New Insights into the Role of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in Breast Cancer Metastasis

Role, mechanisms and effects of Radix Bupleuri in anti‑breast cancer (Review)

The prevalence of breast cancer among women has led to a growing need for innovative anti-breast cancer medications and an in-depth investigation into their molecular mechanisms of action, both of which are essential tactics in clinical intervention. In the clinical practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Radix Bupleuri and its active components have shown promise as potential anti-breast cancer agents due to their ability to target multiple pathways, exhibit synergistic effects and reduce toxicity. These compounds are considered to enhance the prognosis of patients with cancer, prolong survival and combat chemotherapy resistance. The present review aimed to delve into the anti-breast cancer properties of Radix Bupleuri and its active ingredients, highlighting their mechanisms, such as inhibition of cell proliferation, promotion of apoptosis, metastasis prevention, microenvironment improvement and synergy with certain chemotherapeutic agents. These findings may provide a scientific rationale for combining Radix Bupleuri and its active components with traditional chemotherapy agents for the management of breast cancer.

FOXA1 Suppresses Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress, Oxidative Stress, and Neuronal Apoptosis in Parkinson's Disease by Activating PON2 Transcription

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and oxidative stress (OS) are often related states in pathological conditions including Parkinson's disease (PD). This study investigates the role of anti-oxidant protein paraoxonase 2 (PON2) in ER stress and OS in PD, along with its regulatory molecule. PD was induced in C57BL/6 mice using 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine hydrochloride (MPTP) treatment and in SH-SY5Y cells using 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium. PON2 was found to be poorly expressed in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) of PD mice, and its overexpression improved motor coordination of mice. Through the evaluation of tyrosine hydroxylase, dopamine transporter, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) levels and neuronal loss in mice, as well as the examination of CHOP, glucose-regulated protein 94 (GRP94), GRP78, caspase-12, sarco/endoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase 2, malondialdehyde, and superoxide dismutase levels in SH-SY5Y cells, we observed that PON2 overexpression mitigated ER stress, OS, and neuronal apoptosis both in vivo and in vitro. Forkhead box A1 (FOXA1) was identified as a transcription factor binding to the PON2 promoter to activate its transcription. Upregulation of FOXA1 similarly protected against neuronal loss by alleviating ER stress and OS, while the protective roles were abrogated by additional PON2 silencing. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that FOXA1-mediated transcription of PON2 alleviates ER stress and OS, ultimately reducing neuronal apoptosis in PD.

AGR2-mediated unconventional secretion of 14-3-3ε and α-actinin-4, responsive to ER stress and autophagy, drives chemotaxis in canine mammary tumor cells

BACKGROUND

Canine mammary tumors (CMTs) in intact female dogs provide a natural model for investigating metastatic human cancers. Our prior research identified elevated expression of Anterior Gradient 2 (AGR2), a protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) primarily found in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), in CMT tissues, highly associated with CMT progression. We further demonstrated that increased AGR2 expression actively influences the extracellular microenvironment, promoting chemotaxis in CMT cells. Unraveling the underlying mechanisms is crucial for assessing the potential of therapeutically targeting AGR2 as a strategy to inhibit a pro-metastatic microenvironment and impede tumor metastasis.

METHODS

To identify the AGR2-modulated secretome, we employed proteomics analysis of the conditioned media (CM) from two CMT cell lines ectopically expressing AGR2, compared with corresponding vector-expressing controls. AGR2-regulated release of 14-3-3ε (gene: YWHAE) and α-actinin 4 (gene: ACTN4) was validated through ectopic expression, knockdown, and knockout of the AGR2 gene in CMT cells. Extracellular vesicles derived from CMT cells were isolated using either differential ultracentrifugation or size exclusion chromatography. The roles of 14-3-3ε and α-actinin 4 in the chemotaxis driven by the AGR2-modulated CM were investigated through gene knockdown, antibody-mediated interference, and recombinant protein supplement. Furthermore, the clinical relevance of the release of 14-3-3ε and α-actinin 4 was assessed using CMT tissue-immersed saline and sera from CMT-afflicted dogs.

RESULTS

Proteomics analysis of the AGR2-modulated secretome revealed increased abundance in 14-3-3ε and α-actinin 4. Ectopic expression of AGR2 significantly increased the release of 14-3-3ε and α-actinin 4 in the CM. Conversely, knockdown or knockout of AGR2 expression remarkably reduced their release. Silencing 14-3-3ε or α-actinin 4 expression diminished the chemotaxis driven by AGR2-modulated CM. Furthermore, AGR2 controls the release of 14-3-3ε and α-actinin 4 primarily via non-vesicular routes, responding to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and autophagy activation. Knockout of AGR2 resulted in increased α-actinin 4 accumulation and impaired 14-3-3ε translocation in autophagosomes. Depletion of extracellular 14-3-3ε or α-actinin 4 reduced the chemotaxis driven by AGR2-modulated CM, whereas supplement with recombinant 14-3-3ε in the CM enhanced the CM-driven chemotaxis. Notably, elevated levels of 14-3-3ε or α-actinin 4 were observed in CMT tissue-immersed saline compared with paired non-tumor samples and in the sera of CMT dogs compared with healthy dogs.

CONCLUSION

This study elucidates AGR2's pivotal role in orchestrating unconventional secretion of 14-3-3ε and α-actinin 4 from CMT cells, thereby contributing to paracrine-mediated chemotaxis. The insight into the intricate interplay between AGR2-involved ER stress, autophagy, and unconventional secretion provides a foundation for refining strategies aimed at impeding metastasis in both canine mammary tumors and potentially human cancers.

Amlodipine inhibits the proliferation and migration of esophageal carcinoma cells through the induction of endoplasmic reticulum stress

BACKGROUND

L-type calcium channels are the only protein channels sensitive to calcium channel blockers, and are expressed in various cancer types. The Cancer Genome Atlas database shows that the mRNA levels of multiple L-type calcium channel subunits in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma tumor tissue are significantly higher than those in normal esophageal epithelial tissue. Therefore, we hypothesized that amlodipine, a long-acting dihydropyridine L-type calcium channel blocker, may inhibit the occurrence and development of esophageal cancer (EC).

AIM

To investigate the inhibitory effects of amlodipine on EC through endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress.

METHODS

Cav1.3 protein expression levels in 50 pairs of EC tissues and corresponding paracancerous tissues were examined. Subsequently, the inhibitory effects of amlodipine on proliferation and migration of EC cells in vitro were detected using 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide and Transwell assays. In vivo experiments were performed using murine xenograft model. To elucidate the underlying mechanisms, in vitro cell studies were performed to confirm that ER stress plays a role in inhibition proliferation and migration of EC cells treated with amlodipine.

RESULTS

The expression level of Cav1.3 in esophageal carcinoma was 1.6 times higher than that in paracancerous tissues. Amlodipine treatment decreased the viability of esophageal carcinoma cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. In vivo animal experiments also clearly indicated that amlodipine inhibited the growth of EC tumors in mice. Additionally, amlodipine reduces the migration of tumor cells by inhibiting epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Mechanistic studies have demonstrated that amlodipine induces ER stress-mediated apoptosis and suppresses EMT. Moreover, amlodipine-induced autophagy was characterized by an increase in autophagy lysosomes and the accumulation of light chain 3B protein. The combination of amlodipine with the ER stress inhibitor 4-phenylbutyric acid further confirmed the role of the ER stress response in amlodipine-induced apoptosis, EMT, and autophagy. Furthermore, blocking autophagy increases the ratio of apoptosis and migration.

CONCLUSION

Collectively, we demonstrate for the first time that amlodipine promotes apoptosis, induces autophagy, and inhibits migration through ER stress, thereby exerting anti-tumor effects in EC.

Metastatic effects of environmental carcinogens mediated by MAPK and UPR pathways with an in vivo Drosophila Model

Metastasis includes tumor invasion and migration and underlies over 90% of cancer mortality. The metastatic effects of environmental carcinogens raised serious health concerns. However, the underlying mechanisms remained poorly studied. In the present study, an in vivo Ras^V12/lgl^-/- model of the fruitfly, Drosophila melanogaster, with an 8-day exposure was employed to explore the metastatic effects of 3,3',4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB126), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and cadmium chloride (CdCl₂). At 1.0 mg/L, PCB126, PFOA, and CdCl₂ significantly increased tumor invasion rates by 1.32-, 1.33-, and 1.29-fold of the control, respectively. They also decreased the larval body weight and locomotion behavior. Moreover, they commonly disturbed the expression levels of target genes in MAPK and UPR pathways, and their metastatic effects were significantly abolished by the addition of p38 inhibitor (SB203580), JNK inhibitor (SP600125) and IRE1 inhibitor (KIRA6). Notably, the addition of the IRE inhibitor significantly influenced sna/E-cad pathway which is essential in both p38 and JNK regulations. The results demonstrated an essential role of sna/E-cad in connecting the effects of carcinogens on UPR and MAPK regulations and the resultant metastasis.

Mildly elevated diastolic blood pressure increases subsequent risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women in the Health Examinees-Gem study

Epidemiological evidence suggests that hypertension is associated with breast cancer risk. However, previous studies disregard blood pressure components in the healthy population. We aimed to examine the relationship between systolic and diastolic blood pressure and breast cancer risk in a Korean population-based prospective cohort. A total of 73,031 women from the Health Examinees Gem Study were followed from baseline (2004 to 2013) through 2018. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure were measured by trainee physicians at baseline recruitment and then categorized based on the international guidelines for clinical hypertension. Associations between systolic and diastolic blood pressure with overall breast cancer and stratified by premenopausal and postmenopausal status were evaluated using adjusted multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression. A total of 858 breast cancer cases were recorded for a median follow-up period of 9 years. Compared with the normal DBP category (< 85 mmHg), the normal-high category was positively associated with breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women (85–89 mmHg, HR 1.73 95% CI 1.28–2.33), but not in premenopausal women (85–89 mmHg, HR 0.87 95% CI 0.56–1.35). Similar results were found when all cases of self-reported hypertension were excluded. Results for SBP did not show a significant association with breast cancer risk. The association between DBP and breast cancer suggests DBP could be an important factor in cancer prevention, especially for women after menopause. Our study provides a first detailed approach to understanding the importance of diastolic blood pressure for breast cancer prevention and warrants further investigation.

Gremlin-1 Promotes Colorectal Cancer Cell Metastasis by Activating ATF6 and Inhibiting ATF4 Pathways

Cancer cell survival, function and fate strongly depend on endoplasmic reticulum (ER) proteostasis. Although previous studies have implicated the ER stress signaling network in all stages of cancer development, its role in cancer metastasis remains to be elucidated. In this study, we investigated the role of Gremlin-1 (GREM1), a secreted protein, in the invasion and metastasis of colorectal cancer (CRC) cells in vitro and in vivo. Firstly, public datasets showed a positive correlation between high expression of GREM1 and a poor prognosis for CRC. Secondly, GREM1 enhanced motility and invasion of CRC cells by epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). Thirdly, GREM1 upregulated expression of activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6) and downregulated that of ATF4, and modulation of the two key players of the unfolded protein response (UPR) was possibly through activation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR and antagonization of BMP2 signaling pathways, respectively. Taken together, our results demonstrate that GREM1 is an invasion-promoting factor via regulation of ATF6 and ATF4 expression in CRC cells, suggesting GREM1 may be a potential pharmacological target for colorectal cancer treatment.

Versatile Protein Coronation Approach with Multiple Depleted Serum for Creating Biocompatible, Precision Nanomedicine

The protein corona effect has long been treated as the evil source behind delivery efficacy issues. In this study, this concept is challenged by showcasing that the protein corona can serve as a versatile functionalization approach to improve the delivery efficacy or mitigate nanocytotoxicity. To this end, the depleted serum is introduced to create nanomaterials carrying functionally distinct protein corona, referred to as PCylated nanomaterials. It is confirmed that the passivation with depleted serum helps reduce the toxicity and pro-inflammatory response. Furthermore, the same method can be leveraged to enhance the capacity of nanomaterials to undergo endocytosis as well as their potential as an agonist for the NF-κB pathways. The comparable stability of protein corona created by late and early-stage serum reveals that the chanceless interaction with nanomaterials, rather than an inadequate binding strength, may be behind the failure of enriching certain components. The PCylation strategy is extended to cancer patient-derived fluid, creating a set of T1 and T3-stage cancer-specific nanotherapeutics to retard the metastasis of cancer cells, while leaving normal endothelial negligibly affected. It is hoped the novel PCylation approach validated here can shed light on the future development of precision nanomedicine with improved delivery efficacy.

Endoplasmic reticulum stress inhibits AR expression via the PERK/eIF2α/ATF4 pathway in luminal androgen receptor triple-negative breast cancer and prostate cancer

Androgen receptor (AR) is an important prognostic marker and therapeutic target in luminal androgen receptor triple-negative breast cancer (LAR TNBC) and prostate cancer (PCa). Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress may activate the unfolded protein response (UPR) to regulate associated protein expression and is closely related to tumor growth and drug resistance. The effect of ER stress on AR expression and signaling remains unclear. Here, we focused on the regulation and underlying mechanism of AR expression induced by ER stress in LAR TNBC and PCa. Western blotting and quantitative RT-PCR results showed that AR expression was markedly decreased under ER stress induced by thapsigargin and brefeldin A, and this effect was dependent on PERK/eIF2α/ATF4 signaling activation. Chromatin immunoprecipitation-PCR and luciferase reporter gene analysis results showed that ATF4 bound to the AR promoter regions to inhibit its activity. Moreover, ATF4 overexpression inhibited tumor proliferation and AR expression both in vitro and in vivo. Collectively, these results demonstrated that ER stress could decrease AR mRNA and protein levels via PERK/eIF2α/ATF4 signaling in LAR TNBC and PCa. Targeting the UPR may be a treatment strategy for AR-dependent TNBC and PCa.

Serum Level of Tumor-Overexpressed AGR2 Is Significantly Associated with Unfavorable Prognosis of Canine Malignant Mammary Tumors

Simple Summary

Canine malignant mammary tumor (MMT) is a prevalent malignancy in intact female dogs. A current lack of easily accessible tumor biomarkers hinders a timely assessment of the disease outcome. This study reveals that anterior gradient protein 2 (AGR2) is overexpressed in canine MMT tissues, and elevated levels of extracellular AGR2 in sera of MMT dogs are significantly associated with progression and remote metastasis of MMT and an unfavorable overall survival of the patients. Hence, serum eAGR2 level is significantly associated with an adverse outcome of MMT dogs and holds a predictive potential in MMT prognosis.

Abstract

Canine malignant mammary tumors (MMTs) are prevalent malignancy in intact female dogs with a high incidence of metastasis and recurrence. A current lack of easily accessible tumor biomarkers hinders a timely assessment of the disease outcome. We previously identified anterior gradient protein 2 (AGR2) with higher protein abundance in canine MMT tissues compared with normal counterparts. AGR2 is an endoplasmic reticulum-resident protein disulfide isomerase involved in the regulation of protein processing and also exists extracellularly via secretion to exert pro-oncogenic functions. In the present study, we validated overexpression of AGR2 in canine MMT tissues from 45 dogs using immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting, and assessed serum AGR2 levels in 81 dogs with MMTs and 21 benign cases using a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Our data revealed that serum eAGR2 levels are significantly correlated with MMT progression (p = 0.0007) and remote tumor metastasis (p = 0.002). Moreover, elevated levels of serum eAGR2 are associated with an unfavorable overall survival of MMT dogs in later stage (p = 0.0158). Area under the time-dependent ROC curve (AUC) of serum eAGR2 level as a prognostic indicator was 0.839. Collectively, this study uncovered that serum eAGR2 level is significantly associated with an adverse outcome of MMT dogs and holds a predictive potential in MMT prognosis.

ER resident protein 44 promotes malignant phenotype in nasopharyngeal carcinoma through the interaction with ATP citrate lyase

Background

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is one of the most common malignancy in head and neck. With the development of treatments, the prognosis has improved these years, but metastasis is still the main cause of treatment failure. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) resident protein 44 is a UPR-induced ER protein of the protein disulphide isomerase (PDI) family. This study investigated the role of ERp44 in NPC progression.

Methods

Firstly, immunohistochemistry, western blot and qRT-PCR were used to investigate the expression of ERp44 in NPC samples and cell lines. We analyzed 44 NPC samples for ERp44 expression and investigated the association between its expression level with clinicopathologic parameters. Then we took CCK8, Transwell migration assay and used the zebrafish model to access the role of ERp44 on the malignant phenotype in NPC cells. Secondly, we used co-IP to gain the proteins that interact with ERp44 and took proteomic analysis. Furthermore, we successfully constructed the mutant variants of ERp44 and found the interaction domain with ATP citrate lyase(ACLY). Lastly, we subcutaneously injected NPC cells into nude mice and took immunohistochemistry to exam the expression of ACLY and ERp44. Then we used western blot to detect the expression level of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers.

Results

In the present study, we found ERp44 was elevated in NPC tissues and correlated with clinical stages and survive state of the patients. In vitro, the downregulation of ERp44 in NPC cells (CNE2, 5-8F) could suppress cells proliferation and migration. After that, we recognized that ACLY might be a potential target that could interact with ERp44. We further constructed the mutant variants of ERp44 and found the interaction domain with ACLY. The promotion of ERp44 on cell migration could be inhibited when ACLY was knocked down. More importantly, we also observed that the interaction of ERp44 with ACLY, especially the thioredoxin region in ERp44 play a vital role in regulating EMT. Lastly, we found ERp44 was positively correlated with the expression of ACLY and could promote NPC cells growth in nude mice.

Conclusion

Our data indicated that ERp44 participates in promoting NPC progression through the interaction with ACLY and regulation of EMT.

High Content Analysis Across Signaling Modulation Treatments for Subcellular Target Identification Reveals Heterogeneity in Cellular Response

Cellular phenotypes on bioactive compound treatment are a result of the downstream targets of the respective treatment. Here, a computational approach is taken for downstream subcellular target identification to understand the basis of the cellular response. This response is a readout of cellular phenotypes captured from cell-painting-based light microscopy images. The readouts are morphological profiles measured simultaneously from multiple cellular organelles. Cellular profiles generated from roughly 270 diverse treatments on bone cancer cell line form the high content screen used in this study. Phenotypic diversity across these treatments is demonstrated, depending on the image-based phenotypic profiles. Furthermore, the impact of the treatments on specific organelles and associated organelle sensitivities are determined. This revealed that endoplasmic reticulum has a higher likelihood of being targeted. Employing multivariate regression overall cellular response is predicted based on fewer organelle responses. This prediction model is validated against 1,000 new candidate compounds. Different compounds despite driving specific modulation outcomes elicit a varying effect on cellular integrity. Strikingly, this confirms that phenotypic responses are not conserved that enables quantification of signaling heterogeneity. Agonist-antagonist signaling pairs demonstrate switch of the targets in the cascades hinting toward evidence of signaling plasticity. Quantitative analysis of the screen has enabled the identification of these underlying signatures. Together, these image-based profiling approaches can be employed for target identification in drug and diseased states and understand the hallmark of cellular response.

[A Review of the Roles of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in Cancer Cell Metastasis]

Metastasis is a multistep and low-efficiency biological process driven by acquisition of genetic and/or epigenetic alterations within tumor cells. These evolutionary alterations enable tumor cells to thrive in the inhospitable microenvironment they encounter in the process of metastasis and eventually lead to macroscopic metastases in distant organs. The unfolded protein response (UPR) induced by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is one of the most important mechanisms regulating cellular adaptation to an adverse microenvironment. UPR is involved in all stages of metastasis, playing an important role in tumor cell growth, survival, and differentiation and the process of maintaining protein hemostasis. Sustained activation of ER stress sensors endows tumor cells with better epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), survival, immune escape, angiogenesis, cellular adhesion, dormancy-to reactivation capacity in the process of metastasis. Here, we discussed the role of UPR in regulating the above-mentioned abilities of tumor cells during metastasis, providing a reference for development of new targets for the treatment of tumor metastasis.UPR in regulating the above-mentioned characteristics and mechanisms of tumor cells during metastasis, providing a reference for development of new targets for the treatment of tumor metastasis.

Transcriptional co-activators YAP/TAZ: Potential therapeutic targets for metastatic breast cancer

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women. Although routine and targeted therapies have improved the survival rate, there are still considerable challenges in the treatment of breast cancer. Metastasis is the leading cause of death in patients diagnosed with breast cancer. Yes-associated protein (YAP) and/or PDZ binding motif (TAZ) are usually abnormally activated in breast cancer leading to a variety of effects on tumour promotion, such as epithelial-mesenchymal transition, cancer stem cell production and drug-resistance. The abnormal activation of YAP/TAZ can affect metastasis-related processes and promote cancer progression and metastasis by interacting with some metastasis-related factors and pathways. In this article, we summarise the evidence that YAP/TAZ regulates breast cancer metastasis, its post-translational modification mechanisms, and the latest advances in the treatment of YAP/TAZ-related breast cancer metastasis, besides providing a new strategy of YAP/TAZ-based treatment of human breast cancer.

Exploring the Regulation Mechanism of Xihuang Pill, Olibanum and β-Boswellic Acid on the Biomolecular Network of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Based on Transcriptomics and Chemical Informatics Methodology

Background

Xihuang Pill (XHP) is mainly used to treat “Ru Yan (breast cancer)”. Evidence-based medical evidence and showed that XHP improves the efficacy of chemotherapy and reduced chemotherapy-induced toxicity in breast cancer patients. However, the mechanism of XHP against breast cancer is not clear.

Methods

The effect of XHP extract on cell half-inhibitory concentration (IC50) and cell viability of MD-MB-231 cells was detected by CCK-8 method. The cell inhibition rate of MDA-MB-453 cells were detected by MTT method. Apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry, cell transfer ability was detected by Transwell method, and cell proliferation ability was detected by colony formation assay. The expression of Notch1, β-catenin and c-myc mRNA in MDA-MB-453 cells were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR. Then, chemical informatics and transcriptomics methodology was utilized to predict the potential compounds and targets of XHP, and collect triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) genes and the data of Olibanum and β-boswellic acid intervention MD-MB-231 cells (from GSE102891). The cytoscape software was utilized to undergo network construction and network analysis. Finally, the data from the network analysis was imported into the DAVID database for enrichment analysis of signaling pathways and biological processes.

Results

The IC50 was 15.08 g/L (for MD-MB-231 cells). After interfering with MD-MB-231 cells with 15.08 g/L XHP extract for 72 h, compared with the control group, the cell viability, migration and proliferation was significantly decreased, while early apoptosis and late apoptosis were significantly increased (P < 0.01). After interfering with MDA-MB-453 cells with 6 g/L XHP extract for 72 h, compared with the control group, the cell inhibition and apoptosis rate increased, while the expression of Notch1, β-catenin and c-myc mRNA decreased. (P < 0.05). The chemical informatics and transcriptomics analysis showed that four networks were constructed and analyzed: (1) potential compounds-potential targets network of XHP; (2) XHP-TNBC PPI network; (3) DEGs PPI network of Olibanum-treated MD-MB 231 cells; (4) DEGs PPI network of β-boswellic acid -treated MD-MB 231 cells. Several anti-TNBC biological processes, signaling pathways, targets and so on were obtained.

Conclusion

XHP may exert anti-TNBC effects through regulating biological processes, signaling pathways, targets found in this study.

Network modeling of patients' biomolecular profiles for clinical phenotype/outcome prediction

Methods for phenotype and outcome prediction are largely based on inductive supervised models that use selected biomarkers to make predictions, without explicitly considering the functional relationships between individuals. We introduce a novel network-based approach named Patient-Net (P-Net) in which biomolecular profiles of patients are modeled in a graph-structured space that represents gene expression relationships between patients. Then a kernel-based semi-supervised transductive algorithm is applied to the graph to explore the overall topology of the graph and to predict the phenotype/clinical outcome of patients. Experimental tests involving several publicly available datasets of patients afflicted with pancreatic, breast, colon and colorectal cancer show that our proposed method is competitive with state-of-the-art supervised and semi-supervised predictive systems. Importantly, P-Net also provides interpretable models that can be easily visualized to gain clues about the relationships between patients, and to formulate hypotheses about their stratification.

Endoplasmic reticulum stress: an arising target for metal-based anticancer agents

Metal anticancer agents are rapidly emerging as selective, potent therapeutics that exhibit anticancer activity by inducing endoplasmic reticulum stress.

Revealing Protein Aggregates under Thapsigargin-Induced ER Stress Using an ER-Targeted Thioflavin

Endoplasmic reticulum-thioflavin T (ER-ThT), a thioflavin T-based fluorescent chemosensor, was developed to detect protein aggregates in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and was applied to live cells under various forms of ER stress. Upon dithiothreitol (DTT)-induced reductive denaturation of lysozyme and albumin, the intensity was increased in a protein concentration-dependent way, following a nonfluorescent lag phase. ER-ThT detects protein aggregates rather than unfolded proteins in solution, and the protein aggregation can be visualized in the presence of lipid membranes or native proteins. Within live HeLa cells, ER-ThT is localized in the ER and its fluorescence was dramatically increased upon ER stress induction by DTT, Thapsigargin, or Brefeldin A. Moreover, in the presence of ER stress modulators (tauroursodeoxycholic acid, trimethylamine N-oxide, or 4-phenylbutyric acid), also known as chemical chaperones, the fluorescence under Thapsigargin treatment was suppressed to the level of the control group. Thus, ER-ThT is capable of detecting the accumulation of protein aggregates under ER stress in living cells and acts as an in vitro screening tool for ER stress modulators, putative prodrugs against ER-related proteopathy. Overall, the results strongly suggest that protein aggregation is intricately involved in the activation of the unfolded protein response following ER stress.

Association between p53 Expression and Amount of Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Background

Most triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) have a high histologic grade, are associated with high endoplasmic stress, and possess a high frequency of TP53 mutations. TP53 missense mutations lead to the production of mutant p53 protein and usually show high levels of p53 protein expression. Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) accumulate as part of the anti-tumor immune response and have a strong prognostic and predictive significance in TNBC. We aimed to elucidate the association between p53 expression and the amount of TILs in TNBC.

Methods

In 678 TNBC patients, we evaluated TIL levels and expression of endoplasmic stress molecules. Immunohistochemical examination of p53 protein expression was categorized into three groups: no, low, and high expression.

Results

No, low, and high p53 expression was identified in 44.1% (n = 299), 20.1% (n = 136), and 35.8% (n = 243) of patients, respectively. Patients with high p53 expression showed high histologic grade (p < .001), high TIL levels (p = .009), and high expression of endoplasmic reticulum stress-associated molecules (p-eIF2a, p = .013; XBP1, p = .007), compared to patients with low p53 expression. There was no significant difference in disease-free (p = .406) or overall survival rates (p = .444) among the three p53 expression groups.

Conclusions

High p53 expression is associated with increased expression of endoplasmic reticulum stress molecules and TIL influx.