New Perspectives on Sex Steroid Hormones Signaling in Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Identifying Sex Differences in Lung Adenocarcinoma Using Multi-Omics Integrative Protein Signaling Networks

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) exhibits differences between the sexes in incidence, prognosis, and therapy, suggesting underexplored molecular mechanisms. We conducted an integrative multi-omics analysis using the Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) datasets to contrast transcriptomes and proteomes between sexes. We used TIGER to analyze TCGA-LUAD expression data and found sex-biased activity of transcription factors (TFs); we used PTM-SEA with CPTAC-LUAD proteomics data and found sex-biased kinase activity. We combined these to construct a kinase-TF signaling network and discovered druggable pathways linked to cancer-related processes. We also found significant sex biases in clinically relevant TFs and kinases, including NR3C1, AR, and AURKA. Using the PRISM drug screening database, we identified potential sex-specific drugs, such as glucocorticoid receptor agonists and aurora kinase inhibitors. Our findings emphasize the importance of considering sex and using multi-omics network methods to discover personalized cancer therapies.

Plk3 Enhances Cisplatin Sensitivity of Nonsmall-Cell Lung Cancer Cells through Inhibition of the PI3K/AKT Pathway via Stabilizing PTEN

Polo-like kinase 3 (Plk3) is involved in tumor development with a tumor suppressive function. However, the effect of Plk3 on the chemoresistance remains unclear. It has been documented that activation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway by PTEN loss significantly enhances chemoresistance in nonsmall-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This study aims to evaluate the PTEN regulation by Plk3 and identify targets and underlying mechanisms that could be used to relieve chemoresistance. Our results showed that silencing Plk3 reduced PTEN expression and activated PI3K/AKT signaling by dephosphorylating and destabilizing PTEN in NSCLC cells. Reducing Plk3 expression promoted drug resistance to cisplatin (DDP), while overexpressing Plk3 promoted DDP sensitivity. However, these effects were attenuated when MK2206, a PI3K/AKT inhibitor, was applied. In conclusion, upregulation of Plk3 sensitized NSCLC cells toward DDP, which provides a potential target to restore DDP chemoresponse. We provided novel evidence that the PTEN/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway could be regulated by Plk3 through phosphorylation of PTEN and highlighted the critical role of Plk3 in the DDP resistance of NSCLC.