAM algorithm works well even when the quality of FG screens is relatively low, which accounts for about 80-95% of the public datasets. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION R package and source code are available at: https://github.com/jyyu/ScreenBEAM. CONTACT ac2248@columbia.edu, jose.silva@mssm.edu, yujiyang@gmail.com SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiyang Yu
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Department of Systems Biology, Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA and
| | - Jose Silva
- Department of Pathology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Andrea Califano
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Department of Systems Biology, Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA and
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Lautwein T, Lerch S, Schäfer D, Schmidt ER. The serine/threonine kinase 33 is present and expressed in palaeognath birds but has become a unitary pseudogene in neognaths about 100 million years ago. BMC Genomics 2015. [PMID: 26199010 PMCID: PMC4509753 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-015-1769-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Serine/threonine kinase 33 (STK33) has been shown to be conserved across all major vertebrate classes including reptiles, mammals, amphibians and fish, suggesting its importance within vertebrates. It has been shown to phosphorylate vimentin and might play a role in spermatogenesis and organ ontogenesis. In this study we analyzed the genomic locus and expression of stk33 in the class Aves, using a combination of large scale next generation sequencing data analysis and traditional PCR. Results Within the subclass Palaeognathae we analyzed the white-throated tinamou (Tinamus guttatus), the African ostrich (Struthio camelus) and the emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae). For the African ostrich we were able to generate a 62,778 bp long genomic contig and an mRNA sequence that encodes a protein showing highly significant similarity to STK33 proteins from other vertebrates. The emu has been shown to encode and transcribe a functional STK33 as well. For the white-throated tinamou we were able to identify 13 exons by sequence comparison encoding a protein similar to STK33 as well. In contrast, in all 28 neognath birds analyzed, we could not find evidence for the existence of a functional copy of stk33 or its expression. In the genomes of these 28 bird species, we found only remnants of the stk33 locus carrying several large genomic deletions, leading to the loss of multiple exons. The remaining exons have acquired various indels and premature stop codons. Conclusions We were able to elucidate and describe the genomic structure and the transcription of a functional stk33 gene within the subclass Palaeognathae, but we could only find degenerate remnants of stk33 in all neognath birds analyzed. This led us to the conclusion that stk33 became a unitary pseudogene in the evolutionary history of the class Aves at the paleognath-neognath branch point during the late cretaceous period about 100 million years ago. We hypothesize that the pseudogenization of stk33 might have become fixed in neognaths due to either genetic redundancy or a non-orthologous gene displacement and present potential candidate genes for such an incident. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-1769-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Lautwein
- Institute for Molecular Genetics, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Johann-Joachim-Becherweg 32, 55128, Mainz, Germany.
| | - Steffen Lerch
- Institute for Molecular Genetics, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Johann-Joachim-Becherweg 32, 55128, Mainz, Germany. .,Departement of Neurology, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Langenbeckstr.1, 55131, Mainz, Germany.
| | - Daniel Schäfer
- Institute for Molecular Genetics, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Johann-Joachim-Becherweg 32, 55128, Mainz, Germany. .,Departement of Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Clinical Immunology, University Children's Hospital, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University, Moorenstr. 5, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | - Erwin R Schmidt
- Institute for Molecular Genetics, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Johann-Joachim-Becherweg 32, 55128, Mainz, Germany.
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Uitdehaag JCM, de Roos JADM, van Doornmalen AM, Prinsen MBW, Spijkers-Hagelstein JAP, de Vetter JRF, de Man J, Buijsman RC, Zaman GJR. Selective Targeting of CTNBB1-, KRAS- or MYC-Driven Cell Growth by Combinations of Existing Drugs. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0125021. [PMID: 26018524 PMCID: PMC4446296 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0125021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2014] [Accepted: 03/19/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of combination drug treatment in cancer therapy is to improve response rate and to decrease the probability of the development of drug resistance. Preferably, drug combinations are synergistic rather than additive, and, ideally, drug combinations work synergistically only in cancer cells and not in non-malignant cells. We have developed a workflow to identify such targeted synergies, and applied this approach to selectively inhibit the proliferation of cell lines with mutations in genes that are difficult to modulate with small molecules. The approach is based on curve shift analysis, which we demonstrate is a more robust method of determining synergy than combination matrix screening with Bliss-scoring. We show that the MEK inhibitor trametinib is more synergistic in combination with the BRAF inhibitor dabrafenib than with vemurafenib, another BRAF inhibitor. In addition, we show that the combination of MEK and BRAF inhibitors is synergistic in BRAF-mutant melanoma cells, and additive or antagonistic in, respectively, BRAF-wild type melanoma cells and non-malignant fibroblasts. This combination exemplifies that synergistic action of drugs can depend on cancer genotype. Next, we used curve shift analysis to identify new drug combinations that specifically inhibit cancer cell proliferation driven by difficult-to-drug cancer genes. Combination studies were performed with compounds that as single agents showed preference for inhibition of cancer cells with mutations in either the CTNNB1 gene (coding for β-catenin), KRAS, or cancer cells expressing increased copy numbers of MYC. We demonstrate that the Wnt-pathway inhibitor ICG-001 and trametinib acted synergistically in Wnt-pathway-mutant cell lines. The ERBB2 inhibitor TAK-165 was synergistic with trametinib in KRAS-mutant cell lines. The EGFR/ERBB2 inhibitor neratinib acted synergistically with the spindle poison docetaxel and with the Aurora kinase inhibitor GSK-1070916 in cell lines with MYC amplification. Our approach can therefore efficiently discover novel drug combinations that selectively target cancer genes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Jos de Man
- Netherlands Translational Research Center B.V., Oss, The Netherlands
| | | | - Guido J. R. Zaman
- Netherlands Translational Research Center B.V., Oss, The Netherlands
- * E-mail:
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Abstract
The RAS genes are critical oncogenic drivers activated by point mutation in some 20% of human malignancies. However, no pharmacologic approaches to targeting RAS proteins directly have yet succeeded, leading to suggestions that these proteins may be "undruggable." This has led to two alternative indirect approaches to targeting RAS function in cancer. One has been to target RAS signaling pathways downstream at tractable enzymes such as kinases, particularly in combination. The other, which is the focus of this review, has been to seek targets that are essential in cells bearing an activated RAS oncogene, but not those without. This synthetic lethal approach, while rooted in ideas from invertebrate genetics, has been inspired most strongly by the successful use of PARP inhibitors, such as olaparib, in the clinic to treat BRCA defective cancers. Several large-scale screens have been carried out using RNA interference-mediated expression silencing to find genes that are uniquely essential to RAS-mutant but not wild-type cells. These screens have been notable for the low degree of overlap between their results, with the possible exception of proteasome components, and have yet to lead to successful new clinical approaches to the treatment of RAS-mutant cancers. Possible reasons for these disappointing results are discussed here, along with a reevaluation of the approaches taken. On the basis of experience to date, RAS synthetic lethality has so far fallen some way short of its original promise and remains unproven as an approach to finding effective new ways of tackling RAS-mutant cancers. Clin Cancer Res; 21(8); 1802-9. ©2015 AACR. See all articles in this CCR Focus section, "Targeting RAS-Driven Cancers."
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian Downward
- Signal Transduction Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom. Lung Cancer Group, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom.
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Identification of novel therapeutic targets in acute leukemias with NRAS mutations using a pharmacologic approach. Blood 2015; 125:3133-43. [PMID: 25833960 DOI: 10.1182/blood-2014-12-615906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2014] [Accepted: 03/25/2015] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Oncogenic forms of NRAS are frequently associated with hematologic malignancies and other cancers, making them important therapeutic targets. Inhibition of individual downstream effector molecules (eg, RAF kinase) have been complicated by the rapid development of resistance or activation of bypass pathways. For the purpose of identifying novel targets in NRAS-transformed cells, we performed a chemical screen using mutant NRAS transformed Ba/F3 cells to identify compounds with selective cytotoxicity. One of the compounds identified, GNF-7, potently and selectively inhibited NRAS-dependent cells in preclinical models of acute myelogenous leukemia and acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Mechanistic analysis revealed that its effects were mediated in part through combined inhibition of ACK1/AKT and of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase kinase 2 (germinal center kinase). Similar to genetic synthetic lethal approaches, these results suggest that small molecule screens can be used to identity novel therapeutic targets in cells addicted to RAS oncogenes.
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49
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Moore JD. The impact of CRISPR–Cas9 on target identification and validation. Drug Discov Today 2015; 20:450-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2014.12.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2014] [Revised: 12/11/2014] [Accepted: 12/23/2014] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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Wang P, Cheng H, Wu J, Yan A, Zhang L. STK33 plays an important positive role in the development of human large cell lung cancers with variable metastatic potential. Acta Biochim Biophys Sin (Shanghai) 2015; 47:214-23. [PMID: 25662617 DOI: 10.1093/abbs/gmu136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Serine/threonine kinase 33 (STK33) is a novel protein that has attracted considerable interest in recent years. Previous research has revealed that STK33 expression plays a special role in cancer cell proliferation. However, the mechanisms of STK33 induction of cancer cells remain largely unknown. In this study, it is demonstrated that STK33 expression varies in NL9980 and L9981 cells which are homogeneous cell lines with similar genetic backgrounds. STK33 can promote cell migration and invasion and suppress p53 gene expression in the NL9980 and L9981 cells. In addition, this protein also promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Moreover, STK33 knockdown decreases tumor-related gene expression and inhibits cell migration, invasion, and EMT, suggesting that STK33 may be a mediator of signaling pathways that are involved in cancer. In conclusion, our results suggest that STK33 may be an important prognostic marker and a therapeutic target for the metastatic progression of human lung cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Wang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province, Kunming 650031, China
| | - Hongzhong Cheng
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province, Kunming 650031, China
| | - Jianqiang Wu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province, Kunming 650031, China
| | - Anrun Yan
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province, Kunming 650031, China
| | - Libin Zhang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province, Kunming 650031, China
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