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Abstract
The identification of gasdermin as the executor of pyroptosis has opened new avenues for the study of this process. Although pyroptosis research has mainly focused on immune cells since it was discovered three decades ago, accumulating evidence suggests that pyroptosis plays crucial roles in many biological processes. One example is the discovery of gasdermin-mediated cancer cell pyroptosis (CCP) which has become an important and frontier field in oncology. Recent studies have shown that CCP induction can heat tumor microenvironment (TME) and thereby elicit the robust anti-tumor immunity to suppress tumor growth. As a newly discovered form of tumor cell death, CCP offers promising opportunities for improving tumor treatment and developing new drugs. Nevertheless, the research on CCP is still in its infancy, and the molecular mechanisms underlying the expression, regulation and activation of gasdermins are not yet fully understood. In this review, we summarize the recent progress of gasdermin research in cancer area, and propose that the anti-tumor effect of immune cell pyroptosis (ICP) and CCP depends on their duration, intensity, and the type of cells undergoing pyroptosis within TME.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junwei Hou
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Xiangya Road 87, Changsha 410008, Hunan, China; Otolaryngology Major Disease Research Key Laboratory of Hunan Province, Xiangya Road 87, Changsha 410008, Hunan, China; Xiangya Cancer Center, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Xiangya Road 87, Changsha 410008, Hunan, China; Center for Molecular Oncology and Immunology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Xiangya Road 87, Changsha 410008, Hunan, China; Clinical Research Center for Pharyngolaryngeal Diseases and Voice Disorders in Hunan Province, Xiangya Road 87, Changsha 410008, Hunan, China; National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Xiangya Road 87, Changsha 410008, Hunan, China.
| | - Tiansheng Li
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Xiangya Road 87, Changsha 410008, Hunan, China; Otolaryngology Major Disease Research Key Laboratory of Hunan Province, Xiangya Road 87, Changsha 410008, Hunan, China; Xiangya Cancer Center, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Xiangya Road 87, Changsha 410008, Hunan, China; Center for Molecular Oncology and Immunology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Xiangya Road 87, Changsha 410008, Hunan, China; Clinical Research Center for Pharyngolaryngeal Diseases and Voice Disorders in Hunan Province, Xiangya Road 87, Changsha 410008, Hunan, China
| | - Jung-Mao Hsu
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Research Center for Cancer Biology, Cancer Biology and Precision Therapeutics Center, and Center for Molecular Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Xin Zhang
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Xiangya Road 87, Changsha 410008, Hunan, China; Otolaryngology Major Disease Research Key Laboratory of Hunan Province, Xiangya Road 87, Changsha 410008, Hunan, China; Xiangya Cancer Center, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Xiangya Road 87, Changsha 410008, Hunan, China; Clinical Research Center for Pharyngolaryngeal Diseases and Voice Disorders in Hunan Province, Xiangya Road 87, Changsha 410008, Hunan, China; National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Xiangya Road 87, Changsha 410008, Hunan, China.
| | - Mien-Chie Hung
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Research Center for Cancer Biology, Cancer Biology and Precision Therapeutics Center, and Center for Molecular Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
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Hou J, Hsu JM, Hung MC. Molecular mechanisms and functions of pyroptosis in inflammation and antitumor immunity. Mol Cell 2021; 81:4579-4590. [PMID: 34562371 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2021.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 38.0] [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: 04/25/2021] [Revised: 07/17/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Canonically, gasdermin D (GSDMD) cleavage by caspase-1 through inflammasome signaling triggers immune cell pyroptosis (ICP) as a host defense against pathogen infection. However, cancer cell pyroptosis (CCP) was recently discovered to be activated by distinct molecular mechanisms in which GSDMB, GSDMC, and GSDME, rather than GSDMD, are the executioners. Moreover, instead of inflammatory caspases, apoptotic caspases and granzymes are required for gasdermin protein cleavage to induce CCP. Sufficient accumulation of protease-cleaved gasdermin proteins is the prerequisite for CCP. Inflammation induced by ICP or CCP results in diametrically opposite effects on antitumor immunity because of the differential duration and released cellular contents, leading to contrary effects on therapeutic outcomes. Here, we focus on the distinct mechanisms of ICP and CCP and discuss the roles of ICP and CCP in inflammation and antitumor immunity, representing actionable targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junwei Hou
- Xiangya Cancer Center, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Xiangya Road 87, Changsha 410008, Hunan, China; Otolaryngology Major Disease Research Key Laboratory of Hunan Province, Xiangya Road 87, Changsha 410008, Hunan, China; Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Xiangya Road 87, Changsha 410008, Hunan, China; Department of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
| | - Jung-Mao Hsu
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Research Center for Cancer Biology and Center for Molecular Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Mien-Chie Hung
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Research Center for Cancer Biology and Center for Molecular Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan; Department of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA; Department of Biotechnology, Asia University, Taichung, Taiwan.
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