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Cerma K, Piacentini F, Moscetti L, Barbolini M, Canino F, Tornincasa A, Caggia F, Cerri S, Molinaro A, Dominici M, Omarini C. Targeting PI3K/AKT/mTOR Pathway in Breast Cancer: From Biology to Clinical Challenges. Biomedicines 2023; 11:biomedicines11010109. [PMID: 36672617 PMCID: PMC9855880 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11010109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [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] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2022] [Revised: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer (BC) is the most common women cancer and cause of cancer death. Despite decades of scientific progress in BC treatments, the clinical benefit of new drugs is modest in several cases. The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway mutations are frequent in BC (20-40%) and are significant causes of aggressive tumor behavior, as well as treatment resistance. Improving knowledge of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway is an urgent need. This review aims to highlight the central role of PI3K-mTORC1/C2 mutations in the different BC subtypes, in terms of clinical outcomes and treatment efficacy. The broad base of knowledge in tumor biology is a key point for personalized BC therapy in the precision medicine era.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krisida Cerma
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences for Children & Adults, University Hospital of Modena, 41122 Modena, Italy
| | - Federico Piacentini
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences for Children & Adults, University Hospital of Modena, 41122 Modena, Italy
- Division of Medical Oncology, University Hospital of Modena, 41122 Modena, Italy
- GOIRC (Gruppo Oncologico Italiano di Ricerca Clinica), 43126 Parma, Italy
| | - Luca Moscetti
- Division of Medical Oncology, University Hospital of Modena, 41122 Modena, Italy
- GOIRC (Gruppo Oncologico Italiano di Ricerca Clinica), 43126 Parma, Italy
| | - Monica Barbolini
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences for Children & Adults, University Hospital of Modena, 41122 Modena, Italy
- Division of Medical Oncology, University Hospital of Modena, 41122 Modena, Italy
| | - Fabio Canino
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences for Children & Adults, University Hospital of Modena, 41122 Modena, Italy
| | - Antonio Tornincasa
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences for Children & Adults, University Hospital of Modena, 41122 Modena, Italy
| | - Federica Caggia
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences for Children & Adults, University Hospital of Modena, 41122 Modena, Italy
| | - Sara Cerri
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences for Children & Adults, University Hospital of Modena, 41122 Modena, Italy
| | - Alessia Molinaro
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences for Children & Adults, University Hospital of Modena, 41122 Modena, Italy
| | - Massimo Dominici
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences for Children & Adults, University Hospital of Modena, 41122 Modena, Italy
- Division of Medical Oncology, University Hospital of Modena, 41122 Modena, Italy
| | - Claudia Omarini
- Division of Medical Oncology, University Hospital of Modena, 41122 Modena, Italy
- GOIRC (Gruppo Oncologico Italiano di Ricerca Clinica), 43126 Parma, Italy
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-059-422-2845
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Demir Cetinkaya B, Biray Avci C. Molecular perspective on targeted therapy in breast cancer: a review of current status. Med Oncol 2022; 39:149. [PMID: 35834030 DOI: 10.1007/s12032-022-01749-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Breast cancer is categorized at the molecular level according to the status of certain hormone and growth factor receptors, and this classification forms the basis of current diagnosis and treatment. The development of resistance to treatment and recurrence of the disease have led researchers to develop new therapies. In recent years, most of the research in the field of oncology has focused on the development of targeted therapies, which are treatment methods developed directly against molecular abnormalities. Promising advances have been made in clinical trials investigating the effect of these new treatment modalities and their combinations with existing therapeutic treatments in the treatment of breast cancer. Monoclonal antibodies, tyrosine kinase inhibitors, antibody–drug conjugates, PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway inhibitors, cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors, anti-angiogenic drugs, PARP inhibitors are among the targeted therapies used in breast cancer treatment. In this review, we aim to present a molecular view of recently approved target agents used in breast cancer.
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Ozates NP, Soğutlu F, Lerminoglu F, Demir B, Gunduz C, Shademan B, Avci CB. Effects of rapamycin and AZD3463 combination on apoptosis, autophagy, and cell cycle for resistance control in breast cancer. Life Sci 2020; 264:118643. [PMID: 33141044 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2020.118643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [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: 07/20/2020] [Revised: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and the leading cause of cancer mortality in women over 40 it's the year. The existence of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway aberrations in more than 70% of breast cancer has caused to become a therapeutic target. AZD3463 is an anti-cancer agent used as a potential inhibitor of ALK/IGF1R. It also induces apoptosis and autophagy of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway in cancer cells. Although the mTOR signaling might be inhibited by rapamycin treatment, signals transmitted from the upstream pathway supports cell survival and proliferation. The WST-1 assay test was performed to evaluate the anti-proliferative effects of rapamycin and AZD3463. Besides, the effects of them on apoptosis, autophagy, cytostatic, and metabolism in MCF7 breast cancer cells were investigated. Also, changes in the expression of apoptotic regulatory genes, cell cycle, and metabolism in the PI3K/AKT/mTOR Pathway were determined by Quantitative RT-PCR. The results showed that rapamycin and AZD3463 treatments significantly reduced survival in MCF7 cells. Also, apoptosis, autophagy, and cell population in the G0/G1 stage in the MCF7 cell category in the treatment group showed an increase compared to the control group. The combination of rapamycin and AZD3463 (AZD-RAPA) was determined as an additive according to isobologram analysis. In the combination of rapamycin with AZD3463, the expression of CDKN1B, PTEN, FOXO3, and APC genes increases, and the expression of PRKCB and PIK3CG genes decreases. Our results showed that the use of AZD-RAPA reduced the resistance of cancer cells to treatment and it leads cancer cells to apoptosis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Fatma Soğutlu
- Department of Medical Biology, Ege University Medicine Faculty, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Ferzan Lerminoglu
- Department of Toxicology, Ege University Pharmacy Faculty, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Busra Demir
- Department of Toxicology, Ege University Pharmacy Faculty, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Cumhur Gunduz
- Department of Medical Biology, Ege University Medicine Faculty, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Behrouz Shademan
- Department of Medical Biology, Ege University Medicine Faculty, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Cigir Biray Avci
- Department of Medical Biology, Ege University Medicine Faculty, İzmir, Turkey.
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Petővári G, Dankó T, Tőkés AM, Vetlényi E, Krencz I, Raffay R, Hajdu M, Sztankovics D, Németh K, Vellai-Takács K, Jeney A, Kulka J, Sebestyén A. In Situ Metabolic Characterisation of Breast Cancer and Its Potential Impact on Therapy. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12092492. [PMID: 32899149 PMCID: PMC7563878 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12092492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [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] [Received: 08/13/2020] [Revised: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 09/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In spite of tremendous developments in breast cancer treatment, the relatively high incidence of relapsing cases indicates a great need to find new therapeutic strategies in recurrent, metastatic and advanced cases. The bioenergetic needs of growing tumours at the primary site or in metastases-accumulating genomic alterations and further heterogeneity-are supported by metabolic rewiring, an important hallmark of cancer. Adaptation mechanisms as well as altered anabolic and catabolic processes balance according to available nutrients, energy, oxygen demand and overgrowth or therapeutic resistance. Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) hyperactivity may contribute to this metabolic plasticity and progression in breast carcinomas. We set out to assess the metabolic complexity in breast cancer cell lines and primary breast cancer cases. Cellular metabolism and mTOR-related protein expression were characterised in ten cell lines, along with their sensitivity to specific mTOR and other metabolic inhibitors. Selected immunohistochemical reactions were performed on ~100 surgically removed breast cancer specimens. The obtained protein expression scores were correlated with survival and other clinicopathological data. Metabolic and mTOR inhibitor mono-treatments had moderate antiproliferative effects in the studied cell lines in a subtype-independent manner, revealing their high adaptive capacity and survival/growth potential. Immunohistochemical analysis of p-S6, Rictor, lactate dehydrogenase A, glutaminase, fatty acid synthase and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A in human samples identified high mTOR activity and potential metabolic plasticity as negative prognostic factors for breast cancer patients, even in subtypes generally considered as low-risk. According to our results, breast cancer is characterised by considerable metabolic diversity, which can be targeted by combining antimetabolic treatments and recent therapies. Alterations in these pathways may provide novel targets for future drug development in breast cancer. We also propose a set of immunostainings for scoring metabolic heterogeneity in individual cases in order to select patients who may benefit from more accurate follow-up and specific therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gábor Petővári
- 1st Department of Pathology and Experimental Cancer Research, Semmelweis University, Üllői út 26, H-1085 Budapest, Hungary; (G.P.); (T.D.); (E.V.); (I.K.); (R.R.); (M.H.); (D.S.); (A.J.)
| | - Titanilla Dankó
- 1st Department of Pathology and Experimental Cancer Research, Semmelweis University, Üllői út 26, H-1085 Budapest, Hungary; (G.P.); (T.D.); (E.V.); (I.K.); (R.R.); (M.H.); (D.S.); (A.J.)
| | - Anna-Mária Tőkés
- 2nd Department of Pathology, Semmelweis University, Üllői út 93, H-1091 Budapest, Hungary; (A.-M.T.); (J.K.)
| | - Enikő Vetlényi
- 1st Department of Pathology and Experimental Cancer Research, Semmelweis University, Üllői út 26, H-1085 Budapest, Hungary; (G.P.); (T.D.); (E.V.); (I.K.); (R.R.); (M.H.); (D.S.); (A.J.)
| | - Ildikó Krencz
- 1st Department of Pathology and Experimental Cancer Research, Semmelweis University, Üllői út 26, H-1085 Budapest, Hungary; (G.P.); (T.D.); (E.V.); (I.K.); (R.R.); (M.H.); (D.S.); (A.J.)
| | - Regina Raffay
- 1st Department of Pathology and Experimental Cancer Research, Semmelweis University, Üllői út 26, H-1085 Budapest, Hungary; (G.P.); (T.D.); (E.V.); (I.K.); (R.R.); (M.H.); (D.S.); (A.J.)
| | - Melinda Hajdu
- 1st Department of Pathology and Experimental Cancer Research, Semmelweis University, Üllői út 26, H-1085 Budapest, Hungary; (G.P.); (T.D.); (E.V.); (I.K.); (R.R.); (M.H.); (D.S.); (A.J.)
| | - Dániel Sztankovics
- 1st Department of Pathology and Experimental Cancer Research, Semmelweis University, Üllői út 26, H-1085 Budapest, Hungary; (G.P.); (T.D.); (E.V.); (I.K.); (R.R.); (M.H.); (D.S.); (A.J.)
| | - Krisztina Németh
- MS Metabolomics Laboratory, Core Facility, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Magyar Tudósok Blvd 2, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary;
| | - Krisztina Vellai-Takács
- Department of Biological Anthropology, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/A, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary;
| | - András Jeney
- 1st Department of Pathology and Experimental Cancer Research, Semmelweis University, Üllői út 26, H-1085 Budapest, Hungary; (G.P.); (T.D.); (E.V.); (I.K.); (R.R.); (M.H.); (D.S.); (A.J.)
| | - Janina Kulka
- 2nd Department of Pathology, Semmelweis University, Üllői út 93, H-1091 Budapest, Hungary; (A.-M.T.); (J.K.)
| | - Anna Sebestyén
- 1st Department of Pathology and Experimental Cancer Research, Semmelweis University, Üllői út 26, H-1085 Budapest, Hungary; (G.P.); (T.D.); (E.V.); (I.K.); (R.R.); (M.H.); (D.S.); (A.J.)
- Correspondence: or
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Qian Y, Yan Y, Lu H, Zhou T, Lv M, Fang C, Hou J, Li W, Chen X, Sun H, Li Y, Wang Z, Zhao N, Gu Y, Ding Y, Liu Y. Celastrus Orbiculatus Extracts Inhibit the Metastasis through Attenuating PI3K/Akt/mTOR Signaling Pathway in Human Gastric Cancer. Anticancer Agents Med Chem 2020; 19:1754-1761. [PMID: 31364518 DOI: 10.2174/1871520619666190731162722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2019] [Revised: 05/08/2019] [Accepted: 05/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Rapamycin receptor inhibitors have been applied in the clinic and achieved satisfactory therapeutic effect recently. The mechanisms did not clearly show how the Celastrus Orbiculatus Extracts (COE) inhibited the expression of the mammalian Target of Rapamycin (mTOR) in human gastric cancer cells. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the COE inhibited the metastasis through the mTOR signaling pathway in human gastric cancer MGC-803 cells. METHODS The abnormal expression level of mTOR protein was detected by immunohistochemistry in human gastric cancer tissue. The MGC-803/mTOR- cells were constructed by knockdown of mTOR using lentivirus infection technique. The human gastric cancer MGC-803/mTOR- cells were treated with different concentrations (20, 40, 80 μg/ml) of COE for 24 hours. The ability of cell metastasis was analyzed by the cell invasion and migration assay. The expression levels of PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway were detected by Western Blotting. RESULTS COE inhibited the proliferation, invasion and migration of MGC-803/mTOR- cells in a concentrationdependent manner. The expression of E-cadherin protein increased, and the expression of N-cadherin and Vimentin decreased simultaneously in the MGC-803/mTOR- cells. 4EBP1, p-4EBP1, P70S6k, p-P70S6k, mTOR, p-mTOR, PI3K and Akt proteins in MGC-803/mTOR- cells were reduced in a dose-dependent manner. CONCLUSION COE could not only inhibit cell growth, invasion and migration, but also inhibit the epithelialmesenchymal transition of gastric cancer cells. The molecular mechanism of COE inhibited the metastasis which may be related to the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signal pathway. This study provides ideas for the development of new anti-gastric cancer drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yayun Qian
- Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine & Western Medicine, School of Medicine, Yangzhou University, Jiangyang North Road, Yangzhou 225009, China.,Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine for Prevention and Treatment of Senile Diseases, Yangzhou 225001, China.,Department of Pathology, Affiliated Hospital of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225001, China.,Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Yan Yan
- Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine & Western Medicine, School of Medicine, Yangzhou University, Jiangyang North Road, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Hongmei Lu
- Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine & Western Medicine, School of Medicine, Yangzhou University, Jiangyang North Road, Yangzhou 225009, China.,Department of Pathology, Yangzhou Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital Woman Health Cuxuan Center, Jiangsu Sheng, China
| | - Tingting Zhou
- Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine & Western Medicine, School of Medicine, Yangzhou University, Jiangyang North Road, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Mengying Lv
- Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine & Western Medicine, School of Medicine, Yangzhou University, Jiangyang North Road, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Chuanci Fang
- Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine & Western Medicine, School of Medicine, Yangzhou University, Jiangyang North Road, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Jingjing Hou
- Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine & Western Medicine, School of Medicine, Yangzhou University, Jiangyang North Road, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Wenyuan Li
- Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine & Western Medicine, School of Medicine, Yangzhou University, Jiangyang North Road, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Xiwen Chen
- Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine & Western Medicine, School of Medicine, Yangzhou University, Jiangyang North Road, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Hui Sun
- Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine & Western Medicine, School of Medicine, Yangzhou University, Jiangyang North Road, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Yajuan Li
- Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine & Western Medicine, School of Medicine, Yangzhou University, Jiangyang North Road, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Zheng Wang
- Department of Pathology, Affiliated Hospital of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225001, China
| | - Nan Zhao
- Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine & Western Medicine, School of Medicine, Yangzhou University, Jiangyang North Road, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Yajuan Gu
- Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine & Western Medicine, School of Medicine, Yangzhou University, Jiangyang North Road, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Yongling Ding
- Department of Pathology, Affiliated Hospital of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225001, China
| | - Yanqing Liu
- Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine & Western Medicine, School of Medicine, Yangzhou University, Jiangyang North Road, Yangzhou 225009, China
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Schettini F, Sobhani N, Ianza A, Triulzi T, Molteni A, Lazzari MC, Strina C, Milani M, Corona SP, Sirico M, Bernocchi O, Giudici F, Cappelletti MR, Ciruelos E, Jerusalem G, Loi S, Fox SB, Generali D. Immune system and angiogenesis-related potential surrogate biomarkers of response to everolimus-based treatment in hormone receptor-positive breast cancer: an exploratory study. Breast Cancer Res Treat 2020; 184:421-431. [PMID: 32770287 PMCID: PMC7599144 DOI: 10.1007/s10549-020-05856-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [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] [Received: 06/19/2020] [Accepted: 07/31/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Purpose mTOR inhibitor everolimus is used for hormone receptor-positive (HR+)/HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer (mBC). No reliable predictive biomarker of response is available. Following evidences from other solid tumors, we aimed to assess the association between treatment-associated immune system features and everolimus activity. Methods We retrospectively explored a correlation with the therapeutic activity of everolimus and tumor-associated immune pathways with ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), circulating lymphocytes, and endothelial cells (CECs) in 3 different HR+ mBC studies, including the BALLET phase IIIb study. Results The circulating levels of CD3+/CD8+, CD3+/CD4+, and overall T lymphocytes were higher in responders versus non-responders at baseline (p = 0.017, p < 0.001, p = 0.034) and after treatment (p = 0.01, p = 0.003, p = 0.023). Reduced CECs, a tumor neoangiogenesis marker, were observed in responders after treatment (p < 0.001). Patients with low NLR (≤ 4.4) showed a better progression-free survival compared to patients with high NLR (> 4.4) (p = 0.01). IPA showed that the majority of immunity-related genes were found upregulated in responders compared to non-responders before treatment, but not after. Conclusions Lymphocytes subpopulations, CECs and NLR could be interesting biomarkers predictive of response to everolimus-based regimens, potentially useful in daily clinical practice to select/monitor everolimus-based treatment in mBC. Further studies to confirm such hypotheses are warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Schettini
- Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.,Translational Genomics and Targeted Therapeutics in Solid Tumors, August Pi I Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain.,SOLTI Breast Cancer Research Group, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Navid Sobhani
- Department of Medical, Surgery & Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Piazza Ospitale 1, 34129, Trieste, Italy
| | - Anna Ianza
- Department of Medical, Surgery & Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Piazza Ospitale 1, 34129, Trieste, Italy
| | - Tiziana Triulzi
- Molecular Targeting Unit, Department of Research, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy
| | - Alfredo Molteni
- UO Ematologia e CTMO, ASST di Cremona, Viale Concordia 1, 26100, Cremona, Italy
| | | | - Carla Strina
- UO Multidisciplinare di Patologia Mammaria e Ricerca Traslazionale, ASST di Cremona, Viale Concordia 1, 26100, Cremona, Italy
| | - Manuela Milani
- UO Multidisciplinare di Patologia Mammaria e Ricerca Traslazionale, ASST di Cremona, Viale Concordia 1, 26100, Cremona, Italy
| | - Silvia Paola Corona
- Department of Medical, Surgery & Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Piazza Ospitale 1, 34129, Trieste, Italy
| | - Marianna Sirico
- UO Multidisciplinare di Patologia Mammaria e Ricerca Traslazionale, ASST di Cremona, Viale Concordia 1, 26100, Cremona, Italy
| | - Ottavia Bernocchi
- Department of Medical, Surgery & Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Piazza Ospitale 1, 34129, Trieste, Italy.,UO Multidisciplinare di Patologia Mammaria e Ricerca Traslazionale, ASST di Cremona, Viale Concordia 1, 26100, Cremona, Italy
| | - Fabiola Giudici
- Department of Medical, Surgery & Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Piazza Ospitale 1, 34129, Trieste, Italy
| | - Maria Rosaria Cappelletti
- UO Multidisciplinare di Patologia Mammaria e Ricerca Traslazionale, ASST di Cremona, Viale Concordia 1, 26100, Cremona, Italy
| | - Eva Ciruelos
- SOLTI Breast Cancer Research Group, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Medical Oncology, Breast Cancer Unit, University Hospital, 12 de Octubre, Avda de Córdoba s/n, Madrid, Spain
| | - Guy Jerusalem
- Department of Medical Oncology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Liège and Liège University, Avenue de L'Hòpital 1, 4000, Liège, Belgium
| | - Sherine Loi
- Peter MacCallum Cancer Center, 305 Grattan Street, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Stephen B Fox
- Peter MacCallum Cancer Center, 305 Grattan Street, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Daniele Generali
- Department of Medical, Surgery & Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Piazza Ospitale 1, 34129, Trieste, Italy. .,UO Multidisciplinare di Patologia Mammaria e Ricerca Traslazionale, ASST di Cremona, Viale Concordia 1, 26100, Cremona, Italy.
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7
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Irelli A, Sirufo MM, D'Ugo C, Ginaldi L, De Martinis M. Sex and Gender Influences on Cancer Immunotherapy Response. Biomedicines 2020; 8:E232. [PMID: 32708265 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines8070232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [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: 05/01/2020] [Revised: 06/17/2020] [Accepted: 07/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The global burden of cancer is growing and a wide disparity in the incidence, malignancy and mortality of different types of cancer between each sex has been demonstrated. The sex specificity of cancer appears to be a relevant issue in the management of the disease, and studies investigating the role of sex and gender are becoming extremely urgent. Sex hormones are presumably the leading actors of sex differences in cancer, especially estrogens. They modulate gene expression, alter molecules and generate disparities in effectiveness and side effects of anticancer therapies. Recently immunotherapy aims to improve anticancer treatment strategies reducing off-target effects of chemotherapy and direct cancer cells killing. It is recognized as a fruitful strategy to treat and possible to cure cancer. Immunotherapeutic agents are used to activate or boost the activation of the immune system to fight cancer cells through physiological mechanisms often evaded in the offensive march of the disease. These therapeutic strategies have allowed new successes, but also have serious adverse effects including non-specific inflammation and autoimmunity. Sex and gender issues are of primary importance in this field, due to their recognized role in inflammation, immunity and cancer, and the clarification and understanding of these aspects is a necessary step to increase the responses and to diminish the adverse effects of immunotherapy. This review describes the available knowledge on the role of sex and gender in cancer immunotherapy, and will offer insights to stimulate the attention and practice of clinicians and researchers in a gender perspective of new cancer treatment strategies.
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Cuesta R, Gritsenko MA, Petyuk VA, Shukla AK, Tsai CF, Liu T, McDermott JE, Holz MK. Phosphoproteome Analysis Reveals Estrogen-ER Pathway as a Modulator of mTOR Activity Via DEPTOR. Mol Cell Proteomics 2019; 18:1607-1618. [PMID: 31189691 PMCID: PMC6683011 DOI: 10.1074/mcp.ra119.001506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2019] [Revised: 05/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
ER-positive breast tumors represent ∼70% of all breast cancer cases. Although their treatment with endocrine therapies is effective in the adjuvant or recurrent settings, the development of resistance compromises their effectiveness. The binding of estrogen to ERα, a transcription factor, triggers the regulation of the target genes (genomic pathway). Additionally, a cytoplasmic fraction of estrogen-bound ERα activates oncogenic signaling pathways such as PI3K/AKT/mTOR (nongenomic pathway). The upregulation of the estrogenic and the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathways are frequently associated with a poor outcome. To better characterize the connection between these two pathways, we performed a phosphoproteome analysis of ER-positive MCF7 breast cancer cells treated with estrogen or estrogen and the mTORC1 inhibitor rapamycin. Many proteins were identified as estrogen-regulated mTORC1 targets and among them, DEPTOR was selected for further characterization. DEPTOR binds to mTOR and inhibits the kinase activity of both mTOR complexes mTORC1 and mTORC2, but mitogen-activated mTOR promotes phosphorylation-mediated DEPTOR degradation. Although estrogen enhances the phosphorylation of DEPTOR by mTORC1, DEPTOR levels increase in estrogen-stimulated cells. We demonstrated that DEPTOR accumulation is the result of estrogen-ERα-mediated transcriptional upregulation of DEPTOR expression. Consequently, the elevated levels of DEPTOR partially counterbalance the estrogen-induced activation of mTORC1 and mTORC2. These results underscore the critical role of estrogen-ERα as a modulator of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway in ER-positive breast cancer cells. Additionally, these studies provide evidence supporting the use of dual PI3K/mTOR or dual mTORC1/2 inhibitors in combination with endocrine therapies as a first-line treatment option for the patients with ER-positive advanced breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael Cuesta
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, New York Medical College, Valhalla NY 10595
| | - Marina A Gritsenko
- §Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland WA 99352
| | - Vladislav A Petyuk
- §Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland WA 99352
| | - Anil K Shukla
- §Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland WA 99352
| | - Chia-Feng Tsai
- §Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland WA 99352
| | - Tao Liu
- §Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland WA 99352
| | - Jason E McDermott
- ¶Computational Biology and Bioinformatics Group, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland WA 99352
| | - Marina K Holz
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, New York Medical College, Valhalla NY 10595; ‖Albert Einstein Cancer Center, Bronx NY 10461.
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