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Chai JY, Sugumar V, Alshanon AF, Wong WF, Fung SY, Looi CY. Defining the Role of GLI/Hedgehog Signaling in Chemoresistance: Implications in Therapeutic Approaches. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:4746. [PMID: 34638233 PMCID: PMC8507559 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13194746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Revised: 04/12/2021] [Accepted: 04/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Insight into cancer signaling pathways is vital in the development of new cancer treatments to improve treatment efficacy. A relatively new but essential developmental signaling pathway, namely Hedgehog (Hh), has recently emerged as a major mediator of cancer progression and chemoresistance. The evolutionary conserved Hh signaling pathway requires an in-depth understanding of the paradigm of Hh signaling transduction, which is fundamental to provide the necessary means for the design of novel tools for treating cancer related to aberrant Hh signaling. This review will focus substantially on the canonical Hh signaling and the treatment strategies employed in different studies, with special emphasis on the molecular mechanisms and combination treatment in regard to Hh inhibitors and chemotherapeutics. We discuss our views based on Hh signaling's role in regulating DNA repair machinery, autophagy, tumor microenvironment, drug inactivation, transporters, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, and cancer stem cells to promote chemoresistance. The understanding of this Achilles' Heel in cancer may improve the therapeutic outcome for cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Yi Chai
- School of Biosciences, Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences, Taylor’s University, Subang Jaya 47500, Malaysia;
| | - Vaisnevee Sugumar
- School of Medicine, Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences, Taylor’s University, Subang Jaya 47500, Malaysia;
| | - Ahmed F. Alshanon
- Center of Biotechnology Researches, University of Al-Nahrain, Baghdad 10072, Iraq;
| | - Won Fen Wong
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia;
| | - Shin Yee Fung
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
| | - Chung Yeng Looi
- School of Biosciences, Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences, Taylor’s University, Subang Jaya 47500, Malaysia;
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3
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Baker AEG, Bahlmann LC, Tam RY, Liu JC, Ganesh AN, Mitrousis N, Marcellus R, Spears M, Bartlett JMS, Cescon DW, Bader GD, Shoichet MS. Benchmarking to the Gold Standard: Hyaluronan-Oxime Hydrogels Recapitulate Xenograft Models with In Vitro Breast Cancer Spheroid Culture. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2019; 31:e1901166. [PMID: 31322299 DOI: 10.1002/adma.201901166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2019] [Revised: 06/28/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Many 3D in vitro models induce breast cancer spheroid formation; however, this alone does not recapitulate the complex in vivo phenotype. To effectively screen therapeutics, it is urgently needed to validate in vitro cancer spheroid models against the gold standard of xenografts. A new oxime-crosslinked hyaluronan (HA) hydrogel is designed, manipulating gelation rate and mechanical properties to grow breast cancer spheroids in 3D. This HA-oxime breast cancer model maintains the gene expression profile most similar to that of tumor xenografts based on a pan-cancer gene expression profile (comprising 730 genes) of three different human breast cancer subtypes compared to Matrigel or conventional 2D culture. Differences in gene expression between breast cancer cultures in HA-oxime versus Matrigel or 2D are confirmed for 12 canonical pathways by gene set variation analysis. Importantly, drug response is dependent on the culture method. Breast cancer cells respond better to the Rac inhibitor (EHT-1864) and the PI3K inhibitor (AZD6482) when cultured in HA-oxime versus Matrigel. This study demonstrates the superiority of an HA-based hydrogel as a platform for in vitro breast cancer culture of both primary, patient-derived cells and cell lines, and provides a hydrogel culture model that closely matches that in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander E G Baker
- The Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, 160 College St, Ontario, M5S 3E1, Canada
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, 200 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3E5, Canada
- Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, 164 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3G9, Canada
| | - Laura C Bahlmann
- The Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, 160 College St, Ontario, M5S 3E1, Canada
- Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, 164 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3G9, Canada
| | - Roger Y Tam
- The Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, 160 College St, Ontario, M5S 3E1, Canada
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, 200 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3E5, Canada
- Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, 164 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3G9, Canada
| | - Jeffrey C Liu
- The Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, 160 College St, Ontario, M5S 3E1, Canada
- Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, 164 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3G9, Canada
| | - Ahil N Ganesh
- The Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, 160 College St, Ontario, M5S 3E1, Canada
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, 200 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3E5, Canada
- Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, 164 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3G9, Canada
| | - Nikolaos Mitrousis
- The Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, 160 College St, Ontario, M5S 3E1, Canada
- Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, 164 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3G9, Canada
| | - Richard Marcellus
- Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, MaRS Centre, 661 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 0A3, Canada
| | - Melanie Spears
- Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, MaRS Centre, 661 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 0A3, Canada
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - John M S Bartlett
- Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, MaRS Centre, 661 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 0A3, Canada
| | - David W Cescon
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, 610 University Ave., Toronto, Ontario, M5G 2C1, Canada
| | - Gary D Bader
- The Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, 160 College St, Ontario, M5S 3E1, Canada
| | - Molly S Shoichet
- The Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, 160 College St, Ontario, M5S 3E1, Canada
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, 200 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3E5, Canada
- Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, 164 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3G9, Canada
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, 80 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3H6, Canada
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Hwang SY, Park S, Kwon Y. Recent therapeutic trends and promising targets in triple negative breast cancer. Pharmacol Ther 2019; 199:30-57. [PMID: 30825473 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2019.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 132] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2018] [Accepted: 02/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Breast cancer accounts for 25% of all types of cancer in women, and triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) comprises around 15~20% of breast cancers. Conventional chemotherapy and radiation are the primary systemic therapeutic strategies; no other FDA-approved targeted therapies are yet available as for TNBC. TNBC is generally characterized by a poor prognosis and high rates of proliferation and metastases. Due to these aggressive features and lack of targeted therapies, numerous attempts have been made to discover viable molecular targets for TNBC. Massive cohort studies, clinical trials, and in-depth analyses have revealed diverse molecular alterations in TNBC; however, controversy exists as to whether many of these changes are beneficial or detrimental in caner progression. Here we review the complicated tumorigenic processes and discuss critical findings and therapeutic trends in TNBC with a focus on promising therapeutic approaches, the clinical trials currently underway, and potent experimental compounds under preclinical and evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soo-Yeon Hwang
- College of Pharmacy, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Republic of Korea
| | - Seojeong Park
- College of Pharmacy, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Republic of Korea
| | - Youngjoo Kwon
- College of Pharmacy, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Republic of Korea.
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