1
|
Chipurupalli S, Jiang P, Liu X, Santos JL, Marcato P, Rosen KV. Three-dimensional growth sensitizes breast cancer cells to treatment with ferroptosis-promoting drugs. Cell Death Dis 2023; 14:580. [PMID: 37658069 PMCID: PMC10474142 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-023-06106-2] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/03/2023]
Abstract
Drugs causing ferroptosis, iron-mediated cell death, represent promising tools for cancer treatment. While exploring the effect of these drugs on breast cancer (BC), we found that a ferroptosis-inducing drug erastin dramatically inhibits tumorigenicity of human BC cells in mice but when used at a concentration known to effectively kill other cell types only modestly reduces such growth in 2D monolayer culture. BCs grow in vivo as 3D masses, and we found that ferroptosis inducers erastin and sulfasalazine inhibit growth of multiple human BC cell lines in 3D culture significantly stronger than in 2D culture. To understand the mechanism of this differential effect, we found that ferroptosis inducers upregulate mRNAs encoding multiple direct and indirect autophagy stimulators, such as ATG16L2, ATG9A, ATG4D, GABARAP, SQSTM/p62, SEC23A and BAX, in tumor cells growing in 2D but not in 3D culture. Furthermore, these drugs promoted autophagy of tumor cells growing in a 2D but not in a 3D manner. We observed that pharmacological inhibition of autophagy-stimulating protein kinase ULK1 or RNA interference-mediated knockdown of autophagy mediator ATG12 significantly sensitized tumor cells to erastin treatment in 2D culture. We also found that ferroptosis-promoting treatments upregulate heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in BC cells. HO-1 increases cellular free iron pool and can potentially promote ferroptosis. Indeed, we observed that HO-1 knockdown by RNA interference reversed the effect of ferroptosis inducers on BC cell 3D growth. Hence, the effect of these drugs on such growth is mediated by HO-1. In summary, autophagy triggered by ferroptosis-promoting drugs reduces their ability to kill BC growing in a 2D manner. This protection mechanism is inhibited in BC cells growing as a 3D mass, and ferroptosis-promoting drugs kill such cells more effectively. Moreover, this death is mediated by HO-1. Thus, ferroptosis induction represents a promising strategy for blocking 3D BC growth.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sandhya Chipurupalli
- Departments of Pediatrics & Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Peijia Jiang
- Departments of Pediatrics & Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Xiaoyang Liu
- Departments of Pediatrics & Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Julia Linhares Santos
- Departments of Pediatrics & Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Paola Marcato
- Department of Pathology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Kirill V Rosen
- Departments of Pediatrics & Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Attwood KM, Robichaud A, Westhaver LP, Castle EL, Brandman DM, Balgi AD, Roberge M, Colp P, Croul S, Kim I, McCormick C, Corcoran JA, Weeks A. Raloxifene prevents stress granule dissolution, impairs translational control and promotes cell death during hypoxia in glioblastoma cells. Cell Death Dis 2020; 11:989. [PMID: 33203845 PMCID: PMC7673037 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-020-03159-5] [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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2019] [Revised: 10/09/2020] [Accepted: 10/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary malignant brain tumor, and it has a uniformly poor prognosis. Hypoxia is a feature of the GBM microenvironment, and previous work has shown that cancer cells residing in hypoxic regions resist treatment. Hypoxia can trigger the formation of stress granules (SGs), sites of mRNA triage that promote cell survival. A screen of 1120 FDA-approved drugs identified 129 candidates that delayed the dissolution of hypoxia-induced SGs following a return to normoxia. Amongst these candidates, the selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) raloxifene delayed SG dissolution in a dose-dependent manner. SG dissolution typically occurs by 15 min post-hypoxia, however pre-treatment of immortalized U251 and U3024 primary GBM cells with raloxifene prevented SG dissolution for up to 2 h. During this raloxifene-induced delay in SG dissolution, translational silencing was sustained, eIF2α remained phosphorylated and mTOR remained inactive. Despite its well-described role as a SERM, raloxifene-mediated delay in SG dissolution was unaffected by co-administration of β-estradiol, nor did β-estradiol alone have any effect on SGs. Importantly, the combination of raloxifene and hypoxia resulted in increased numbers of late apoptotic/necrotic cells. Raloxifene and hypoxia also demonstrated a block in late autophagy similar to the known autophagy inhibitor chloroquine (CQ). Genetic disruption of the SG-nucleating proteins G3BP1 and G3BP2 revealed that G3BP1 is required to sustain the raloxifene-mediated delay in SG dissolution. Together, these findings indicate that modulating the stress response can be used to exploit the hypoxic niche of GBM tumors, causing cell death by disrupting pro-survival stress responses and control of protein synthesis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Aaron Robichaud
- Department of Medical Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
- Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | | | - Elizabeth L Castle
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - David M Brandman
- Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Aruna D Balgi
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Michel Roberge
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Patricia Colp
- Department of Pathology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Sidney Croul
- Department of Pathology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Inhwa Kim
- Department of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Craig McCormick
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Jennifer A Corcoran
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Disease, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Adrienne Weeks
- Department of Surgery, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
- Department of Medical Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
- Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Chelakkot VS, Som J, Yoshioka E, Rice CP, Rutihinda SG, Hirasawa K. Systemic MEK inhibition enhances the efficacy of 5-aminolevulinic acid-photodynamic therapy. Br J Cancer 2019; 121:758-767. [PMID: 31551581 PMCID: PMC6889170 DOI: 10.1038/s41416-019-0586-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2019] [Revised: 09/04/2019] [Accepted: 09/06/2019] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) gets accumulated preferentially in 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA)-treated cancer cells. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) utilises the accumulated PpIX to trigger cell death by light-induced generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). We previously demonstrated that oncogenic Ras/MEK decreases PpIX accumulation in cancer cells. Here, we investigated whether combined therapy with a MEK inhibitor would improve 5-ALA-PDT efficacy. METHODS Cancer cells and mice models of cancer were treated with 5-ALA-PDT, MEK inhibitor or both MEK inhibitor and 5-ALA-PDT, and treatment efficacies were evaluated. RESULTS Ras/MEK negatively regulates the cellular sensitivity to 5-ALA-PDT as cancer cells pre-treated with a MEK inhibitor were killed more efficiently by 5-ALA-PDT. MEK inhibition promoted 5-ALA-PDT-induced ROS generation and programmed cell death. Furthermore, the combination of 5-ALA-PDT and a systemic MEK inhibitor significantly suppressed tumour growth compared with either monotherapy in mouse models of cancer. Remarkably, 44% of mice bearing human colon tumours showed a complete response with the combined treatment. CONCLUSION We demonstrate a novel strategy to promote 5-ALA-PDT efficacy by targeting a cell signalling pathway regulating its sensitivity. This preclinical study provides a strong basis for utilising MEK inhibitors, which are approved for treating cancers, to enhance 5-ALA-PDT efficacy in the clinic.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vipin Shankar Chelakkot
- Division of BioMedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, A1B 3V6, Canada
| | - Jayoti Som
- Division of BioMedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, A1B 3V6, Canada
| | - Ema Yoshioka
- Division of BioMedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, A1B 3V6, Canada
| | - Chantel P Rice
- Division of BioMedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, A1B 3V6, Canada
| | - Suzette G Rutihinda
- Division of BioMedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, A1B 3V6, Canada
| | - Kensuke Hirasawa
- Division of BioMedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, A1B 3V6, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Huynh TT, Sultan M, Vidovic D, Dean CA, Cruickshank BM, Lee K, Loung CY, Holloway RW, Hoskin DW, Waisman DM, Weaver ICG, Marcato P. Retinoic acid and arsenic trioxide induce lasting differentiation and demethylation of target genes in APL cells. Sci Rep 2019; 9:9414. [PMID: 31263158 PMCID: PMC6602962 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-45982-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2018] [Accepted: 06/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is characterized by arrested differentiation of promyelocytes. Patients treated with all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) alone experience relapse, while patients treated with ATRA and arsenic trioxide (ATO) are often relapse-free. This suggests sustained changes have been elicited by the combination therapy. To understand the lasting effects of the combination therapy, we compared the effects of ATRA and ATO on NB4 and ATRA-resistant NB4-MR2 APL cells during treatment versus post treatment termination. After treatment termination, NB4 cells treated with ATRA or ATO reverted to non-differentiated cells, while combination-treated cells remained terminally differentiated. This effect was diminished in NB4-MR2 cells. This suggests combination treatment induced more permanent changes. Combination treatment induced higher expression of target genes (e.g., transglutaminase 2 and retinoic acid receptor beta), which in NB4 cells was sustained post treatment termination. To determine whether sustained epigenetic changes were responsible, we quantified the enrichment of histone modifications by chromatin immunoprecipitation, and CpG methylation by bisulfite-pyrosequencing. While ATRA and combination treatment induced similar histone acetylation enrichment, combination treatment induced greater demethylation of target genes, which was sustained. Therefore, sustained demethylation of target genes by ATRA and ATO combination treatment is associated with lasting differentiation and gene expression changes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas T Huynh
- Department of Pathology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Mohammad Sultan
- Department of Pathology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Dejan Vidovic
- Department of Pathology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Cheryl A Dean
- Department of Pathology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | | | - Kristen Lee
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Chao-Yu Loung
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Ryan W Holloway
- Department of Pathology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - David W Hoskin
- Department of Pathology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - David M Waisman
- Department of Pathology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Ian C G Weaver
- Department of Pathology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
- Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
- Brain Repair Centre, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
| | - Paola Marcato
- Department of Pathology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|