1
|
Dinavahi SS, Chen YC, Gowda R, Dhanyamraju PK, Punnath K, Desai D, Berg A, Kimball SR, Amin S, Yang JM, Robertson GP. Targeting Protein Translation in Melanoma by Inhibiting EEF-2 Kinase Regulates Cholesterol Metabolism though SREBP2 to Inhibit Tumour Development. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:3481. [PMID: 35408842 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23073481] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Revised: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Decreasing the levels of certain proteins has been shown to be important for controlling cancer but it is currently unknown whether proteins could potentially be targeted by the inhibiting of protein synthesis. Under this circumstance, targeting protein translation could preferentially affect certain pathways, which could then be of therapeutic advantage when treating cancer. In this report, eukaryotic elongation factor-2 kinase (EEF2K), which is involved in protein translation, was shown to regulate cholesterol metabolism. Targeting EEF2K inhibited key parts of the cholesterol pathway in cancer cells, which could be rescued by the addition of exogenous cholesterol, suggesting that it is a potentially important pathway modulated by targeting this process. Specifically, targeting EEF2K significantly suppressed tumour cell growth by blocking mRNA translation of the cholesterol biosynthesis transcription factor, sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP) 2, and the proteins it regulates. The process could be rescued by the addition of LDL cholesterol taken into the cells via non-receptor-mediated-uptake, which negated the need for SREBP2 protein. Thus, the levels of SREBP2 needed for cholesterol metabolism in cancer cells are therapeutically vulnerable by targeting protein translation. This is the first report to suggest that targeting EEF2K can be used to modulate cholesterol metabolism to treat cancer.
Collapse
|
2
|
Jiang M, Qi L, Jin K, Li L, Wu Y, Song D, Gan J, Huang M, Li Y, Song C. eEF2K as a novel metastatic and prognostic biomarker in gastric cancer patients. Pathol Res Pract 2021; 225:153568. [PMID: 34352439 DOI: 10.1016/j.prp.2021.153568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Revised: 07/25/2021] [Accepted: 07/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although eukaryotic elongation factor 2 kinase (eEF2K) has been reported to be a potential oncogenic factor in many human cancers, its usefulness as a clinical prognostic biomarker for gastric cancer has not been investigated. METHODS In this study, data about 540 patients with stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD) were analyzed from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases to determine the expression of eEF2K. Immunohistochemistry (IHC), western blots, and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were also performed to determine the clinical significance of eEF2K expression in 96 postoperative patients with gastric cancer. Among the 96 patients, 36 had low expression of eEF2K and 60 had high expression. RESULTS Analysis of the TCGA and GEO datasets revealed that eEF2K expression was significantly higher in the STAD tissue samples than in the non-tumorous gastric tissues. IHC, western blots, and RT-PCR confirmed these findings. The high expression level of eEF2K was found to be related to the presence of lymph node metastasis (p = 0.002). Moreover, multivariate analysis showed that eEF2K was an independent indicator of prognosis for overall survival (OS) (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.72, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.06-2.79; p = 0.03) and disease-free survival (DFS) (HR = 1.66, 95% CI = 0.997-2.765; p = 0.052) in patients with surgically resected STAD. CONCLUSION Collectively, our findings suggest that eEF2K is a clinical indicator of metastatic and prognostic significance for STAD survival and could serve as a potential therapeutic target.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mingxia Jiang
- Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, 150 Haping St, Nangang District, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150081, PR China.
| | - Ling Qi
- Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, 150 Haping St, Nangang District, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150081, PR China.
| | - Kexin Jin
- Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, 150 Haping St, Nangang District, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150081, PR China.
| | - Lisha Li
- Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, 150 Haping St, Nangang District, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150081, PR China.
| | - Yiming Wu
- Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, 150 Haping St, Nangang District, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150081, PR China.
| | - Dongfeng Song
- Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, 150 Haping St, Nangang District, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150081, PR China.
| | - Junqing Gan
- Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, 150 Haping St, Nangang District, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150081, PR China.
| | - Mei Huang
- Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, 150 Haping St, Nangang District, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150081, PR China.
| | - Yanjing Li
- Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, 150 Haping St, Nangang District, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150081, PR China.
| | - Chengxin Song
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin 150081, China.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Ng TH, Sham KWY, Xie CM, Ng SSM, To KF, Tong JHM, Liu WYZ, Zhang L, Chan MTV, Wu WKK, Cheng CHK. Eukaryotic elongation factor-2 kinase expression is an independent prognostic factor in colorectal cancer. BMC Cancer 2019; 19:649. [PMID: 31266475 PMCID: PMC6607603 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-019-5873-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [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: 01/29/2019] [Accepted: 06/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Prognostication of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) currently relies on tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) staging but clinical outcomes of patients of the same histoclinical stage are heterogeneous. It is therefore imperative to devise novel molecular tests to stratify CRC patients. Our previous work demonstrated that eukaryotic elongation factor-2 kinase (EEF2K) is a tumor suppressor in CRC. Herein, we investigated EEF2K expression in CRC and determined its relationship with clinicopathological parameters. Methods Quantitative RT-PCR and Westerns blots were used to examine EEF2K expression in primary tumor and the adjacent non-tumor tissues of CRC patients (n = 20). Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression analysis were used to assess the association between clinical outcomes of CRC patients and EEF2K protein expression determined by immunohistochemistry on tissue microarray (n = 151). Results EEF2K was significantly downregulated at both mRNA and protein levels in tumors of CRC patients. Univariate Cox regression analysis revealed that CRC patients with high tumor grade, advanced TNM staging and low EEF2K expression were associated with worse overall survival. Multivariate analysis further demonstrated that low EEF2K expression was an independent factor for predicting poorer overall survival in CRC patients (p = 0.014; Hazard ratio = 2.951; 95% confidence interval: 1.240–7.024). The 5-year survival rate was 82.8% in the EEF2K-high-expression group versus 63.9% in the EEF2K-low-expression group (p = 0.0118). The association of overall survival with EEF2K expression in CRC patients was verified in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) cohort. Conclusions EEF2K is downregulated in CRC and its expression can be employed as a prognostic marker for CRC patients independent of TNM staging. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12885-019-5873-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tung H Ng
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Kathy W Y Sham
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Chuan M Xie
- Institute of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, China
| | - Simon S M Ng
- State Key Laboratory of Digestive Diseases, Centre for Gut Microbiota Research, Institute of Digestive Diseases and LKS Institute of Health Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.,Department of Surgery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Ka F To
- State Key Laboratory of Digestive Diseases, Centre for Gut Microbiota Research, Institute of Digestive Diseases and LKS Institute of Health Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.,Department of Anatomical & Cellular Pathology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Joanna H M Tong
- Department of Anatomical & Cellular Pathology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Wing Y Z Liu
- Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Lin Zhang
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.,State Key Laboratory of Digestive Diseases, Centre for Gut Microbiota Research, Institute of Digestive Diseases and LKS Institute of Health Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.,Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.,CUHK Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen, China
| | - Matthew T V Chan
- Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - William K K Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Digestive Diseases, Centre for Gut Microbiota Research, Institute of Digestive Diseases and LKS Institute of Health Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. .,Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. .,CUHK Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen, China.
| | - Christopher H K Cheng
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. .,CUHK Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen, China.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Pan Z, Chen Y, Liu J, Jiang Q, Yang S, Guo L, He G. Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of polo-like kinase 1/eukaryotic elongation factor 2 kinase (PLK1/ EEF2K) dual inhibitors for regulating breast cancer cells apoptosis and autophagy. Eur J Med Chem 2018; 144:517-528. [PMID: 29288948 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2017.12.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [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: 10/14/2017] [Revised: 12/06/2017] [Accepted: 12/13/2017] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Both PLK1 and EEF2K are serine⁄threonine kinases that play important roles in the proliferation and programmed cell death of various types of cancer. They are highly expressed in breast cancer tissues. Based on the multiple-complexes generated pharmacophore models of PLK1 and homology models of EEF2K, the integrated virtual screening is performed to discover novel PLK1/EEF2K dual inhibitors. The top ten hit compounds are selected and tested in vitro, and five of them display PLK1 and EEF2K inhibition in vitro. Based on the docking modes of the most potent hit compound, a series of derivatives are synthesized, characterized and biological assayed on the PLK1, EEF2K as well as breast cancer cell proliferation models. Compound 18i with satisfied inhibitory potency are shifted to molecular mechanism studies contained molecular dynamics simulations, cell cycles, apoptosis and autophagy assays. Our results suggested that these novel PLK1/EEF2K dual inhibitors can be used as lead compounds for further development breast cancer chemotherapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhaoping Pan
- Key Laboratory of Drug-Targeting of Education Ministry and Department of Medicinal Chemistry, West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China; State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Department of Breast Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Yujuan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Department of Breast Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Jingyan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Department of Breast Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Qinglin Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Department of Breast Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu 610041, China; School of Pharmacy and Sichuan Province College Key Laboratory of Structure-Specific Small Molecule Drugs, Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu 610500, China.
| | - Shengyong Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Department of Breast Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Li Guo
- Key Laboratory of Drug-Targeting of Education Ministry and Department of Medicinal Chemistry, West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.
| | - Gu He
- Key Laboratory of Drug-Targeting of Education Ministry and Department of Medicinal Chemistry, West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China; State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Department of Breast Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu 610041, China.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Cheng Y, Ren X, Zhang Y, Shan Y, Huber-Keener KJ, Zhang L, Kimball SR, Harvey H, Jefferson LS, Yang JM. Integrated regulation of autophagy and apoptosis by EEF2K controls cellular fate and modulates the efficacy of curcumin and velcade against tumor cells. Autophagy 2012. [PMID: 23182879 DOI: 10.4161/auto.22801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress induces both autophagy and apoptosis yet the molecular mechanisms and pathways underlying the regulation of these two cellular processes in cells undergoing ER stress remain less clear. We report here that eukaryotic elongation factor-2 kinase (EEF2K) is a critical controller of the ER stress-induced autophagy and apoptosis in tumor cells. DDIT4, a stress-induced protein, was required for transducing the signal for activation of EEF2K under ER stress. We further showed that phosphorylation of EEF2K at Ser398 was essential for induction of autophagy, while phosphorylation of the kinase at Ser366 and Ser78 exerted an inhibitory effect on autophagy. Suppression of the ER stress-activated autophagy via silencing of EEF2K aggravated ER stress and promoted apoptotic cell death in tumor cells. Moreover, inhibiting EEF2K by either RNAi or NH125, a small molecule inhibitor of the enzyme, rendered tumor cells more sensitive to curcumin and velcade, two anticancer agents that possess ER stress-inducing action. Our study indicated that the DDIT4-EEF2K pathway was essential for inducing autophagy and for determining the fate of tumor cells under ER stress, and suggested that inhibiting the EEF2K-mediated autophagy can deteriorate ER stress and lead to a greater apoptotic response, thereby potentiating the efficacy of the ER stress-inducing agents against cancer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yan Cheng
- Department of Pharmacology, Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine and Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA, USA.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|