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Tomić A, Čonkaš J, Ozretić P. Let’s Talk about Sex Hormone Receptors and Their Physical Interaction with Sonic Hedgehog Protein: A Computational Study with Emphasis on Progesterone Receptor. APPLIED SCIENCES 2024; 14:562. [DOI: 10.3390/app14020562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
The mature form of the sonic hedgehog protein (SHH-N) is the main canonical activator of the Hedgehog-GLI signaling pathway whose aberrant activity can lead to the development of hormone-dependent cancers like breast or prostate cancer. In this study, we employed computational methods to explore the potential binding of SHH-N with the progesterone receptor (PR), the sole member of the nuclear sex hormone receptor (SHRs) subfamily not previously linked to SHH-N. Through a combination of molecular docking, robust molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, and free energy calculations, we predicted a stable binding between SHH-N-cholesterol and PR. To validate our findings, we extended our in silico investigation to encompass the complexes between SHH-N-cholesterol and estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) and androgen receptor (AR)—complexes that have been experimentally confirmed in our prior studies. The calculations not only confirmed the stable binding of SHH-N-cholesterol with both ERα and AR but also revealed the strongest binding occurred with ERα, followed by AR and PR, suggesting a non-canonical interaction with potential biological significance. Microsecond-long MD simulations unveiled tight cholesterol binding in the SHRs’ binding sites, and we gained insights into sub-molecular interactions contributing to protein-protein stabilization in complexes involving PR and ERα for the first time. The MM/PBSA calculations indicated comparable binding affinities of PR for progesterone and SHH-N-cholesterol, with ERα exhibiting a more favorable enthalpy of binding with SHH-N-cholesterol than with estradiol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonija Tomić
- Division of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Ruder Bošković Institute, Bijenička 54, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Josipa Čonkaš
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Ruder Bošković Institute, Bijenička 54, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Petar Ozretić
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Ruder Bošković Institute, Bijenička 54, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
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Giubellino A, Torres-Cabala C. Editorial for Special Issue "Molecular Mechanisms and Signaling Pathways in Melanoma". Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:4675. [PMID: 37835369 PMCID: PMC10571808 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15194675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Melanoma represents the leading cause of death from cutaneous malignancy [...].
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessio Giubellino
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Carlos Torres-Cabala
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA;
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Piteša N, Kurtović M, Bartoniček N, Gkotsi DS, Čonkaš J, Petrić T, Musani V, Ozretić P, Riobo-Del Galdo NA, Sabol M. Signaling Switching from Hedgehog-GLI to MAPK Signaling Potentially Serves as a Compensatory Mechanism in Melanoma Cell Lines Resistant to GANT-61. Biomedicines 2023; 11:biomedicines11051353. [DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11051353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Revised: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Melanoma represents the deadliest skin cancer due to its cell plasticity which results in high metastatic potential and chemoresistance. Melanomas frequently develop resistance to targeted therapy; therefore, new combination therapy strategies are required. Non-canonical signaling interactions between HH-GLI and RAS/RAF/ERK signaling were identified as one of the drivers of melanoma pathogenesis. Therefore, we decided to investigate the importance of these non-canonical interactions in chemoresistance, and examine the potential for HH-GLI and RAS/RAF/ERK combined therapy. Methods: We established two melanoma cell lines resistant to the GLI inhibitor, GANT-61, and characterized their response to other HH-GLI and RAS/RAF/ERK inhibitors. Results: We successfully established two melanoma cell lines resistant to GANT-61. Both cell lines showed HH-GLI signaling downregulation and increased invasive cell properties like migration potential, colony forming capacity, and EMT. However, they differed in MAPK signaling activity, cell cycle regulation, and primary cilia formation, suggesting different potential mechanisms responsible for resistance occurrence. Conclusions: Our study provides the first ever insights into cell lines resistant to GANT-61 and shows potential mechanisms connected to HH-GLI and MAPK signaling which may represent new hot spots for noncanonical signaling interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolina Piteša
- Ruđer Bošković Institute, Division of Molecular Medicine, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Matea Kurtović
- Ruđer Bošković Institute, Division of Molecular Medicine, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Nenad Bartoniček
- The Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Genome Informatics, Genomics & Epigenetics Division, 384 Victoria St., Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia
- The Kinghorn Centre for Clinical Genomics, 370 Victoria St., Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia
| | - Danai S. Gkotsi
- School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
- Astbury Centre for Molecular Structural Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Josipa Čonkaš
- Ruđer Bošković Institute, Division of Molecular Medicine, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Tina Petrić
- Ruđer Bošković Institute, Division of Molecular Medicine, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Vesna Musani
- Ruđer Bošković Institute, Division of Molecular Medicine, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Petar Ozretić
- Ruđer Bošković Institute, Division of Molecular Medicine, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Natalia A. Riobo-Del Galdo
- School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
- Astbury Centre for Molecular Structural Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
- Leeds Institute of Medical Research, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
- Leeds Cancer Research Centre, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Maja Sabol
- Ruđer Bošković Institute, Division of Molecular Medicine, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
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