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Feng M, Santhanam RK, Xing H, Zhou M, Jia H. Inhibition of γ-secretase/Notch pathway as a potential therapy for reversing cancer drug resistance. Biochem Pharmacol 2024; 220:115991. [PMID: 38135129 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2023.115991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023]
Abstract
The mechanism of tumor drug resistance is complex and may involve stem cell maintenance, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, the activation of survival signaling pathways, transporter protein expression, and tumor microenvironment remodeling, all of which are linked to γ-secretase/Notch signaling. Increasing evidence has shown that the activation of the γ-secretase/Notch pathway is a key driver of cancer progression and drug resistance development and that γ-secretase inhibitors (GSIs) may be the most promising agents for reversing chemotherapy resistance of tumors by targeting the γ-secretase/Notch pathway. Here, we systematically summarize the roles in supporting γ-secretase/Notch activation-associated transformation of cancer cells into cancer stem cells, promotion of the EMT process, PI3K/Akt, MEK/ERK and NF-κB activation, enhancement of ABC transporter protein expression, and TME alteration in mediating tumor drug resistance. Subsequently, we analyze the mechanism of GSIs targeting the γ-secretase/Notch pathway to reverse tumor drug resistance and propose the outstanding advantages of GSIs in treating breast cancer drug resistance over other tumors. Finally, we emphasize that the development of GSIs for reversing tumor drug resistance is promising.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mei Feng
- Science and Experimental Research Center of Shenyang Medical College, Shenyang 110034, China; Shenyang Key Laboratory of Vascular Biology, Shenyang 110034, China
| | - Ramesh Kumar Santhanam
- Faculty of Science and Marine Environment, University Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia
| | - Huan Xing
- Science and Experimental Research Center of Shenyang Medical College, Shenyang 110034, China
| | - Mingsheng Zhou
- Science and Experimental Research Center of Shenyang Medical College, Shenyang 110034, China; Shenyang Key Laboratory of Vascular Biology, Shenyang 110034, China.
| | - Hui Jia
- School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shenyang Medical College, Shenyang 110034, China.
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2
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Wang W, Liu R, Liao W, Ji L, Mei J, Su D. NOTCH2 gene mutation and gamma-secretase inhibitor in mediating the malignancy of ovarian cancer. Aging (Albany NY) 2023; 15:9743-9758. [PMID: 37728427 PMCID: PMC10564443 DOI: 10.18632/aging.205045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023]
Abstract
The carcinogenic mechanisms by which serous ovarian cancer (OC) occurs remain to be explored. Currently, we have conducted whole-exome sequencing (WES) and targeted deep sequencing to validate new molecular markers, including NOTCH2, that impede the progression of cell malignancy in ovarian cancer (OC). Following NOTCH2 P2113S mutation and NOTCH signaling pathway inhibitor N-[N-(3,5-difluorophenacetyl)-L-alanyl]-S-phenylglycine t-butyl ester (DAPT) treatment, the cell proliferation, migration, and invasion of A2780 and SKOV3 OC cells were examined in vitro. WES identified the P2113S point mutation in NOTCH2. The NOTCH2 mutation rate was 26.67 % among the 75 OC cases. The NOTCH2 P2113S mutation and DAPT treatment downregulated Notch-2 protein levels in the two OC cells. Functionally, interfering with NOTCH2 expression promoted the migrative, proliferative, and invasive capacities of OC cells. Western blotting further confirmed that NOTCH2-mediated tumorigenesis lies in reducing apoptosis through dysregulation of Bax/Bcl2, affecting repair of DNA damage through reducing DNA-PK and blocking the transcription factor Hes1 along with increasing immune regulator p65. Furthermore, the NOTCH2-mediated tumorigenesis was mostly reversed after NF-κB inhibitor Bay11-7082 treatment. These findings identified the NOTCH2 P2113S mutation in ovarian carcinogenesis, and NOTCH2 P2113S is a potential target in treating OC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjing Wang
- School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, Sichuan, China
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences and Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, Sichuan, China
| | - Ruiqian Liu
- Deyang People’s Hospital, Deyang 618099, Sichuan, China
| | - Wei Liao
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences and Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, Sichuan, China
| | - Landie Ji
- School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, Sichuan, China
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences and Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, Sichuan, China
| | - Jie Mei
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences and Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, Sichuan, China
- Chinese Academy of Sciences Sichuan Translational Medicine Research Hospital, Chengdu 610054, Sichuan, China
| | - Dan Su
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences and Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, Sichuan, China
- Chinese Academy of Sciences Sichuan Translational Medicine Research Hospital, Chengdu 610054, Sichuan, China
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3
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Liu S, Xie SM, Liu W, Gagea M, Hanker AB, Nguyen N, Singareeka Raghavendra A, Yang-Kolodji G, Chu F, Neelapu SS, Marchese A, Hanash S, Zimmermann J, Arteaga CL, Tripathy D. Targeting CXCR4 abrogates resistance to trastuzumab by blocking cell cycle progression and synergizes with docetaxel in breast cancer treatment. Breast Cancer Res 2023; 25:62. [PMID: 37280713 DOI: 10.1186/s13058-023-01665-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although trastuzumab and other HER2-targeted therapies have significantly improved survival in patients with HER2 overexpressed or amplified (HER2+) breast cancer, a significant proportion of patients do not respond or eventually develop clinical resistance. Strategies to reverse trastuzumab resistance remain a high clinical priority. We were the first to report the role of CXCR4 in trastuzumab resistance. The present study aims to explore the therapeutic potential of targeting CXCR4 and better understand the associated mechanisms. METHODS Immunofluorescent staining, confocal microscopy analysis, and immunoblotting were used to analyze CXCR4 expression. BrdU incorporation assays and flow cytometry were used to analyze dynamic CXCR4 expression. Three-dimensional co-culture (tumor cells/breast cancer-associated fibroblasts/human peripheral blood mononuclear cells) or antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity assay was used to mimic human tumor microenvironment, which is necessary for testing therapeutic effects of CXCR4 inhibitor or trastuzumab. The FDA-approved CXCR4 antagonist AMD3100, trastuzumab, and docetaxel chemotherapy were used to evaluate therapeutic efficacy in vitro and in vivo. Reverse phase protein array and immunoblotting were used to discern the associated molecular mechanisms. RESULTS Using a panel of cell lines and patient breast cancer samples, we confirmed CXCR4 drives trastuzumab resistance in HER2+ breast cancer and further demonstrated the increased CXCR4 expression in trastuzumab-resistant cells is associated with cell cycle progression with a peak in the G2/M phases. Blocking CXCR4 with AMD3100 inhibits cell proliferation by downregulating mediators of G2-M transition, leading to G2/M arrest and abnormal mitosis. Using a panel of trastuzumab-resistant cell lines and an in vivo established trastuzumab-resistant xenograft mouse model, we demonstrated that targeting CXCR4 with AMD3100 suppresses tumor growth in vitro and in vivo, and synergizes with docetaxel. CONCLUSIONS Our findings support CXCR4 as a novel therapeutic target and a predictive biomarker for trastuzumab resistance in HER2+ breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuying Liu
- Department of Breast Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Shelly M Xie
- Department of Breast Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Wenbin Liu
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Mihai Gagea
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ariella B Hanker
- Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Nguyen Nguyen
- Department of Leukemia, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | - Gloria Yang-Kolodji
- Department of Medicine, University of South California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Fuliang Chu
- Department of Lymphoma-Myeloma, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Sattva S Neelapu
- Department of Lymphoma-Myeloma, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Adriano Marchese
- Department of Biochemistry, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Samir Hanash
- Department of Clinical Cancer Prevention, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | - Carlos L Arteaga
- Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Debasish Tripathy
- Department of Breast Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
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4
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Liu S, Xie SM, Liu W, Gagea M, Hanker AB, Nguyen N, Raghavendra AS, Yang-Kolodji G, Chu F, Neelapu SS, Hanash S, Zimmermann J, Arteaga CL, Tripathy D. Targeting CXCR4 abrogates resistance to trastuzumab by blocking cell cycle progression and synergizes with docetaxel in breast cancer treatment. Res Sq 2023:rs.3.rs-2388864. [PMID: 36824840 PMCID: PMC9949251 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2388864/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Abstract
Background: Although trastuzumab and other HER2-targeted therapies have significantly improved survival in patients with HER2 overexpressed or amplified (HER2+) breast cancer, a significant proportion of patients do not respond or eventually develop clinical resistance. Strategies to reverse trastuzumab resistance remain a high clinical priority. We were the first to report the role of CXCR4 in trastuzumab resistance. The present study aims to explore the therapeutic potential of targeting CXCR4 and better understand the associated mechanisms. Methods: Immunofluorescent staining, confocal microscopy analysis, and immunoblotting were used to analyze CXCR4 expression. BrdU incorporation assays and flow cytometry were used to analyze dynamic CXCR4expression. Three-dimensional co-culture (tumor cells/ breast cancer-associated fibroblasts / human peripheral blood mononuclear cells) or antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity assay was used to mimic human tumor microenvironment, which is necessary for testing therapeutic effect of CXCR4 inhibitor or trastuzumab. The FDA-approved CXCR4 antagonist AMD3100, trastuzumab, and docetaxel chemotherapy were used to evaluate therapeutic efficacy in vitro and in vivo. Reverse phase protein array and immunoblotting were used to discern the associated molecular mechanisms. Results: Using multiple cell lines and patient breast cancer samples we confirmed CXCR4 drives trastuzumab resistance in HER2+ breast cancer and further demonstrated that the increased CXCR4 expression in trastuzumab-resistant cells is associated with cell cycle progression with a peak in the G2/M phases. Blocking CXCR4 with AMD3100 inhibits cell proliferation by downregulating mediators of G2-M transition, leading to G2/M arrest and abnormal mitosis. Using multiple trastuzumab-resistant cell lines and an in vivo established trastuzumab-resistant xenograft mouse model, we demonstrated that targeting CXCR4 with AMD3100 suppresses tumor growth in vitro and in vivo, and synergizes with docetaxel. Conclusions: Our findings support CXCR4 as a novel therapeutic target and a predictive biomarker for trastuzumab resistance in HER2+ breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuying Liu
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
| | | | - Wenbin Liu
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
| | - Mihai Gagea
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
| | | | | | | | | | - Fuliang Chu
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
| | | | - Samir Hanash
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
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5
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Jie X, Du M, Zhang M, Jin X, Cai Q, Xu C, Zhang X. Mutation analysis of circulating tumor DNA and paired ascites and tumor tissues in ovarian cancer. Exp Ther Med 2022; 24:542. [PMID: 35978934 PMCID: PMC9366257 DOI: 10.3892/etm.2022.11479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is one conventional type of liquid biopsy that can be collected to dynamically monitor disease status. However, its potential clinical value and concordance with ascites samples or tumor biopsy needs to be evaluated further for patients with ovarian cancer. Therefore, the present study compared the mutation profiles among ctDNA, paired tumor tissue and ascites samples to explore their possible clinical value in ovarian cancer. Targeted next-generation sequencing was used to screen for mutations in 18 peripheral blood samples, six paired ascites samples and eight paired tumor tissues collected from patients with ovarian cancer. Functional analyses were performed using public databases. WebGestalt was used to perform Gene Ontology and pathway enrichment analyses. The cBioPortal for Cancer Genomics was used to assess therapeutic targets. Chilibot and Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes/Proteins were used to obtain key genes and their functional interactions. Comparative analysis was performed among the three types of samples using Venn diagram. A total of 104 cancer-associated mutant genes in ctDNA samples, 95 genes in tumor tissues and 44 genes in ascites samples were found. A cluster covering 10 genes, namely NOTCH2, NOTCH3, lysine methyltransferase 2A, PTEN, androgen receptor, DNA-activated protein kinase catalytic subunit, hepatocyte nuclear factor 1 homeobox A, SRC, insulin receptor substrate 2 and SRY-box transcription factor 10, was obtained by Chilibot analysis. This gene panel may have the potential to monitor metastasis and identify therapeutic targets in ovarian cancer. Taken together, the present study focused on the mutant genes in ctDNA, ascites and tumor tissues, and suggested that the integrated information of different samples could be examined to comprehensively reflect the mutational landscape in ovarian cancer. However, procedures and protocols to interpret and utilize the integrated information obtained from various forms of liquid biopsies will require optimization prior to their use for future clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoxiang Jie
- Department of Gynecology, Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200011, P.R. China
| | - Ming Du
- Department of Gynecology, Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200011, P.R. China
| | - Meng Zhang
- Department of Gynecology, Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200011, P.R. China
| | - Xiayu Jin
- Department of Gynecology, Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200011, P.R. China
| | - Qingqing Cai
- Department of Gynecology, Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200011, P.R. China
| | - Congjian Xu
- Department of Gynecology, Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200011, P.R. China
| | - Xiaoyan Zhang
- Department of Gynecology, Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200011, P.R. China
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6
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Giuli MV, Mancusi A, Giuliani E, Screpanti I, Checquolo S. Notch signaling in female cancers: a multifaceted node to overcome drug resistance. Cancer Drug Resist 2022; 4:805-836. [PMID: 35582386 PMCID: PMC8992449 DOI: 10.20517/cdr.2021.53] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2021] [Revised: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Drug resistance is one of the main challenges in cancer therapy, including in the treatment of female-specific malignancies, which account for more than 60% of cancer cases among women. Therefore, elucidating the underlying molecular mechanisms is an urgent need in gynecological cancers to foster novel therapeutic approaches. Notably, Notch signaling, including either receptors or ligands, has emerged as a promising candidate given its multifaceted role in almost all of the hallmarks of cancer. Concerning the connection between Notch pathway and drug resistance in the afore-mentioned tumor contexts, several studies focused on the Notch-dependent regulation of the cancer stem cell (CSC) subpopulation or the induction of the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), both features implicated in either intrinsic or acquired resistance. Indeed, the present review provides an up-to-date overview of the published results on Notch signaling and EMT- or CSC-driven drug resistance. Moreover, other drug resistance-related mechanisms are examined such as the involvement of the Notch pathway in drug efflux and tumor microenvironment. Collectively, there is a long way to go before every facet will be fully understood; nevertheless, some small pieces are falling neatly into place. Overall, the main aim of this review is to provide strong evidence in support of Notch signaling inhibition as an effective strategy to evade or reverse resistance in female-specific cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria V Giuli
- Laboratory of Molecular Pathology, Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University, Rome 00161, Italy
| | - Angelica Mancusi
- Laboratory of Molecular Pathology, Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University, Rome 00161, Italy
| | - Eugenia Giuliani
- Scientific Direction, San Gallicano Dermatological Institute IRCCS, Rome 00144, Italy
| | - Isabella Screpanti
- Laboratory of Molecular Pathology, Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University, Rome 00161, Italy
| | - Saula Checquolo
- Department of Medico-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnology, Sapienza University, Latina 04100, Italy.,Center for Life Nano Science@Sapienza, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome 00161, Italy
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7
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Mahabady MK, Mirzaei S, Saebfar H, Gholami MH, Zabolian A, Hushmandi K, Hashemi F, Tajik F, Hashemi M, Kumar AP, Aref AR, Zarrabi A, Khan H, Hamblin MR, Nuri Ertas Y, Samarghandian S. Noncoding RNAs and their therapeutics in paclitaxel chemotherapy: Mechanisms of initiation, progression, and drug sensitivity. J Cell Physiol 2022; 237:2309-2344. [PMID: 35437787 DOI: 10.1002/jcp.30751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2021] [Revised: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The identification of agents that can reverse drug resistance in cancer chemotherapy, and enhance the overall efficacy is of great interest. Paclitaxel (PTX) belongs to taxane family that exerts an antitumor effect by stabilizing microtubules and inhibiting cell cycle progression. However, PTX resistance often develops in tumors due to the overexpression of drug transporters and tumor-promoting pathways. Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) are modulators of many processes in cancer cells, such as apoptosis, migration, differentiation, and angiogenesis. In the present study, we summarize the effects of ncRNAs on PTX chemotherapy. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) can have opposite effects on PTX resistance (stimulation or inhibition) via influencing YES1, SK2, MRP1, and STAT3. Moreover, miRNAs modulate the growth and migration rates of tumor cells in regulating PTX efficacy. PIWI-interacting RNAs, small interfering RNAs, and short-hairpin RNAs are other members of ncRNAs regulating PTX sensitivity of cancer cells. Long noncoding RNAs (LncRNAs) are similar to miRNAs and can modulate PTX resistance/sensitivity by their influence on miRNAs and drug efflux transport. The cytotoxicity of PTX against tumor cells can also be affected by circular RNAs (circRNAs) and limitation is that oncogenic circRNAs have been emphasized and experiments should also focus on onco-suppressor circRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahmood K Mahabady
- Anatomical Sciences Research Center, Institute for Basic Sciences, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran
| | - Sepideh Mirzaei
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hamidreza Saebfar
- Farhikhtegan Medical Convergence Sciences Research Center, Farhikhtegan Hospital Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad H Gholami
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kazerun Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kazerun, Iran
| | - Amirhossein Zabolian
- Resident of Orthopedics, Department of Orthopedics, School of Medicine, 5th Azar Hospital, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Golestan, Iran
| | - Kiavash Hushmandi
- Division of Epidemiology, Department of Food Hygiene and Quality Control, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Farid Hashemi
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Tajik
- Oncopathology Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mehrdad Hashemi
- Farhikhtegan Medical Convergence Sciences Research Center, Farhikhtegan Hospital Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Alan P Kumar
- NUS Centre for Cancer Research (N2CR), Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Pharmacology, Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Amir R Aref
- Belfer Center for Applied Cancer Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Xsphera Biosciences Inc, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Ali Zarrabi
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Istinye University, Sariyer, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Haroon Khan
- Department of Pharmacy, Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan, Pakistan
| | - Michael R Hamblin
- Laser Research Centre, Faculty of Health Science, University of Johannesburg, Doornfontein, South Africa
| | - Yavuz Nuri Ertas
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey.,ERNAM-Nanotechnology Research and Application Center, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey
| | - Saeed Samarghandian
- Noncommunicable Diseases Research Center, Neyshabur University of Medical Sciences, Neyshabur, Iran
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8
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Zhdanovskaya N, Firrincieli M, Lazzari S, Pace E, Scribani Rossi P, Felli MP, Talora C, Screpanti I, Palermo R. Targeting Notch to Maximize Chemotherapeutic Benefits: Rationale, Advanced Strategies, and Future Perspectives. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13205106. [PMID: 34680255 PMCID: PMC8533696 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13205106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Revised: 10/03/2021] [Accepted: 10/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary The Notch signaling pathway regulates cell proliferation, apoptosis, stem cell self-renewal, and differentiation in a context-dependent fashion both during embryonic development and in adult tissue homeostasis. Consistent with its pleiotropic physiological role, unproper activation of the signaling promotes or counteracts tumor pathogenesis and therapy response in distinct tissues. In the last twenty years, a wide number of studies have highlighted the anti-cancer potential of Notch-modulating agents as single treatment and in combination with the existent therapies. However, most of these strategies have failed in the clinical exploration due to dose-limiting toxicity and low efficacy, encouraging the development of novel agents and the design of more appropriate combinations between Notch signaling inhibitors and chemotherapeutic drugs with improved safety and effectiveness for distinct types of cancer. Abstract Notch signaling guides cell fate decisions by affecting proliferation, apoptosis, stem cell self-renewal, and differentiation depending on cell and tissue context. Given its multifaceted function during tissue development, both overactivation and loss of Notch signaling have been linked to tumorigenesis in ways that are either oncogenic or oncosuppressive, but always context-dependent. Notch signaling is critical for several mechanisms of chemoresistance including cancer stem cell maintenance, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, tumor-stroma interaction, and malignant neovascularization that makes its targeting an appealing strategy against tumor growth and recurrence. During the last decades, numerous Notch-interfering agents have been developed, and the abundant preclinical evidence has been transformed in orphan drug approval for few rare diseases. However, the majority of Notch-dependent malignancies remain untargeted, even if the application of Notch inhibitors alone or in combination with common chemotherapeutic drugs is being evaluated in clinical trials. The modest clinical success of current Notch-targeting strategies is mostly due to their limited efficacy and severe on-target toxicity in Notch-controlled healthy tissues. Here, we review the available preclinical and clinical evidence on combinatorial treatment between different Notch signaling inhibitors and existent chemotherapeutic drugs, providing a comprehensive picture of molecular mechanisms explaining the potential or lacking success of these combinations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadezda Zhdanovskaya
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (N.Z.); (M.F.); (S.L.); (E.P.); (P.S.R.); (C.T.)
| | - Mariarosaria Firrincieli
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (N.Z.); (M.F.); (S.L.); (E.P.); (P.S.R.); (C.T.)
- Center for Life Nano Science, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Sara Lazzari
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (N.Z.); (M.F.); (S.L.); (E.P.); (P.S.R.); (C.T.)
| | - Eleonora Pace
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (N.Z.); (M.F.); (S.L.); (E.P.); (P.S.R.); (C.T.)
| | - Pietro Scribani Rossi
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (N.Z.); (M.F.); (S.L.); (E.P.); (P.S.R.); (C.T.)
| | - Maria Pia Felli
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy;
| | - Claudio Talora
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (N.Z.); (M.F.); (S.L.); (E.P.); (P.S.R.); (C.T.)
| | - Isabella Screpanti
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (N.Z.); (M.F.); (S.L.); (E.P.); (P.S.R.); (C.T.)
- Correspondence: (I.S.); (R.P.)
| | - Rocco Palermo
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (N.Z.); (M.F.); (S.L.); (E.P.); (P.S.R.); (C.T.)
- Center for Life Nano Science, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 00161 Rome, Italy
- Correspondence: (I.S.); (R.P.)
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9
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Kahn BM, Lucas A, Alur RG, Wengyn MD, Schwartz GW, Li J, Sun K, Maurer HC, Olive KP, Faryabi RB, Stanger BZ. The vascular landscape of human cancer. J Clin Invest 2021; 131:136655. [PMID: 33258803 DOI: 10.1172/jci136655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2020] [Accepted: 11/12/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Tumors depend on a blood supply to deliver oxygen and nutrients, making tumor vasculature an attractive anticancer target. However, only a fraction of patients with cancer benefit from angiogenesis inhibitors. Whether antiangiogenic therapy would be more effective if targeted to individuals with specific tumor characteristics is unknown. To better characterize the tumor vascular environment both within and between cancer types, we developed a standardized metric - the endothelial index (EI) - to estimate vascular density in over 10,000 human tumors, corresponding to 31 solid tumor types, from transcriptome data. We then used this index to compare hyper- and hypovascular tumors, enabling the classification of human tumors into 6 vascular microenvironment signatures (VMSs) based on the expression of a panel of 24 vascular "hub" genes. The EI and VMS correlated with known tumor vascular features and were independently associated with prognosis in certain cancer types. Retrospective testing of clinical trial data identified VMS2 classification as a powerful biomarker for response to bevacizumab. Thus, we believe our studies provide an unbiased picture of human tumor vasculature that may enable more precise deployment of antiangiogenesis therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin M Kahn
- Department of Medicine.,Department of Cell and Developmental Biology.,Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute.,Abramson Cancer Center
| | - Alfredo Lucas
- Department of Medicine.,Department of Cell and Developmental Biology.,Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute.,Abramson Cancer Center
| | - Rohan G Alur
- Department of Medicine.,Department of Cell and Developmental Biology.,Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute.,Abramson Cancer Center
| | - Maximillian D Wengyn
- Department of Medicine.,Department of Cell and Developmental Biology.,Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute.,Abramson Cancer Center
| | - Gregory W Schwartz
- Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute.,Abramson Cancer Center.,Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.,Penn Epigenetics Institute, and.,Department of Cancer Biology Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Jinyang Li
- Department of Medicine.,Department of Cell and Developmental Biology.,Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute.,Abramson Cancer Center
| | - Kathryn Sun
- Department of Medicine.,Department of Cell and Developmental Biology.,Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute.,Abramson Cancer Center
| | - H Carlo Maurer
- Department of Medicine, Division of Digestive Liver Diseases and Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - Kenneth P Olive
- Department of Medicine, Division of Digestive Liver Diseases and Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - Robert B Faryabi
- Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute.,Abramson Cancer Center.,Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.,Penn Epigenetics Institute, and.,Department of Cancer Biology Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Ben Z Stanger
- Department of Medicine.,Department of Cell and Developmental Biology.,Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute.,Abramson Cancer Center
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10
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Xiu M, Wang Y, Li B, Wang X, Xiao F, Chen S, Zhang L, Zhou B, Hua F. The Role of Notch3 Signaling in Cancer Stemness and Chemoresistance: Molecular Mechanisms and Targeting Strategies. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 8:694141. [PMID: 34195229 PMCID: PMC8237348 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.694141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Aberrant Notch signaling profoundly affects cancer progression. Especially the Notch3 receptor was found to be dysregulated in cancer, where its expression is correlated with worse clinicopathological features and poor prognosis. The activation of Notch3 signaling is closely related to the activation of cancer stem cells (CSCs), a small subpopulation in cancer that is responsible for cancer progression. In addition, Notch3 signaling also contributes to tumor chemoresistance against several drugs, including doxorubicin, platinum, taxane, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)–tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and gemcitabine, through complex mechanisms. In this review, we mainly focus on discussing the molecular mechanisms by which Notch3 modulates cancer stemness and chemoresistance, as well as other cancer behaviors including metastasis and angiogenesis. What’s more, we propose potential treatment strategies to block Notch3 signaling, such as non-coding RNAs, antibodies and antibody-drug conjugates, providing a comprehensive reference for research on precise targeted cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengxi Xiu
- Department of Anesthesiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China.,Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology of Jiangxi Province, Nanchang, China
| | - Yongbo Wang
- Department of Anesthesiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China.,Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology of Jiangxi Province, Nanchang, China
| | - Baoli Li
- Department of Anesthesiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China.,Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology of Jiangxi Province, Nanchang, China
| | - Xifeng Wang
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
| | - Fan Xiao
- Department of Anesthesiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China.,Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology of Jiangxi Province, Nanchang, China
| | - Shoulin Chen
- Department of Anesthesiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China.,Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology of Jiangxi Province, Nanchang, China
| | - Lieliang Zhang
- Department of Anesthesiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China.,Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology of Jiangxi Province, Nanchang, China
| | - Bin Zhou
- Department of Anesthesiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China.,Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology of Jiangxi Province, Nanchang, China
| | - Fuzhou Hua
- Department of Anesthesiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China.,Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology of Jiangxi Province, Nanchang, China
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11
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Bradbury M, Borràs E, Pérez-Benavente A, Gil-Moreno A, Santamaria A, Sabidó E. Proteomic Studies on the Management of High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer Patients: A Mini-Review. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13092067. [PMID: 33922979 PMCID: PMC8123279 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13092067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2021] [Revised: 04/14/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSC) remains the most common and deadly subtype of ovarian cancer. It is characterized by its late diagnosis and frequent relapse despite standardized treatment with cytoreductive surgery and platinum-based chemotherapy. The past decade has seen significant advances in the clinical management and molecular understanding of HGSC following the publication of the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) researchers and the introduction of targeted therapies with anti-angiogenic drugs and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors in specific subgroups of patients. We provide a comprehensive review of HGSC, focusing on the most important molecular advances aimed at providing a better understanding of the disease and its response to treatment. We emphasize the role that proteomic technologies are now playing in these two aspects of the disease, through the identification of proteins and their post-translational modifications in ovarian cancer tumors. Finally, we highlight how the integration of proteomics with genomics, exemplified by the work performed by the Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC), can guide the development of new biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa Bradbury
- Centre de Regulació Genòmica, Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Dr Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; (M.B.); (E.B.)
- Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Dr Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
- Biomedical Research Group in Gynecology, Vall d’Hebron Institut de Recerca, Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Passeig Vall d’Hebron 119-129, 08035 Barcelona, Spain; (A.P.-B.); (A.G.-M.)
- Gynecologic Oncology Unit, Department of Gynecology, Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron, Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus, Passeig Vall d’Hebron 119-129, 08035 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Eva Borràs
- Centre de Regulació Genòmica, Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Dr Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; (M.B.); (E.B.)
- Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Dr Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Assumpció Pérez-Benavente
- Biomedical Research Group in Gynecology, Vall d’Hebron Institut de Recerca, Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Passeig Vall d’Hebron 119-129, 08035 Barcelona, Spain; (A.P.-B.); (A.G.-M.)
- Gynecologic Oncology Unit, Department of Gynecology, Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron, Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus, Passeig Vall d’Hebron 119-129, 08035 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Antonio Gil-Moreno
- Biomedical Research Group in Gynecology, Vall d’Hebron Institut de Recerca, Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Passeig Vall d’Hebron 119-129, 08035 Barcelona, Spain; (A.P.-B.); (A.G.-M.)
- Gynecologic Oncology Unit, Department of Gynecology, Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron, Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus, Passeig Vall d’Hebron 119-129, 08035 Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red (CIBERONC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Avenida de Monforte de Lemos 3-5, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Anna Santamaria
- Biomedical Research Group in Gynecology, Vall d’Hebron Institut de Recerca, Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Passeig Vall d’Hebron 119-129, 08035 Barcelona, Spain; (A.P.-B.); (A.G.-M.)
- Cell Cycle and Cancer Laboratory, Biomedical Research Group in Urology, Vall Hebron Institut de Recerca, Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Passeig Vall d’Hebron 119-129, 08035 Barcelona, Spain
- Correspondence: (A.S.); (E.S.)
| | - Eduard Sabidó
- Centre de Regulació Genòmica, Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Dr Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; (M.B.); (E.B.)
- Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Dr Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
- Correspondence: (A.S.); (E.S.)
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12
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Mirzaei S, Gholami MH, Hashemi F, Zabolian A, Hushmandi K, Rahmanian V, Entezari M, Girish YR, Sharath Kumar KS, Aref AR, Makvandi P, Ashrafizadeh M, Zarrabi A, Khan H. Employing siRNA tool and its delivery platforms in suppressing cisplatin resistance: Approaching to a new era of cancer chemotherapy. Life Sci 2021; 277:119430. [PMID: 33789144 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2021.119430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Revised: 03/10/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Although chemotherapy is a first option in treatment of cancer patients, drug resistance has led to its failure, requiring strategies to overcome it. Cancer cells are capable of switching among molecular pathways to ensure their proliferation and metastasis, leading to their resistance to chemotherapy. The molecular pathways and mechanisms that are responsible for cancer progression and growth, can be negatively affected for providing chemosensitivity. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) is a powerful tool extensively applied in cancer therapy in both pre-clinical (in vitro and in vivo) and clinical studies because of its potential in suppressing tumor-promoting factors. As such oncogene pathways account for cisplatin (CP) resistance, their targeting by siRNA plays an important role in reversing chemoresistance. In the present review, application of siRNA for suppressing CP resistance is discussed. The first priority of using siRNA is sensitizing cancer cells to CP-mediated apoptosis via down-regulating survivin, ATG7, Bcl-2, Bcl-xl, and XIAP. The cancer stem cell properties and related molecular pathways including ID1, Oct-4 and nanog are inhibited by siRNA in CP sensitivity. Cell cycle arrest and enhanced accumulation of CP in cancer cells can be obtained using siRNA. In overcoming siRNA challenges such as off-targeting feature and degradation, carriers including nanoparticles and biological carriers have been applied. These carriers are important in enhancing cellular accumulation of siRNA, elevating gene silencing efficacy and reversing CP resistance.
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13
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Abstract
The Notch signalling pathway is involved in the new vessel formation process by regulating tip and stalk cells, which are key cells in the sprout formation. This process is essential in both normal ovary and cancer angiogenesis and is regulated by Notch-VEGF crosstalk. Furthermore, Notch has been linked in ovary with stem cell maintenance and epithelial mesenchymal transition processes. Dysregulation of the Notch pathway is frequent in ovarian cancer (OC) and it has been associated with impaired survival and advanced stages or lymph node involvement. Notch also plays a role in chemoresistance to platinum. In this context, this pathway has emerged as an attractive target for precision medicine in OC. Two main targets of this pathway concentrate the clinical development of compounds blocking Notch: gamma secretase and Delta-like ligand 4. Most of the clinical trials including OC patients have been developed in phase I or phase Ib. Despite being in an early phase, both of these compounds, navicixizumab or demcizumab, two monoclonal antibodies targeting Dll4, showed promising efficacy data in platinum-resistant OC patients in recent studies. This review will focus on the mechanisms of the Notch pathway with special interest in angiogenesis regulation and the implication of Notch as a potential therapeutic target in OC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose Alejandro Perez-Fidalgo
- Department of Medical Oncology, Hospital Clinico Universitario of Valencia, Biomedical Research Institute INCLIVA, CIBERONC, Valencia, Spain
| | - Belen Ortega
- Department of Medical Oncology, Hospital Clinico Universitario of Valencia, Biomedical Research Institute INCLIVA, CIBERONC, Valencia, Spain
| | - Soraya Simon
- Department of Medical Oncology, Hospital Clinico Universitario of Valencia, Biomedical Research Institute INCLIVA, CIBERONC, Valencia, Spain
| | | | - Stergios Boussios
- King's College London, School of Medicine, Guy's Campus, London, UK.,Medway NHS Foundation Trust, Gillingham, Kent, UK.,AELIA Organization, 9th Km Thessaloniki-Thermi, Thessaloniki, Greece
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14
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Juliano RL. Addressing cancer signal transduction pathways with antisense and siRNA oligonucleotides. NAR Cancer 2020; 2:zcaa025. [PMID: 33015625 PMCID: PMC7520847 DOI: 10.1093/narcan/zcaa025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Revised: 08/24/2020] [Accepted: 09/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Signal transduction pathways play key roles in the initiation, progression and dissemination of cancer. Thus, signaling molecules are attractive targets for cancer therapeutics and enormous efforts have gone into the development of small molecule inhibitors of these pathways. However, regrettably, there has been only moderate progress to date, primarily in connection with the RAS signaling pathway. Oligonucleotide-based drugs potentially offer several advantages for addressing signaling pathways, including their exquisite selectivity and their ability to exploit both enzymatic and nonenzymatic targets. Nonetheless, there are problems inherent in the oligonucleotide approach, not the least being the challenge of effectively delivering these complex molecules to intracellular sites within tumors. This survey article will provide a selective review of recent studies where oligonucleotides were used to address cancer signaling and will discuss both positive aspects and limitations of those studies. This will be set in the context of an overview of various cancer signaling pathways and small molecule approaches to regulate those pathways. The survey will also evaluate the challenges and opportunities implicit in the oligonucleotide-based approach to cancer signaling and will point out several possibilities for future research.
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15
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Zhang M, Wang J, Gao T, Chen X, Xu Y, Yu X, Guo X, Zhuang R, Li Z, Wu H, Yu J. Inhibition of SOX15 Sensitizes Esophageal Squamous Carcinoma Cells to Paclitaxel. Curr Mol Med 2020; 19:349-356. [PMID: 30950353 DOI: 10.2174/1566524019666190405121139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2018] [Revised: 03/23/2019] [Accepted: 03/27/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND SOX15 is a crucial transcription factor involved in the regulation of embryonic development and in the cell fate determination. It is also an important mediator of tumorigenesis in cancer. METHODS Here, we sought to explore the expression patterns and biological functions of SOX15 in esophageal squamous cell carcinomas (ESCC). SOX15 was found aberrantly overexpressed in ESCC tumors. RESULTS Experimentally, inhibition of SOX15 through RNAi suppressed cell proliferation in ESCC cells and sensitized cancer cells to paclitaxel, but not to Cisplatin. Moreover, inhibition of SOX15 significantly repressed the expression of genes associated with WNT and NOTCH signaling pathways, which may contribute to the increased sensitivity to paclitaxel. CONCLUSION In conclusion, the current study revealed that inhibition of SOX15 in ESCC cells sensitizes the ESCC cells to paclitaxel, suggesting that the SOX15 expression level may predict the therapeutic outcomes for paclitaxel treatment for ESCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Zhang
- Department of ICU, Hangzhou Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou, 320001, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jianying Wang
- Department of ICU, Hangzhou Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou, 320001, Zhejiang, China
| | - Tianwei Gao
- Department of ICU, Hangzhou Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou, 320001, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xin Chen
- Department of ICU, Hangzhou Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou, 320001, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yan Xu
- Department of ICU, Hangzhou Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou, 320001, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xiaoting Yu
- Department of ICU, Hangzhou Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou, 320001, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xianyang Guo
- Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, Zhejiang, China
| | - Rong Zhuang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, Zhejiang, China
| | - Ziwei Li
- Key Laboratory of Drug Addiction Medicine, Ministry of Health, The First Affiliated Hospital, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, 650032, Yunnan, China.,Yunnan Institute of Digestive Disease, the First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, 650032, Yunnan, China
| | - Hongjin Wu
- Department of ICU, Hangzhou Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou, 320001, Zhejiang, China.,Key Laboratory of Drug Addiction Medicine, Ministry of Health, The First Affiliated Hospital, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, 650032, Yunnan, China.,Yunnan Institute of Digestive Disease, the First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, 650032, Yunnan, China
| | - Juehua Yu
- Key Laboratory of Drug Addiction Medicine, Ministry of Health, The First Affiliated Hospital, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, 650032, Yunnan, China.,Yunnan Institute of Digestive Disease, the First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, 650032, Yunnan, China
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16
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Fang CH, Lin YT, Liang CM, Liang SM. A novel c-Kit/phospho-prohibitin axis enhances ovarian cancer stemness and chemoresistance via Notch3-PBX1 and β-catenin-ABCG2 signaling. J Biomed Sci 2020; 27:42. [PMID: 32169072 PMCID: PMC7071647 DOI: 10.1186/s12929-020-00638-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2019] [Accepted: 03/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The underlying mechanism involved in ovarian cancer stemness and chemoresistance remains largely unknown. Here, we explored whether the regulation of c-Kit and plasma membrane prohibitin (PHB) affects ovarian cancer stemness and chemotherapy resistance. Methods Mass spectrum analysis and an in vitro kinase assay were conducted to examine the phosphorylation of PHB at tyrosine 259 by c-Kit. The in vitro effects of c-Kit on membrane raft-PHB in ovarian cancer were determined using tissue microarray (TMA)-based immunofluorescence, western blotting, immunoprecipitation, colony and spheroid formation, cell migration and cell viability assays. In vivo tumor initiation and carboplatin treatment were conducted in nude mice. Results We found that c-Kit and PHB colocalized in the raft domain and were positively correlated in human ovarian serous carcinoma. c-Kit interacted with PHB and facilitated the phosphorylation of PHB at tyrosine 259 (phospho-PHBY259) in the membrane raft to enhance ovarian cancer cell motility. The generation of SKOV3GL-G4, a metastatic phenotype of SKOV3 green fluorescent protein and luciferase (GL) ovarian cancer cells, in xenograft murine ascites showed a correlation between metastatic potential and stem cell characteristics, as indicated by the expression of c-Kit, Notch3, Oct4, Nanog and SOX2. Further study revealed that after activation by c-Kit, raft-phospho-PHBY259 interacted with Notch3 to stabilize Notch3 and increase the downstream target PBX1. Downregulation of raft-phospho-PHBY259 increased the protein degradation of Notch3 through a lysosomal pathway and inhibited the β-catenin—ABCG2 signaling pathway. Moreover, raft-phospho-PHBY259 played an important role in ovarian cancer stemness and tumorigenicity as well as resistance to platinum drug treatment in vitro and in vivo. Conclusions These findings thus reveal a hitherto unreported interrelationship between c-Kit and PHB as well as the effects of raft-phospho-PHBY259 on ovarian cancer stemness and tumorigenicity mediated by the Notch3 and β-catenin signaling pathways. Targeting the c-Kit/raft-phospho-PHBY259 axis may provide a new therapeutic strategy for treating patients with ovarian cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chia-Hsun Fang
- Agricultural Biotechnology Research Center, Academia Sinica, 128 Academia Rd, Sec. 2, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan.,Institute of Biotechnology, National Taiwan University, 4F, No. 81, Chang-Xing St, Taipei, 10672, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Te Lin
- Agricultural Biotechnology Research Center, Academia Sinica, 128 Academia Rd, Sec. 2, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
| | - Chi-Ming Liang
- Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, 128 Academia Rd, Sec. 2, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
| | - Shu-Mei Liang
- Agricultural Biotechnology Research Center, Academia Sinica, 128 Academia Rd, Sec. 2, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan. .,Institute of Biotechnology, National Taiwan University, 4F, No. 81, Chang-Xing St, Taipei, 10672, Taiwan.
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17
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Liu M, Shen C, Wang C. Long Noncoding RNA LINC01133 Confers Tumor-Suppressive Functions in Ovarian Cancer by Regulating Leucine-Rich Repeat Kinase 2 as an miR-205 Sponge. The American Journal of Pathology 2019; 189:2323-2339. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2019.07.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2019] [Revised: 05/30/2019] [Accepted: 07/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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18
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Zhang Z, Zhou Z, Zhang M, Gross N, Gong L, Zhang S, Lei D, Zeng Q, Luo X, Li G, Li X. High Notch1 expression affects chemosensitivity of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma to paclitaxel and cisplatin treatment. Biomed Pharmacother 2019; 118:109306. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2019.109306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2019] [Revised: 07/30/2019] [Accepted: 07/31/2019] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
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19
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Zhang Y, Chen B, Wang Y, Zhao Q, Wu W, Zhang P, Miao L, Sun S. NOTCH3 Overexpression and Posttranscriptional Regulation by miR-150 Were Associated With EGFR-TKI Resistance in Lung Adenocarcinoma. Oncol Res 2019; 27:751-761. [PMID: 30732676 PMCID: PMC7848279 DOI: 10.3727/096504018x15372657298381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Acquired resistance remains a key challenge in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) therapy in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Recent studies have shown that Notch signaling is associated with drug resistance. However, its role and possible mechanisms in EGFR-TKI resistance are not yet clear. In our study, we found that among four members of NOTCH1-4, only NOTCH3 was upregulated in LUAD tissues and TKI-resistant cell line (HCC827GR6). Knockdown of NOTCH3 by siRNA significantly inhibited proliferative ability, and decreased colony and sphere formation in HCC827GR6 cells. Then miR-150 was identified as a posttranscriptional regulator of NOTCH3. Its expression was downregulated in LUAD tissues and negatively correlated with NOTCH3 mRNA. The cell proliferation and IC50 of gefitinib were decreased in HCC827GR6 cells transfected with miR-150 mimic, but was reversed when cotransfected with NOTCH3 overexpressed vector. Moreover, we also enrolled 20 patients with advanced LUAD who have taken TKIs as first-line therapy in this study. We found that collagen 1A1 (COL1A1) expression was increased significantly in LUAD tissues both at mRNA and protein levels, and positively correlated with NOTCH3 expression verified in our data and TCGA data. Univariate survival analysis showed that patients with high protein expression of NOTCH3 or COL1A1 were associated with shorter overall survival (OS). Taken together, these results suggest that miR-150/NOTCH3/COL1A1 axis contributed to EGFR-TKI resistance in LUAD, which provide a potential therapeutic target for LUAD treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youwei Zhang
- Department of Medical Oncology, Xuzhou Central Hospital, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, P.R. China
| | - Bi Chen
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, P.R. China
| | - Yongsheng Wang
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Drum Tower Hospital Affiliated to Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, P.R. China
| | - Qi Zhao
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Drum Tower Hospital Affiliated to Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, P.R. China
| | - Weijun Wu
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Drum Tower Hospital Affiliated to Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, P.R. China
| | - Peiying Zhang
- Department of Medical Oncology, Xuzhou Central Hospital, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, P.R. China
| | - Liyun Miao
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Drum Tower Hospital Affiliated to Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, P.R. China
| | - Sanyuan Sun
- Department of Medical Oncology, Xuzhou Central Hospital, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, P.R. China
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20
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Shang C, Ao CN, Cheong CC, Meng L. Long Non-coding RNA CDKN2B Antisense RNA 1 Gene Contributes to Paclitaxel Resistance in Endometrial Carcinoma. Front Oncol 2019; 9:27. [PMID: 30761271 PMCID: PMC6361746 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2019.00027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2018] [Accepted: 01/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most common malignancy of the female reproductive tract. In this study, we clarified the clinical significance of CDKN2B antisense RNA 1 (CDKN2B-AS) gene, and its effects on paclitaxel sensitivity in EC. Firstly, CDKN2B-AS gene was highly expressed in EC tissues and cell lines. The high-expression of CDKN2B-AS gene was associated with high pathological grade and low paclitaxel sensitivity of EC tissues. Knockdown of CDKN2B-AS gene sensitized Ishikawa/PA and HEC1A/PA cells to paclitaxel, and promoted paclitaxel-induced cytotoxicity. Secondly, the low-expression of miR-125a-5p was closely associated with low paclitaxel sensitivity of EC cells, and up-regulation of miR-125a-5p could increase paclitaxel sensitivity of Ishikawa/PA and HEC1A/PA cells. MiR-125a-5p also mediated the suppressive effects of knockdown of CDKN2B-AS on paclitaxel resistance in EC cells. Thirdly, B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl2) and Multidrug Resistance-Associated Protein 4 (MRP4) genes were target genes of miR-125a-5p, which modulated paclitaxel resistance of Ishikawa/PA and HEC1A/PA cells through targeted silencing Bcl2 and MRP4. In conclusion, high-expression of CDKN2B-AS is associated with a poor response to paclitaxel of EC patients, and knockdown of CDKN2B-AS inhibits paclitaxel resistance through miR-125a-5p-Bcl2/MRP4 pathway in EC patients. Our findings help elucidate the molecular mechanisms of chemoresistance in EC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Shang
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Life Science, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Cheng N Ao
- School of Health Sciences, Macao Polytechnic Institute, Macau, China
| | - Chi C Cheong
- School of Health Sciences, Macao Polytechnic Institute, Macau, China
| | - Lirong Meng
- School of Health Sciences, Macao Polytechnic Institute, Macau, China
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Choi HJ, Heo JH, Park JY, Jeong JY, Cho HJ, Park KS, Kim SH, Moon YW, Kim JS, An HJ. A novel PI3K/mTOR dual inhibitor, CMG002, overcomes the chemoresistance in ovarian cancer. Gynecol Oncol 2019; 153:135-48. [PMID: 30686552 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygyno.2019.01.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2018] [Revised: 01/07/2019] [Accepted: 01/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of gynecologic-related mortality worldwide. Despite successful initial treatment, overall survival rates are very low because tumors develop resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs. The PI3K/mTOR pathway is a key signaling pathway involved in drug resistance of ovarian cancer cells. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of a newly developed PI3K/mTOR dual inhibitor, CMG002, on chemoresistant ovarian cancer cells. METHODS We examined the effects of CMG002, and its synergistic effects when combined with paclitaxel or cisplatin, on cell viability, cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis of PTX-resistant SKpac17 or cisplatin-resistant A2780cis ovarian cancer cells in vitro. Western blot analysis was performed to assess expression of PI3K, p-mTOR, p-Akt, p-S6, Bim, and caspase-3. In vivo studies were carried out in a xenograft mouse model, followed by TUNEL and immunohistochemical staining of excised tumor tissue. RESULTS CMG002 showed marked toxicity against chemoresistant ovarian cancer cells and re-sensitized these cells to chemotherapeutic agents by suppressing cell proliferation and inducing G1 cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. In vivo xenograft studies revealed that treatment with CMG002, either alone or in combination with paclitaxel or cisplatin, led to a marked reduction in tumor growth. CMG002 caused marked suppression of mTOR (Ser2448), Akt (Ser473), Akt (Thr308), and S6 (Ser235/236) phosphorylation, both in vitro and in vivo. CONCLUSION Taken together, CMG002, a very potent PI3K/mTOR dual inhibitor, induced cytotoxicity in chemoresistant ovarian cancer cells, suggesting that this novel inhibitor might be a new therapeutic strategy for chemoresistant ovarian cancer.
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Ceccarelli S, Megiorni F, Bellavia D, Marchese C, Screpanti I, Checquolo S. Notch3 Targeting: A Novel Weapon against Ovarian Cancer Stem Cells. Stem Cells Int 2019; 2019:6264931. [PMID: 30723507 DOI: 10.1155/2019/6264931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2018] [Accepted: 12/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Notch signaling is frequently activated in ovarian cancer (OC) and contributes to the proliferation and survival of cultured OC cells as well as to tumor formation and angiogenesis in xenograft models. Several studies demonstrate that Notch3 expression renders cancer cells more resistant to carboplatin, contributing to chemoresistance and poor survival of OC-bearing patients. This suggests that Notch3 can represent both a biomarker and a target for therapeutic interventions in OC patients. Although it is still unclear how chemoresistance arises, different lines of evidence support a critical role of cancer stem cells (CSCs), suggesting that CSC targeting by innovative therapeutic approaches might represent a promising tool to efficiently reduce OC recurrence. To date, CSC-directed therapies in OC tumors are mainly targeted to the inhibition of CSC-related signaling pathways, including Notch. As it is increasingly evident the involvement of Notch signaling, and in particular of Notch3, in regulating stem-like cell maintenance and expansion in several tumors, here we provide an overview of the current knowledge of Notch3 role in CSC-mediated OC chemoresistance, finally exploring the potential design of innovative Notch3 inhibition-based therapies for OC treatment, aimed at eradicating tumor through the suppression of CSCs.
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Xue T, Wang L, Li Y, Song H, Chu H, Yang H, Guo A, Jiao J. SiRNA-Mediated RRM2 Gene Silencing Combined with Cisplatin in the Treatment of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer In Vivo: An Experimental Study of Nude Mice. Int J Med Sci 2019; 16:1510-1516. [PMID: 31673243 PMCID: PMC6818211 DOI: 10.7150/ijms.33979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2019] [Accepted: 08/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: We aimed to explore small interfering (si)RNA silencing of ribonucleotide reductase M2 (RRM2) gene combined with cisplatin for the treatment of human ovarian cancer in nude mice models of subcutaneous transplantation of tumor cells. Methods: After conventional cultivation of human ovarian cancer cell line SKOV3 in vitro, SKOV3 cells were injected into the right back of nude mice by subcutaneous injection to establish the subcutaneous tumor models. Twenty-four tumor-burdened rats were randomly divided into four groups (n=6): siRNA group, siRNA in combination with cisplatin group, cisplatin group, and control group. Intraperitoneal injection of cisplatin and subcutaneous injection of siRNA were performed weekly. Tumor volume was measured, and tumor growth inhibition rate was calculated. RRM2 expression at the mRNA and protein levels was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry. Results: In the siRNA group, the tumor volume and tumor growth inhibition rate were 249.60±20.46 mm³ and 36.39%, respectively. The tumor growth inhibition rate and tumor volume were significantly different between the siRNA and control groups (p<0.05). In the cisplatin group, the tumor volume and tumor growth inhibition rate were 249.86±12.46 mm³ and 41.10%, respectively. The tumor growth inhibition rate and tumor volume were significantly different between the cisplatin and control groups (p<0.05). In the siRNA + cisplatin group, the tumor volume reduced to 180.84±16.25 mm³ and the tumor growth inhibition rate was increased to 64.33%, which were significantly different compared with the control group (p<0.01). Significant downregulation of RRM2 mRNA and protein expression in the tumor tissues was detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry assay (p<0.05). Discussion: siRNA alone or combined with cisplatin can effectively inhibit the growth of human ovarian cancer in nude mice models of subcutaneous transplantation of tumor cells. RRM2 gene silencing may be a potential treatment regimen for ovarian cancer in future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting Xue
- Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Liming Wang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Yong Li
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Hao Song
- Department of Oncology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Huijun Chu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Hongjuan Yang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | | | - Jinwen Jiao
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
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24
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Abstract
The Notch family is a highly conserved gene group that regulates cell-cell interaction, embryogenesis, and tissue commitment. This review article focuses on the third Notch family subtype, Notch3. Regulation via Notch3 signaling was first implicated in vasculogenesis. However, more recent findings suggest that Notch3 signaling may play an important role in oncogenesis, tumor maintenance, and resistance to chemotherapy. Its role is mainly oncogenic, although in some cancers it appears to be tumor suppressive. Despite the wealth of published literature, it remains relatively underexplored and requires further research to shed more light on its role in cancer development, determine its tissue-specific function, and elaborate novel treatment strategies. Herein we summarize the role of Notch3 in cancer, possible mechanisms of its action, and current cancer treatment strategies targeting Notch3 signaling. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE The Notch family is a highly conserved gene group that regulates cell-cell interaction, embryogenesis, and tissue commitment. This review summarizes the existing data on the third subtype of the Notch family, Notch3. The role of Notch3 in different types of cancers is discussed, as well as implications of its modification and new strategies to affect Notch3 signaling activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zviadi Aburjania
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Samuel Jang
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Jason Whitt
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Renata Jaskula-Stzul
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Herbert Chen
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - J Bart Rose
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
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25
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Hu BD, Guo J, Ye YZ, Du T, Cheng CS, Jiang Q, Liu RN, Zhang YB. Specific inhibitor of Notch‑3 enhances the sensitivity of NSCLC cells to gemcitabine. Oncol Rep 2018; 40:155-64. [PMID: 29781034 DOI: 10.3892/or.2018.6448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2017] [Accepted: 05/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Notch-3 is a receptor of the Notch signaling pathway and plays an important role in regulating self-renewal, differentiation and apoptosis in cancer cells. Overexpression of Notch-3 has been proved to be associated with resistance to gemcitabine (GEM) and poor patient prognosis for various malignant tumors. In the present study, two non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines, H1299 and A549, were induced with GEM for two months and then were treated with various concentrations of a Notch signaling blocker, N-[N-(3,5-difluorophenacetyl)-L-alanyl]-S-phenylglycine t-butyl ester (DAPT), with the goal of reducing expression of Notch intracellular domain 3 (NICD3). Both cell lines were subsequently treated with either DAPT or DAPT combined with GEM and then viability, apoptosis, colony formation and cell count assays were performed. DAPT treatment effectively downregulated the expression of NICD3 in both cell lines. DAPT combined with GEM also significantly reduced the percentage of viable cells in both cell lines, while increasing the percentage of apoptotic cells, compared with GEM alone. In the clonogenicity assays, the combination of DAPT and GEM led to a decrease in clone numbers and significantly greater inhibition of the H1299 and A549 cells compared to treatment with DAPT or GEM alone. Meanwhile, levels of the apoptosis-related proteins, Bcl-2 and Bax, were found to be affected by the various treatments. Thus Notch-3 appears to be a promising target for gene therapy and DAPT is able to mediate a strong antitumor effect in NSCLC cells that overexpress Notch-3. Further studies of a combined treatment regimen with DAPT and GEM are warranted and may provide greater efficacy and safety in the treatment of NSCLC patients.
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26
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Chen C, Wang X, Huang S, Wang L, Han L, Yu S. Prognostic roles of Notch receptor mRNA expression in human ovarian cancer. Oncotarget 2017; 8:32731-40. [PMID: 28415574 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.16387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2016] [Accepted: 03/09/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Aberrant activation of Notch signaling pathway has been correlated with high grade ovarian carcinoma and carcinogenesis. However, the predictive and prognostic values of Notch signaling pathway in ovarian cancer patients remains unclear. We utilize “The Kaplan-Meier plotter” (KM plotter) background database to access the prognostic values including overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), as well as post-progression survival (PPS) of four Notch receptor mRNA expression in ovarian cancer patients. Notch1 mRNA high expression was not correlated with OS, PFS and PPS for all ovarian cancer patients, but significantly correlated with poor PFS in TP53 wild type and favorite PFS in TP53 mutation type ovarian cancer patients. Notch2 mRNA high expression was significantly correlated with poor PFS for all ovarian cancer patients, especially in grade II patients. Notch3 mRNA high expression was significantly correlated with favorite PFS for all ovarian cancer patients. Notch4 mRNA high expression was significantly correlated with favorite OS, but not PFS and PPS for all ovarian cancer patients. The results strongly support that there are distinct prognostic values of four Notch receptor mRNA expression in ovarian cancer patients.
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27
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Yang M, Li H, Li Y, Ruan Y, Quan C. Identification of genes and pathways associated with MDR in MCF-7/MDR breast cancer cells by RNA-seq analysis. Mol Med Rep 2018; 17:6211-6226. [PMID: 29512753 PMCID: PMC5928598 DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2018.8704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2017] [Accepted: 01/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Multidrug resistance (MDR) is a major problem in the treatment of breast cancer. In the present study, next-generation sequencing technology was employed to identify differentially expressed genes in MCF-7/MDR cells and MCF-7 cells, and aimed to investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms of MDR in breast cancer. Differentially expressed genes between MCF-7/MDR and MCF-7 cells were selected using software; a total of 2085 genes were screened as differentially expressed in MCF-7/MDR cells. Furthermore, gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were performed using the DAVID database. Finally, a protein-protein interaction network was constructed and the hub genes in the network were analyzed using the STRING database. GO annotation demonstrated that the differentially expressed genes were enriched in various biological processes, including ‘regulation of cell differentiation’, ‘cell development’, ‘neuron development’, ‘movement of cell or subcellular component’ and ‘cell morphogenesis involved in neuron differentiation’. Cellular component analysis by GO revealed that differentially expressed genes were enriched in ‘plasma membrane region’ and ‘extracellular matrix’ terms. Furthermore, KEGG analysis demonstrated that the target genes were enriched in various pathways, including ‘cell adhesion molecules (CAMs)’, ‘calcium signaling pathway’, ‘tight junction’, ‘Wnt signaling pathway’ and ‘pathways in cancer’ terms. A protein-protein interaction network demonstrated that certain hub genes, including cyclin D1, nitric oxide synthase 3 (NOS3), NOTCH3, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), paired box 6, neuropeptide Y, phospholipase C β (PLCB) 4, PLCB2 and actin α cardiac muscle 1, may be associated with MDR in breast cancer. Subsequently, RT-qPCR confirmed that the expression of these 9 hub genes was higher in MCF-7/MDR cells compared with MCF-7 cells, consistent with the RNA-sequencing analysis. Additionally, a Cell Counting Kit-8 assay demonstrated that specific inhibitors of NOS3 and BDNF/neurotrophic receptor tyrosine kinase, type 2 signaling reduced the IC50 of MCF-7/MDR cells in response to various anticancer drugs, including adriamycin, cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil. The results of the present study provide novel insights into the mechanism underlying MDR in MCF-7 cells and may identify novel targets for the treatment of breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minlan Yang
- Key Laboratory of Pathobiology, Ministry of Education, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 310021, P.R. China
| | - Hairi Li
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California, San Diego, CA 92093‑0651, USA
| | - Yanru Li
- Key Laboratory of Pathobiology, Ministry of Education, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 310021, P.R. China
| | - Yang Ruan
- Key Laboratory of Pathobiology, Ministry of Education, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 310021, P.R. China
| | - Chengshi Quan
- Key Laboratory of Pathobiology, Ministry of Education, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 310021, P.R. China
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Vert A, Castro J, Ribó M, Vilanova M, Benito A. Transcriptional profiling of NCI/ADR-RES cells unveils a complex network of signaling pathways and molecular mechanisms of drug resistance. Onco Targets Ther 2018; 11:221-237. [PMID: 29379303 PMCID: PMC5757493 DOI: 10.2147/ott.s154378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Ovarian cancer has the highest mortality rate among all the gynecological cancers. This is mostly due to the resistance of ovarian cancer to current chemotherapy regimens. Therefore, it is of crucial importance to identify the molecular mechanisms associated with chemoresistance. Methods NCI/ADR-RES is a multidrug-resistant cell line that is a model for the study of drug resistance in ovarian cancer. We carried out a microarray-derived transcriptional profiling analysis of NCI/ADR-RES to identify differentially expressed genes relative to its parental OVCAR-8. Results Gene-expression profiling has allowed the identification of genes and pathways that may be important for the development of drug resistance in ovarian cancer. The NCI/ADR-RES cell line has differential expression of genes involved in drug extrusion, inactivation, and efficacy, as well as genes involved in the architectural and functional reorganization of the extracellular matrix. These genes are controlled through different signaling pathways, including MAPK–Akt, Wnt, and Notch. Conclusion Our findings highlight the importance of using orthogonal therapies that target completely independent pathways to overcome mechanisms of resistance to both classical chemotherapeutic agents and molecularly targeted drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Vert
- Protein Engineering Laboratory, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Universitat de Girona.,Biomedical Research Institute of Girona (IDIBGi), Girona, Spain
| | - Jessica Castro
- Protein Engineering Laboratory, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Universitat de Girona.,Biomedical Research Institute of Girona (IDIBGi), Girona, Spain
| | - Marc Ribó
- Protein Engineering Laboratory, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Universitat de Girona.,Biomedical Research Institute of Girona (IDIBGi), Girona, Spain
| | - Maria Vilanova
- Protein Engineering Laboratory, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Universitat de Girona.,Biomedical Research Institute of Girona (IDIBGi), Girona, Spain
| | - Antoni Benito
- Protein Engineering Laboratory, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Universitat de Girona.,Biomedical Research Institute of Girona (IDIBGi), Girona, Spain
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29
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Bellavia D, Checquolo S, Palermo R, Screpanti I. The Notch3 Receptor and Its Intracellular Signaling-Dependent Oncogenic Mechanisms. Adv Exp Med Biol 2018; 1066:205-222. [PMID: 30030828 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-89512-3_10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
During evolution, gene duplication of the Notch receptor suggests a progressive functional diversification. The Notch3 receptor displays a number of structural differences with respect to Notch1 and Notch2, most of which have been reported in the transmembrane and in the intracellular regions, mainly localized in the negative regulatory region (NRR) and trans-activation domain (TAD). Targeted deletion of Notch3 does not result in embryonic lethality, which is in line with its highly restricted tissue expression pattern. Importantly, deregulated Notch3 expression and/or activation, often results in disrupted cell differentiation and/or pathological development, most notably in oncogenesis in different cell contexts. Mechanistically this is due to Notch3-related genetic alterations or epigenetic or posttranslational control mechanisms. In this chapter we discuss the possible relationships between the structural differences and the pathological role of Notch3 in the control of mouse and human cancers. In future, targeting the unique features of Notch3-oncogenic mechanisms could be exploited to develop anticancer therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Bellavia
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Saula Checquolo
- Department of Medico-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Rocco Palermo
- Center for Life Nano Science@Sapienza, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome, Italy
| | - Isabella Screpanti
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
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Dobranowski P, Ban F, Contreras-Sanz A, Cherkasov A, Black PC. Perspectives on the discovery of NOTCH2-specific inhibitors. Chem Biol Drug Des 2017; 91:691-706. [PMID: 29078041 DOI: 10.1111/cbdd.13132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2017] [Revised: 09/18/2017] [Accepted: 10/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The Notch pathway is a cell-cell communication system where membrane-bound ligands interact with the extracellular region of Notch receptors to induce intracellular, downstream effects on gene expression. Aberrant Notch signaling promotes tumorigenesis, and the Notch pathway has tremendous potential for novel targeting strategies in cancer treatment. While γ-secretase inhibitors as Notch-inhibiting agents are already promising in clinical trials, they are highly non-specific with adverse side-effects. One of the underlying challenges is that two of the four known human Notch paralogs, NOTCH1 and 2, share very high structural similarity but play opposing roles in some tumorigenesis pathways. This perspective explores the feasibility of developing Notch-specific small molecule inhibitors targeting the anti-NOTCH2 antibody-binding epitopes or the "S2-Leu-plug-binding site" using a computer-aided drug discovery approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Dobranowski
- Department of Pediatrics, British Columbia Children's Hospital Research, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Fuqiang Ban
- University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Department of Urologic Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Vancouver Prostate Centre, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Alberto Contreras-Sanz
- University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Department of Urologic Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Vancouver Prostate Centre, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Artem Cherkasov
- University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Department of Urologic Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Vancouver Prostate Centre, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Peter C Black
- University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Department of Urologic Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Vancouver Prostate Centre, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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31
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Kim TH, Jeong JY, Park JY, Kim SW, Heo JH, Kang H, Kim G, An HJ. miR-150 enhances apoptotic and anti-tumor effects of paclitaxel in paclitaxel-resistant ovarian cancer cells by targeting Notch3. Oncotarget 2017; 8:72788-72800. [PMID: 29069826 PMCID: PMC5641169 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.20348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2017] [Accepted: 07/19/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Tumor recurrence by obtaining chemoresistance is a major obstacle to treating ovarian cancer. By TargetScan database and a luciferase reporter assay, we identified miR-150 directly targets Notch3, which is a key oncogene in ovarian cancer. We, therefore, investigated the role of miR-150 in ovarian cancer cells, and the usefulness of miR-150 as a therapeutic target in chemoresistant ovarian cancer, through examining miR-150 expression by qRT-PCR in ovarian cancer cell lines and tissues, and assessing the gain-of-function effect by WST, colony forming, TUNEL, wound healing and angiogenesis assays. Western blotting was performed to evaluate its downstream targets. The miR-150 expression was significantly downregulated in ovarian cancers. Treatment with pre-miR-150 significantly inhibited cancer cell proliferation, and induced apoptosis in PTX (paclitaxel) -resistant SKpac cells, which was not seen by PTX only treatment. On spheroid forming assay, an additional pre-miR-150 treatment with PTX decreased cancer stem cell activation in PTX-resistant SKpac cells. An experimental upregulation of miR-150 also decreased cancer cell migration and angiogenesis in SKpac cells. The Notch3 downstream proteins(NICD3 and HEY2), and cell cycle-related proteins (cyclinD3, pS6, and NF-kB), and apoptosis-related proteins (BCL-2 and BCL-W) were significantly downregulated by pre-miR-150 transfection. Taken together, miR-150 is related with PTX-resistance in ovarian cancer, and treatment with pre-miR-150 resensitizes cancer cells to PTX. Therefore, it may be a promising treatment strategy in chemoresistant and recurrent ovarian cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tae Hoen Kim
- Department of Pathology, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
- Institute for Clinical Research, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
| | - Ju-Yeon Jeong
- Institute for Clinical Research, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
| | - Ju-Yeon Park
- Institute for Clinical Research, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
| | - Se-Wha Kim
- Department of Pathology, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
- Institute for Clinical Research, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
| | - Jin Hyung Heo
- Department of Pathology, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
| | - Haeyoun Kang
- Department of Pathology, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
- Institute for Clinical Research, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
| | - Gwangil Kim
- Department of Pathology, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
- Institute for Clinical Research, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
| | - Hee Jung An
- Department of Pathology, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
- Institute for Clinical Research, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
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32
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Kim MJ, Kim AR, Jeong JY, Kim KI, Kim TH, Lee C, Chung K, Ko YH, An HJ. Correlation of ALDH1 and Notch3 Expression: Clinical implication in Ovarian Carcinomas. J Cancer 2017; 8:3331-3342. [PMID: 29158806 PMCID: PMC5665050 DOI: 10.7150/jca.18955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2016] [Accepted: 08/25/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose: ALDH1 is a putative cancer stem cell marker, while the Notch signaling pathway is involved in regulation of cancer stem cell (CSC)s. This study aims to determine the expression of Notch signaling genes in ovarian CSCs, and to assess the clinical impact of expression of ALDH1 and Notch signaling genes in ovarian cancers. Methods: We examined expression of Notch signaling genes in FACS-sorted ALDH1(+) putative ovarian CSCs and expression of ALDH1 and Notch signaling genes in 86 ovarian epithelial tumors and various ovarian cancer cell lines by real-time RT-PCR, including Notch receptors (Notch1-4), Notch ligands (Jagged1 and Jagged2), and the downstream molecule, Hes1. Furthermore, we correlated their expression with clinicopathological parameters and patient's survival in ovarian serous carcinoma (OSC)s, the most prevalent type of ovarian cancer. Results: The higher expression levels of ALDH1 and Notch related genes, especially Notch3 were associated with CSCs and with chemoresistant OSCs and paclitaxel-resistant SKpac ovarian cancer cells. Among the Notch signaling genes, high Notch3 expression was significantly associated with all the parameters of poor prognosis, i.e., advanced stage, lymph node and distant metastases, and chemoresistance, whereas other genes were less correlated with these parameters. A combined upregulation of ALDH1 and Notch3 was an independent poor prognostic factor in OSCs. Conclusions: ALDH1 correlates with Notch3 expression in ovarian carcinomas. ALDH1 and Notch3 overexpression is an independent poor prognostic indicator for worse patient's survival in this subset of OSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mi Joung Kim
- Institute for Clinical Research, College of Medicine, CHA University, Yatap-dong, Seongnam Si Bundang-gu, Gyeonggi-Do 463-712, Republic of Korea
| | - A-Ram Kim
- Department of Biomedical Science, College of Life Science, College of Medicine, CHA University, Yatap-dong, Seongnam Si Bundang-gu, Gyeonggi-Do 463-712, Republic of Korea
| | - Ju-Yeon Jeong
- Institute for Clinical Research, College of Medicine, CHA University, Yatap-dong, Seongnam Si Bundang-gu, Gyeonggi-Do 463-712, Republic of Korea
| | - Kwang-Il Kim
- Institute for Clinical Research, College of Medicine, CHA University, Yatap-dong, Seongnam Si Bundang-gu, Gyeonggi-Do 463-712, Republic of Korea.,Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, CHA University, Yatap-dong, Seongnam Si Bundang-gu, Gyeonggi-Do 463-712, Republic of Korea
| | - Tae-Heon Kim
- Institute for Clinical Research, College of Medicine, CHA University, Yatap-dong, Seongnam Si Bundang-gu, Gyeonggi-Do 463-712, Republic of Korea.,Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, CHA University, Yatap-dong, Seongnam Si Bundang-gu, Gyeonggi-Do 463-712, Republic of Korea
| | - Chan Lee
- Department of Gynecologic Oncology, College of Medicine, CHA University, Yatap-dong, Seongnam Si Bundang-gu, Gyeonggi-Do 463-712, Republic of Korea
| | - Kwanghoe Chung
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Medicine, CHA University, Yatap-dong, Seongnam Si Bundang-gu, Gyeonggi-Do 463-712, Republic of Korea
| | - Young-Hyeh Ko
- Department of Pathology, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hee-Jung An
- Institute for Clinical Research, College of Medicine, CHA University, Yatap-dong, Seongnam Si Bundang-gu, Gyeonggi-Do 463-712, Republic of Korea.,Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, CHA University, Yatap-dong, Seongnam Si Bundang-gu, Gyeonggi-Do 463-712, Republic of Korea
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Brzozowa-Zasada M, Piecuch A, Michalski M, Segiet O, Kurek J, Harabin-Słowińska M, Wojnicz R. Notch and its oncogenic activity in human malignancies. Eur Surg 2017; 49:199-209. [PMID: 29104587 PMCID: PMC5653712 DOI: 10.1007/s10353-017-0491-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2017] [Accepted: 09/04/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Increasing evidence has demonstrated that Notch signaling is deregulated in human hematological malignancies and solid tumors. This signaling has a protumorigenic effect but may also act as a tumor suppressor. How induction of a single pathway gives rise to the opposite effects in different cell types is still unknown. METHODS This review article includes available data from peer-reviewed publications associated with the role of Notch signaling during cancer pathogenesis. RESULTS Numerous reports have indicated that alterations in Notch signaling and its oncogenic activity were originally associated with the pathogenesis of T‑cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma (T-ALL), an aggressive hematologic tumor affecting children and adolescents. The possibility that Notch could play a significant role in human breast cancer development comes from studies on mouse mammary tumor virus-induced cancer. Numerous findings over the past several years have indicated that alterations in Notch signaling are also responsible for ovarian cancer development. Mention should also be made of the connection between expression of Notch 3 and increased resistance to chemotherapy, which remains a major obstacle to successful treatment. Notch as an oncogenic factor is also involved in the development of colon cancer, lung carcinoma and Kaposi's sarcoma. CONCLUSION Notch is a binary cell fate determinant and its overexpression has been described as oncogenic in a wide array of human malignancies. This finding led to interest in therapeutically targeting this pathway, especially by the use of gamma-secretase inhibitors (GSIs) blocking the cleavage of Notch receptors at the cell membrane by the inhibition of Notch intracellular domain (NICD) releasing. Preclinical cancer models have revealed that GSIs suppress the growth of cancers such as pancreatic, breast and lung cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlena Brzozowa-Zasada
- Department of Histology and Embryology, School of Medicine with the Division of Dentistry in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, Jordana 19, 41-808 Zabrze, Poland
| | - Adam Piecuch
- Department of Histology and Embryology, School of Medicine with the Division of Dentistry in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, Jordana 19, 41-808 Zabrze, Poland
| | - Marek Michalski
- Department of Histology and Embryology, School of Medicine with the Division of Dentistry in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, Jordana 19, 41-808 Zabrze, Poland
| | - Oliwia Segiet
- Department of Histology and Embryology, School of Medicine with the Division of Dentistry in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, Jordana 19, 41-808 Zabrze, Poland
| | | | - Marzena Harabin-Słowińska
- Department of Histology and Embryology, School of Medicine with the Division of Dentistry in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, Jordana 19, 41-808 Zabrze, Poland
| | - Romuald Wojnicz
- Department of Histology and Embryology, School of Medicine with the Division of Dentistry in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, Jordana 19, 41-808 Zabrze, Poland
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He F, Du T, Jiang Q, Zhang Y. Synergistic Effect of Notch-3-Specific Inhibition and Paclitaxel in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) Cells Via Activation of The Intrinsic Apoptosis Pathway. Med Sci Monit 2017; 23:3760-3769. [PMID: 28769027 PMCID: PMC5553439 DOI: 10.12659/msm.902641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Lung cancers are resistant to conventional chemotherapeutic interventions such as paclitaxel. Notch signaling is crucial in the chemoresistance of lung cancer cells. The Notch inhibitor gamma-secretase inhibitor (GSI) inhibits the Notch signaling pathway. MATERIAL AND METHODS Here, we evaluated how Notch-3 inhibition by GSI can enhance the sensitivity of lung cancer cells to paclitaxel. To study how Notch-3-specific inhibition affects non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), we compared the cell viability, apoptosis, and colony formation of A549 and H1299 cells treated with Notch-3 siRNA and GSI. RESULTS The expression levels of Notch-3 or Notch intracellular domain 3 (NICD3) and apoptosis-related proteins were measured and compared between different groups. Notch-3 was significantly overexpressed in both cell lines, and Notch-3 expression was elevated after paclitaxel treatment, indicating activation of the Notch signaling pathway. Inhibition of the Notch signaling pathway by GSI and Notch-3 siRNA reduced cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in A549 and H1299 cells, thereby boosting sensitivity of the cell lines to paclitaxel. Concomitant treatment with paclitaxel and GSI or siRNA downregulated Bcl-2 expression and upregulated Bax expression levels. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate a synergistic effect of Notch-3-specific inhibition and paclitaxel through alteration of the intrinsic apoptosis pathway, which was involved in Notch-3-induced chemoresistance in NSCLC cells, and GSI inhibited Notch-3-induced chemoresistance in a concentration-dependent manner. This approach that combines Notch-3-specific inhibition and paclitaxel would be likely to apply in NSCLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fenglian He
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Anhui Geriatric Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China (mainland)
| | - Ting Du
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Anhui Geriatric Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China (mainland)
| | - Qian Jiang
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Anhui Geriatric Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China (mainland)
| | - Yanbei Zhang
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Anhui Geriatric Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China (mainland)
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Hsu MY, Yang MH, Schnegg CI, Hwang S, Ryu B, Alani RM. Notch3 signaling-mediated melanoma-endothelial crosstalk regulates melanoma stem-like cell homeostasis and niche morphogenesis. J Transl Med 2017; 97:725-36. [PMID: 28165469 DOI: 10.1038/labinvest.2017.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2016] [Revised: 11/25/2016] [Accepted: 12/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Melanoma is among the most virulent cancers, owing to its propensity to metastasize and its resistance to current therapies. The treatment failure is largely attributed to tumor heterogeneity, particularly subpopulations possessing stem cell-like properties, ie, melanoma stem-like cells (MSLCs). Evidence indicates that the MSLC phenotype is malleable and may be acquired by non-MSLCs through phenotypic switching upon appropriate stimuli, the so-called 'dynamic stemness'. Since the phenotypic characteristics and functional integrity of MSLCs depend on their vascular niche, using a two-dimensional (2D) melanoma-endothelium co-culture model, where the MSLC niche is recapitulated in vitro, we identified Notch3 signaling pathway as a micro-environmental cue governing MSLC phenotypic plasticity via pathway-specific gene expression arrays. Accordingly, lentiviral shRNA-mediated Notch3 knockdown (KD) in melanoma cell lines exhibiting high levels of endogenous Notch3 led to retarded/abolished tumorigenicity in vivo through both depleting MSLC fractions, evinced by MSLC marker downregulation (eg, CD133 and CD271); and impeding the MSLC niche, corroborated by the attenuated tumor angiogenesis as well as vasculogenic mimicry. In contrast, Notch3 KD affected neither tumor growth nor MSLC subsets in a melanoma cell line with relatively low endogenous Notch3 expression. Thus, Notch3 signaling may facilitate MSLC plasticity and niche morphogenesis in a cell context-dependent manner. Our findings illustrate Notch3 as a molecular switch driving melanoma heterogeneity, and provide the biological rationale for Notch inhibition as a promising therapeutic option.
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Jeong JY, Kang H, Kim TH, Kim G, Heo JH, Kwon AY, Kim S, Jung SG, An HJ. MicroRNA-136 inhibits cancer stem cell activity and enhances the anti-tumor effect of paclitaxel against chemoresistant ovarian cancer cells by targeting Notch3. Cancer Lett 2016; 386:168-178. [PMID: 27887917 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2016.11.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2016] [Revised: 11/04/2016] [Accepted: 11/17/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
To identify microRNAs (miRNAs) regulating Notch3 expression in association with paclitaxel resistance, candidate miRNAs targeting Notch3 were predicted using TargetScan. We found that miR-136 directly targets Notch3, and miR-136 was significantly downregulated in OSC tissues relative to normal control tissues, and low expression of miR-136 correlated with poor overall in ovarian cancer patients. Artificial miR-136 overexpression significantly reduced cell viability, proliferation, Cancer stem cell (CSC) spheroid formation, and angiogenesis, and increased apoptosis in paclitaxel-resistant SKpac cells compared with the effects of paclitaxel alone. miR-136 overexpression downregulated cell survival- (survivin, DNA-PK, pS6, S6) and cell cycle- (Cyclin D1, NF-κB) related proteins, and anti-apoptotic proteins (BCL2, and BCL-XL), and upregulated pro-apoptotic proteins (Bim, Bid, and Bax). Taken together, miR-136 targets the Notch3 oncogene and functions as a tumor suppressor. miR-136 overexpression resensitized paclitaxel-resistant ovarian cancer cells and reduced CSC activities, suggesting a promising new target for the treatment of chemoresistant ovarian cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ju-Yeon Jeong
- Department of Pathology, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, 463-712, South Korea; Institute for Clinical Research, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, 463-712, South Korea
| | - Haeyoun Kang
- Department of Pathology, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, 463-712, South Korea; Institute for Clinical Research, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, 463-712, South Korea
| | - Tae Hoen Kim
- Department of Pathology, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, 463-712, South Korea; Institute for Clinical Research, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, 463-712, South Korea
| | - Gwangil Kim
- Department of Pathology, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, 463-712, South Korea; Institute for Clinical Research, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, 463-712, South Korea
| | - Jin-Hyung Heo
- Department of Pathology, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, 463-712, South Korea
| | - Ah-Young Kwon
- Department of Pathology, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, 463-712, South Korea
| | - Sewha Kim
- Department of Pathology, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, 463-712, South Korea; Institute for Clinical Research, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, 463-712, South Korea
| | - Sang-Geun Jung
- Department of Gynecologic Oncology, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, 463-712, South Korea
| | - Hee-Jung An
- Department of Pathology, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, 463-712, South Korea; Institute for Clinical Research, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, 463-712, South Korea.
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Abstract
Ovarian cancer, consisting mainly of ovarian carcinoma, is the most lethal gynecologic malignancy. Improvements in outcome for patients with advanced-stage disease are limited by intrinsic and acquired chemoresistance and by tumor heterogeneity at different anatomic sites and along disease progression. Molecules and cellular pathways mediating chemoresistance appear to be different for the different histological types of ovarian carcinoma, with most recent research focusing on serous and clear cell carcinoma. This review discusses recent data implicating various biomarkers in chemoresistance in this cancer, with focus on studies in which clinical specimens have been central.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Davidson
- a Department of Pathology , Oslo University Hospital, Norwegian Radium Hospital , Oslo , Norway.,b Faculty of Medicine , Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo , Oslo , Norway
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Er TK, Su YF, Wu CC, Chen CC, Wang J, Hsieh TH, Herreros-Villanueva M, Chen WT, Chen YT, Liu TC, Chen HS, Tsai EM. Targeted next-generation sequencing for molecular diagnosis of endometriosis-associated ovarian cancer. J Mol Med (Berl) 2016; 94:835-47. [PMID: 26920370 DOI: 10.1007/s00109-016-1395-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2015] [Revised: 01/21/2016] [Accepted: 01/25/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Recent molecular and pathological studies suggest that endometriosis may serve as a precursor of ovarian cancer (endometriosis-associated ovarian cancer, EAOC), especially of the endometrioid and clear cell subtypes. Accordingly, this study had two cardinal aims: first, to obtain mutation profiles of EAOC from Taiwanese patients; and second, to determine whether somatic mutations present in EAOC can be detected in preneoplastic lesions. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues were obtained from ten endometriosis patients with malignant transformation. Macrodissection was performed to separate four different types of cells from FFPE sections in six patients. The four types of samples included normal endometrium, ectopic endometriotic lesion, atypical endometriosis, and carcinoma. Ultra-deep (>1000×) targeted sequencing was performed on 409 cancer-related genes to identify pathogenic mutations associated with EAOC. The most frequently mutated genes were PIK3CA (6/10) and ARID1A (5/10). Other recurrently mutated genes included ETS1, MLH1, PRKDC (3/10 each), and AMER1, ARID2, BCL11A, CREBBP, ERBB2, EXT1, FANCD2, MSH6, NF1, NOTCH1, NUMA1, PDE4DIP, PPP2R1A, RNF213, and SYNE1 (2/10 each). Importantly, in five of the six patients, identical somatic mutations were detected in atypical endometriosis and tumor lesions. In two patients, genetic alterations were also detected in ectopic endometriotic lesions, indicating the presence of genetic alterations in preneoplastic lesion. Genetic analysis in preneoplastic lesions may help to identify high-risk patients at early stage of malignant transformation and also shed new light on fundamental aspects of the molecular pathogenesis of EAOC. KEY MESSAGES Molecular characterization of endometriosis-associated ovarian cancer genes by targeted NGS. Candidate genes predictive of malignant transformation were identified. Chromatin remodeling, PI3K-AKT-mTOR, Notch signaling, and Wnt/β-catenin pathway may promote cell malignant transformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tze-Kiong Er
- Department of Health and Nutrition Biotechnology, College of Medical and Health Science, Asia University, Taichung, Taiwan.,Division of Molecular Diagnostics, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Fa Su
- Graduate Institute of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Chun-Chieh Wu
- Department of Pathology, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Chieh Chen
- Institute of Medical Science and Technology, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Jing Wang
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Tsung-Hua Hsieh
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, 80708, Taiwan
| | - Marta Herreros-Villanueva
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hospital Donostia/Instituto Biodonostia, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd), Universidad del País Vasco UPV/EHU, San Sebastián, Spain
| | - Wan-Tzu Chen
- Department of Pathology, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Ting Chen
- Graduate Institute of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.,Department of Pathology, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Ta-Chih Liu
- Division of Molecular Diagnostics, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.,Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Hung-Sheng Chen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, 80708, Taiwan
| | - Eing-Mei Tsai
- Graduate Institute of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. .,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, 80708, Taiwan. .,Research Center for Environmental Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
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Zhou X, Teng L, Wang M. Distinct prognostic values of four-Notch-receptor mRNA expression in ovarian cancer. Tumour Biol 2015; 37:6979-85. [PMID: 26662955 DOI: 10.1007/s13277-015-4594-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2015] [Accepted: 12/03/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Notch signaling pathway includes ligands and Notch receptors, which are frequently deregulated in several human malignancies including ovarian cancer. Aberrant activation of Notch signaling has been linked to ovarian carcinogenesis and progression. In the current study, we used the "Kaplan-Meier plotter" (KM plotter) database, in which updated gene expression data and survival information from a total of 1306 ovarian cancer patients were used to access the prognostic value of four Notch receptors in ovarian cancer patients. Hazard ratio (HR), 95 % confidence intervals, and log-rank P were calculated. Notch1 messenger RNA (mRNA) high expression was not found to be correlated to overall survival (OS) for all ovarian cancer, as well as in serous and endometrioid cancer patients followed for 20 years. However, Notch1 mRNA high expression is significantly associated with worsen OS in TP53 wild-type ovarian cancer patients, while it is significantly associated with better OS in TP53 mutation-type ovarian cancer patients. Notch2 mRNA high expression was found to be significantly correlated to worsen OS for all ovarian cancer patients, as well as in grade II ovarian cancer patients. Notch3 mRNA high expression was found to be significantly correlated to better OS for all ovarian cancer patients, but not in serous cancer patients and endometrioid cancer patients. Notch4 mRNA high expression was not found to be significantly correlated to OS for all ovarian cancer patients, serous cancer patients, and endometrioid cancer patients. These results indicate that there are distinct prognostic values of four Notch receptors in ovarian cancer. This information will be useful for better understanding of the heterogeneity and complexity in the molecular biology of ovarian cancer and for developing tools to more accurately predict their prognosis. Based on our results, Notch1 could be a potential drug target of TP53 wild-type ovarian cancer and Notch2 could be a potential drug target of ovarian cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinling Zhou
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second People's Hospital of Liaocheng Affiliated to Taishan Medical College, No. 306 Jiankang Rd, Linqing, 252601, Shandong Province, People's Republic of China.
| | - Lingling Teng
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second People's Hospital of Liaocheng Affiliated to Taishan Medical College, No. 306 Jiankang Rd, Linqing, 252601, Shandong Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Min Wang
- Department of Pathology, The Second People's Hospital of Liaocheng Affiliated to Taishan Medical College, Linqing, 252601, Shandong Province, People's Republic of China
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