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Ghasemi N, Azizi H. Exploring Myc puzzle: Insights into cancer, stem cell biology, and PPI networks. Gene 2024; 916:148447. [PMID: 38583818 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2024.148447] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Revised: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
"The grand orchestrator," "Universal Amplifier," "double-edged sword," and "Undruggable" are just some of the Myc oncogene so-called names. It has been around 40 years since the discovery of the Myc, and it remains in the mainstream of cancer treatment drugs. Myc is part of basic helix-loop-helix leucine zipper (bHLH-LZ) superfamily proteins, and its dysregulation can be seen in many malignant human tumors. It dysregulates critical pathways in cells that are connected to each other, such as proliferation, growth, cell cycle, and cell adhesion, impacts miRNAs action, intercellular metabolism, DNA replication, differentiation, microenvironment regulation, angiogenesis, and metastasis. Myc, surprisingly, is used in stem cell research too. Its family includes three members, MYC, MYCN, and MYCL, and each dysfunction was observed in different cancer types. This review aims to introduce Myc and its function in the body. Besides, Myc deregulatory mechanisms in cancer cells, their intricate aspects will be discussed. We will look at promising drugs and Myc-based therapies. Finally, Myc and its role in stemness, Myc pathways based on PPI network analysis, and future insights will be explained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nima Ghasemi
- Faculty of Biotechnology, Amol University of Special Modern Technologies, Amol, Iran
| | - Hossein Azizi
- Faculty of Biotechnology, Amol University of Special Modern Technologies, Amol, Iran.
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2
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El Baba R, Herbein G. EZH2- Myc Hallmark in Oncovirus/Cytomegalovirus Infections and Cytomegalovirus' Resemblance to Oncoviruses. Cells 2024; 13:541. [PMID: 38534385 DOI: 10.3390/cells13060541] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2024] [Revised: 03/09/2024] [Accepted: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Approximately 15-20% of global cancer cases are attributed to virus infections. Oncoviruses employ various molecular strategies to enhance replication and persistence. Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), acting as an initiator or promoter, enables immune evasion, supporting tumor growth. HCMV activates pro-oncogenic pathways within infected cells and direct cellular transformation. Thus, HCMV demonstrates characteristics reminiscent of oncoviruses. Cumulative evidence emphasizes the crucial roles of EZH2 and Myc in oncogenesis and stemness. EZH2 and Myc, pivotal regulators of cellular processes, gain significance in the context of oncoviruses and HCMV infections. This axis becomes a central focus for comprehending the mechanisms driving virus-induced oncogenesis. Elevated EZH2 expression is evident in various cancers, making it a prospective target for cancer therapy. On the other hand, Myc, deregulated in over 50% of human cancers, serves as a potent transcription factor governing cellular processes and contributing to tumorigenesis; Myc activates EZH2 expression and induces global gene expression. The Myc/EZH2 axis plays a critical role in promoting tumor growth in oncoviruses. Considering that HCMV has been shown to manipulate the Myc/EZH2 axis, there is emerging evidence suggesting that HCMV could be regarded as a potential oncovirus due to its ability to exploit this critical pathway implicated in tumorigenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ranim El Baba
- Department Pathogens & Inflammation-EPILAB EA4266, University of Franche-Comté UFC, 25000 Besançon, France
| | - Georges Herbein
- Department Pathogens & Inflammation-EPILAB EA4266, University of Franche-Comté UFC, 25000 Besançon, France
- Department of Virology, CHU Besançon, 25030 Besançon, France
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3
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Bigger-Allen A, Gheinani AH, Adam RM. Investigation of the impact of bromodomain inhibition on cytoskeleton stability and contraction. Cell Commun Signal 2024; 22:184. [PMID: 38493137 PMCID: PMC10944605 DOI: 10.1186/s12964-024-01553-6] [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: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Injury to contractile organs such as the heart, vasculature, urinary bladder and gut can stimulate a pathological response that results in loss of normal contractility. PDGF and TGFβ are among the most well studied initiators of the injury response and have been shown to induce aberrant contraction in mechanically active cells of hollow organs including smooth muscle cells (SMC) and fibroblasts. However, the mechanisms driving contractile alterations downstream of PDGF and TGFβ in SMC and fibroblasts are incompletely understood, limiting therapeutic interventions. METHODS To identify potential molecular targets, we have leveraged the analysis of publicly available data, comparing transcriptomic changes in mechanically active cells stimulated with PDGF and TGFβ. Additional Analysis of publicly available data sets were performed on SMC and fibroblasts treated in the presence or absence of the MYC inhibitor JQ1. Validation of in silico findings were performed with qPCR, immunoblots, and collagen gel contraction assays measure the effect of JQ1 on cytoskeleton associated genes, proteins and contractility in mechanically active cells. Likelihood ratio test and FDR adjusted p-values were used to determine significant differentially expressed genes. Student ttest were used to calculate statistical significance of qPCR and contractility analyses. RESULTS Comparing PDGF and TGFβ stimulated SMC and fibroblasts identified a shared molecular profile regulated by MYC and members of the AP-1 transcription factor complex. Additional in silico analysis revealed a unique set of cytoskeleton-associated genes that were sensitive to MYC inhibition with JQ1. In vitro validation demonstrated JQ1 was also able to attenuate TGFβ and PDGF induced changes to the cytoskeleton and contraction of smooth muscle cells and fibroblasts in vitro. CONCLUSIONS These findings identify MYC as a key driver of aberrant cytoskeletal and contractile changes in fibroblasts and SMC, and suggest that JQ1 could be used to restore normal contractile function in hollow organs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Bigger-Allen
- Urological Diseases Research Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Enders Bldg 1061.4, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Biological & Biomedical Sciences Program, Division of Medical Sciences, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Ali Hashemi Gheinani
- Urological Diseases Research Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Enders Bldg 1061.4, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Functional Urology Research Group, Department for BioMedical Research DBMR, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Urology, Inselspital University Hospital, 3010, Bern, Switzerland
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Rosalyn M Adam
- Urological Diseases Research Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Enders Bldg 1061.4, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
- Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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Grant B, Sundaram Buitrago PA, Mercado BC, Yajima M. Characterization of p53/p63/p73 and Myc expressions during embryogenesis of the sea urchin. Dev Dyn 2024; 253:333-350. [PMID: 37698352 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.656] [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: 04/11/2023] [Revised: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Some marine invertebrate organisms are considered not to develop tumors due to unknown mechanisms. To gain an initial insight into how tumor-related genes may be expressed and function during marine invertebrate development, we here leverage sea urchin embryos as a model system and characterize the expressions of Myc and p53/p63/p73 which are reported to function synergistically in mammalian models as an oncogene and tumor suppressor, respectively. RESULTS During sea urchin embryogenesis, a combo gene of p53/p63/p73 is found to be maternally loaded and decrease after fertilization both in transcript and protein, while Myc transcript and protein are zygotically expressed. p53/p63/p73 and Myc proteins are observed in the cytoplasm and nucleus of every blastomere, respectively, throughout embryogenesis. Both p53/p63/p73 and Myc overexpression results in compromised development with increased DNA damage after the blastula stage. p53/p63/p73 increases the expression of parp1, a DNA repair/cell death marker gene, and suppresses endomesoderm gene expressions. In contrast, Myc does not alter the expression of specification genes or oncogenes yet induces disorganized morphology. CONCLUSIONS p53/p63/p73 appears to be important for controlling cell differentiation, while Myc induces disorganized morphology yet not through conventional oncogene regulations or apoptotic pathways during embryogenesis of the sea urchin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Blaine Grant
- Department of Molecular Biology Cell Biology Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | | | - Beatriz C Mercado
- Department of Molecular Biology Cell Biology Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Mamiko Yajima
- Department of Molecular Biology Cell Biology Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Lu J, Feng Y, Yu D, Li H, Li W, Chen H, Chen L. A review of nuclear Dbf2-related kinase 1 (NDR1) protein interaction as promising new target for cancer therapy. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 259:129188. [PMID: 38184050 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.129188] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/31/2023] [Indexed: 01/08/2024]
Abstract
Nuclear Dbf2-related kinase 1 (NDR1) is a nuclear Dbf2-related (NDR) protein kinase family member, which regulates cell functions and participates in cell proliferation and differentiation through kinase activity. NDR1 regulates physiological functions by interacting with different proteins. Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) are crucial for regulating biological processes and controlling cell fate, and as a result, it is beneficial to study the actions of PPIs to elucidate the pathological mechanism of diseases. The previous studies also show that the expression of NDR1 is deregulated in numerous human cancer samples and it needs the context-specific targeting strategies for NDR1. Thus, a comprehensive understanding of the direct interaction between NDR1 and varieties of proteins may provide new insights into cancer therapies. In this review, we summarize recent studies of NDR1 in solid tumors, such as prostate cancer and breast cancer, and explore the mechanism of action of PPIs of NDR1 in tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiani Lu
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Yanjun Feng
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Optogenetic Techniques for Cell Metabolism, Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, 130 Meilong Road, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Danmei Yu
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Hongtao Li
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Weihua Li
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Optogenetic Techniques for Cell Metabolism, Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, 130 Meilong Road, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Hongzhuan Chen
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Lili Chen
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China.
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Katz LS, Brill G, Wang P, Lambertini L, Zhang P, Haldeman JM, Liu H, Newgard CB, Stewart AF, Garcia-Ocaña A, Scott DK. Transcriptional activation of the Myc gene by glucose in β-cells requires a ChREBP-dependent 3-D chromatin interaction between the Myc and Pvt1 genes. Mol Metab 2024; 79:101848. [PMID: 38042369 PMCID: PMC10714240 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmet.2023.101848] [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] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/04/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE All forms of diabetes result from insufficient functional β-cell mass. Thus, achieving the therapeutic goal of expanding β-cell mass requires a better mechanistic understanding of how β-cells proliferate. Glucose is a natural β-cell mitogen that mediates its effects in part through the glucose-responsive transcription factor, carbohydrate response element binding protein (ChREBP) and the anabolic transcription factor, MYC. However, mechanistic details by which glucose activates Myc at the transcriptional level are poorly understood. METHODS Here, siRNA was used to test the role of ChREBP in the glucose response of MYC, ChIP and ChIPseq to identify potential regulatory binding sites, chromatin conformation capture to identify DNA/DNA interactions, and an adenovirus was constructed to expresses x-dCas9 and an sgRNA that specifically disrupts the recruitment of ChREBP to a specific targeted ChoRE. RESULTS We found that ChREBP is essential for glucose-mediated transcriptional induction of Myc, and for increases in Myc mRNA and protein abundance. Further, ChIPseq revealed that the carbohydrate response element (ChoRE) nearest to the Myc transcriptional start site (TSS) is immediately upstream of the gene encoding the lncRNA, Pvt1, 60,000 bp downstream of the Myc gene. Chromatin Conformation Capture (3C) confirmed a glucose-dependent interaction between these two sites. Transduction with an adenovirus expressing x-dCas9 and an sgRNA specifically targeting the highly conserved Pvt1 ChoRE, attenuates ChREBP recruitment, decreases Myc-Pvt1 DNA/DNA interaction, and decreases expression of the Pvt1 and Myc genes in response to glucose. Importantly, isolated and dispersed rat islet cells transduced with the ChoRE-disrupting adenovirus also display specific decreases in ChREBP-dependent, glucose-mediated expression of Pvt1 and Myc, as well as decreased glucose-stimulated β-cell proliferation. CONCLUSIONS The mitogenic glucose response of Myc is mediated via glucose-dependent recruitment of ChREBP to the promoter of the Pvt1 gene and subsequent DNA looping with the Myc promoter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liora S Katz
- Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1152, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Gabriel Brill
- Pharmacologic Sciences Department, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA(5)
| | - Peng Wang
- Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1152, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Luca Lambertini
- Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1152, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Pili Zhang
- Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1152, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | | | - Hongtao Liu
- Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1152, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | | | - Andrew F Stewart
- Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1152, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Adolfo Garcia-Ocaña
- Arthur Riggs Diabetes & Metabolism Research Institute, City of Hope, 1500 E Duarte Rd, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Donald K Scott
- Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1152, New York, NY 10029, USA.
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Saraswat A, Vartak R, Hegazy R, Fu Y, Rao TJR, Billack B, Patel K. Oral lipid nanocomplex of BRD4 PROteolysis TArgeting Chimera and vemurafenib for drug-resistant malignant melanoma. Biomed Pharmacother 2023; 168:115754. [PMID: 37871557 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2023.115754] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Revised: 10/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/25/2023] Open
Abstract
BRAF inhibitors (BRAFi) like vemurafenib (VEM) provide initial regression in mutated melanoma but rapidly develop resistance. Molecular pathways responsible for development of resistance against VEM finally converge towards the activation of oncogenic c-Myc. We identified an epigenetic approach to inhibit the c-Myc expression and resensitize BRAFi-resistant melanoma cells. ARV-825 (ARV) was employed as a BRD4 targeted PROteolysis TArgeting Chimera that selectively degrades the BRD4 to downregulate c-Myc. ARV synergistically enhanced the cytotoxicity of VEM in vitro to overcome its resistance in melanoma. Development of ARV and VEM-loaded lipid nanocomplex (NANOVB) significantly improved their physicochemical properties for oral delivery. Most importantly, oral administration of NANOVB substantially inhibited tumor growth at rate of 41.07 mm3/day in nude athymic mice. NANOVB treatment resulted in prolonged survival with 50% of mice surviving until the experimental endpoint. Histopathological analysis revealed significant tumor necrosis and downregulation of Ki-67 and BRD4 protein in vivo. Promising in vivo antitumor activity and prolonged survival demonstrated by NANOVB signifies its clinical translational potential for BRAFi-resistant melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aishwarya Saraswat
- College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, St. John's University, Queens, NY 11439, USA
| | - Richa Vartak
- College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, St. John's University, Queens, NY 11439, USA
| | - Rehab Hegazy
- College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, St. John's University, Queens, NY 11439, USA; Pharmacology Department, Medical Research and Clinical Studies Institute, National Research Centre, Giza, Egypt
| | - Yige Fu
- College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, St. John's University, Queens, NY 11439, USA
| | | | - Blase Billack
- College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, St. John's University, Queens, NY 11439, USA
| | - Ketan Patel
- College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, St. John's University, Queens, NY 11439, USA.
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Marchetti A, Lima WC, Hammel P, Cosson P. A quantitative comparison of antibodies against epitope tags for immunofluorescence detection. FEBS Open Bio 2023; 13:2239-2245. [PMID: 37702273 PMCID: PMC10699100 DOI: 10.1002/2211-5463.13705] [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: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Epitope tags recognized by specific antibodies have been widely used over the last few decades, notably to localize tagged proteins within cells by immunofluorescence. The diversity of tags and antibodies usually prevents a side-by-side comparison of the efficiency with which each antibody recognizes its cognate tag. We expressed chimeric proteins, each composed of an invariant domain (IL2Ra) associated with a specific epitope tag. Double immunofluorescence allowed us to quantify in parallel the reference signal generated by the anti-IL2Ra antibody and the signal generated by the anti-epitope tag antibody. Since all antibodies used in this study were recombinant antibodies fused to the same mouse Fc domain, the generated signals were directly comparable. Three groups of tags/antibodies were revealed: 'good' antibodies generated high signals even when used at a low concentration (50 ng·mL-1 ), 'fair' antibodies generated a high signal only at high concentrations (5000 ng·mL-1 ), and 'mediocre' antibodies generated positive but weak signals. Except for an anti-myc antibody, similar results were obtained when cells were fixed in paraformaldehyde or methanol. These results provide a side-by-side quantitative evaluation of different tag/antibody pairs. This information will be useful to optimize the choice of epitope tags and to choose optimal antibodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Marchetti
- Department of Cell Physiology and Metabolism, Faculty of MedicineUniversity of GenevaSwitzerland
| | - Wanessa C. Lima
- Department of Cell Physiology and Metabolism, Faculty of MedicineUniversity of GenevaSwitzerland
| | - Philippe Hammel
- Department of Cell Physiology and Metabolism, Faculty of MedicineUniversity of GenevaSwitzerland
| | - Pierre Cosson
- Department of Cell Physiology and Metabolism, Faculty of MedicineUniversity of GenevaSwitzerland
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Wang H, Stevens T, Lu J, Roberts A, Land CV, Muzumdar R, Gong Z, Vockley J, Prochownik EV. The Myc-Like Mlx Network Impacts Aging and Metabolism. bioRxiv 2023:2023.11.26.568749. [PMID: 38076995 PMCID: PMC10705233 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.26.568749] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
The "Mlx" and "Myc" Networks share many common gene targets. Just as Myc's activity depends upon its heterodimerization with Max, the Mlx Network requires that the Max-like factor Mlx associate with the Myc-like factors MondoA or ChREBP. We show here that body-wide Mlx inactivation, like that of Myc, accelerates numerous aging-related phenotypes pertaining to body habitus and metabolism. The deregulation of numerous aging-related Myc target gene sets is also accelerated. Among other functions, these gene sets often regulate ribosomal and mitochondrial structure and function, genomic stability and aging. Whereas "MycKO" mice have an extended lifespan because of a lower cancer incidence, "MlxKO" mice have normal lifespans and a somewhat higher cancer incidence. Like Myc, Mlx, MondoA and ChREBP expression and that of their target genes, deteriorate with age in both mice and humans, underscoring the importance of life-long and balanced cross-talk between the two Networks to maintain normal aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huabo Wang
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
| | - Taylor Stevens
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
| | - Jie Lu
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
| | - Alexander Roberts
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
| | | | - Radhika Muzumdar
- Division of Endocrinology, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
| | - Zhenwei Gong
- Division of Endocrinology, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
| | - Jerry Vockley
- Division of Medical Genetics, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
| | - Edward V. Prochownik
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
- The Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, UPMC
- The Hillman Cancer Center of UPMC
- The Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA. 15224
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10
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Bigger-Allen A, Gheinani AH, Adam RM. Investigation of the impact of bromodomain inhibition on cytoskeleton stability and contraction. bioRxiv 2023:2023.11.14.567076. [PMID: 38014184 PMCID: PMC10680757 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.14.567076] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Injury to contractile organs such as the heart, vasculature, urinary bladder and gut can stimulate a pathological response that results in loss of normal contractility. PDGF and TGFβ are among the most well studied initiators of the injury response and have been shown to induce aberrant contraction in mechanically active cells of hollow organs including smooth muscle cells (SMC) and fibroblasts. However the mechanisms driving contractile alterations downstream of PDGF and TGFβ in SMC and fibroblasts are incompletely understood, limiting therapeutic interventions. To identify potential molecular targets, we have leveraged the analysis of publicly available data, comparing transcriptomic changes in mechanically active cells stimulated with PDGF and TGFβ and identified a shared molecular profile regulated by MYC and members of the AP-1 transcription factor complex. We also analyzed data sets from SMC and fibroblasts treated in the presence or absence of the MYC inhibitor JQ1. This analysis revealed a unique set of cytoskeleton-associated genes that were sensitive to MYC inhibition. JQ1 was also able to attenuate TGFβ and PDGF induced changes to the cytoskeleton and contraction of smooth muscle cells and fibroblasts in vitro. These findings identify MYC as a key driver of aberrant cytoskeletal and contractile changes in fibroblasts and SMC, and suggest that JQ1 could be used to restore normal contractile function in hollow organs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Bigger-Allen
- Urological Diseases Research Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Biological & Biomedical Sciences Program, Division of Medical Sciences, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Ali Hashemi Gheinani
- Urological Diseases Research Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Functional Urology Research Group, Department for BioMedical Research DBMR, University of Bern, Switzerland
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Rosalyn M. Adam
- Urological Diseases Research Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
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11
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Rajbhandari N, Hamilton M, Quintero CM, Ferguson LP, Fox R, Schürch CM, Wang J, Nakamura M, Lytle NK, McDermott M, Diaz E, Pettit H, Kritzik M, Han H, Cridebring D, Wen KW, Tsai S, Goggins MG, Lowy AM, Wechsler-Reya RJ, Von Hoff DD, Newman AM, Reya T. Single-cell mapping identifies MSI + cells as a common origin for diverse subtypes of pancreatic cancer. Cancer Cell 2023; 41:1989-2005.e9. [PMID: 37802055 PMCID: PMC10836835 DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2023.09.008] [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] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Revised: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/08/2023]
Abstract
Identifying the cells from which cancers arise is critical for understanding the molecular underpinnings of tumor evolution. To determine whether stem/progenitor cells can serve as cells of origin, we created a Msi2-CreERT2 knock-in mouse. When crossed to CAG-LSL-MycT58A mice, Msi2-CreERT2 mice developed multiple pancreatic cancer subtypes: ductal, acinar, adenosquamous, and rare anaplastic tumors. Combining single-cell genomics with computational analysis of developmental states and lineage trajectories, we demonstrate that MYC preferentially triggers transformation of the most immature MSI2+ pancreas cells into multi-lineage pre-cancer cells. These pre-cancer cells subsequently diverge to establish pancreatic cancer subtypes by activating distinct transcriptional programs and large-scale genomic changes, and enforced expression of specific signals like Ras can redirect subtype specification. This study shows that multiple pancreatic cancer subtypes can arise from a common pool of MSI2+ cells and provides a powerful model to understand and control the programs that shape divergent fates in pancreatic cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nirakar Rajbhandari
- Departments of Pharmacology and Medicine, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA; Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Michael Hamilton
- Departments of Pharmacology and Medicine, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA; Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Cynthia M Quintero
- Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York City, NY, USA; Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Medical Center, New York City, NY, USA
| | - L Paige Ferguson
- Departments of Pharmacology and Medicine, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA; Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Raymond Fox
- Departments of Pharmacology and Medicine, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA; Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Christian M Schürch
- Department of Pathology and Neuropathology, University Hospital and Comprehensive Cancer Center Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Jun Wang
- Tumor Initiation and Maintenance Program, NCI-Designated Cancer Center, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Mari Nakamura
- Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York City, NY, USA; Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Medical Center, New York City, NY, USA
| | - Nikki K Lytle
- Departments of Pharmacology and Medicine, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA; Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Matthew McDermott
- Departments of Pharmacology and Medicine, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA; Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Emily Diaz
- Departments of Pharmacology and Medicine, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA; Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Hannah Pettit
- Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York City, NY, USA; Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Medical Center, New York City, NY, USA
| | - Marcie Kritzik
- Departments of Pharmacology and Medicine, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA; Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA; Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York City, NY, USA; Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Medical Center, New York City, NY, USA
| | - Haiyong Han
- Molecular Medicine Division, The Translational Genomics Research Institute, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - Derek Cridebring
- Molecular Medicine Division, The Translational Genomics Research Institute, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - Kwun Wah Wen
- Department of Pathology, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Susan Tsai
- Department of Surgery, The Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Michael G Goggins
- Departments of Pathology, Medicine and Oncology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Andrew M Lowy
- Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Robert J Wechsler-Reya
- Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Medical Center, New York City, NY, USA; Tumor Initiation and Maintenance Program, NCI-Designated Cancer Center, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA; Rady Children's Institute for Genomic Medicine, San Diego, CA, USA; Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York City, NY, USA
| | - Daniel D Von Hoff
- Molecular Medicine Division, The Translational Genomics Research Institute, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - Aaron M Newman
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Tannishtha Reya
- Departments of Pharmacology and Medicine, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA; Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA; Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York City, NY, USA; Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Medical Center, New York City, NY, USA.
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12
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Wang ZH, Zhao W, Combs CA, Zhang F, Knutson JR, Lilly MA, Xu H. Mechanical stimulation from the surrounding tissue activates mitochondrial energy metabolism in Drosophila differentiating germ cells. Dev Cell 2023; 58:2249-2260.e9. [PMID: 37647895 PMCID: PMC10843713 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2023.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [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: 03/06/2023] [Revised: 06/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
In multicellular lives, the differentiation of stem cells and progenitor cells is often accompanied by a transition from glycolysis to mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). However, the underlying mechanism of this metabolic transition remains largely unknown. In this study, we investigate the role of mechanical stress in activating OXPHOS during differentiation of the female germline cyst in Drosophila. We demonstrate that the surrounding somatic cells flatten the 16-cell differentiating cyst, resulting in an increase of the membrane tension of germ cells inside the cyst. This mechanical stress is necessary to maintain cytosolic Ca2+ concentration in germ cells through a mechanically activated channel, transmembrane channel-like. The sustained cytosolic Ca2+ triggers a CaMKI-Fray-JNK signaling relay, leading to the transcriptional activation of OXPHOS in differentiating cysts. Our findings demonstrate a molecular link between cell mechanics and mitochondrial energy metabolism, with implications for other developmentally orchestrated metabolic transitions in mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zong-Heng Wang
- National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Wenjing Zhao
- National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Christian A Combs
- National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Fan Zhang
- National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Jay R Knutson
- National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Mary A Lilly
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Hong Xu
- National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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13
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Thng DKH, Hooi L, Toh CCM, Lim JJ, Rajagopalan D, Syariff IQC, Tan ZM, Rashid MBMA, Zhou L, Kow AWC, Bonney GK, Goh BKP, Kam JH, Jha S, Dan YY, Chow PKH, Toh TB, Chow EK. Histone-lysine N-methyltransferase EHMT2 (G9a) inhibition mitigates tumorigenicity in Myc-driven liver cancer. Mol Oncol 2023; 17:2275-2294. [PMID: 36896891 PMCID: PMC10620125 DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.13417] [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: 10/03/2022] [Revised: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third deadliest and sixth most common cancer in the world. Histone-lysine N-methyltransferase EHMT2 (also known as G9a) is a histone methyltransferase frequently overexpressed in many cancer types, including HCC. We showed that Myc-driven liver tumours have a unique H3K9 methylation pattern with corresponding G9a overexpression. This phenomenon of increased G9a was further observed in our c-Myc-positive HCC patient-derived xenografts. More importantly, we showed that HCC patients with higher c-Myc and G9a expression levels portend a poorer survival with lower median survival months. We demonstrated that c-Myc interacts with G9a in HCC and cooperates to regulate c-Myc-dependent gene repression. In addition, G9a stabilises c-Myc to promote cancer development, contributing to the growth and invasive capacity in HCC. Furthermore, combination therapy between G9a and synthetic-lethal target of c-Myc, CDK9, demonstrates strong efficacy in patient-derived avatars of Myc-driven HCC. Our work suggests that targeting G9a could prove to be a potential therapeutic avenue for Myc-driven liver cancer. This will increase our understanding of the underlying epigenetic mechanisms of aggressive tumour initiation and lead to improved therapeutic and diagnostic options for Myc-driven hepatic tumours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dexter Kai Hao Thng
- Cancer Science Institute of SingaporeNational University of SingaporeSingaporeSingapore
| | - Lissa Hooi
- Cancer Science Institute of SingaporeNational University of SingaporeSingaporeSingapore
- NUS Centre for Cancer Research (N2CR), Yong Loo Lin School of MedicineNational University of SingaporeSingaporeSingapore
| | - Clarissa Chin Min Toh
- Cancer Science Institute of SingaporeNational University of SingaporeSingaporeSingapore
| | - Jhin Jieh Lim
- Cancer Science Institute of SingaporeNational University of SingaporeSingaporeSingapore
| | - Deepa Rajagopalan
- Cancer Science Institute of SingaporeNational University of SingaporeSingaporeSingapore
| | - Imran Qamar Charles Syariff
- Department of Pharmacology, Yong Loo Lin School of MedicineNational University of SingaporeSingaporeSingapore
| | - Zher Min Tan
- Department of Pharmacology, Yong Loo Lin School of MedicineNational University of SingaporeSingaporeSingapore
| | | | - Lei Zhou
- Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of MedicineNational University of SingaporeSingaporeSingapore
| | - Alfred Wei Chieh Kow
- Division of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University Surgical ClusterNational University Health SystemSingaporeSingapore
| | - Glenn Kunnath Bonney
- Division of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University Surgical ClusterNational University Health SystemSingaporeSingapore
| | - Brian Kim Poh Goh
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) and Transplant SurgerySingapore General Hospital and National Cancer Centre SingaporeSingaporeSingapore
| | - Juinn Huar Kam
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) and Transplant SurgerySingapore General Hospital and National Cancer Centre SingaporeSingaporeSingapore
| | - Sudhakar Jha
- Cancer Science Institute of SingaporeNational University of SingaporeSingaporeSingapore
- Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of MedicineNational University of SingaporeSingaporeSingapore
- Department of Physiological Sciences, College of Veterinary MedicineOklahoma State UniversityStillwaterOKUSA
| | - Yock Young Dan
- Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of MedicineNational University of SingaporeSingaporeSingapore
| | - Pierce Kah Hoe Chow
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) and Transplant SurgerySingapore General Hospital and National Cancer Centre SingaporeSingaporeSingapore
- Academic Clinical Programme for SurgeryDuke‐NUS Medical SchoolSingaporeSingapore
| | - Tan Boon Toh
- The N.1 Institute for Health (N.1)National University of SingaporeSingaporeSingapore
- The Institute for Digital Medicine (WisDM), Yong Loo Lin School of MedicineNational University of SingaporeSingaporeSingapore
| | - Edward Kai‐Hua Chow
- Cancer Science Institute of SingaporeNational University of SingaporeSingaporeSingapore
- NUS Centre for Cancer Research (N2CR), Yong Loo Lin School of MedicineNational University of SingaporeSingaporeSingapore
- Department of Pharmacology, Yong Loo Lin School of MedicineNational University of SingaporeSingaporeSingapore
- The N.1 Institute for Health (N.1)National University of SingaporeSingaporeSingapore
- The Institute for Digital Medicine (WisDM), Yong Loo Lin School of MedicineNational University of SingaporeSingaporeSingapore
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14
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Longoria-García S, Sánchez-Domínguez CN, Sánchez-Domínguez M, Delgado-Balderas JR, Islas-Cisneros JF, Vidal-Gutiérrez O, Gallardo-Blanco HL. Design and Characterization of p Myc/pMax Peptide-Coupled Gold Nanosystems for Targeting Myc in Prostate Cancer Cell Lines. Nanomaterials (Basel) 2023; 13:2802. [PMID: 37887952 PMCID: PMC10609645 DOI: 10.3390/nano13202802] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
Myc and Max are essential proteins in the development of prostate cancer. They act by dimerizing and binding to E-box sequences. Disrupting the Myc:Max heterodimer interaction or its binding to E-box sequences to interrupt gene transcription represent promising strategies for treating cancer. We designed novel pMyc and pMax peptides from reference sequences, and we evaluated their ability to bind specifically to E-box sequences using an electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). Then, we assembled nanosystems (NSs) by coupling pMyc and pMax peptides to AuNPs, and determined peptide conjugation using UV-Vis spectroscopy. After that, we characterized the NS to obtain the nanoparticle's size, hydrodynamic diameter, and zeta potential. Finally, we evaluated hemocompatibility and cytotoxic effects in three different prostate adenocarcinoma cell lines (LNCaP, PC-3, and DU145) and a non-cancerous cell line (Vero CCL-81). EMSA results suggests peptide-nucleic acid interactions between the pMyc:pMax dimer and the E-box. The hemolysis test showed little hemolytic activity for the NS at the concentrations (5, 0.5, and 0.05 ng/µL) we evaluated. Cell viability assays showed NS cytotoxicity. Overall, results suggest that the NS with pMyc and pMax peptides might be suitable for further research regarding Myc-driven prostate adenocarcinomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Longoria-García
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Medicina Molecular, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Monterrey 64460, Mexico
| | - Celia N. Sánchez-Domínguez
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Medicina Molecular, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Monterrey 64460, Mexico
| | - Margarita Sánchez-Domínguez
- Centro de Investigación en Materiales Avanzados, S.C. (CIMAV, S.C.), Unidad Monterrey, Apodaca 66628, Mexico
| | - Jesús R. Delgado-Balderas
- Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Avenida Universidad s/n, Cd. Universitaria, San Nicolás de los Garza 66455, Mexico
| | - José F. Islas-Cisneros
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Medicina Molecular, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Monterrey 64460, Mexico
| | - Oscar Vidal-Gutiérrez
- Servicio de Oncología, Centro Universitario Contra el Cáncer (CUCC), Hospital Universitario “Dr. José Eleuterio González”, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Monterrey 66451, Mexico
| | - Hugo L. Gallardo-Blanco
- Servicio de Oncología, Centro Universitario Contra el Cáncer (CUCC), Hospital Universitario “Dr. José Eleuterio González”, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Monterrey 66451, Mexico
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15
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Broeker CD, Ortiz MMO, Murillo MS, Andrechek ER. Integrative multi-omic sequencing reveals the MMTV- Myc mouse model mimics human breast cancer heterogeneity. Breast Cancer Res 2023; 25:120. [PMID: 37805590 PMCID: PMC10559619 DOI: 10.1186/s13058-023-01723-3] [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: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/30/2023] [Indexed: 10/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Breast cancer is a complex and heterogeneous disease with distinct subtypes and molecular profiles corresponding to different clinical outcomes. Mouse models of breast cancer are widely used, but their relevance in capturing the heterogeneity of human disease is unclear. Previous studies have shown the heterogeneity at the gene expression level for the MMTV-Myc model, but have only speculated on the underlying genetics. METHODS Tumors from the microacinar, squamous, and EMT histological subtypes of the MMTV-Myc mouse model of breast cancer underwent whole genome sequencing. The genomic data obtained were then integrated with previously obtained matched sample gene expression data and extended to additional samples of each histological subtype, totaling 42 gene expression samples. High correlation was observed between genetic copy number events and resulting gene expression by both Spearman's rank correlation coefficient and the Kendall rank correlation coefficient. These same genetic events are conserved in humans and are indicative of poor overall survival by Kaplan-Meier analysis. A supervised machine learning algorithm trained on METABRIC gene expression data was used to predict the analogous human breast cancer intrinsic subtype from mouse gene expression data. RESULTS Herein, we examine three common histological subtypes of the MMTV-Myc model through whole genome sequencing and have integrated these results with gene expression data. Significantly, key genomic alterations driving cell signaling pathways were well conserved within histological subtypes. Genomic changes included frequent, co-occurring mutations in KIT and RARA in the microacinar histological subtype as well as SCRIB mutations in the EMT subtype. EMT tumors additionally displayed strong KRAS activation signatures downstream of genetic activating events primarily ascribed to KRAS activating mutations, but also FGFR2 amplification. Analogous genetic events in human breast cancer showed stark decreases in overall survival. In further analyzing transcriptional heterogeneity of the MMTV-Myc model, we report a supervised machine learning model that classifies MMTV-Myc histological subtypes and other mouse models as being representative of different human intrinsic breast cancer subtypes. CONCLUSIONS We conclude the well-established MMTV-Myc mouse model presents further opportunities for investigation of human breast cancer heterogeneity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carson D Broeker
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, 567 Wilson Road, BPS Room 2120, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Mylena M O Ortiz
- Genetics and Genomics Science Program, Michigan State University, 567 Wilson Road, BPS Room 2120, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Michael S Murillo
- Department of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering, Michigan State University, 428 South Shaw Lane, Engineering Building Room 1508C, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Michigan State University, 428 South Shaw Lane, Engineering Building Room 1508C, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Eran R Andrechek
- Department of Physiology, Michigan State University, 567 Wilson Road, BPS Room 2194, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
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16
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Mashanov V, Ademiluyi S, Jacob Machado D, Reid R, Janies D. Echinoderm radial glia in adult cell renewal, indeterminate growth, and regeneration. Front Neural Circuits 2023; 17:1258370. [PMID: 37841894 PMCID: PMC10570448 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2023.1258370] [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] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Echinoderms are a phylum of marine deterostomes with a range of interesting biological features. One remarkable ability is their impressive capacity to regenerate most of their adult tissues, including the central nervous system (CNS). The research community has accumulated data that demonstrates that, in spite of the pentaradial adult body plan, echinoderms share deep similarities with their bilateral sister taxa such as hemichordates and chordates. Some of the new data reveal the complexity of the nervous system in echinoderms. In terms of the cellular architecture, one of the traits that is shared between the CNS of echinoderms and chordates is the presence of radial glia. In chordates, these cells act as the main progenitor population in CNS development. In mammals, radial glia are spent in embryogenesis and are no longer present in adults, being replaced with other neural cell types. In non-mammalian chordates, they are still detected in the mature CNS along with other types of glia. In echinoderms, radial glia also persist into the adulthood, but unlike in chordates, it is the only known glial cell type that is present in the fully developed CNS. The echinoderm radial glia is a multifunctional cell type. Radial glia forms the supporting scaffold of the neuroepithelium, exhibits secretory activity, clears up dying or damaged cells by phagocytosis, and, most importantly, acts as a major progenitor cell population. The latter function is critical for the outstanding developmental plasticity of the adult echinoderm CNS, including physiological cell turnover, indeterminate growth, and a remarkable capacity to regenerate major parts following autotomy or traumatic injury. In this review we summarize the current knowledge on the organization and function of the echinoderm radial glia, with a focus on the role of this cell type in adult neurogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir Mashanov
- Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, United States
| | - Soji Ademiluyi
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, College of Computing and Informatics, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States
| | - Denis Jacob Machado
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, College of Computing and Informatics, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States
| | - Robert Reid
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, College of Computing and Informatics, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States
| | - Daniel Janies
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, College of Computing and Informatics, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States
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17
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Shang C, Lai J, Haque M, Chen W, Wang P, Lai R. Nuclear NPM-ALK Protects Myc from Proteasomal Degradation and Contributes to Its High Expression in Cancer Stem-Like Cells in ALK-Positive Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:14337. [PMID: 37762644 PMCID: PMC10531997 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241814337] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Revised: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
In ALK-positive anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALK+ALCL), a small subset of cancer stem-like (or RR) cells characterized by high Myc expression have been identified. We hypothesize that NPM-ALK contributes to their high Myc expression. While transfection of NPM-ALK into HEK293 cells effectively increased Myc by inhibiting its proteosomal degradation (PD-Myc), this effect was dramatically attenuated when the full-length NPM1 (FL-NPM1) was downregulated using shRNA, highlighting the importance of the NPM-ALK:FL-ALK heterodimers in this context. Consistent with this concept, immunoprecipitation experiments showed that the heterodimers are abundant only in RR cells, in which the half-life of Myc is substantially longer than the bulk cells. Fbw7γ, a key player in PD-Myc, is sequestered by the heterodimers in RR cells, and this finding correlates with a Myc phosphorylation pattern indicative of ineffective PD-Myc. Using confocal microscopy and immunofluorescence staining, we found that the fusion signal between ALK and FL-NPM1, characteristic of the heterodimers, correlates with the Myc level in ALK+ALCL cells from cell lines and patient samples. To conclude, our findings have revealed a novel oncogenic function of NPM-ALK in the nucleus. Specifically, the NPM-ALK:FL-NPM1 heterodimers increase cancer stemness by blocking PD-Myc and promoting Myc accumulation in the cancer stem-like cell subset.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuquan Shang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada; (C.S.); (M.H.); (W.C.)
| | - Justine Lai
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada; (J.L.); (P.W.)
| | - Moinul Haque
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada; (C.S.); (M.H.); (W.C.)
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Will Chen
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada; (C.S.); (M.H.); (W.C.)
| | - Peng Wang
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada; (J.L.); (P.W.)
- Department of Oncology, Cross Cancer Institute, Edmonton, AB T6G 1Z2, Canada
| | - Raymond Lai
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada; (C.S.); (M.H.); (W.C.)
- Department of Oncology, Cross Cancer Institute, Edmonton, AB T6G 1Z2, Canada
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18
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Namikawa M, Fukuda A, Mizukoshi K, Iwane K, Kawai M, Yamakawa G, Omatsu M, Sono M, Masuda T, Araki O, Nagao M, Yoshikawa T, Ogawa S, Hiramatsu Y, Muta Y, Tsuda M, Maruno T, Nakanishi Y, Tsuruyama T, Taura K, Hatano E, Seno H. Simultaneous activation of Kras-Akt and Notch pathways induces extrahepatic biliary cancer via the mTORC1 pathway. J Pathol 2023. [PMID: 37310065 DOI: 10.1002/path.6139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Biliary tract cancer (BTC) has poor prognosis. The Notch receptor is aberrantly expressed in extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (eCCA). However, the role of Notch signaling in the initiation and progression of eCCA and gallbladder (GB) cancer remains unknown. Therefore, we investigated the functional role of Notch signaling during tumorigenesis of the extrahepatic bile duct (EHBD) and GB. Activation of Notch signaling and oncogenic Kras resulted in the development of biliary intraepithelial neoplasia (BilINs) in the EHBD and GB, which were premalignant lesions that progressed to adenocarcinoma in mice. The expression of genes involved in the mTORC1 pathway was increased in biliary spheroids from Hnf1b-CreERT2; KrasLSL-G12D ; Rosa26LSL-NotchIC mice and inhibition of the mTORC1 pathway suppressed spheroid growth. Additionally, simultaneous activation of the PI3K-AKT and Notch pathways in EHBD and GB induced biliary cancer development in mice. Consistent with this, we observed a significant correlation between activated NOTCH1 and phosphorylated Ribosomal Protein S6 (p-S6) expression in human eCCA. Furthermore, inhibition of the mTORC1 pathway suppressed the growth of Notch-activated human biliary cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, the Kras/Notch-Myc axis activated mTORC1 through TSC2 phosphorylation in mutant biliary spheroids. These data indicate that inhibition of the mTORC1 pathway could be an effective treatment strategy for Notch-activated human eCCA. © 2023 The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mio Namikawa
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Akihisa Fukuda
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Kenta Mizukoshi
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Kosuke Iwane
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Munenori Kawai
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Go Yamakawa
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Mayuki Omatsu
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Makoto Sono
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Tomonori Masuda
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | | | | | - Takaaki Yoshikawa
- Kitano Hospital, The Tazuke Kofukai Medical Research Institute, Osaka, Japan
| | - Satoshi Ogawa
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Yukiko Hiramatsu
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Yu Muta
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Motoyuki Tsuda
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Takahisa Maruno
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Yuki Nakanishi
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Tatsuaki Tsuruyama
- Department of Drug Discovery Medicine, Medical Innovation Center, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Kojiro Taura
- Kitano Hospital, The Tazuke Kofukai Medical Research Institute, Osaka, Japan
- Division of Hepatobiliary Pancreatic Surgery and Transplantation, Department of Surgery, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Etsuro Hatano
- Division of Hepatobiliary Pancreatic Surgery and Transplantation, Department of Surgery, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Seno
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
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19
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Wang A, Jin C, Wang Y, Yu J, Wang R, Tian X. FTO promotes the progression of cervical cancer by regulating the N6-methyladenosine modification of ZEB1 and Myc. Mol Carcinog 2023. [PMID: 37306026 DOI: 10.1002/mc.23559] [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] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2022] [Revised: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Cervical cancer is a malignant tumor of the cervix in women. However, the pathogenesis of cervical cancer has not been fully understood. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is a kind of RNA modification that plays a critical role in cancer development. We aim to find out the possible m6A regulatory mechanism of the fat mass and obesity-associated protein (FTO) on the development of cervical cancer. The proliferative capacity of cervical cancer cells was detected by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT), colony formation and 5-ethynyl-20-deoxyuridine (EdU) staining. The migration and invasion of cervical cancer cells were determined by transwell assay. The function of FTO on tumor growth was evaluated by a xenograft model. We found that FTO was highly expressed in cervical cancer tissues and cell lines. FTO silencing suppressed the proliferation, migration, and invasion of cervical cancer cells. Mechanistically, FTO modulated the m6A modification of Zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1) and Myelocytomatosis oncogene (Myc). Furthermore, ZEB1 and Myc overexpression reverse the effect of FTO knockdown on the malignant behaviors of cervical cancer cells. FTO may be a novel therapeutic target for cervical cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aihong Wang
- Department of Gynaecology, South China Hospital, Health Science Center, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
- Department of Gynecologic and Obstetrics, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Clinical Medicine, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, Henan Province, China
| | - Canhui Jin
- Department of Gynaecology, South China Hospital, Health Science Center, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
- Department of Gastrointestinal Tumor Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Clinical Medicine, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, Henan Province, China
| | - Ying Wang
- Department of Gynaecology, South China Hospital, Health Science Center, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
- Department of Gynecologic and Obstetrics, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Clinical Medicine, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, Henan Province, China
| | - Juanjuan Yu
- Department of Gynecologic and Obstetrics, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Clinical Medicine, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, Henan Province, China
| | - Ruifang Wang
- Department of Gynecologic and Obstetrics, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Clinical Medicine, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, Henan Province, China
| | - Xiaoyu Tian
- Department of Gynecologic and Obstetrics, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Clinical Medicine, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, Henan Province, China
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20
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Shishido K, Purvis IJ, Velpula KK, Venkataraman S, Vibhakar R, Asuthkar S. Targeting B7‑H3 through EZH2 inhibition in MYC‑positive Group 3 medulloblastoma. Oncol Rep 2023; 49:119. [PMID: 37114557 DOI: 10.3892/or.2023.8556] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The most aggressive subtype of medulloblastoma (MB), Group 3, is characterized by MYC amplifications. However, targeting MYC has proven unsuccessful, and there remains a lack of therapeutic targets for treating MB. Studies have shown that the B7 homolog 3 (B7‑H3) promotes cell proliferation and tumor cell invasion in a variety of cancers. Similarly, it was recently revealed that B7‑H3 promotes angiogenesis in Group 3 MB and likely facilitates MB metastasis through exosome biogenesis. While therapies targeting B7‑H3 remain in the early stages of development, targeting upstream regulators of B7‑H3 expression may be more effective for halting MB progression. Notably, MYC and the enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) are known to regulate B7‑H3 expression, and a previous study by the authors suggested that B7‑H3 amplifications present in MB are likely the result of EZH2‑MYC mediated activities. In the present study, it was reported that overexpression of EZH2 is associated with lower overall survival in Group 3 MB patients. It was also revealed that inhibition of EZH2 significantly reduces B7‑H3 and MYC transcript levels and upregulates miR‑29a, indicating that EZH2 post‑transcriptionally regulates B7‑H3 expression in Group 3 MB cells. Pharmacological inhibition of EZH2 using EPZ005687 attenuated MB cell viability and reduced the expression of B7‑H3. Similarly, pharmacological inhibition and knockdown of EZH2 led to the downregulation of MYC, B7‑H3, and H3K27me3. Further, EZH2 silencing induced apoptosis and reduced colony‑forming ability in MB cells, whereas EZH2 inhibition in MYC‑amplified C17.2 neural stem cells induced G2/M phase arrest while downregulating B7‑H3 expression. Collectively, the current study positions EZH2 as a viable target for the future development of MB treatments and that targeting EZH2 in combination with B7‑H3 immunotherapy may be an effective treatment for halting MB progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine Shishido
- Department of Cancer Biology and Pharmacology, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria, Peoria, IL 61605, USA
| | - Ian J Purvis
- Department of Cancer Biology and Pharmacology, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria, Peoria, IL 61605, USA
| | - Kiran K Velpula
- Department of Cancer Biology and Pharmacology, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria, Peoria, IL 61605, USA
| | - Sujatha Venkataraman
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Rajeev Vibhakar
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Swapna Asuthkar
- Department of Cancer Biology and Pharmacology, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria, Peoria, IL 61605, USA
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21
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Zhong Y, Li MY, Han L, Tai Y, Cao S, Li J, Zhao H, Wang R, Lv B, Shan Z, Zuo HX, Piao L, Jin HL, Xing Y, Jin X, Ma J. Galangin inhibits programmed cell death-ligand 1 expression by suppressing STAT3 and MYC and enhances T cell tumor-killing activity. Phytomedicine 2023; 116:154877. [PMID: 37267692 DOI: 10.1016/j.phymed.2023.154877] [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] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Revised: 05/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The flavonoid galangin (3,5,7-trihydroxyflavone) is derived from the root of Alpinia officinarum Hance, an edible and medicinal herb. Galangin has many biological activities, such as anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, anti-viral, anti-obesogenic, and anti-oxidant effects. However, the anti-tumor mechanism of galangin remains unclear. PURPOSE To elucidate the anti-tumor mechanisms of galangin in vitro and in vivo. METHODS MTT, western blotting, immunoprecipitation, RT-PCR, and immunofluorescence assays were used to assess the mechanism of galangin inhibiting PD-L1 expression. The effect of galangin on T cell activity was analyzed in Hep3B/T cell co-cultures. Colony formation, EdU, migration, and invasion assays were performed to explore the effect of galangin on cancer progression and metastasis. Anti-tumor effects of galangin were investigated in a xenograft model. RESULTS Galangin inhibited PD-L1 expression dose-dependently, which plays a major role in tumor progression. Moreover, galangin blocked STAT3 activation through the JAK1/JAK2/Src signaling pathway and Myc activation through the Ras/RAF/MEK/ERK signaling pathway. Galangin reduced PD-L1 expression by suppressing STAT3 and Myc cooperatively. Galangin increased the killing effect of T cells on tumor cells in Hep3B/T cell co-cultures. Moreover, galangin inhibited tumor cell proliferation, migration, and invasion through PD-L1. In vivo experiments showed that galangin suppressed tumor growth. CONCLUSION Galangin enhances T-cell activity and inhibits tumor cell proliferation, migration, and invasion through PD-L1. The current study emphasizes the anti-tumor properties of galangin, offering new insights into the development of tumor therapeutics targeting PD-L1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Zhong
- Molecular Medicine Research Center, College of Pharmacy, Yanbian University, Yanji 133002, Jilin Province, China
| | - Ming Yue Li
- Molecular Medicine Research Center, College of Pharmacy, Yanbian University, Yanji 133002, Jilin Province, China
| | - Lizhuo Han
- Molecular Medicine Research Center, College of Pharmacy, Yanbian University, Yanji 133002, Jilin Province, China
| | - Yi Tai
- Molecular Medicine Research Center, College of Pharmacy, Yanbian University, Yanji 133002, Jilin Province, China
| | - Shen Cao
- Molecular Medicine Research Center, College of Pharmacy, Yanbian University, Yanji 133002, Jilin Province, China
| | - Jiaxuan Li
- Molecular Medicine Research Center, College of Pharmacy, Yanbian University, Yanji 133002, Jilin Province, China
| | - Hanyu Zhao
- Molecular Medicine Research Center, College of Pharmacy, Yanbian University, Yanji 133002, Jilin Province, China
| | - Run Wang
- Molecular Medicine Research Center, College of Pharmacy, Yanbian University, Yanji 133002, Jilin Province, China
| | - Baojiang Lv
- Molecular Medicine Research Center, College of Pharmacy, Yanbian University, Yanji 133002, Jilin Province, China
| | - Zhida Shan
- Molecular Medicine Research Center, College of Pharmacy, Yanbian University, Yanji 133002, Jilin Province, China
| | - Hong Xiang Zuo
- Molecular Medicine Research Center, College of Pharmacy, Yanbian University, Yanji 133002, Jilin Province, China
| | - Lianxun Piao
- Molecular Medicine Research Center, College of Pharmacy, Yanbian University, Yanji 133002, Jilin Province, China
| | - Hong Lan Jin
- Molecular Medicine Research Center, College of Pharmacy, Yanbian University, Yanji 133002, Jilin Province, China
| | - Yue Xing
- Molecular Medicine Research Center, College of Pharmacy, Yanbian University, Yanji 133002, Jilin Province, China.
| | - Xuejun Jin
- Molecular Medicine Research Center, College of Pharmacy, Yanbian University, Yanji 133002, Jilin Province, China.
| | - Juan Ma
- Molecular Medicine Research Center, College of Pharmacy, Yanbian University, Yanji 133002, Jilin Province, China.
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22
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Chen J, Lin Z, Song J, Plaisance-Bonstaff K, James J, Mu S, Post SR, Dai L, Qin Z. Echino mycin as a promising therapeutic agent against KSHV-related malignancies. J Hematol Oncol 2023; 16:48. [PMID: 37143124 PMCID: PMC10161613 DOI: 10.1186/s13045-023-01441-5] [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: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is the etiologic agent of several human cancers, including Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) and primary effusion lymphoma (PEL), which preferentially arise in immunocompromised patients while lack of effective therapeutic options. Oncoproteins Myc and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF1α) have been found closely related to KSHV infection, replication and oncogenesis. However, the strategies of dual targeting these two oncoproteins have never been developed and tested for treatments of KSHV-related malignancies. In the current study, we report that treatment of echinomycin dramatically regresses cell growth both in vitro-cultured KSHV + tumor cells and in vivo KS or PEL xenograft mice models, through simultaneously inhibiting Myc and HIF1α expression. Echinomycin treatment also induces viral lytic gene expression whereas not increasing infectious virions production from KSHV + tumor cells. Our comparative transcriptomic analysis has identified a bunch of new Echinomycin-regulated, Myc- and HIF1α-related genes contributed to KSHV pathogenesis, including KDM4B and Tau, which are required for the survival of KSHV + tumor cells with functional validation. These data together reveal that dual targeting Myc and HIF1α such as using Echinomycin may represent a new and promising option for treatments of these virus-associated malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jungang Chen
- Department of Pathology, Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 W Markham St, Little Rock, AR, 72205, USA
| | - Zhen Lin
- Department of Pathology, Tulane Cancer Center, Tulane University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA
| | - Jiao Song
- Department of Pathology, Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 W Markham St, Little Rock, AR, 72205, USA
| | - Karlie Plaisance-Bonstaff
- Department of Medicine, Louisiana Cancer Research Center, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA
| | - Jennifer James
- Department of Pathology, Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 W Markham St, Little Rock, AR, 72205, USA
| | - Shengyu Mu
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, 72205, USA
| | - Steven R Post
- Department of Pathology, Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 W Markham St, Little Rock, AR, 72205, USA
| | - Lu Dai
- Department of Pathology, Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 W Markham St, Little Rock, AR, 72205, USA.
| | - Zhiqiang Qin
- Department of Pathology, Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 W Markham St, Little Rock, AR, 72205, USA.
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23
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Liu C, Kudo T, Ye X, Gascoigne K. Cell-to-cell variability in Myc dynamics drives transcriptional heterogeneity in cancer cells. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112401. [PMID: 37060565 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112401] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 04/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Cell-to-cell heterogeneity is vital for tumor evolution and survival. How cancer cells achieve and exploit this heterogeneity remains an active area of research. Here, we identify c-Myc as a highly heterogeneously expressed transcription factor and an orchestrator of transcriptional and phenotypic diversity in cancer cells. By monitoring endogenous c-Myc protein in individual living cells, we report the surprising pulsatile nature of c-Myc expression and the extensive cell-to-cell variability in its dynamics. We further show that heterogeneity in c-Myc dynamics leads to variable target gene transcription and that timing of c-Myc expression predicts cell-cycle progression rates and drug sensitivities. Together, our data advocate for a model in which cancer cells increase the heterogeneity of functionally diverse transcription factors such as c-Myc to rapidly survey transcriptional landscapes and survive stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chad Liu
- Department of Discovery Oncology, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Takamasa Kudo
- Department of Cellular and Tissue Genomics, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Xin Ye
- Department of Discovery Oncology, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Karen Gascoigne
- Department of Discovery Oncology, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA.
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24
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Ji X, Gao J, Wei T, Jin L, Xiao G. Fear-of-intimacy-mediated zinc transport is required for Drosophila fat body endoreplication. BMC Biol 2023; 21:88. [PMID: 37069617 PMCID: PMC10111752 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-023-01588-0] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/19/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Endoreplication is involved in the development and function of many organs, the pathologic process of several diseases. However, the metabolic underpinnings and regulation of endoreplication have yet to be well clarified. RESULTS Here, we showed that a zinc transporter fear-of-intimacy (foi) is necessary for Drosophila fat body endoreplication. foi knockdown in the fat body led to fat body cell nuclei failure to attain standard size, decreased fat body size and pupal lethality. These phenotypes could be modulated by either altered expression of genes involved in zinc metabolism or intervention of dietary zinc levels. Further studies indicated that the intracellular depletion of zinc caused by foi knockdown results in oxidative stress, which activates the ROS-JNK signaling pathway, and then inhibits the expression of Myc, which is required for tissue endoreplication and larval growth in Drosophila. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicated that FOI is critical in coordinating fat body endoreplication and larval growth in Drosophila. Our study provides a novel insight into the relationship between zinc and endoreplication in insects and may provide a reference for relevant mammalian studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaowen Ji
- China Light Industry Key Laboratory of Meat Microbial Control and Utilization, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, 230009, China
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, 230009, China
| | - Jiajia Gao
- China Light Industry Key Laboratory of Meat Microbial Control and Utilization, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, 230009, China
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, 230009, China
| | - Tian Wei
- China Light Industry Key Laboratory of Meat Microbial Control and Utilization, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, 230009, China
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, 230009, China
- Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China
| | - Li Jin
- China Light Industry Key Laboratory of Meat Microbial Control and Utilization, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, 230009, China
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, 230009, China
| | - Guiran Xiao
- China Light Industry Key Laboratory of Meat Microbial Control and Utilization, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, 230009, China.
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, 230009, China.
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25
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Li J, Kong Y, Sun L, Tang Y, Sun X, Qin S, Li M. Overexpression of Ultrabithorax Changes the Development of Silk Gland and the Expression of Fibroin Genes in Bombyx mori. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24076670. [PMID: 37047645 PMCID: PMC10095271 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24076670] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Revised: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 04/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Ultrabithorax (Ubx) is a member of the Hox gene group involved in cell fate decisions, cell proliferation and organ identity. Its function has been extensively researched in Drosophila melanogaster but little is known about it in Lepidoptera. To uncover the function of Ubx in the development of lepidopterans, we constructed the Ubx overexpression (UbxOE) strain based on the Nistari strain of Bombyx mori. The UbxOE strain showed a small body size, transparent intersegmental membrane and abnormal posterior silk gland (PSG). In the current study, we focused on the effect of Ubx overexpression on the posterior silk gland. As the major protein product of PSG, the mRNA expression of fibroin heavy chain (Fib-H) and fibroin light chain (Fib-L) was upregulated three times in UbxOE, but the protein expression of Fib-H and Fib-L was not significantly different. We speculated that the overexpression of Ubx downregulated the expression of Myc and further caused abnormal synthesis of the spliceosome and ribosome. Abnormalities of the spliceosome and ribosome affected the synthesis of protein in the PSG and changed its morphology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiashuang Li
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang 212018, China
| | - Yunhui Kong
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang 212018, China
| | - Lingling Sun
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang 212018, China
| | - Yaling Tang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang 212018, China
| | - Xia Sun
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang 212018, China
- The Key Laboratory of Silkworm and Mulberry Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture, Sericultural Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Zhenjiang 212018, China
| | - Sheng Qin
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang 212018, China
- The Key Laboratory of Silkworm and Mulberry Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture, Sericultural Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Zhenjiang 212018, China
| | - Muwang Li
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang 212018, China
- The Key Laboratory of Silkworm and Mulberry Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture, Sericultural Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Zhenjiang 212018, China
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26
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Yu J, Zhang Y, Zhu H. Pleiotropic effects of cell competition between normal and transformed cells in mammalian cancers. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 2023; 149:1607-1619. [PMID: 35796779 PMCID: PMC9261164 DOI: 10.1007/s00432-022-04143-6] [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] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE In the course of tumor progression, cancer clones interact with host normal cells, and these interactions make them under selection pressure all the time. Cell competition, which can eliminate suboptimal cells and optimize organ development via comparison of cell fitness information, is found to take place between host cells and transformed cells in mammals and play important roles in different phases of tumor progression. The aim of this study is to summarize the current knowledge about the roles and corresponding mechanisms of different cell competition interactions between host normal cells and transformed cells involved in mammalian tumor development. METHODS We reviewed the published relevant articles in the Pubmed. RESULTS So far, the role of several cell competition interactions have been well described in the different phases of mammalian tumor genesis and development. While cell competitions for trophic factors and epithelial defense against cancer (EDAC) prevent the emergence of transformed cells and suppress carcinogenesis, fitness-fingerprints-comparison system and Myc supercompetitors promote the local expansion of transformed cells after the early tumor lesion is formatted. In addition, various preclinical tumor-suppression models which based on the molecular mechanisms of these competition interactions show potential clinical value of boosting the fitness of host normal cells. CONCLUSION Cell competition between host and transformed cells has pleiotropic effects in mammalian tumor genesis and development. The clarification of specific molecular mechanisms shed light on novel ideas for the prevention and treatment of cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Yu
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Zhejiang University School of Medicine First Affiliated Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yamin Zhang
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Zhejiang University School of Medicine First Affiliated Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Huiyong Zhu
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Zhejiang University School of Medicine First Affiliated Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
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27
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Chan WF, Coughlan HD, Ruhle M, Iannarella N, Alvarado C, Groom JR, Keenan CR, Kueh AJ, Wheatley AK, Smyth GK, Allan RS, Johanson TM. Survey of activation-induced genome architecture reveals a novel enhancer of Myc. Immunol Cell Biol 2023; 101:345-357. [PMID: 36710659 PMCID: PMC10952581 DOI: 10.1111/imcb.12626] [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: 10/18/2022] [Revised: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
The transcription factor Myc is critically important in driving cell proliferation, a function that is frequently dysregulated in cancer. To avoid this dysregulation Myc is tightly controlled by numerous layers of regulation. One such layer is the use of distal regulatory enhancers to drive Myc expression. Here, using chromosome conformation capture to examine B cells of the immune system in the first hours after their activation, we reveal a previously unidentified enhancer of Myc. The interactivity of this enhancer coincides with a dramatic, but discrete, spike in Myc expression 3 h post-activation. However, genetic deletion of this region, has little impact on Myc expression, Myc protein level or in vitro and in vivo cell proliferation. Examination of the enhancer deleted regulatory landscape suggests that enhancer redundancy likely sustains Myc expression. This work highlights not only the importance of temporally examining enhancers, but also the complexity and dynamics of the regulation of critical genes such as Myc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wing Fuk Chan
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical ResearchParkvilleVICAustralia
- Department of Medical BiologyThe University of MelbourneParkvilleVICAustralia
| | - Hannah D Coughlan
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical ResearchParkvilleVICAustralia
- Department of Medical BiologyThe University of MelbourneParkvilleVICAustralia
| | - Michelle Ruhle
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical ResearchParkvilleVICAustralia
- Department of Medical BiologyThe University of MelbourneParkvilleVICAustralia
| | - Nadia Iannarella
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical ResearchParkvilleVICAustralia
- Department of Medical BiologyThe University of MelbourneParkvilleVICAustralia
| | - Carolina Alvarado
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical ResearchParkvilleVICAustralia
- Department of Medical BiologyThe University of MelbourneParkvilleVICAustralia
| | - Joanna R Groom
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical ResearchParkvilleVICAustralia
- Department of Medical BiologyThe University of MelbourneParkvilleVICAustralia
| | - Christine R Keenan
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical ResearchParkvilleVICAustralia
- Department of Medical BiologyThe University of MelbourneParkvilleVICAustralia
| | - Andrew J Kueh
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical ResearchParkvilleVICAustralia
- Department of Medical BiologyThe University of MelbourneParkvilleVICAustralia
| | - Adam K Wheatley
- Department of Microbiology and ImmunologyUniversity of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and ImmunityMelbourneVICAustralia
| | - Gordon K Smyth
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical ResearchParkvilleVICAustralia
- School of Mathematics and StatisticsThe University of MelbourneParkvilleVICAustralia
| | - Rhys S Allan
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical ResearchParkvilleVICAustralia
- Department of Medical BiologyThe University of MelbourneParkvilleVICAustralia
| | - Timothy M Johanson
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical ResearchParkvilleVICAustralia
- Department of Medical BiologyThe University of MelbourneParkvilleVICAustralia
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28
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Goto M, Ooshio T, Yamamoto M, Tanaka H, Fujii Y, Meng L, Kamikokura Y, Okada Y, Nishikawa Y. High levels of Myc expression are required for the robust proliferation of hepatocytes, but not for the sustained weak proliferation. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 2023; 1869:166644. [PMID: 36681356 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2023.166644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
In contrast to the robust proliferation exhibited following acute liver injury, hepatocytes exhibit long-lasting proliferative activity in chronic liver injury. The mechanistic differences between these distinct modes of proliferation are unclear. Hepatocytes exhibited robust proliferation that peaked at 2 days following partial hepatectomy in mice, but this proliferation was completely inhibited by hepatocyte-specific expression of MadMyc, a Myc-suppressing chimeric protein. However, Myc suppression induced weak but continuous hepatocyte proliferation, thereby resulting in full restoration of liver mass despite an initial delay. Late-occurring proliferation was accompanied by prolonged suppression of proline dehydrogenase (PRODH) expression, and forced PRODH overexpression inhibited hepatocyte proliferation. In hepatocytes in chronic liver injury, Myc was not activated but PRODH expression was suppressed in regenerating hepatocytes. In liver tumors, PRODH expression was often suppressed, especially in the highly proliferative tumors with distinct Myc expression. Our results indicate that the robust proliferation of hepatocytes following acute liver injury requires high levels Myc expression and that there is a compensatory Myc-independent mode of hepatocyte proliferation with the regulation of proline metabolism, which might be relevant to liver regeneration in chronic injury.
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Boi D, Rubini E, Breccia S, Guarguaglini G, Paiardini A. When Just One Phosphate Is One Too Many: The Multifaceted Interplay between Myc and Kinases. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24. [PMID: 36902175 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24054746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Revised: 02/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Myc transcription factors are key regulators of many cellular processes, with Myc target genes crucially implicated in the management of cell proliferation and stem pluripotency, energy metabolism, protein synthesis, angiogenesis, DNA damage response, and apoptosis. Given the wide involvement of Myc in cellular dynamics, it is not surprising that its overexpression is frequently associated with cancer. Noteworthy, in cancer cells where high Myc levels are maintained, the overexpression of Myc-associated kinases is often observed and required to foster tumour cells' proliferation. A mutual interplay exists between Myc and kinases: the latter, which are Myc transcriptional targets, phosphorylate Myc, allowing its transcriptional activity, highlighting a clear regulatory loop. At the protein level, Myc activity and turnover is also tightly regulated by kinases, with a finely tuned balance between translation and rapid protein degradation. In this perspective, we focus on the cross-regulation of Myc and its associated protein kinases underlying similar and redundant mechanisms of regulation at different levels, from transcriptional to post-translational events. Furthermore, a review of the indirect effects of known kinase inhibitors on Myc provides an opportunity to identify alternative and combined therapeutic approaches for cancer treatment.
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Cencioni C, Scagnoli F, Spallotta F, Nasi S, Illi B. The "Superoncogene" Myc at the Crossroad between Metabolism and Gene Expression in Glioblastoma Multiforme. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24. [PMID: 36835628 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24044217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2022] [Revised: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The concept of the Myc (c-myc, n-myc, l-myc) oncogene as a canonical, DNA-bound transcription factor has consistently changed over the past few years. Indeed, Myc controls gene expression programs at multiple levels: directly binding chromatin and recruiting transcriptional coregulators; modulating the activity of RNA polymerases (RNAPs); and drawing chromatin topology. Therefore, it is evident that Myc deregulation in cancer is a dramatic event. Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most lethal, still incurable, brain cancer in adults, and it is characterized in most cases by Myc deregulation. Metabolic rewiring typically occurs in cancer cells, and GBM undergoes profound metabolic changes to supply increased energy demand. In nontransformed cells, Myc tightly controls metabolic pathways to maintain cellular homeostasis. Consistently, in Myc-overexpressing cancer cells, including GBM cells, these highly controlled metabolic routes are affected by enhanced Myc activity and show substantial alterations. On the other hand, deregulated cancer metabolism impacts Myc expression and function, placing Myc at the intersection between metabolic pathway activation and gene expression. In this review paper, we summarize the available information on GBM metabolism with a specific focus on the control of the Myc oncogene that, in turn, rules the activation of metabolic signals, ensuring GBM growth.
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Chang S, Li Q, Huang B, Chen W, Tan H. Genome-wide identification and characterisation of bHLH transcription factors in Artemisia annua. BMC Plant Biol 2023; 23:63. [PMID: 36721100 PMCID: PMC9890702 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-023-04063-8] [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] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A. annua (also named Artemisia annua, sweet wormwood) is the main source of the anti-malarial drug artemisinin, which is synthesised and stored in its trichomes. Members of the basic Helix-Loop-Helix (bHLH) family of transcription factors (TFs) have been implicated in artemisinin biosynthesis in A. annua and in trichome development in other plant species. RESULTS Here, we have systematically identified and characterised 226 putative bHLH TFs in A. annua. All of the proteins contain a HLH domain, 213 of which also contain the basic motif that mediates DNA binding of HLH dimers. Of these, 22 also contained a Myc domain that permits dimerisation with other families of TFs; only two proteins lacking the basic motif contained a Myc domain. Highly conserved GO annotations reflected the transcriptional regulatory role of the identified TFs, and suggested conserved roles in biological processes such as iron homeostasis, and guard cell and endosperm development. Expression analysis revealed that three genes (AabHLH80, AabHLH96, and AaMyc-bHLH3) exhibited spatiotemporal expression patterns similar to genes encoding key enzymes in artemisinin synthesis. CONCLUSIONS This comprehensive analysis of bHLH TFs provides a new resource to direct further analysis into key molecular mechanisms underlying and regulating artemisinin biosynthesis and trichome development, as well as other biological processes, in the key medicinal plant A. annua.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuwei Chang
- Department Chinese Medicine Authentication, College of Pharmacy, Naval Medical University (Second Military Medical University), Shanghai, China
- Department of Pharmacy, Shanghai Fourth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Qi Li
- Department Chinese Medicine Authentication, College of Pharmacy, Naval Medical University (Second Military Medical University), Shanghai, China
| | - Baokang Huang
- Department Chinese Medicine Authentication, College of Pharmacy, Naval Medical University (Second Military Medical University), Shanghai, China
| | - Wansheng Chen
- Department Chinese Medicine Authentication, College of Pharmacy, Naval Medical University (Second Military Medical University), Shanghai, China
| | - Hexin Tan
- Department Chinese Medicine Authentication, College of Pharmacy, Naval Medical University (Second Military Medical University), Shanghai, China
- Department of Pharmacy, Shanghai Fourth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory for Pharmaceutical Metabolite Research, Shanghai, China
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Scagnoli F, Palma A, Favia A, Scuoppo C, Illi B, Nasi S. A New Insight into MYC Action: Control of RNA Polymerase II Methylation and Transcription Termination. Biomedicines 2023; 11:biomedicines11020412. [PMID: 36830948 PMCID: PMC9952900 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11020412] [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] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2022] [Revised: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
MYC oncoprotein deregulation is a common catastrophic event in human cancer and limiting its activity restrains tumor development and maintenance, as clearly shown via Omomyc, an MYC-interfering 90 amino acid mini-protein. MYC is a multifunctional transcription factor that regulates many aspects of transcription by RNA polymerase II (RNAPII), such as transcription activation, pause release, and elongation. MYC directly associates with Protein Arginine Methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5), a protein that methylates a variety of targets, including RNAPII at the arginine residue R1810 (R1810me2s), crucial for proper transcription termination and splicing of transcripts. Therefore, we asked whether MYC controls termination as well, by affecting R1810me2S. We show that MYC overexpression strongly increases R1810me2s, while Omomyc, an MYC shRNA, or a PRMT5 inhibitor and siRNA counteract this phenomenon. Omomyc also impairs Serine 2 phosphorylation in the RNAPII carboxyterminal domain, a modification that sustains transcription elongation. ChIP-seq experiments show that Omomyc replaces MYC and reshapes RNAPII distribution, increasing occupancy at promoter and termination sites. It is unclear how this may affect gene expression. Transcriptomic analysis shows that transcripts pivotal to key signaling pathways are both up- or down-regulated by Omomyc, whereas genes directly controlled by MYC and belonging to a specific signature are strongly down-regulated. Overall, our data point to an MYC/PRMT5/RNAPII axis that controls termination via RNAPII symmetrical dimethylation and contributes to rewiring the expression of genes altered by MYC overexpression in cancer cells. It remains to be clarified which role this may have in tumor development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiorella Scagnoli
- IBPM—CNR, Biology and Biotechnology Department, Sapienza University, 00185 Rome, Italy
- Correspondence: (F.S.); (B.I.); (S.N.)
| | - Alessandro Palma
- Translational Cytogenomics Research Unit, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00146 Rome, Italy
| | - Annarita Favia
- IBPM—CNR, Biology and Biotechnology Department, Sapienza University, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Claudio Scuoppo
- Institute for Cancer Genetics, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Barbara Illi
- IBPM—CNR, Biology and Biotechnology Department, Sapienza University, 00185 Rome, Italy
- Correspondence: (F.S.); (B.I.); (S.N.)
| | - Sergio Nasi
- IBPM—CNR, Biology and Biotechnology Department, Sapienza University, 00185 Rome, Italy
- Correspondence: (F.S.); (B.I.); (S.N.)
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33
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Priyam J, Saxena U. Computational Gene Expression and Network Analysis of Myc Reveal Insights into Its Diagnostic and Prognostic Role in Subtypes of Renal Cancer. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 2023:10.1007/s12010-023-04357-5. [PMID: 36689165 DOI: 10.1007/s12010-023-04357-5] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
In this study, we analysed the Myc expression in the pan-kidney cohort (KIPAN) and kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) in human tumour tissues compared to normal tissues. Myc is overexpressed and associated with poor overall survival (OS) in the KIPAN and KIRC. It shows that Myc plays a crucial role in the growth and maintenance of these malignancies. Additionally, we explored coexpressed genes, gene-set enrichment analysis of coexpressed genes, proteins and regulatory partners directly linked with Myc in KIPAN and KIRC and their role in cancer-specific events. Pathway enrichment analysis concluded that Myc-related genes are involved in many cancer-related pathways. Furthermore, we studied that among KIPAN, mutant forms of tumour suppressor genes have a poor prognosis and are associated with higher Myc expression but not in KIRC. This paper also investigates the correlation between Myc expression and promoter methylation, tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes, and the interaction of Myc with drugs. Our study indicates that Myc can be used as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in patients with KIPAN and KIRC with diverse clinical and pathological characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jyotsna Priyam
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Technology Warangal, Warangal, 506004, Telangana, India
| | - Urmila Saxena
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Technology Warangal, Warangal, 506004, Telangana, India.
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Zaytseva O, Mitchell NC, Muckle D, Delandre C, Nie Z, Werner JK, Lis JT, Eyras E, Hannan RD, Levens DL, Marshall OJ, Quinn LM. Psi promotes Drosophila wing growth via direct transcriptional activation of cell cycle targets and repression of growth inhibitors. Development 2023; 150:286725. [PMID: 36692218 PMCID: PMC10110491 DOI: 10.1242/dev.201563] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
The first characterised FUSE Binding Protein family member, FUBP1, binds single-stranded DNA to activate MYC transcription. Psi, the sole FUBP protein in Drosophila, binds RNA to regulate P-element and mRNA splicing. Our previous work revealed pro-growth functions for Psi, which depend, in part, on transcriptional activation of Myc. Genome-wide functions for FUBP family proteins in transcriptional control remain obscure. Here, through the first genome-wide binding and expression profiles obtained for a FUBP family protein, we demonstrate that, in addition to being required to activate Myc to promote cell growth, Psi also directly binds and activates stg to couple growth and cell division. Thus, Psi knockdown results in reduced cell division in the wing imaginal disc. In addition to activating these pro-proliferative targets, Psi directly represses transcription of the growth inhibitor tolkin (tok, a metallopeptidase implicated in TGFβ signalling). We further demonstrate tok overexpression inhibits proliferation, while tok loss of function increases mitosis alone and suppresses impaired cell division caused by Psi knockdown. Thus, Psi orchestrates growth through concurrent transcriptional activation of the pro-proliferative genes Myc and stg, in combination with repression of the growth inhibitor tok.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Zaytseva
- John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
| | - Naomi C Mitchell
- John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
| | - Damien Muckle
- John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
| | - Caroline Delandre
- Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7000, Australia
| | - Zuqin Nie
- National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | | | - John T Lis
- Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
| | - Eduardo Eyras
- John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
| | - Ross D Hannan
- John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
| | | | - Owen J Marshall
- Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7000, Australia
| | - Leonie M Quinn
- John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
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35
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Matias-Barrios VM, Dong X. The Implication of Topoisomerase II Inhibitors in Synthetic Lethality for Cancer Therapy. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2023; 16:ph16010094. [PMID: 36678591 PMCID: PMC9866718 DOI: 10.3390/ph16010094] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Revised: 12/31/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
DNA topoisomerase II (Top2) is essential for all eukaryotic cells in the regulation of DNA topology through the generation of temporary double-strand breaks. Cancer cells acquire enhanced Top2 functions to cope with the stress generated by transcription and DNA replication during rapid cell division since cancer driver genes such as Myc and EZH2 hijack Top2 in order to realize their oncogenic transcriptomes for cell growth and tumor progression. Inhibitors of Top2 are therefore designed to target Top2 to trap it on DNA, subsequently causing protein-linked DNA breaks, a halt to the cell cycle, and ultimately cell death. Despite the effectiveness of these inhibitors, cancer cells can develop resistance to them, thereby limiting their therapeutic utility. To maximize the therapeutic potential of Top2 inhibitors, combination therapies to co-target Top2 with DNA damage repair (DDR) machinery and oncogenic pathways have been proposed to induce synthetic lethality for more thorough tumor suppression. In this review, we will discuss the mode of action of Top2 inhibitors and their potential applications in cancer treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor M. Matias-Barrios
- The Vancouver Prostate Centre, Department of Urologic Sciences, University of British Columbia, 2660 Oak Street, Vancouver, BC V6H 3Z6, Canada
- School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Avenida Eugenio Garza Sada 2501, Monterrey 64849, Mexico
- Correspondence:
| | - Xuesen Dong
- The Vancouver Prostate Centre, Department of Urologic Sciences, University of British Columbia, 2660 Oak Street, Vancouver, BC V6H 3Z6, Canada
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36
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Rebelo AR, Homem CCF. d Myc-dependent upregulation of CD98 amino acid transporters is required for Drosophila brain tumor growth. Cell Mol Life Sci 2023; 80:30. [PMID: 36609617 PMCID: PMC9823048 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-022-04668-6] [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] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Revised: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Tumor cells have an increased demand for nutrients to sustain their growth, but how these increased metabolic needs are ensured or how this influences tumor formation and progression remains unclear. To unravel tumor metabolic dependencies, particularly from extracellular metabolites, we have analyzed the role of plasma membrane metabolic transporters in Drosophila brain tumors. Using a well-established neural stem cell-derived tumor model, caused by brat knockdown, we have found that 13 plasma membrane metabolic transporters, including amino acid, carbohydrate and monocarboxylate transporters, are upregulated in tumors and are required for tumor growth. We identified CD98hc and several of the light chains with which it can form heterodimeric amino acid transporters, as crucial players in brat RNAi (brat IR) tumor progression. Knockdown of these components of CD98 heterodimers caused a dramatic reduction in tumor growth. Our data also reveal that the oncogene dMyc is required and sufficient for the upregulation of CD98 transporter subunits in these tumors. Furthermore, tumor-upregulated dmyc and CD98 transporters orchestrate the overactivation of the growth-promoting signaling pathway TOR, forming a core growth regulatory network to support brat IR tumor progression. Our findings highlight the important link between oncogenes, metabolism, and signaling pathways in the regulation of tumor growth and allow for a better understanding of the mechanisms necessary for tumor progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana R Rebelo
- iNOVA4Health, NOVA Medical School, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, NMS, FCM, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Catarina C F Homem
- iNOVA4Health, NOVA Medical School, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, NMS, FCM, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.
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37
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Tsai CH, Chuang YM, Li X, Yu YR, Tzeng SF, Teoh ST, Lindblad KE, Di Matteo M, Cheng WC, Hsueh PC, Kao KC, Imrichova H, Duan L, Gallart-Ayala H, Hsiao PW, Mazzone M, Ivanesevic J, Liu X, de Visser KE, Lujambio A, Lunt SY, Kaech SM, Ho PC. Immunoediting instructs tumor metabolic reprogramming to support immune evasion. Cell Metab 2023; 35:118-133.e7. [PMID: 36599297 PMCID: PMC10375941 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2022.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Revised: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Immunoediting sculpts immunogenicity and thwarts host anti-tumor responses in tumor cells during tumorigenesis; however, it remains unknown whether metabolic programming of tumor cells can be guided by immunosurveillance. Here, we report that T cell-mediated immunosurveillance in early-stage tumorigenesis instructs c-Myc upregulation and metabolic reprogramming in tumor cells. This previously unexplored tumor-immune interaction is controlled by non-canonical interferon gamma (IFNγ)-STAT3 signaling and supports tumor immune evasion. Our findings uncover that immunoediting instructs deregulated bioenergetic programs in tumor cells to empower them to disarm the T cell-mediated immunosurveillance by imposing metabolic tug-of-war between tumor and infiltrating T cells and forming the suppressive tumor microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chin-Hsien Tsai
- Department of Oncology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Ludwig Institute of Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Graduate Institute of Life Sciences, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Ming Chuang
- Department of Oncology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Ludwig Institute of Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Xiaoyun Li
- Department of Oncology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Ludwig Institute of Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Yi-Ru Yu
- Department of Oncology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Ludwig Institute of Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Sheue-Fen Tzeng
- Department of Oncology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Ludwig Institute of Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Graduate Institute of Life Sciences, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Shao Thing Teoh
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Katherine E Lindblad
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; Liver Cancer Program, Division of Liver Diseases, Department of Medicine, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; The Precision Immunology Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mario Di Matteo
- Laboratory of Tumor Inflammation and angiogenesis, Vesalius Research Center, VIB, Leuven, Belgium; Laboratory of Tumor Inflammation and angiogenesis, Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Wan-Chen Cheng
- Department of Oncology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Ludwig Institute of Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Pei-Chun Hsueh
- Department of Oncology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Ludwig Institute of Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Kung-Chi Kao
- Department of Oncology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Ludwig Institute of Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Hana Imrichova
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Wien, Austria
| | - Likun Duan
- Department of Molecular and Structural Biochemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Hector Gallart-Ayala
- Metabolomics Platform, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Pei-Wen Hsiao
- Agricultural Biotechnology Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Massimiliano Mazzone
- Laboratory of Tumor Inflammation and angiogenesis, Vesalius Research Center, VIB, Leuven, Belgium; Laboratory of Tumor Inflammation and angiogenesis, Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Julijana Ivanesevic
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Wien, Austria
| | - Xiaojing Liu
- Department of Molecular and Structural Biochemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Karin E de Visser
- Division of Tumor Biology and Immunology, Oncode Institute, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Amaia Lujambio
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; Liver Cancer Program, Division of Liver Diseases, Department of Medicine, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; The Precision Immunology Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sophia Y Lunt
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA; Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Susan M Kaech
- NOMIS Center for Immunobiology and Microbial Pathogenesis, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Ping-Chih Ho
- Department of Oncology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Ludwig Institute of Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
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Zhang Y, Li J, Huang Y, Chen Y, Luo Z, Huang H, West RE, Nolin TD, Wang Z, Li S. Improved antitumor activity against prostate cancer via synergistic targeting of Myc and GFAT-1. Theranostics 2023; 13:578-595. [PMID: 36632215 PMCID: PMC9830436 DOI: 10.7150/thno.76614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [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: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 12/03/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Inhibition of Myc promotes the regression of many types of tumors, including prostate cancer. However, the success of anti-Myc therapy is hampered by the lack of a strategy to effectively deliver the inhibitors to the tumor site and by the feedback mechanisms that cancer cells use to adapt to metabolic reprogramming. Methods: The effects of Myc inhibitors (10074-G5 or 10058-F4), alone or in combination with 6-diazo-5-oxo-L-norleucine (DON), were evaluated in cultured human or murine prostate cancer cells by cell viability assay, qRT-PCR and Western blot. To facilitate the in vivo therapeutic evaluation, a prodrug conjugate of 10074-G4 and DON (10074-DON) was developed, which could be effectively loaded into a polysaccharide-based nanocarrier (PS). Results: The treatment with Myc inhibitors led to significant induction of glutamine: fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase-1 (GFAT1) and enhanced protein glycosylation. Mechanistically, Myc inhibition triggered GFAT1 induction through the IREα-Xbp1s pathway. The combination use of Myc inhibitors and GFAT1 inhibitor DON led to a synergistic effect in inhibiting the proliferation and migration of prostate cancer cells. Enhanced in vivo delivery of 10074-DON via the PS nanocarrier led to a significant inhibition of tumor growth along with an improvement in tumor immune microenvironment in several PCa animal models. Conclusion: Simultaneous targeting of Myc and GFAT-1 may represent a novel strategy for the treatment of prostate cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Zhang
- Center for Pharmacogenetics, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, Pittsburgh, PA 15261
| | - Jiang Li
- Center for Pharmacogenetics, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, Pittsburgh, PA 15261
| | - Yixian Huang
- Center for Pharmacogenetics, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, Pittsburgh, PA 15261
| | - Yuang Chen
- Center for Pharmacogenetics, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, Pittsburgh, PA 15261
| | - Zhangyi Luo
- Center for Pharmacogenetics, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, Pittsburgh, PA 15261
| | - Haozhe Huang
- Center for Pharmacogenetics, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, Pittsburgh, PA 15261
| | - Raymond E West
- Small Molecule Biomarker Core (SMBC), Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, Pittsburgh, PA 15261
| | - Thomas D Nolin
- Small Molecule Biomarker Core (SMBC), Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, Pittsburgh, PA 15261
| | - Zhou Wang
- Department of Urology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261
| | - Song Li
- Center for Pharmacogenetics, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, Pittsburgh, PA 15261
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Morrow RJ, Allam AH, Konecnik J, Baloyan D, Dijkstra C, Eissmann MF, Jacob SP, O’Brien M, Poh AR, Ernst M. Tumor Growth Remains Refractory to Myc Ablation in Host Macrophages. Cells 2022; 11:cells11244104. [PMID: 36552868 PMCID: PMC9777527 DOI: 10.3390/cells11244104] [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] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2022] [Revised: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Aberrant expression of the oncoprotein c-Myc (Myc) is frequently observed in solid tumors and is associated with reduced overall survival. In addition to well-recognized cancer cell-intrinsic roles of Myc, studies have also suggested tumor-promoting roles for Myc in cells of the tumor microenvironment, including macrophages and other myeloid cells. Here, we benchmark Myc inactivation in tumor cells against the contribution of its expression in myeloid cells of murine hosts that harbor endogenous or allograft tumors. Surprisingly, we observe that LysMCre-mediated Myc ablation in host macrophages does not attenuate tumor growth regardless of immunogenicity, the cellular origin of the tumor, the site it develops, or the stage along the tumor progression cascade. Likewise, we find no evidence for Myc ablation to revert or antagonize the polarization of alternatively activated immunosuppressive macrophages. Thus, we surmise that systemic targeting of Myc activity may confer therapeutic benefits primarily through limiting Myc activity in tumor cells rather than reinvigorating the anti-tumor activity of macrophages.
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Jaiprashad R, De Silva SR, Fred Lucena LM, Meyer E, Metallo SJ. Portability of a Small-Molecule Binding Site between Disordered Proteins. Biomolecules 2022; 12. [PMID: 36551315 DOI: 10.3390/biom12121887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2022] [Revised: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) are important in both normal and disease states. Small molecules can be targeted to disordered regions, but we currently have only a limited understanding of the nature of small-molecule binding sites in IDPs. Here, we show that a minimal small-molecule binding sequence of eight contiguous residues derived from the Myc protein can be ported into a different disordered protein and recapitulate small-molecule binding activity in the new context. We also find that the residue immediately flanking the binding site can have opposing effects on small-molecule binding in the different disordered protein contexts. The results demonstrate that small-molecule binding sites can act modularly and are portable between disordered protein contexts but that residues outside of the minimal binding site can modulate binding affinity.
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Xu RC, Wang F, Sun JL, Abuduwaili W, Zhang GC, Liu ZY, Liu TT, Dong L, Shen XZ, Zhu JM. A novel murine model of combined hepatocellular carcinoma and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. J Transl Med 2022; 20:579. [PMID: 36494846 PMCID: PMC9733131 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-022-03791-z] [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] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Primary liver cancer (PLC) is a common gastrointestinal malignancy worldwide. While hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) are two major pathologic types of PLC, combined HCC and ICC (cHCC-ICC) is a relatively rare subtype that shares both hepatocyte and cholangiocyte differentiation. However, the molecular feature of this unique tumor remains elusive because of its low incidence and lack of a suitable animal model. Herein, we generated a novel spontaneous cHCC-ICC model using a Sleeping Beauty-dependent transposon plasmid co-expressing oncogenic Myc and AKT1 and a CRISPR-Cas9 plasmid expressing single-guide RNA targeting p53 into mouse hepatocytes via in situ electroporation. The histological and transcriptional analysis confirmed that this model exhibits cHCC-ICC features and activates pathways committing cHCC-ICC formation, such as TGF-β, WNT, and NF-κB. Using this model, we further screened and identified LAMB1, a protein involved in cell adhesion and migration, as a potential therapeutic target for cHCC-ICC. In conclusion, our work presents a novel genetic cHCC-ICC model and provides new insights into cHCC-ICC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ru-Chen Xu
- grid.413087.90000 0004 1755 3939Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Zhongshan Hospital of Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Rd., Shanghai, 200032 China ,grid.413087.90000 0004 1755 3939Shanghai Institute of Liver Diseases, Shanghai, China
| | - Fu Wang
- grid.413087.90000 0004 1755 3939Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Zhongshan Hospital of Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Rd., Shanghai, 200032 China ,grid.413087.90000 0004 1755 3939Shanghai Institute of Liver Diseases, Shanghai, China
| | - Jia-Lei Sun
- grid.413087.90000 0004 1755 3939Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Zhongshan Hospital of Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Rd., Shanghai, 200032 China ,grid.413087.90000 0004 1755 3939Shanghai Institute of Liver Diseases, Shanghai, China
| | - Weinire Abuduwaili
- grid.413087.90000 0004 1755 3939Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Zhongshan Hospital of Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Rd., Shanghai, 200032 China ,grid.413087.90000 0004 1755 3939Shanghai Institute of Liver Diseases, Shanghai, China
| | - Guang-Cong Zhang
- grid.413087.90000 0004 1755 3939Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Zhongshan Hospital of Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Rd., Shanghai, 200032 China ,grid.413087.90000 0004 1755 3939Shanghai Institute of Liver Diseases, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhi-Yong Liu
- grid.413087.90000 0004 1755 3939Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Zhongshan Hospital of Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Rd., Shanghai, 200032 China ,grid.413087.90000 0004 1755 3939Shanghai Institute of Liver Diseases, Shanghai, China
| | - Tao-Tao Liu
- grid.413087.90000 0004 1755 3939Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Zhongshan Hospital of Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Rd., Shanghai, 200032 China ,grid.413087.90000 0004 1755 3939Shanghai Institute of Liver Diseases, Shanghai, China
| | - Ling Dong
- grid.413087.90000 0004 1755 3939Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Zhongshan Hospital of Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Rd., Shanghai, 200032 China ,grid.413087.90000 0004 1755 3939Shanghai Institute of Liver Diseases, Shanghai, China
| | - Xi-Zhong Shen
- grid.413087.90000 0004 1755 3939Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Zhongshan Hospital of Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Rd., Shanghai, 200032 China ,grid.413087.90000 0004 1755 3939Shanghai Institute of Liver Diseases, Shanghai, China ,grid.11841.3d0000 0004 0619 8943Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ji-Min Zhu
- grid.413087.90000 0004 1755 3939Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Zhongshan Hospital of Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Rd., Shanghai, 200032 China ,grid.413087.90000 0004 1755 3939Shanghai Institute of Liver Diseases, Shanghai, China
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Asgari D, Saski CA, Meisel RP, Nayduch D. Constitutively-expressed and induced immune effectors in the house fly (Musca domestica) and the transcription factors that may regulate them. Insect Mol Biol 2022; 31:782-797. [PMID: 35875866 DOI: 10.1111/imb.12804] [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] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Insects possess both infection-induced and constitutively expressed innate immune defences. Some effectors, such as lysozymes and antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), are constitutively expressed in flies, but expression patterns vary across tissues and species. The house fly (Musca domestica L.) has an impressive immune repertoire, with more effector genes than any other flies. We used RNA-seq to explore both constitutive and induced expression of immune effectors in flies. House flies were fed either Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Escherichia coli, or sterile control broth, and gene expression in the gut and carcass was analysed 4 h post-feeding. Flies fed either bacterium did not induce AMP expression, but some lysozyme and AMP genes were constitutively expressed. Prior transcriptome data from flies injected with bacteria also were analysed, and these constitutively expressed genes differed from those induced by bacterial injection. Binding sites for the transcription factor Myc were enriched upstream of constitutively expressed AMP genes, while upstream regions of induced AMPs were enriched for NF-κB binding sites resembling those of the Imd-responsive transcription factor Relish. Therefore, we identified at least two expression repertoires for AMPs in the house fly: constitutively expressed genes that may be regulated by Myc, and induced AMPs likely regulated by Relish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danial Asgari
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Christopher A Saski
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, USA
| | - Richard P Meisel
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Dana Nayduch
- Arthropod-Borne Animal Diseases Research Unit, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Manhattan, Kansas, USA
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Xu JJ, Chen X, Zhu S, Jiang LF, Ma WX, Chen SY, Meng XM, Huang C, Li J. Myc-mediated circular RNA circMcph1/miR-370-3p/Irak2 axis is a progressive regulator in hepatic fibrosis. Life Sci 2022; 312:121182. [PMID: 36435226 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2022.121182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Revised: 10/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
AIMS Treating hepatic fibrosis (HF) is a major challenge worldwide. However, the biological functions and regulatory mechanisms of circular RNAs (circRNAs) remain unclear in HF. The present study aimed to elucidate the novel role of circMcph1 in HF. MAIN METHODS HF mouse model was established by injecting CCl4 intraperitoneally and validated using hematoxylin and eosin staining, immunohistochemistry, and serological tests in vivo. RAW264.7 cells were treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) in vitro inflammatory damage model. Gel electrophoresis, DNA sequencing, RNase R and actinomycin D treatment, random 6 primers and oligo dT primers assay, nuclear and cytoplasmic fractionation assay, and fluorescence in situ hybridization were performed to identify the characteristics of circMcph1. Functional assays such as ELISA, flow cytometry, and adeno-associated virus administration in vivo and liposome delivery gene therapy in vitro were used to determine the functional effects of circMcph1/miR-370-3p/interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 2 (Irak2) axis. Mechanistic assays such as luciferase reporter analysis, and chromatin immunoprecipitation revealed the molecular mechanism of the Myc/circMcph1/miR-370-3p/Irak2 axis in HF. KEY FINDINGS CircMcph1 expression was upregulated in liver tissues and primary Kupffer cells of CCl4-induced HF mice, as well as in LPS and IFN-γ-treated RAW264.7 cells. Knockdown of circMcph1 ameliorated liver fibrogenesis and inflammatory damage in HF mice and reduced the inflammatory response in LPS and IFN-γ-treated RAW264.7 cells. Mechanically, circMcph1 mediated by Myc regulated the expression of Irak2 by sponging miR-370-3p in HF. SIGNIFICANCE The study findings suggested that the Myc/circMcph1/miR-370-3p/Irak2 axis might be a novel identifier and therapeutic target for HF.
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Kobayashi K, Tokuoka M, Sato H, Ariyoshi M, Kawahara S, Fujiwara S, Kishimoto T, Satou Y. Regulators specifying cell fate activate cell cycle regulator genes to determine cell numbers in ascidian larval tissues. Development 2022; 149:282402. [PMID: 36278804 DOI: 10.1242/dev.201218] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
In animal development, most cell types stop dividing before terminal differentiation; thus, cell cycle control is tightly linked to cell differentiation programmes. In ascidian embryos, cell lineages do not vary among individuals, and rounds of the cell cycle are determined according to cell lineages. Notochord and muscle cells stop dividing after eight or nine rounds of cell division depending on their lineages. In the present study, we showed that a Cdk inhibitor, Cdkn1.b, is responsible for stopping cell cycle progression in these lineages. Cdkn1.b is also necessary for epidermal cells to stop dividing. In contrast, mesenchymal and endodermal cells continue to divide even after hatching, and Myc is responsible for maintaining cell cycle progression in these tissues. Expression of Cdkn1.b in notochord and muscle is controlled by transcription factors that specify the developmental fate of notochord and muscle. Likewise, expression of Myc in mesenchyme and endoderm is under control of transcription factors that specify the developmental fate of mesenchyme and endoderm. Thus, cell fate specification and cell cycle control are linked by these transcription factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenji Kobayashi
- Laboratory of Cell and Developmental Biology, Graduate School of Bioscience, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan
| | - Miki Tokuoka
- Laboratory of Cell and Developmental Biology, Graduate School of Bioscience, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan.,Department of Zoology, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
| | - Hiroaki Sato
- Laboratory of Cell and Developmental Biology, Graduate School of Bioscience, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan
| | - Manami Ariyoshi
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Kochi University, Kochi 780-8520, Japan
| | - Shiori Kawahara
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Kochi University, Kochi 780-8520, Japan
| | - Shigeki Fujiwara
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Kochi University, Kochi 780-8520, Japan
| | - Takeo Kishimoto
- Laboratory of Cell and Developmental Biology, Graduate School of Bioscience, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan
| | - Yutaka Satou
- Department of Zoology, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
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Abstract
The MYC transcription factor, encoded by the c-MYC proto-oncogene, is activated by growth-promoting signals, and is a key regulator of biosynthetic and metabolic pathways driving cell growth and proliferation. These same processes are deregulated in MYC-driven tumors, where they become critical for cancer cell proliferation and survival. As other oncogenic insults, overexpressed MYC induces a series of cellular stresses (metabolic, oxidative, replicative, etc.) collectively known as oncogenic stress, which impact not only on tumor progression, but also on the response to therapy, with profound, multifaceted consequences on clinical outcome. On one hand, recent evidence uncovered a widespread role for MYC in therapy resistance in multiple cancer types, with either standard chemotherapeutic or targeted regimens. Reciprocally, oncogenic MYC imparts a series of molecular and metabolic dependencies to cells, thus giving rise to cancer-specific vulnerabilities that may be exploited to obtain synthetic-lethal interactions with novel anticancer drugs. Here we will review the current knowledge on the links between MYC and therapeutic responses, and will discuss possible strategies to overcome resistance through new, targeted interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulio Donati
- European Institute of Oncology (IEO) – IRCCSMilanItaly
| | - Bruno Amati
- European Institute of Oncology (IEO) – IRCCSMilanItaly
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Bhardwaj V, He J, Jain A. Glutamine stabilizes myc via alpha-ketoglutarate and regulates paclitaxel sensitivity. Med Oncol 2022; 39:227. [PMID: 36175776 DOI: 10.1007/s12032-022-01834-5] [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] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Metabolic reprogramming wherein the cancer cells exhibit altered energetics is a hallmark of cancer. Although recent discoveries have enhanced our understanding of tumor metabolism, the therapeutic utility of targeting tumor metabolism is not yet realized. Glutamine, a non-essential amino acid, plays a critical role in regulating tumor metabolism and provides an alternative tumor energy source. In this study, we investigate the molecular mechanism regulated by glutamine and elucidate if targeting glutamine metabolism would enhance the efficacy of cancer chemotherapy. Using clonogenic and cell cycle analysis, we found that deprivation of glutamine suppress the growth of cancer cells. Mechanistically we demonstrate that glutamine stabilizes myc by preventing its ubiquitination through alpha-ketoglutarate. Inhibition of glutamine metabolism enhanced the sensitivity of tumor cells to chemotherapeutic agent paclitaxel. Our results delineate the mechanism behind glutamine-induced myc stabilization, and they provide a viable strategy to target cancer with a glutamine metabolism inhibitor in the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vikas Bhardwaj
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jefferson College of Pharmacy, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
| | - Jun He
- Department of Pathology, Anatomy & Cell Biology, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Aditi Jain
- The Jefferson Pancreas, Biliary and Related Cancer Center, Department of Surgery, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Dai Y, Zhang J, Wang Y, Liu L, Gao J. Computational insights into the differentiated binding affinities of Myc, Max, and Omomyc dimers to the E-boxes of DNA. J Mol Model 2022; 28:329. [PMID: 36149511 DOI: 10.1007/s00894-022-05261-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2022] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
Myc is a bHLHZip protein involved in growth control and cancer, which does not form a homodimer. Myc operates in a network with its heterodimerization partner Max, the latter of which can form homodimer and heterodimer. Omomyc, a polypeptide, can block Myc to treat cancers because it can both homodimerize as efficiently as Max and heterodimerize with both Myc and Max. However, the binding efficiencies to DNA for the mentioned two homodimers (Omomyc-Omomyc and Max-Max) and three heterodimers (Myc-Max, Omomyc-Myc, and Omomyc-Max) are still controversial. By molecular dynamics simulations and MM/GBSA free energy calculation, we ranked the binding affinities of five dimers to DNA and analyzed the contribution of single amino acids to the molecular recognition of dimers to DNA. Our simulation showed that the Omomyc-Omomyc dimer exhibited the highest binding energy to DNA, followed by the Omomyc-Myc, Max-Max, Omomyc-Max, and Myc-Max dimers. Moreover, five Arg residues (i.e., 7, 8, 15, 17, and 18 numbered by Omomyc) and five Lys residues (i.e., 6, 22, 40, 43, and 48 numbered by Omomyc) dominated the binding of various dimers to DNA while the residues Asp23 and Asp37 weakened the affinities via repulsive interaction. Our simulation would provide worthy information for further development of the structure-based design of novel Omomyc-like peptide inhibitors against Myc in the future.
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Di Rocco A, Camero S, Benedetti A, Lozanoska-Ochser B, Megiorni F, Marchese C, Stramucci L, Ciccarelli C, Bouché M, Bossi G, Marampon F, Zani BM. Anti‑oncogenic and pro‑myogenic action of the MKK6/p38/AKT axis induced by targeting MEK/ERK in embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma. Oncol Rep 2022; 48:151. [PMID: 35801577 PMCID: PMC9350981 DOI: 10.3892/or.2022.8363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [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: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Insights into the molecular and cellular biology of embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma (ERMS), an aggressive paediatric tumour, are required in order to identify new targets for novel treatments that may benefit patients with this disease. The present study examined the functional effects of MKK3 and MKK6, two upstream kinases of p38, and found that the ectopic expression of MKK6 led to rapid p38 activation and the myogenic differentiation of ERMS cells, whereas MKK3 failed to induce differentiation, while maintaining the proliferation state. Myogenin and myosin heavy chain were induced in MKK6‑overexpressing ERMS cells and were inhibited by the p38 inhibitor, SB203580. The expression of Myc and ERK‑PO4 increased under the effect of SB203580, whereas it decreased in MKK6‑overexpressing cells. AKT activation was part of the myogenic program triggered by MKK6 overexpression alone. To the best of our knowledge, the present study demonstrates, for the first time, that the endogenous MKK6 pathway may be recovered by MEK/ERK inhibition (U0126 and trametinib) and that it concomitantly induces the reversal of the oncogenic pattern and the induction of the myogenic differentiation of ERMS cell lines. The effects of MEK/ERK inhibitors markedly increase the potential clinical applications in ERMS, particularly on account of the MEK inhibitor‑induced early MKK6/p38 axis activation and of their anti‑oncogenic effects. The findings presented herein lend further support to the antitumour effects of MKK6; MKK6 may thus represent a novel target for advanced personalised treatments against ERMS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnese Di Rocco
- Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
| | - Simona Camero
- Department of Maternal and Child Health and Urological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, I‑00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Anna Benedetti
- Department of Anatomy, Histology, Forensic Medicine and Orthopaedics (AHFMO), Unit of Histology, Sapienza University of Rome, I‑00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Biliana Lozanoska-Ochser
- Department of Anatomy, Histology, Forensic Medicine and Orthopaedics (AHFMO), Unit of Histology, Sapienza University of Rome, I‑00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Megiorni
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, I‑00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Cinzia Marchese
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, I‑00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Stramucci
- Department of Diagnostic Research and Technological Innovation, IRCSS‑Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, I‑00144 Rome, Italy
| | - Carmela Ciccarelli
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences (MESVA), University of L'Aquila, I‑67100 L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Marina Bouché
- Department of Anatomy, Histology, Forensic Medicine and Orthopaedics (AHFMO), Unit of Histology, Sapienza University of Rome, I‑00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Gianluca Bossi
- Department of Diagnostic Research and Technological Innovation, IRCSS‑Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, I‑00144 Rome, Italy
| | - Francesco Marampon
- Department of Radiological, Oncological and Pathological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, I‑00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Bianca Maria Zani
- Department of Anatomy, Histology, Forensic Medicine and Orthopaedics (AHFMO), Unit of Histology, Sapienza University of Rome, I‑00161 Rome, Italy
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Takada I, Hidano S, Takahashi S, Yanaka K, Ogawa H, Tsuchiya M, Yokoyama A, Sato S, Ochi H, Nakagawa T, Kobayashi T, Nakagawa S, Makishima M. Transcriptional coregulator Ess2 controls survival of post-thymic CD4 + T cells through the Myc and IL-7 signaling pathways. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:102342. [PMID: 35933014 PMCID: PMC9436822 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102342] [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] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2021] [Revised: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Ess2, also known as Dgcr14, is a transcriptional co-regulator of CD4+ T cells. Ess2 is located in a chromosomal region, the loss of which has been associated with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS), which causes heart defects, skeletal abnormalities, and immunodeficiency. However, the specific association of Ess2 with 22q11DS remains unclear. To elucidate the role of Ess2 in T-cell development, we generated Ess2 floxed (Ess2fl/fl) and CD4+ T cell-specific Ess2 KO (Ess2ΔCD4/ΔCD4) mice using the Cre/loxP system. Interestingly, Ess2ΔCD4/ΔCD4 mice exhibited reduced naïve T-cell numbers in the spleen, while the number of thymocytes (CD4-CD8-, CD4+CD8+, CD4+CD8-, and CD4-CD8+) in the thymus remained unchanged. Furthermore, Ess2ΔCD4/ΔCD4 mice had decreased NKT cells and increased γδT cells in the thymus and spleen. A genome-wide expression analysis using RNA-seq revealed that Ess2 deletion alters the expression of many genes in CD4 single-positive thymocytes, including genes related to the immune system and Myc target genes. In addition, Ess2 enhanced the transcriptional activity of c-Myc. Some genes identified as Ess2 targets in mice show expressional correlation with ESS2 in human immune cells. Moreover, Ess2ΔCD4/ΔCD4 naïve CD4+ T cells did not maintain survival in response to IL-7. Our results suggest that Ess2 plays a critical role in post-thymic T-cell survival through the Myc and IL-7 signaling pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ichiro Takada
- Division of Biochemistry, Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, Nihon University, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
| | - Shinya Hidano
- Department of Infectious Diseases Control, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, Oita, Japan
| | - Sayuri Takahashi
- Department of Urology, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kaori Yanaka
- RNA Biology Laboratory, RIKEN Advanced Research Institute, Wako, Saitama, Japan
| | - Hidesato Ogawa
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita, Japan
| | - Megumi Tsuchiya
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita, Japan
| | - Atsushi Yokoyama
- Department of Molecular Endocrinology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
| | - Shingo Sato
- Center for Innovative Cancer Treatment, Tokyo Medical and Dental University Medical Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hiroki Ochi
- Department of Rehabilitation for Movement Functions, Research Institute, National Rehabilitation Center for Persons with Disabilities, Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan
| | - Tohru Nakagawa
- Department of Urology, Teikyo University, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takashi Kobayashi
- Department of Infectious Diseases Control, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, Oita, Japan
| | - Shinichi Nakagawa
- RNA Biology Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Makoto Makishima
- Division of Biochemistry, Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, Nihon University, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
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50
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Wu J, Luo FL, Xie Y, Xiong H, Gao Y, Liu G, Zhang XL. EST12 regulates Myc expression and enhances anti-mycobacterial inflammatory response via RACK1-JNK-AP1-Myc immune pathway. Front Immunol 2022; 13:943174. [PMID: 36003390 PMCID: PMC9393728 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.943174] [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] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
c-Myc (Myc) is a well-known transcription factor that regulates many essential cellular processes. Myc has been implicated in regulating anti-mycobacterial responses. However, its precise mechanism in modulating mycobacterial immunity remains elusive. Here, we found that a secreted Rv1579c (early secreted target with molecular weight 12 kDa, named EST12) protein, encoded by virulent Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) H37Rv region of deletion (RD)3, induces early expression and late degradation of Myc protein. Interestingly, EST12-induced Myc was further processed by K48 ubiquitin proteasome degradation in E3 ubiquitin ligase FBW7 dependent manner. EST12 protein activates JNK-AP1-Myc signaling pathway, promotes Myc binding to the promoters of IL-6, TNF-α and iNOS, then induces the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and TNF-α)/inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS)/nitric oxide (NO) to increase mycobacterial clearance in a RACK1 dependent manner, and these effects are impaired by both Myc and JNK inhibitors. Macrophages infected with EST12-deficiency strain (H37RvΔEST12) displayed less production of iNOS, IL-6 and TNF-α. In conclusion, EST12 regulates Myc expression and enhances anti-mycobacterial inflammatory response via RACK1-JNK-AP1-Myc immune pathway. Our finding provides new insights into M.tb-induced immunity through Myc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Wu
- Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Allergy and Immunology and Department of Immunology, Wuhan University School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Feng-Ling Luo
- Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Allergy and Immunology and Department of Immunology, Wuhan University School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Yan Xie
- Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Allergy and Immunology and Department of Immunology, Wuhan University School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Huan Xiong
- Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Allergy and Immunology and Department of Immunology, Wuhan University School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Yadong Gao
- Department of Allergy, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Guanghui Liu
- Department of Allergy, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Xiao-Lian Zhang
- Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Allergy and Immunology and Department of Immunology, Wuhan University School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan, China
- Department of Allergy, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism and Medical Research Institute, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Wuhan Research Center for Infectious Diseases and Cancer, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Wuhan, China
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