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Bildik G, Gray JP, Mao W, Yang H, Ozyurt R, Orellana VR, De Wever O, Carey MS, Bast RC, Lu Z. DIRAS3 induces autophagy and enhances sensitivity to anti-autophagic therapy in KRAS-driven pancreatic and ovarian carcinomas. Autophagy 2024; 20:675-691. [PMID: 38169324 PMCID: PMC10936598 DOI: 10.1080/15548627.2023.2299516] [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: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and low-grade ovarian cancer (LGSOC) are characterized by the prevalence of KRAS oncogene mutations. DIRAS3 is the first endogenous non-RAS protein that heterodimerizes with RAS, disrupts RAS clustering, blocks RAS signaling, and inhibits cancer cell growth. Here, we found that DIRAS3-mediated KRAS inhibition induces ROS-mediated apoptosis in PDAC and LGSOC cells with KRAS mutations, but not in cells with wild-type KRAS, by downregulating NFE2L2/Nrf2 transcription, reducing antioxidants, and inducing oxidative stress. DIRAS3 also induces cytoprotective macroautophagy/autophagy that may protect mutant KRAS cancer cells from oxidative stress, by inhibiting mutant KRAS, activating the STK11/LKB1-PRKAA/AMPK pathway, increasing lysosomal CDKN1B/p27 localization, and inducing autophagic gene expression. Treatment with chloroquine or the novel dimeric chloroquine analog DC661 significantly enhances DIRAS3-mediated inhibition of mutant KRAS tumor cell growth in vitro and in vivo. Taken together, our study demonstrates that DIRAS3 plays a critical role in regulating mutant KRAS-driven oncogenesis in PDAC and LGSOC.Abbreviations: AFR: autophagic flux reporter; ATG: autophagy related; CQ: chloroquine; DCFDA: 2'-7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate; DIRAS3: DIRAS family GTPase 3; DOX: doxycycline; KRAS: KRAS proto-oncogene, LGSOC: low-grade serous ovarian cancer; MiT/TFE: microphthalmia family of transcription factors; NAC: N-acetylcysteine; PDAC: pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma; ROS: reactive oxygen species; TFEB: transcription factor EB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gamze Bildik
- Department of Experimental Therapeutics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Joshua P. Gray
- Department of Experimental Therapeutics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Weiqun Mao
- Department of Experimental Therapeutics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Hailing Yang
- Department of Experimental Therapeutics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Rumeysa Ozyurt
- Department of Experimental Therapeutics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Vivian R. Orellana
- Department of Experimental Therapeutics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Olivier De Wever
- Laboratory of Experimental Cancer Research, Cancer Research Institute Ghent, Belgium; Department of Human Structure and Repair, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Mark S. Carey
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Robert C. Bast
- Department of Experimental Therapeutics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Zhen Lu
- Department of Experimental Therapeutics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
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Li Y, Jaiswal SK, Kaur R, Alsaadi D, Liang X, Drews F, DeLoia JA, Krivak T, Petrykowska HM, Gotea V, Welch L, Elnitski L. Differential gene expression identifies a transcriptional regulatory network involving ER-alpha and PITX1 in invasive epithelial ovarian cancer. BMC Cancer 2021; 21:768. [PMID: 34215221 PMCID: PMC8254236 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-021-08276-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [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: 12/30/2020] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The heterogeneous subtypes and stages of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) differ in their biological features, invasiveness, and response to chemotherapy, but the transcriptional regulators causing their differences remain nebulous. Methods In this study, we compared high-grade serous ovarian cancers (HGSOCs) to low malignant potential or serous borderline tumors (SBTs). Our aim was to discover new regulatory factors causing distinct biological properties of HGSOCs and SBTs. Results In a discovery dataset, we identified 11 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between SBTs and HGSOCs. Their expression correctly classified 95% of 267 validation samples. Two of the DEGs, TMEM30B and TSPAN1, were significantly associated with worse overall survival in patients with HGSOC. We also identified 17 DEGs that distinguished stage II vs. III HGSOC. In these two DEG promoter sets, we identified significant enrichment of predicted transcription factor binding sites, including those of RARA, FOXF1, BHLHE41, and PITX1. Using published ChIP-seq data acquired from multiple non-ovarian cell types, we showed additional regulatory factors, including AP2-gamma/TFAP2C, FOXA1, and BHLHE40, bound at the majority of DEG promoters. Several of the factors are known to cooperate with and predict the presence of nuclear hormone receptor estrogen receptor alpha (ER-alpha). We experimentally confirmed ER-alpha and PITX1 presence at the DEGs by performing ChIP-seq analysis using the ovarian cancer cell line PEO4. Finally, RNA-seq analysis identified recurrent gene fusion events in our EOC tumor set. Some of these fusions were significantly associated with survival in HGSOC patients; however, the fusion genes are not regulated by the transcription factors identified for the DEGs. Conclusions These data implicate an estrogen-responsive regulatory network in the differential gene expression between ovarian cancer subtypes and stages, which includes PITX1. Importantly, the transcription factors associated with our DEG promoters are known to form the MegaTrans complex in breast cancer. This is the first study to implicate the MegaTrans complex in contributing to the distinct biological trajectories of malignant and indolent ovarian cancer subtypes. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12885-021-08276-8.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yichao Li
- School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Ohio University, Athens, OH, USA
| | - Sushil K Jaiswal
- Translational Functional Genomics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Rupleen Kaur
- Translational Functional Genomics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Dana Alsaadi
- Translational Functional Genomics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Xiaoyu Liang
- School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Ohio University, Athens, OH, USA
| | - Frank Drews
- School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Ohio University, Athens, OH, USA
| | - Julie A DeLoia
- Present address: Dignity Health Global Education, Roanoke, Virginia, USA
| | - Thomas Krivak
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh Medical School, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.,Present address: The Western Pennsylvania Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Hanna M Petrykowska
- Translational Functional Genomics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Valer Gotea
- Translational Functional Genomics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Lonnie Welch
- School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Ohio University, Athens, OH, USA
| | - Laura Elnitski
- Translational Functional Genomics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
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Indini A, Rijavec E, Ghidini M, Cortellini A, Grossi F. Targeting KRAS in Solid Tumors: Current Challenges and Future Opportunities of Novel KRAS Inhibitors. Pharmaceutics 2021; 13:pharmaceutics13050653. [PMID: 34064352 PMCID: PMC8147792 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics13050653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [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: 04/02/2021] [Revised: 04/25/2021] [Accepted: 04/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Activating mutations in RAS family proteins are found in ~25% of all human cancers. Different solid tumors are correlated with mutations in certain isoforms of RAS, with Kirsten RAS (KRAS) being the most frequently mutated isoform. Historically, KRAS has been acknowledged as “undruggable”, largely because the RAS proteins do not appear to present suitable pockets to which small inhibitory molecules can bind. However, this scenario has changed over the last years with the advent of novel KRAS inhibitors. In this review, we describe the role of KRAS mutation across different solid tumors, providing data on novel KRAS inhibitors currently under development and an updated overview of ongoing research in this field. A literature search was performed to select papers, abstracts, and oral presentation on KRAS inhibitory strategies in KRAS mutated solid tumors. Overall, the most promising therapeutic results have been obtained with molecules targeting KRAS G12C, thus paving the way for a significant therapeutic improvement in non-small cell lung cancer. Unfortunately, KRAS G12C mutation is rather uncommon in other solid tumors, namely pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and colorectal cancer. Several combination strategies are currently under evaluation in clinical trials, in order to bypass the resistance mechanisms responsible for the intrinsic resistance of mutated KRAS to the main therapeutic strategies adopted to date. Results suggest that the therapeutic scenario of KRAS has started to change, and further research will bring therapeutic results in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Indini
- Medical Oncology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, 20122 Milan, Italy; (A.I.); (E.R.); (M.G.)
| | - Erika Rijavec
- Medical Oncology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, 20122 Milan, Italy; (A.I.); (E.R.); (M.G.)
| | - Michele Ghidini
- Medical Oncology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, 20122 Milan, Italy; (A.I.); (E.R.); (M.G.)
| | - Alessio Cortellini
- Department of Biotechnology and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L’Aquila, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy;
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Faculty of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London W120NN, UK
| | - Francesco Grossi
- Medical Oncology Unit, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Insubria, ASST dei Sette Laghi, 21100 Varese, Italy
- Correspondence: or
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