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Saka N, Nishio M, Ohta K. Human parainfluenza virus type 2 V protein inhibits mitochondrial apoptosis pathway through two ways. Virology 2024; 594:110053. [PMID: 38492518 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2024.110053] [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: 11/20/2023] [Revised: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024]
Abstract
Paramyxoviruses are reported to block apoptosis for their replication, but the mechanisms remain unclear. Furthermore, regulation of mitochondrial apoptosis by paramyxoviruses has been hardly reported. We investigated whether and how human parainfluenza virus type 2 (hPIV-2) counteracts apoptosis. Infection of recombinant hPIV-2 carrying mutated V protein showed higher caspase 3/7 activity and higher cytochrome c release from mitochondria than wild type hPIV-2 infection. This indicates that V protein controls mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. hPIV-2 V protein interacted with Bad, an apoptotic promoting protein, and this interaction inhibited the binding of Bad to Bcl-XL. V protein also bound to 14-3-3ε, which was essential for inhibition of 14-3-3ε cleavage. Our data collectively suggest that hPIV-2 V protein has two means of preventing mitochondrial apoptosis pathway: the inhibition of Bad-Bcl-XL interaction and the suppression of 14-3-3ε cleavage. This is the first report of the mechanisms behind how paramyxoviruses modulate mitochondrial apoptosis pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naoki Saka
- Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Wakayama Medical University, Wakayama, Japan.
| | - Machiko Nishio
- Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Wakayama Medical University, Wakayama, Japan.
| | - Keisuke Ohta
- Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Wakayama Medical University, Wakayama, Japan.
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2
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Yin L, Hu X, Pei G, Tang M, Zhou Y, Zhang H, Huang M, Li S, Zhang J, Citu C, Zhao Z, Debeb BG, Feng X, Chen J. Genome-wide CRISPR screen reveals the synthetic lethality between BCL2L1 inhibition and radiotherapy. Life Sci Alliance 2024; 7:e202302353. [PMID: 38316463 PMCID: PMC10844523 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202302353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2023] [Revised: 01/21/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Radiation therapy (RT) is one of the most commonly used anticancer therapies. However, the landscape of cellular response to irradiation, especially to a single high-dose irradiation, remains largely unknown. In this study, we performed a whole-genome CRISPR loss-of-function screen and revealed temporal inherent and acquired responses to RT. Specifically, we found that loss of the IL1R1 pathway led to cellular resistance to RT. This is in part because of the involvement of radiation-induced IL1R1-dependent transcriptional regulation, which relies on the NF-κB pathway. Moreover, the mitochondrial anti-apoptotic pathway, particularly the BCL2L1 gene, is crucially important for cell survival after radiation. BCL2L1 inhibition combined with RT dramatically impeded tumor growth in several breast cancer cell lines and syngeneic models. Taken together, our results suggest that the combination of an apoptosis inhibitor such as a BCL2L1 inhibitor with RT may represent a promising anticancer strategy for solid cancers including breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ling Yin
- https://ror.org/04twxam07 Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Xiaoding Hu
- https://ror.org/04twxam07 Department of Breast Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
- https://ror.org/04twxam07 Morgan Welch Inflammatory Breast Cancer Clinic and Research Program, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Guangsheng Pei
- Human Genetics Center, School of Public Health, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
- Center for Precision Health, School of Biomedical Informatics, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Mengfan Tang
- https://ror.org/04twxam07 Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - You Zhou
- https://ror.org/04twxam07 Department of Pediatrics Research, Division of Pediatrics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Huimin Zhang
- https://ror.org/04twxam07 Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Min Huang
- https://ror.org/04twxam07 Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Siting Li
- https://ror.org/04twxam07 Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jie Zhang
- https://ror.org/04twxam07 Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Citu Citu
- Human Genetics Center, School of Public Health, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
- Center for Precision Health, School of Biomedical Informatics, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Zhongming Zhao
- Human Genetics Center, School of Public Health, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
- Center for Precision Health, School of Biomedical Informatics, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Bisrat G Debeb
- https://ror.org/04twxam07 Department of Breast Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
- https://ror.org/04twxam07 Morgan Welch Inflammatory Breast Cancer Clinic and Research Program, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Xu Feng
- https://ror.org/04twxam07 Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
- Pancreas Center, First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
- Pancreas Institute, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Junjie Chen
- https://ror.org/04twxam07 Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
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3
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Nayak D, Lv D, Yuan Y, Zhang P, Hu W, Nayak A, Ruben EA, Lv Z, Sung P, Hromas R, Zheng G, Zhou D, Olsen SK. Development and crystal structures of a potent second-generation dual degrader of BCL-2 and BCL-xL. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2743. [PMID: 38548768 PMCID: PMC10979003 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46922-4] [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: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Overexpression of BCL-xL and BCL-2 play key roles in tumorigenesis and cancer drug resistance. Advances in PROTAC technology facilitated recent development of the first BCL-xL/BCL-2 dual degrader, 753b, a VHL-based degrader with improved potency and reduced toxicity compared to previous small molecule inhibitors. Here, we determine crystal structures of VHL/753b/BCL-xL and VHL/753b/BCL-2 ternary complexes. The two ternary complexes exhibit markedly different architectures that are accompanied by distinct networks of interactions at the VHL/753b-linker/target interfaces. The importance of these interfacial contacts is validated via functional analysis and informed subsequent rational and structure-guided design focused on the 753b linker and BCL-2/BCL-xL warhead. This results in the design of a degrader, WH244, with enhanced potency to degrade BCL-xL/BCL-2 in cells. Using biophysical assays followed by in cell activities, we are able to explain the enhanced target degradation of BCL-xL/BCL-2 in cells. Most PROTACs are empirically designed and lack structural studies, making it challenging to understand their modes of action and specificity. Our work presents a streamlined approach that combines rational design and structure-based insights backed with cell-based studies to develop effective PROTAC-based cancer therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Digant Nayak
- Department of Biochemistry & Structural Biology and Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
| | - Dongwen Lv
- Department of Biochemistry & Structural Biology and Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
| | - Yaxia Yuan
- Department of Biochemistry & Structural Biology and Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
| | - Peiyi Zhang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA
| | - Wanyi Hu
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA
| | - Anindita Nayak
- Department of Biochemistry & Structural Biology and Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
| | - Eliza A Ruben
- Department of Biochemistry & Structural Biology and Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
| | - Zongyang Lv
- Department of Biochemistry & Structural Biology and Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
| | - Patrick Sung
- Department of Biochemistry & Structural Biology and Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
| | - Robert Hromas
- Department of Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
| | - Guangrong Zheng
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA.
| | - Daohong Zhou
- Department of Biochemistry & Structural Biology and Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA.
| | - Shaun K Olsen
- Department of Biochemistry & Structural Biology and Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA.
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Khan S, Cao L, Wiegand J, Zhang P, Zajac-Kaye M, Kaye FJ, Zheng G, Zhou D. PROTAC-Mediated Dual Degradation of BCL-xL and BCL-2 Is a Highly Effective Therapeutic Strategy in Small-Cell Lung Cancer. Cells 2024; 13:528. [PMID: 38534371 PMCID: PMC10968744 DOI: 10.3390/cells13060528] [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: 02/29/2024] [Revised: 03/14/2024] [Accepted: 03/16/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
BCL-xL and BCL-2 are validated therapeutic targets in small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). Targeting these proteins with navitoclax (formerly ABT263, a dual BCL-xL/2 inhibitor) induces dose-limiting thrombocytopenia through on-target BCL-xL inhibition in platelets. Therefore, platelet toxicity poses a barrier in advancing the clinical translation of navitoclax. We have developed a strategy to selectively target BCL-xL in tumors, while sparing platelets, by utilizing proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) that hijack the cellular ubiquitin proteasome system for target ubiquitination and subsequent degradation. In our previous study, the first-in-class BCL-xL PROTAC, called DT2216, was shown to have synergistic antitumor activities when combined with venetoclax (formerly ABT199, BCL-2-selective inhibitor) in a BCL-xL/2 co-dependent SCLC cell line, NCI-H146 (hereafter referred to as H146), in vitro and in a xenograft model. Guided by these findings, we evaluated our newly developed BCL-xL/2 dual degrader, called 753b, in three BCL-xL/2 co-dependent SCLC cell lines and the H146 xenograft models. 753b was found to degrade both BCL-xL and BCL-2 in these cell lines. Importantly, it was considerably more potent than DT2216, navitoclax, or DT2216 + venetoclax in reducing the viability of BCL-xL/2 co-dependent SCLC cell lines in cell culture. In vivo, 5 mg/kg weekly dosing of 753b was found to lead to significant tumor growth delay, similar to the DT2216 + venetoclax combination in H146 xenografts, by degrading both BCL-xL and BCL-2. Additionally, 753b administration at 5 mg/kg every four days induced tumor regressions. At this dosage, 753b was well tolerated in mice, without observable induction of severe thrombocytopenia as seen with navitoclax, and no evidence of significant changes in mouse body weights. These results suggest that the BCL-xL/2 dual degrader could be an effective and safe therapeutic for a subset of SCLC patients, warranting clinical trials in future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sajid Khan
- Department of Biochemistry & Structural Biology, Long School of Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
- Mays Cancer Center, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Lin Cao
- Department of Biochemistry & Structural Biology, Long School of Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Janet Wiegand
- Department of Pharmacodynamics, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Peiyi Zhang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Maria Zajac-Kaye
- Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Frederic J. Kaye
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Guangrong Zheng
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Daohong Zhou
- Department of Biochemistry & Structural Biology, Long School of Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
- Mays Cancer Center, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
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5
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Jenkins LJ, Luk IY, Chionh F, Tan T, Needham K, Ayton J, Reehorst CM, Vukelic N, Sieber OM, Mouradov D, Gibbs P, Williams DS, Tebbutt NC, Desai J, Hollande F, Dhillon AS, Lee EF, Merino D, Fairlie WD, Mariadason JM. BCL-X L inhibitors enhance the apoptotic efficacy of BRAF inhibitors in BRAF V600E colorectal cancer. Cell Death Dis 2024; 15:183. [PMID: 38429301 PMCID: PMC10907349 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-024-06478-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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024]
Abstract
Metastatic BRAFV600E colorectal cancer (CRC) carries an extremely poor prognosis and is in urgent need of effective new treatments. While the BRAFV600E inhibitor encorafenib in combination with the EGFR inhibitor cetuximab (Enc+Cet) was recently approved for this indication, overall survival is only increased by 3.6 months and objective responses are observed in only 20% of patients. We have found that a limitation of Enc+Cet treatment is the failure to efficiently induce apoptosis in BRAFV600E CRCs, despite inducing expression of the pro-apoptotic protein BIM and repressing expression of the pro-survival protein MCL-1. Here, we show that BRAFV600E CRCs express high basal levels of the pro-survival proteins MCL-1 and BCL-XL, and that combining encorafenib with a BCL-XL inhibitor significantly enhances apoptosis in BRAFV600E CRC cell lines. This effect was partially dependent on the induction of BIM, as BIM deletion markedly attenuated BRAF plus BCL-XL inhibitor-induced apoptosis. As thrombocytopenia is an established on-target toxicity of BCL-XL inhibition, we also examined the effect of combining encorafenib with the BCL-XL -targeting PROTAC DT2216, and the novel BCL-2/BCL-XL inhibitor dendrimer conjugate AZD0466. Combining encorafenib with DT2216 significantly increased apoptosis induction in vitro, while combining encorafenib with AZD0466 was well tolerated in mice and further reduced growth of BRAFV600E CRC xenografts compared to either agent alone. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that combined BRAF and BCL-XL inhibition significantly enhances apoptosis in pre-clinical models of BRAFV600E CRC and is a combination regimen worthy of clinical investigation to improve outcomes for these patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura J Jenkins
- Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- School of Cancer Medicine, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Ian Y Luk
- Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- School of Cancer Medicine, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Fiona Chionh
- Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- School of Cancer Medicine, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Tao Tan
- Personalised Oncology Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Kristen Needham
- Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- School of Cancer Medicine, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Jamieson Ayton
- Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- School of Cancer Medicine, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Camilla M Reehorst
- Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- School of Cancer Medicine, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Natalia Vukelic
- Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- School of Cancer Medicine, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Oliver M Sieber
- Personalised Oncology Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Department of Surgery, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Dmitri Mouradov
- Personalised Oncology Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Peter Gibbs
- Personalised Oncology Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - David S Williams
- Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- School of Cancer Medicine, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Department of Pathology, Austin Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Niall C Tebbutt
- Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Department of Surgery, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Department of Medical Oncology, Austin Health, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Jayesh Desai
- Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Frédéric Hollande
- Department of Clinical Pathology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- University of Melbourne Centre for Cancer Research, Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Amardeep S Dhillon
- The institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, School of Medicine, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia
| | - Erinna F Lee
- Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- School of Cancer Medicine, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry, School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Delphine Merino
- Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- School of Cancer Medicine, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Immunology Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - W Douglas Fairlie
- Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- School of Cancer Medicine, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry, School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - John M Mariadason
- Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
- School of Cancer Medicine, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
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Dou Z, Lei H, Su W, Zhang T, Chen X, Yu B, Zhen X, Si J, Sun C, Zhang H, Di C. Modification of BCLX pre-mRNA splicing has antitumor efficacy alone or in combination with radiotherapy in human glioblastoma cells. Cell Death Dis 2024; 15:160. [PMID: 38383492 PMCID: PMC10881996 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-024-06507-x] [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: 08/15/2023] [Revised: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Dysregulation of anti-apoptotic and pro-apoptotic protein isoforms arising from aberrant splicing is a crucial hallmark of cancers and may contribute to therapeutic resistance. Thus, targeting RNA splicing to redirect isoform expression of apoptosis-related genes could lead to promising anti-cancer phenotypes. Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common type of malignant brain tumor in adults. In this study, through RT-PCR and Western Blot analysis, we found that BCLX pre-mRNA is aberrantly spliced in GBM cells with a favored splicing of anti-apoptotic Bcl-xL. Modulation of BCLX pre-mRNA splicing using splice-switching oligonucleotides (SSOs) efficiently elevated the pro-apoptotic isoform Bcl-xS at the expense of the anti-apoptotic Bcl-xL. Induction of Bcl-xS by SSOs activated apoptosis and autophagy in GBM cells. In addition, we found that ionizing radiation could also modulate the alternative splicing of BCLX. In contrast to heavy (carbon) ion irradiation, low energy X-ray radiation-induced an increased ratio of Bcl-xL/Bcl-xS. Inhibiting Bcl-xL through splicing regulation can significantly enhance the radiation sensitivity of 2D and 3D GBM cells. These results suggested that manipulation of BCLX pre-mRNA alternative splicing by splice-switching oligonucleotides is a novel approach to inhibit glioblastoma tumorigenesis alone or in combination with radiotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhihui Dou
- Bio-Medical Research Center, Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China
- Advanced Energy Science and Technology Guangdong Laboratory, Huizhou, 516029, China
- Key Laboratory of Heavy Ion Radiation Biology and Medicine of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 101408, China
| | - Huiwen Lei
- Bio-Medical Research Center, Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China
- Advanced Energy Science and Technology Guangdong Laboratory, Huizhou, 516029, China
- Key Laboratory of Heavy Ion Radiation Biology and Medicine of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 101408, China
| | - Wei Su
- Bio-Medical Research Center, Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China
- Advanced Energy Science and Technology Guangdong Laboratory, Huizhou, 516029, China
- Key Laboratory of Heavy Ion Radiation Biology and Medicine of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 101408, China
| | - Taotao Zhang
- Bio-Medical Research Center, Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China
- Advanced Energy Science and Technology Guangdong Laboratory, Huizhou, 516029, China
- Key Laboratory of Heavy Ion Radiation Biology and Medicine of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 101408, China
| | - Xiaohua Chen
- Bio-Medical Research Center, Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China
- Advanced Energy Science and Technology Guangdong Laboratory, Huizhou, 516029, China
- Key Laboratory of Heavy Ion Radiation Biology and Medicine of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 101408, China
| | - Boyi Yu
- Bio-Medical Research Center, Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China
- Advanced Energy Science and Technology Guangdong Laboratory, Huizhou, 516029, China
- Key Laboratory of Heavy Ion Radiation Biology and Medicine of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 101408, China
| | - Xiaogang Zhen
- Bio-Medical Research Center, Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China
- Advanced Energy Science and Technology Guangdong Laboratory, Huizhou, 516029, China
- Key Laboratory of Heavy Ion Radiation Biology and Medicine of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 101408, China
| | - Jing Si
- Bio-Medical Research Center, Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China
- Advanced Energy Science and Technology Guangdong Laboratory, Huizhou, 516029, China
- Key Laboratory of Heavy Ion Radiation Biology and Medicine of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 101408, China
| | - Chao Sun
- Bio-Medical Research Center, Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China
- Advanced Energy Science and Technology Guangdong Laboratory, Huizhou, 516029, China
- Key Laboratory of Heavy Ion Radiation Biology and Medicine of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 101408, China
| | - Hong Zhang
- Bio-Medical Research Center, Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China.
- Advanced Energy Science and Technology Guangdong Laboratory, Huizhou, 516029, China.
- Key Laboratory of Heavy Ion Radiation Biology and Medicine of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China.
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 101408, China.
| | - Cuixia Di
- Bio-Medical Research Center, Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China.
- Advanced Energy Science and Technology Guangdong Laboratory, Huizhou, 516029, China.
- Key Laboratory of Heavy Ion Radiation Biology and Medicine of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China.
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 101408, China.
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7
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Li F, Liu J, Liu C, Liu Z, Peng X, Huang Y, Chen X, Sun X, Wang S, Chen W, Xiong D, Diao X, Wang S, Zhuang J, Wu C, Wu D. Cyclic peptides discriminate BCL-2 and its clinical mutants from BCL-X L by engaging a single-residue discrepancy. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1476. [PMID: 38368459 PMCID: PMC10874388 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45848-1] [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: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Overexpressed pro-survival B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2) family proteins BCL-2 and BCL-XL can render tumor cells malignant. Leukemia drug venetoclax is currently the only approved selective BCL-2 inhibitor. However, its application has led to an emergence of resistant mutations, calling for drugs with an innovative mechanism of action. Herein we present cyclic peptides (CPs) with nanomolar-level binding affinities to BCL-2 or BCL-XL, and further reveal the structural and functional mechanisms of how these CPs target two proteins in a fashion that is remarkably different from traditional small-molecule inhibitors. In addition, these CPs can bind to the venetoclax-resistant clinical BCL-2 mutants with similar affinities as to the wild-type protein. Furthermore, we identify a single-residue discrepancy between BCL-2 D111 and BCL-XL A104 as a molecular "switch" that can differently engage CPs. Our study suggests that CPs may inhibit BCL-2 or BCL-XL by delicately modulating protein-protein interactions, potentially benefiting the development of next-generation therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fengwei Li
- Helmholtz International Lab, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China.
| | - Junjie Liu
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis and Instrumentation, State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Chao Liu
- Helmholtz International Lab, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China
| | - Ziyan Liu
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis and Instrumentation, State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Xiangda Peng
- Shanghai Zelixir Biotech Company Ltd., Shanghai, 200030, China
| | - Yinyue Huang
- Helmholtz International Lab, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China
| | - Xiaoyu Chen
- Helmholtz International Lab, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China
| | - Xiangnan Sun
- Helmholtz International Lab, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China
| | - Sen Wang
- Helmholtz International Lab, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China
| | - Wei Chen
- Shanghai Immune Therapy Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine-Affiliated Renji Hospital, Shanghai, 200127, China
| | - Dan Xiong
- Xiamen Lifeint Technology Company Ltd., Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Xiaotong Diao
- Helmholtz International Lab, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China
| | - Sheng Wang
- Shanghai Zelixir Biotech Company Ltd., Shanghai, 200030, China
| | - Jingjing Zhuang
- Helmholtz International Lab, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China
- Marine College, Shandong University, Weihai, 264209, China
| | - Chuanliu Wu
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis and Instrumentation, State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China.
| | - Dalei Wu
- Helmholtz International Lab, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China.
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8
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Gunasekaran V, Dhakshinamurthy SS. Computational Insights into the Interaction of Pinostrobin with Bcl-2 Family Proteins: A Molecular Docking Analysis. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev 2024; 25:507-512. [PMID: 38415536 DOI: 10.31557/apjcp.2024.25.2.507] [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: 08/12/2023] [Indexed: 02/29/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cancer research has emphasized the Bcl-2 family of proteins because of their interaction in apoptosis process, a critical mechanism that regulates cellular survival and death. Recently small molecules from diverse sources have gained much attention in anticancer research due to their promising inhibitory action against Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL that are pointedly known as the members of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family of proteins. Pinostrobin (PN) is a natural flavonoid with diverse pharmacological potential emerged as a molecule of interest as anticancer agent. The present study aims to screen the interaction of PN with anti-apoptotic protagonists Bcl-2 and Bcl- XL at the molecular level through docking studies. METHOD The molecular docking was performed using the Schrodinger software. The docking score of PN with the Bcl-2 (4IEH) and Bcl-XL (3ZK6) and their molecular interactions was examined and analysed. RESULTS The result of the molecular docking analysis showed that PN and the anti-apoptotic proteins 4IEH and 3ZK6 had significant interactions and docking energy scores (ΔG) were found to be -5.112 kcal/mol and -7.822 kcal/mol respectively. The small molecule PN illustrated effective interaction with the active site amino acids of the Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL proteins and has been associated through traditional hydrogen bond with 4IEH. Further, it was observed that PN and anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 proteins interaction was stabilized by other non-covalent interactions, such as π-alkyl or π-π interactions and van der Waals forces. CONCLUSIONS This was the first study to reveal the inhibitory action of PN against anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL proteins at the molecular level. The findings of this study concludes that PN ability to inhibit anti-apoptotic proteins, Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL could be useful to induce intracellular apoptosis in tumorous cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanathi Gunasekaran
- Department of Biomedical Science, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli-620 024, Tamil Nadu, India
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9
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Lakhani NJ, Rasco D, Wang H, Men L, Liang E, Fu T, Collins MC, Min P, Yin Y, Davids MS, Yang D, Zhai Y. First-in-Human Study with Preclinical Data of BCL-2/BCL-xL Inhibitor Pelcitoclax in Locally Advanced or Metastatic Solid Tumors. Clin Cancer Res 2024; 30:506-521. [PMID: 37971712 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-23-1525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Revised: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE B-cell lymphoma-extra-large (BCL-xL) regulates apoptosis and is an attractive anticancer therapeutic target. However, BCL-xL inhibition also kills mature platelets, hampering clinical development. Using an innovative prodrug strategy, we have developed pelcitoclax (APG-1252), a potent, dual BCL-2 and BCL-xL inhibitor. Aims of this study were to characterize the antitumor activity and safety of pelcitoclax and explore its underlying mechanisms of action (MOA). PATIENTS AND METHODS Cell line-derived xenograft and patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models were tested to evaluate antitumor activity and elucidate MOA. Subjects (N = 50) with metastatic small-cell lung cancer and other solid tumors received intravenous pelcitoclax once or twice weekly. Primary outcome measures were safety and tolerability; preliminary efficacy (responses every 2 cycles per RECIST version 1.1) represented a secondary endpoint. RESULTS Pelcitoclax exhibited strong BAX/BAK‒dependent and caspase-mediated antiproliferative and apoptogenic activity in various cancer cell lines. Consistent with cell-based apoptogenic activity, pelcitoclax disrupted BCL-xL:BIM and BCL-xL:PUMA complexes in lung and gastric cancer PDX models. Levels of BCL-xL complexes correlated with tumor growth inhibition by pelcitoclax. Combined with taxanes, pelcitoclax enhanced antitumor activity by downregulating antiapoptotic protein myeloid cell leukemia-1 (MCL-1). Importantly, pelcitoclax was well tolerated and demonstrated preliminary therapeutic efficacy, with overall response and disease control rates of 6.5% and 30.4%, respectively. Most common treatment-related adverse events included transaminase elevations and reduced platelets that were less frequent with a once-weekly schedule. CONCLUSIONS Our data demonstrate that pelcitoclax has antitumor activity and is well tolerated, supporting its further clinical development for human solid tumors, particularly combined with agents that downregulate MCL-1.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Hengbang Wang
- Ascentage Pharma (Suzhou) Co., Ltd., Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Lichuang Men
- Ascentage Pharma (Suzhou) Co., Ltd., Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Eric Liang
- Ascentage Pharma Group Inc., Rockville, Maryland
| | - Tommy Fu
- Ascentage Pharma Group Inc., Rockville, Maryland
| | - Mary C Collins
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Ping Min
- Ascentage Pharma (Suzhou) Co., Ltd., Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yan Yin
- Ascentage Pharma (Suzhou) Co., Ltd., Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Matthew S Davids
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Dajun Yang
- Ascentage Pharma (Suzhou) Co., Ltd., Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
- Ascentage Pharma Group Inc., Rockville, Maryland
- Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Yifan Zhai
- Ascentage Pharma (Suzhou) Co., Ltd., Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
- Ascentage Pharma Group Inc., Rockville, Maryland
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10
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Yu CY, Yeung TK, Fu WK, Poon RYC. BCL-XL regulates the timing of mitotic apoptosis independently of BCL2 and MCL1 compensation. Cell Death Dis 2024; 15:2. [PMID: 38172496 PMCID: PMC10764939 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-023-06404-9] [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: 09/03/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Mitotic catastrophe induced by prolonged mitotic arrest is a major anticancer strategy. Although antiapoptotic BCL2-like proteins, including BCL-XL, are known to regulate apoptosis during mitotic arrest, adaptive changes in their expression can complicate loss-of-function studies. Our studies revealed compensatory alterations in the expression of BCL2 and MCL1 when BCL-XL is either downregulated or overexpressed. To circumvent their reciprocal regulation, we utilized a degron-mediated system to acutely silence BCL-XL just before mitosis. Our results show that in epithelial cell lines including HeLa and RPE1, BCL-XL and BCL2 acted collaboratively to suppress apoptosis during both unperturbed cell cycle and mitotic arrest. By tagging BCL-XL and BCL2 with a common epitope, we estimated that BCL-XL was less abundant than BCL2 in the cell. Nonetheless, BCL-XL played a more prominent antiapoptotic function than BCL2 during interphase and mitotic arrest. Loss of BCL-XL led to mitotic cell death primarily through a BAX-dependent process. Furthermore, silencing of BCL-XL led to the stabilization of MCL1, which played a significant role in buffering apoptosis during mitotic arrest. Nevertheless, even in a MCL1-deficient background, depletion of BCL-XL accelerated mitotic apoptosis. These findings underscore the pivotal involvement of BCL-XL in controlling timely apoptosis during mitotic arrest, despite adaptive changes in the expression of other BCL2-like proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun Yin Yu
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong
| | - Tsz Kwan Yeung
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong
| | - Wai Kuen Fu
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong
| | - Randy Y C Poon
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong.
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong.
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11
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Cerella C, Gajulapalli SR, Lorant A, Gerard D, Muller F, Lee Y, Kim KR, Han BW, Christov C, Récher C, Sarry JE, Dicato M, Diederich M. ATP1A1/BCL2L1 predicts the response of myelomonocytic and monocytic acute myeloid leukemia to cardiac glycosides. Leukemia 2024; 38:67-81. [PMID: 37904054 PMCID: PMC10776384 DOI: 10.1038/s41375-023-02076-8] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Revised: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 11/01/2023]
Abstract
Myelomonocytic and monocytic acute myeloid leukemia (AML) subtypes are intrinsically resistant to venetoclax-based regimens. Identifying targetable vulnerabilities would limit resistance and relapse. We previously documented the synergism of venetoclax and cardiac glycoside (CG) combination in AML. Despite preclinical evidence, the repurposing of cardiac glycosides (CGs) in cancer therapy remained unsuccessful due to a lack of predictive biomarkers. We report that the ex vivo response of AML patient blasts and the in vitro sensitivity of established cell lines to the hemi-synthetic CG UNBS1450 correlates with the ATPase Na+/K+ transporting subunit alpha 1 (ATP1A1)/BCL2 like 1 (BCL2L1) expression ratio. Publicly available AML datasets identify myelomonocytic/monocytic differentiation as the most robust prognostic feature, along with core-binding factor subunit beta (CBFB), lysine methyltransferase 2A (KMT2A) rearrangements, and missense Fms-related receptor tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) mutations. Mechanistically, BCL2L1 protects from cell death commitment induced by the CG-mediated stepwise triggering of ionic perturbation, protein synthesis inhibition, and MCL1 downregulation. In vivo, CGs showed an overall tolerable profile while impacting tumor growth with an effect ranging from tumor growth inhibition to regression. These findings suggest a predictive marker for CG repurposing in specific AML subtypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Cerella
- Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire du Cancer (LBMCC), Fondation Recherche sur le Cancer et les Maladies du Sang, Pavillon 2, 6A rue Barblé, L-1210, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - Sruthi Reddy Gajulapalli
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences & Natural Products Research Institute, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Anne Lorant
- Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire du Cancer (LBMCC), Fondation Recherche sur le Cancer et les Maladies du Sang, Pavillon 2, 6A rue Barblé, L-1210, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - Deborah Gerard
- Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire du Cancer (LBMCC), Fondation Recherche sur le Cancer et les Maladies du Sang, Pavillon 2, 6A rue Barblé, L-1210, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - Florian Muller
- Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire du Cancer (LBMCC), Fondation Recherche sur le Cancer et les Maladies du Sang, Pavillon 2, 6A rue Barblé, L-1210, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - Yejin Lee
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences & Natural Products Research Institute, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyung Rok Kim
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences & Natural Products Research Institute, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Byung Woo Han
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences & Natural Products Research Institute, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Christo Christov
- University of Lorraine, Service Commun de Microscopie, Nancy, France
| | - Christian Récher
- Cancer Research Center of Toulouse, UMR 1037 INSERM/ Université Toulouse III-Paul Sabatier, 2 avenue Hubert Curien, Oncopôle, 31037, Toulouse, France
| | - Jean-Emmanuel Sarry
- Cancer Research Center of Toulouse, UMR 1037 INSERM/ Université Toulouse III-Paul Sabatier, 2 avenue Hubert Curien, Oncopôle, 31037, Toulouse, France
| | - Mario Dicato
- Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire du Cancer (LBMCC), Fondation Recherche sur le Cancer et les Maladies du Sang, Pavillon 2, 6A rue Barblé, L-1210, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - Marc Diederich
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences & Natural Products Research Institute, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea.
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12
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Wu Y, Zehnle PMA, Rajak J, Koleci N, Andrieux G, Gallego-Villar L, Aumann K, Boerries M, Niemeyer CM, Flotho C, Bohler S, Erlacher M. BH3 mimetics and azacitidine show synergistic effects on juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia. Leukemia 2024; 38:136-148. [PMID: 37945692 PMCID: PMC10776398 DOI: 10.1038/s41375-023-02079-5] [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: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) is an aggressive hematopoietic disorder of infancy and early childhood driven by constitutively active RAS signaling and characterized by abnormal proliferation of the granulocytic-monocytic blood cell lineage. Most JMML patients require hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for cure, but the risk of relapse is high for some JMML subtypes. Azacitidine was shown to effectively reduce leukemic burden in a subset of JMML patients. However, variable response rates to azacitidine and the risk of drug resistance highlight the need for novel therapeutic approaches. Since RAS signaling is known to interfere with the intrinsic apoptosis pathway, we combined various BH3 mimetic drugs with azacitidine in our previously established patient-derived xenograft model. We demonstrate that JMML cells require both MCL-1 and BCL-XL for survival, and that these proteins can be effectively targeted by azacitidine and BH3 mimetic combination treatment. In vivo azacitidine acts via downregulation of antiapoptotic MCL-1 and upregulation of proapoptotic BH3-only. The combination of azacitidine with BCL-XL inhibition was superior to BCL-2 inhibition in eliminating JMML cells. Our findings emphasize the need to develop clinically applicable MCL-1 or BCL-XL inhibitors in order to enable novel combination therapies in JMML refractory to standard therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Wu
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, University Medical Center Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Department of Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Renji Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Cancer Institute, State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai, China
| | - Patricia M A Zehnle
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, University Medical Center Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Division of General Pediatrics, University Medical Center Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Jovana Rajak
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, University Medical Center Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Spemann Graduate School of Biology and Medicine (SGBM), University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Naile Koleci
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, University Medical Center Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Geoffroy Andrieux
- Institute of Medical Bioinformatics and Systems Medicine, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Lorena Gallego-Villar
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, University Medical Center Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Konrad Aumann
- University Medical Center Freiburg, Institute of Surgical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Melanie Boerries
- Spemann Graduate School of Biology and Medicine (SGBM), University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Freiburg; and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Charlotte M Niemeyer
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, University Medical Center Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Christian Flotho
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, University Medical Center Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Freiburg; and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Sheila Bohler
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, University Medical Center Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Miriam Erlacher
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, University Medical Center Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
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13
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Lim D, Jeong DE, Shin HC, Choi JS, Seo J, Kim SJ, Ku B. Crystal structure of Bak bound to the BH3 domain of Bnip5, a noncanonical BH3 domain-containing protein. Proteins 2024; 92:44-51. [PMID: 37553948 DOI: 10.1002/prot.26568] [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: 06/15/2023] [Revised: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023]
Abstract
The activation or inactivation of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) antagonist/killer (Bak) is critical for controlling mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization-dependent apoptosis. Its pro-apoptotic activity is controlled by intermolecular interactions with the Bcl-2 homology 3 (BH3) domain, which is accommodated in the hydrophobic pocket of Bak. Bcl-2-interacting protein 5 (Bnip5) is a noncanonical BH3 domain-containing protein that interacts with Bak. Bnip5 is characterized by its controversial effects on the regulation of the pro-apoptotic activity of Bak. In the present study, we determined the crystal structure of Bak bound to Bnip5 BH3. The intermolecular association appeared to be typical at first glance, but we found that it is maintained by tight hydrophobic interactions together with hydrogen/ionic bonds, which accounts for their high binding affinity with a dissociation constant of 775 nM. Structural analysis of the complex showed that Bnip5 interacts with Bak in a manner similar to that of the Bak-activating pro-apoptotic factor peroxisomal testis-enriched protein 1, particularly in the destabilization of the intramolecular electrostatic network of Bak. Our structure is considered to reflect the initial point of drastic and consecutive conformational and stoichiometric changes in Bak induced by Bnip5 BH3, which helps in explaining the effects of Bnip5 in regulating Bak-mediated apoptosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dahwan Lim
- Disease Target Structure Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
- Critical Diseases Diagnostics Convergence Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
- Department of Biochemistry, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Da Eun Jeong
- Disease Target Structure Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
- Critical Diseases Diagnostics Convergence Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
- Department of Biology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Ho-Chul Shin
- Critical Diseases Diagnostics Convergence Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Joon Sig Choi
- Department of Biochemistry, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Jinho Seo
- Aging Convergence Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Seung Jun Kim
- Disease Target Structure Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
- Critical Diseases Diagnostics Convergence Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Bonsu Ku
- Disease Target Structure Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
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14
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Gitego N, Agianian B, Mak OW, Kumar Mv V, Cheng EH, Gavathiotis E. Chemical modulation of cytosolic BAX homodimer potentiates BAX activation and apoptosis. Nat Commun 2023; 14:8381. [PMID: 38104127 PMCID: PMC10725471 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44084-3] [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: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The BCL-2 family protein BAX is a major regulator of physiological and pathological cell death. BAX predominantly resides in the cytosol in a quiescent state and upon stress, it undergoes conformational activation and mitochondrial translocation leading to mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization, a critical event in apoptosis execution. Previous studies reported two inactive conformations of cytosolic BAX, a monomer and a dimer, however, it remains unclear how they regulate BAX. Here we show that, surprisingly, cancer cell lines express cytosolic inactive BAX dimers and/or monomers. Expression of inactive dimers, results in reduced BAX activation, translocation and apoptosis upon pro-apoptotic drug treatments. Using the inactive BAX dimer structure and a pharmacophore-based drug screen, we identify a small-molecule modulator, BDM19 that binds and activates cytosolic BAX dimers and prompts cells to apoptosis either alone or in combination with BCL-2/BCL-XL inhibitor Navitoclax. Our findings underscore the role of the cytosolic inactive BAX dimer in resistance to apoptosis and demonstrate a strategy to potentiate BAX-mediated apoptosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadege Gitego
- Department of Biochemistry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Bogos Agianian
- Department of Biochemistry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Oi Wei Mak
- Department of Biochemistry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Vasantha Kumar Mv
- Department of Biochemistry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Emily H Cheng
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
- Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Evripidis Gavathiotis
- Department of Biochemistry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA.
- Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA.
- Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA.
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15
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Moriishi T, Kawai Y, Fukuyama R, Matsuo Y, He YW, Akiyama H, Asahina I, Komori T. Bcl2l1 Deficiency in Osteoblasts Reduces the Trabecular Bone Due to Enhanced Osteoclastogenesis Likely through Osteoblast Apoptosis. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:17319. [PMID: 38139148 PMCID: PMC10743571 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242417319] [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: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Bcl2l1 (Bcl-XL) belongs to the Bcl-2 family, Bcl2 and Bcl2-XL are major anti-apoptotic proteins, and the apoptosis of osteoblasts is a key event for bone homeostasis. As the functions of Bcl2l1 in osteoblasts and bone homeostasis remain unclear, we generated osteoblast-specific Bcl2l1-deficient (Bcl2l1fl/flCre) mice using 2.3-kb Col1a1 Cre. Trabecular bone volume and the trabecular number were lower in Bcl2l1fl/flCre mice of both sexes than in Bcl2l1fl/fl mice. In bone histomorphometric analysis, osteoclast parameters were increased in Bcl2l1fl/flCre mice, whereas osteoblast parameters and the bone formation rate were similar to those in Bcl2l1fl/fl mice. TUNEL-positive osteoblastic cells and serum TRAP5b levels were increased in Bcl2l1fl/flCre mice. The deletion of Bcl2l1 in osteoblasts induced Tnfsf11 expression, whereas the overexpression of Bcl-XL had no effect. In a co-culture of Bcl2l1-deficient primary osteoblasts and wild-type bone-marrow-derived monocyte/macrophage lineage cells, the numbers of multinucleated TRAP-positive cells and resorption pits increased. Furthermore, serum deprivation or the deletion of Bcl2l1 in primary osteoblasts increased apoptosis and ATP levels in the medium. Therefore, the reduction in trabecular bone in Bcl2l1fl/flCre mice may be due to enhanced bone resorption through osteoblast apoptosis and the release of ATP from apoptotic osteoblasts, and Bcl2l1 may inhibit bone resorption by preventing osteoblast apoptosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takeshi Moriishi
- Department of Cell Biology, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki 852-8588, Japan; (T.M.); (Y.M.)
| | - Yosuke Kawai
- Department of Regenerative Oral Surgery, Medical and Dental Sciences, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki 852-8588, Japan;
| | - Ryo Fukuyama
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, Hiroshima International University, Kure 737-0112, Japan;
| | - Yuki Matsuo
- Department of Cell Biology, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki 852-8588, Japan; (T.M.); (Y.M.)
- Department of Molecular Bone Biology, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki 852-8588, Japan
| | - You-Wen He
- Department of Immunology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA;
| | - Haruhiko Akiyama
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu University, Gifu 501-1194, Japan;
| | - Izumi Asahina
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Juntendo University School of Medicine, 2-1-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8431, Japan;
| | - Toshihisa Komori
- Department of Molecular Bone Biology, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki 852-8588, Japan
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16
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Luo K, Zhao X, Shan Y, Wang X, Xu Y, Chen M, Wang Q, Song Y. GABA regulates the proliferation and apoptosis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cells by promoting the expression of CCND2 and BCL2L1. Life Sci 2023; 334:122191. [PMID: 37866807 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2023.122191] [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: 11/18/2022] [Revised: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023]
Abstract
Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a multifunctional molecule that is widely present in the nervous system and nonneuronal tissues. It plays pivotal roles in neurotransmission, regulation of secretion, cell differentiation, proliferation, and tumorigenesis. However, the exact mechanisms of GABA in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) are unknown. We took advantage of RNA sequencing in this work and uncovered the potential gene expression profiles of the GABA-treated HNSCC cell line HN4-2. We found that the expression of CCND2 and BCL2L1 was significantly upregulated. Furthermore, GABA treatment inhibited the cell apoptosis induced by cisplatin and regulated the cell cycle after treatment with cisplatin in HN4-2 cells. Moreover, we also found that GABA could upregulate the expression of CCND2 and BCL2L1 after treatment with cisplatin. Our results not only reveal the potential pro-tumorigenic effect of GABA on HNSCCs but also provide a novel therapeutic target for HNSCC treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kunliang Luo
- Department of Dentistry, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310016, China; Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Arnold-Heller-Straße 3, 24105 Kiel, Germany
| | - Xiangtong Zhao
- Institute of Immunology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Yidan Shan
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The Second Affiliate Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xuewen Wang
- Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310016, China
| | - Yaohan Xu
- Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310016, China
| | - Ming Chen
- Department of Medical Oncology, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
| | - Qingqing Wang
- Institute of Immunology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China.
| | - Yinjing Song
- Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310016, China.
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17
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Puja R, Dutta S, Bose K. Elucidating the interaction of C-terminal domain of Vaccinia-Related Kinase 2A (VRK2A) with B-cell lymphoma-extra Large (Bcl-xL) to decipher its anti-apoptotic role in cancer. Biochem J 2023; 480:1871-1885. [PMID: 37943248 DOI: 10.1042/bcj20230349] [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: 08/24/2023] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023]
Abstract
Vaccinia-Related Kinase 2 (VRK2) is an anti-apoptotic Ser/Thr kinase that enhances drug sensitivity in cancer cells. This protein exists in two isoforms: VRK2A, the longer variant, and VRK2B, which lacks the C-terminal region and transmembrane domain. While the therapeutic importance of VRK2 family proteins is known, the specific roles of VRK2A and its interplay with apoptotic regulator Bcl-xL (B-cell lymphoma-extra Large) remain elusive. Bcl-xL regulates cell death by interacting with BAX (B-cell lymphoma-2 Associated X-protein), controlling its cellular localization and influencing BAX-associated processes and signaling pathways. As VRK2A interacts with the Bcl-xL-BAX complex, comprehending its regulatory engagement with Bcl-xL presents potential avenues for intervening in diseases. Using a multi-disciplinary approach, this study provides information on the cellular localization of VRK2A and establishes its interaction with Bcl-xL in the cellular milieu, pinpointing the interacting site and elucidating its anti-apoptotic property within the complex. Furthermore, this study also put forth a model that highlights the importance of VRK2A in stabilizing the ternary complex, formed with Bcl-xL and BAX, thereby impeding BAX dissociation and hence apoptosis. Therefore, further investigations associated with this important revelation will provide cues for designing cancer therapeutics in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rashmi Puja
- Integrated Biophysics and Structural Biology Lab, ACTREC, Tata Memorial Centre, Navi Mumbai 410210, India
- Homi Bhabha National Institute, BARC Training School Complex, Anushaktinagar, Mumbai 400094, India
| | - Shubhankar Dutta
- Integrated Biophysics and Structural Biology Lab, ACTREC, Tata Memorial Centre, Navi Mumbai 410210, India
- Homi Bhabha National Institute, BARC Training School Complex, Anushaktinagar, Mumbai 400094, India
| | - Kakoli Bose
- Integrated Biophysics and Structural Biology Lab, ACTREC, Tata Memorial Centre, Navi Mumbai 410210, India
- Homi Bhabha National Institute, BARC Training School Complex, Anushaktinagar, Mumbai 400094, India
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18
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Yaguchi T, Kameno M, Taira H, Kawakami J. Mitochondrial Dynamics of Bcl-2 Family Proteins during 17-β-Estradiol-Induced Apoptosis Correlate with the Malignancy of Endometrial Cancer Cells. Biochemistry 2023; 62:3041-3049. [PMID: 37856786 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.3c00064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Excessive fat intake leads to an increase in cholesterol. Overexposure to estrogen derived from cholesterol is known to contribute to the malignancy of endometrial adenocarcinomas. However, it is not well understood the relationship between the exposure to estrogen and the malignancy of endometrial adenocarcinomas. We investigated how estrogen affected the malignancy of endometrial cancer cells, specifically HEC1 cells (a moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma) and HEC50B cells (a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma). Cell viability was decreased by exogenous 17-β-estradiol (E2) in a concentration-dependent manner. E2 disturbed the mitochondrial membrane potentials by changing the localization of the B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) family protein; however, there were significant differences in the localization of Bcl-2 family proteins between HEC1 and HEC50B cells. In HEC1 cells, E2 increased the expression of B-cell lymphoma-extra large (Bcl-XL) and the Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) and decreased Bcl-2 and Bcl-2-associated death promoter (Bad) expression on the outer mitochondrial membrane. Conversely, E2 increased the expression of Bad and Bax, and it decreased Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL expressions on the outer mitochondrial membrane in HEC50B cells. The disturbance of the mitochondrial membrane potential led to the release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria to the cytosolic space followed by activating caspase-9. After that, caspase-3 was activated and induced apoptosis. These results suggested that the localization of the Bcl-2 family protein observed under E2-induced apoptosis is related to the malignancy of endometrial cancer cells. We hope that the dynamics of Bcl-2 family proteins such as Bcl-XL and Bad will be used to diagnose malignant endometrial adenocarcinomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takahiro Yaguchi
- Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Graduate School of Health and Welfare Sciences, International University of Health and Welfare, 137-1 Enokizu, Okawa, Fukuoka 831-8501, Japan
| | - Misaki Kameno
- Department of Nanobiochemistry, Frontiers of Innovative Research in Science and Technology (FIRST), Konan University, 7-1-20 minatojima-Minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan
| | - Hirofumi Taira
- Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Graduate School of Health and Welfare Sciences, International University of Health and Welfare, 137-1 Enokizu, Okawa, Fukuoka 831-8501, Japan
| | - Junji Kawakami
- Department of Nanobiochemistry, Frontiers of Innovative Research in Science and Technology (FIRST), Konan University, 7-1-20 minatojima-Minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan
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19
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Josefsson EC. Platelet intrinsic apoptosis. Thromb Res 2023; 231:206-213. [PMID: 36739256 DOI: 10.1016/j.thromres.2022.11.024] [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: 08/23/2022] [Revised: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
In a healthy individual, the lifespan of most platelets is tightly regulated by intrinsic, or mitochondrial, apoptosis. This is a special form of programmed cell death governed by the BCL-2 family of proteins, where the prosurvival protein BCL-XL maintains platelet viability by restraining the prodeath proteins BAK and BAX. Restriction of platelet lifespan by activation of BAK and BAX mediated intrinsic apoptosis is essential to maintain a functional, haemostatically reactive platelet population. This review focuses on the molecular regulation of intrinsic apoptosis in platelets, reviews conditions linked to enhanced platelet death, discusses ex vivo storage of platelets and describes caveats associated with the assessment of platelet apoptosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma C Josefsson
- Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Department of Clinical Chemistry, Gothenburg, Sweden; The University of Gothenburg, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Institute of Biomedicine, Gothenburg, Sweden; The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, 1G Royal Parade, VIC 3052, Australia; The University of Melbourne, Department of Medical Biology, 1G Royal Parade, VIC 3052, Australia.
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20
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Fitzgerald MC, O'Halloran PJ, Kerrane SA, Ní Chonghaile T, Connolly NMC, Murphy BM. The identification of BCL-XL and MCL-1 as key anti-apoptotic proteins in medulloblastoma that mediate distinct roles in chemotherapy resistance. Cell Death Dis 2023; 14:705. [PMID: 37898609 PMCID: PMC10613306 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-023-06231-y] [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: 01/05/2023] [Revised: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/30/2023]
Abstract
Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant paediatric brain tumour, representing 20% of all paediatric intercranial tumours. Current aggressive treatment protocols and the use of radiation therapy in particular are associated with high levels of toxicity and significant adverse effects, and long-term sequelae can be severe. Therefore, improving chemotherapy efficacy could reduce the current reliance on radiation therapy. Here, we demonstrated that systems-level analysis of basal apoptosis protein expression and their signalling interactions can differentiate between medulloblastoma cell lines that undergo apoptosis in response to chemotherapy, and those that do not. Combining computational predictions with experimental BH3 profiling, we identified a therapeutically-exploitable dependence of medulloblastoma cells on BCL-XL, and experimentally validated that BCL-XL targeting, and not targeting of BCL-2 or MCL-1, can potentiate cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity in medulloblastoma cell lines with low sensitivity to cisplatin treatment. Finally, we identified MCL-1 as an anti-apoptotic mediator whose targeting is required for BCL-XL inhibitor-induced apoptosis. Collectively, our study identifies that BCL-XL and MCL-1 are the key anti-apoptotic proteins in medulloblastoma, which mediate distinct protective roles. While BCL-XL has a first-line role in protecting cells from apoptosis basally, MCL-1 represents a second line of defence that compensates for BCL-XL upon its inhibition. We provide rationale for the further evaluation of BCL-XL and MCL-1 inhibitors in the treatment of medulloblastoma, and together with current efforts to improve the cancer-specificity of BCL-2 family inhibitors, these novel treatment strategies have the potential to improve the future clinical management of medulloblastoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie-Claire Fitzgerald
- Department of Physiology & Medical Physics, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, 31A York Street, Dublin, D02 YN77, Ireland
- National Children's Research Centre at the Children's Health Ireland at Crumlin, Dublin, D12 N512, Ireland
| | - Philip J O'Halloran
- Department of Physiology & Medical Physics, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, 31A York Street, Dublin, D02 YN77, Ireland
- Department of Neurosurgery, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, UK
| | - Sean A Kerrane
- Department of Physiology & Medical Physics, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, 31A York Street, Dublin, D02 YN77, Ireland
- National Children's Research Centre at the Children's Health Ireland at Crumlin, Dublin, D12 N512, Ireland
| | - Triona Ní Chonghaile
- Department of Physiology & Medical Physics, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, 31A York Street, Dublin, D02 YN77, Ireland
| | - Niamh M C Connolly
- Department of Physiology & Medical Physics, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, 31A York Street, Dublin, D02 YN77, Ireland
- Centre for Systems Medicine, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, 31A York Street, Dublin, D02 YN77, Ireland
| | - Brona M Murphy
- Department of Physiology & Medical Physics, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, 31A York Street, Dublin, D02 YN77, Ireland.
- National Children's Research Centre at the Children's Health Ireland at Crumlin, Dublin, D12 N512, Ireland.
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21
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Icard P, Alifano M, Simula L. The potential for citrate to reinforce epigenetic therapy by promoting apoptosis. Trends Endocrinol Metab 2023; 34:586-589. [PMID: 37550099 DOI: 10.1016/j.tem.2023.07.002] [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] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Revised: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Abstract
Epigenetic drugs induce ATP depletion, promoting a glycolysis-to-oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) shift which sometimes favors tumor growth by promoting necroptosis over apoptosis. To restore effective apoptosis in tumors, we propose that the administration of citrate could inhibit ATP production, activate caspase-8 (a key necroptosis inhibitor), and downregulate key anti-apoptotic proteins (Bcl-xL and MCL1).
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Affiliation(s)
- Philippe Icard
- Normandie University, UNICAEN, INSERM U1086 Interdisciplinary Research Unit for Cancer Prevention and Treatment, Caen, France; Service de Chirurgie Thoracique, Hôpital Cochin, Hôpitaux Universitaires Paris Centre, APHP, Université Paris-Descartes, Paris, France.
| | - Marco Alifano
- Service de Chirurgie Thoracique, Hôpital Cochin, Hôpitaux Universitaires Paris Centre, APHP, Université Paris-Descartes, Paris, France; INSERM U1138, Integrative Cancer Immunology, University of Paris, 75006 Paris, France
| | - Luca Simula
- Cochin Institute, INSERM U1016, CNRS UMR8104, University of Paris-Cité, Paris, 75014, France
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22
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Lee YC, Chiou JT, Wang LJ, Chen YJ, Chang LS. Amsacrine downregulates BCL2L1 expression and triggers apoptosis in human chronic myeloid leukemia cells through the SIDT2/NOX4/ERK/HuR pathway. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 2023; 474:116625. [PMID: 37451322 DOI: 10.1016/j.taap.2023.116625] [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: 02/10/2023] [Revised: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
Accumulating evidence indicates that the anticancer activity of acridine derivatives is mediated through the regulation of anti-apoptotic and pro-apoptotic BCL2 protein expression. Therefore, we investigated whether the cytotoxicity of amsacrine with an acridine structural scaffold in human chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) K562 cells was mediated by BCL2 family proteins. Amsacrine induced apoptosis, mitochondrial depolarization, and BCL2L1 (also known as BCL-XL) downregulation in K562 cells. BCL2L1 overexpression inhibited amsacrine-induced cell death and mitochondrial depolarization. Amsacrine treatment triggered SIDT2-mediated miR-25 downregulation, leading to increased NOX4-mediated ROS production. ROS-mediated inactivation of ERK triggered miR-22 expression, leading to increased HuR mRNA decay. As HuR is involved in stabilizing BCL2L1 mRNA, downregulation of BCL2L1 was noted in K562 cells after amsacrine treatment. In contrast, amsacrine-induced BCL2L1 downregulation was alleviated by restoring ERK phosphorylation and HuR expression. Altogether, the results of this study suggest that amsacrine triggers apoptosis in K562 cells by inhibiting BCL2L1 expression through the SIDT2/NOX4/ERK-mediated downregulation of HuR. Furthermore, a similar pathway also explains the cytotoxicity of amsacrine in CML MEG-01 and KU812 cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan-Chin Lee
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan
| | - Jing-Ting Chiou
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan
| | - Liang-Jun Wang
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan
| | - Ying-Jung Chen
- Department of Fragrance and Cosmetic Science, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
| | - Long-Sen Chang
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan; Department of Biotechnology, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan.
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23
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Saygin C, Giordano G, Shimamoto K, Eisfelder B, Thomas-Toth A, Venkataraman G, Ananthanarayanan V, Vincent TL, DuVall A, Patel AA, Chen Y, Tan F, Anthony SP, Chen Y, Shen Y, Odenike O, Teachey DT, Kee BL, LaBelle J, Stock W. Dual Targeting of Apoptotic and Signaling Pathways in T-Lineage Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Clin Cancer Res 2023; 29:3151-3161. [PMID: 37363966 PMCID: PMC10425730 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-23-0415] [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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2023] [Revised: 05/08/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Relapsed T-acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) has limited treatment options. We investigated mechanisms of resistance to BH3 mimetics in T-ALL to develop rational combination strategies. We also looked at the preclinical efficacy of NWP-0476, a novel BCL-2/BCL-xL inhibitor, as single agent and combination therapy in T-ALL. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN We used BH3 profiling as a predictive tool for BH3 mimetic response in T-ALL. Using isogenic control, venetoclax-resistant (ven-R) and NWP-0476-resistant (NWP-R) cells, phosphokinase array was performed to identify differentially regulated signaling pathways. RESULTS Typical T-ALL cells had increased dependence on BCL-xL, whereas early T-precursor (ETP)-ALL cells had higher BCL-2 dependence for survival. BCL-2/BCL-xL dual inhibitors were effective against both subtypes of T-lineage ALL. A 71-protein human phosphokinase array showed increased LCK activity in ven-R cells, and increased ACK1 activity in ven-R and NWP-R cells. We hypothesized that pre-TCR and ACK1 signaling pathways are drivers of resistance to BCL-2 and BCL-xL inhibition, respectively. First, we silenced LCK gene in T-ALL cell lines, which resulted in increased sensitivity to BCL-2 inhibition. Mechanistically, LCK activated NF-κB pathway and the expression of BCL-xL. Silencing ACK1 gene resulted in increased sensitivity to both BCL-2 and BCL-xL inhibitors. ACK1 signaling upregulated AKT pathway, which inhibited the pro-apoptotic function of BAD. In a T-ALL patient-derived xenograft model, combination of NWP-0476 and dasatinib demonstrated synergy without major organ toxicity. CONCLUSIONS LCK and ACK1 signaling pathways are critical regulators of BH3 mimetic resistance in T-ALL. Combination of BH3 mimetics with tyrosine kinase inhibitors might be effective against relapsed T-ALL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caner Saygin
- Section of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Giorgia Giordano
- Section of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Kathryn Shimamoto
- Section of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Bart Eisfelder
- Section of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | | | | | | | - Tiffaney L. Vincent
- The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Adam DuVall
- Section of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Anand A. Patel
- Section of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Yi Chen
- Newave Pharmaceutical Inc., Pleasanton, California
| | - Fenlai Tan
- Newave Pharmaceutical Inc., Pleasanton, California
| | | | - Yu Chen
- Newave Pharmaceutical Inc., Pleasanton, California
| | - Yue Shen
- Newave Pharmaceutical Inc., Pleasanton, California
| | - Olatoyosi Odenike
- Section of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - David T. Teachey
- The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Barbara L. Kee
- Department of Pathology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - James LaBelle
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Wendy Stock
- Section of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
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24
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Valentini E, Di Martile M, Brignone M, Di Caprio M, Manni I, Chiappa M, Sergio I, Chiacchiarini M, Bazzichetto C, Conciatori F, D'Aguanno S, D'Angelo C, Ragno R, Russillo M, Colotti G, Marchesi F, Bellone ML, Dal Piaz F, Felli MP, Damia G, Del Bufalo D. Bcl-2 family inhibitors sensitize human cancer models to therapy. Cell Death Dis 2023; 14:441. [PMID: 37460459 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-023-05963-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Revised: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
BH3 mimetics, targeting the Bcl-2 family anti-apoptotic proteins, represent a promising therapeutic opportunity in cancers. ABT-199, the first specific Bcl-2 inhibitor, was approved by FDA for the treatment of several hematological malignancies. We have recently discovered IS21, a novel pan BH3 mimetic with preclinical antitumor activity in several tumor types. Here, we evaluated the efficacy of IS21 and other BH3 mimetics, both as single agents and combined with the currently used antineoplastic agents in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, ovarian cancer, and melanoma. IS21 was found to be active in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, melanoma, lung, pancreatic, and ovarian cancer cell lines. Bcl-xL and Mcl-1 protein levels predicted IS21 sensitivity in melanoma and ovarian cancer, respectively. Exploring IS21 mechanism of action, we found that IS21 activity depends on the presence of BAX and BAK proteins: complexes between Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL proteins and their main binding partners were reduced after IS21 treatment. In combination experiments, BH3 mimetics sensitized leukemia cells to chemotherapy, ovarian cancer cells and melanoma models to PARP and MAPK inhibitors, respectively. We showed that this enhancing effect was related to the potentiation of the apoptotic pathway, both in hematologic and solid tumors. In conclusion, our data suggest the use of inhibitors of anti-apoptotic proteins as a therapeutic strategy to enhance the efficacy of anticancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabetta Valentini
- Preclinical Models and New Therapeutic Agents Unit, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Marta Di Martile
- Preclinical Models and New Therapeutic Agents Unit, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy.
| | - Matteo Brignone
- Preclinical Models and New Therapeutic Agents Unit, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Marica Di Caprio
- Preclinical Models and New Therapeutic Agents Unit, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Isabella Manni
- SAFU Unit, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Michela Chiappa
- Laboratory of Gynecological Preclinical Oncology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Ilaria Sergio
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Martina Chiacchiarini
- Preclinical Models and New Therapeutic Agents Unit, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Chiara Bazzichetto
- Preclinical Models and New Therapeutic Agents Unit, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Fabiana Conciatori
- Preclinical Models and New Therapeutic Agents Unit, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Simona D'Aguanno
- Preclinical Models and New Therapeutic Agents Unit, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Carmen D'Angelo
- Oncogenomic and Epigenetic Unit, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Rino Ragno
- Rome Center for Molecular Design, Department of Drug Chemistry and Technology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Michelangelo Russillo
- Division of Medical Oncology, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Gianni Colotti
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Pathology, Italian National Research Council, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesco Marchesi
- Hematology Unit, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Laura Bellone
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, University of Salerno, Fisciano, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Dal Piaz
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, University of Salerno, Fisciano, Italy
| | - Maria Pia Felli
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Giovanna Damia
- Laboratory of Gynecological Preclinical Oncology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Donatella Del Bufalo
- Preclinical Models and New Therapeutic Agents Unit, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
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Wei Y, Zhang L, Wang C, Li Z, Luo M, Xie G, Yang X, Li M, Ren S, Zhao D, Gao R, Gong J. Anti-apoptotic protein BCL-XL as a therapeutic vulnerability in gastric cancer. Animal Model Exp Med 2023; 6:245-254. [PMID: 37271936 PMCID: PMC10272913 DOI: 10.1002/ame2.12330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [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: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND New therapeutic targets are needed to improve the outcomes for gastric cancer (GC) patients with advanced disease. Evasion of programmed cell death (apoptosis) is a hallmark of cancer cells and direct induction of apoptosis by targeting the pro-survival BCL2 family proteins represents a promising therapeutic strategy for cancer treatment. Therefore, understanding the molecular mechanisms underpinning cancer cell survival could provide a molecular basis for potential therapeutic interventions. METHOD Here we explored the role of BCL2L1 and the encoded anti-apoptotic BCL-XL in GC. Using Droplet Digital PCR (ddPCR) technology to investigate the DNA amplification of BCL2L1 in GC samples and GC cell lines, the sensitivity of GC cell lines to selective BCL-XL inhibitors A1155463 and A1331852, pan-inhibitor ABT-263, and VHL-based PROTAC-BCL-XL was analyzed using (CellTiter-Glo) CTG assay in vitro. Western Blot (WB) was used to detect the protein expression of BCL2 family members in GC cell lines and the manner in which PROTAC-BCL-XL kills GC cells. Co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) was used to investigate the mechanism of A1331852 and ABT-263 kills GC cell lines. DDPCR, WB, and real-time PCR (RTPCR) were used to investigate the correlation between DNA, RNA, protein levels, and drug activity. RESULTS The functional assay showed that a subset of GC cell lines relies on BCL-XL for survival. In gastric cancer cell lines, BCL-XL inhibitors A1155463 and A1331852 are more sensitive than the pan BCL2 family inhibitor ABT-263, indicating that ABT-263 is not an optimal inhibitor of BCL-XL. VHL-based PROTAC-BCL-XL DT2216 appears to be active in GC cells. DT2216 induces apoptosis of gastric cancer cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner through the proteasome pathway. Statistical analysis showed that the BCL-XL protein level predicts the response of GC cells to BCL-XL targeting therapy and BCL2L1 gene CNVs do not reliably predict BCL-XL expression. CONCLUSION We identified BCL-XL as a promising therapeutic target in a subset of GC cases with high levels of BCL-XL protein expression. Functionally, we demonstrated that both selective BCL-XL inhibitors and VHL-based PROTAC BCL-XL can potently kill GC cells that are reliant on BCL-XL for survival. However, we found that BCL2L1 copy number variations (CNVs) cannot reliably predict BCL-XL expression, but the BCL-XL protein level serves as a useful biomarker for predicting the sensitivity of GC cells to BCL-XL-targeting compounds. Taken together, our study pinpointed BCL-XL as potential druggable target for specific subsets of GC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yumin Wei
- National Human Diseases Animal Model Resource Center, The Institute of Laboratory Animal ScienceChinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical CollegeBeijingChina
- NHC Key Laboratory of Human Disease Comparative Medicine, Beijing Engineering Research Center for Experimental Animal Models of Human Critical DiseasesBeijingChina
- Beijing Engineering Research Center for Experimental Animal Models of Human Critical DiseasesBeijingChina
| | - Liping Zhang
- National Human Diseases Animal Model Resource Center, The Institute of Laboratory Animal ScienceChinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical CollegeBeijingChina
- NHC Key Laboratory of Human Disease Comparative Medicine, Beijing Engineering Research Center for Experimental Animal Models of Human Critical DiseasesBeijingChina
- Beijing Engineering Research Center for Experimental Animal Models of Human Critical DiseasesBeijingChina
| | - Chao Wang
- National Human Diseases Animal Model Resource Center, The Institute of Laboratory Animal ScienceChinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical CollegeBeijingChina
- NHC Key Laboratory of Human Disease Comparative Medicine, Beijing Engineering Research Center for Experimental Animal Models of Human Critical DiseasesBeijingChina
- Beijing Engineering Research Center for Experimental Animal Models of Human Critical DiseasesBeijingChina
| | - Zefeng Li
- Department of Pancreatic and Gastric Surgical Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer HospitalChinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical CollegeBeijingChina
| | - Mingjie Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic CenterSun Yat‐Sen UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Guomin Xie
- National Human Diseases Animal Model Resource Center, The Institute of Laboratory Animal ScienceChinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical CollegeBeijingChina
- NHC Key Laboratory of Human Disease Comparative Medicine, Beijing Engineering Research Center for Experimental Animal Models of Human Critical DiseasesBeijingChina
- Beijing Engineering Research Center for Experimental Animal Models of Human Critical DiseasesBeijingChina
| | - Xingjiu Yang
- National Human Diseases Animal Model Resource Center, The Institute of Laboratory Animal ScienceChinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical CollegeBeijingChina
- NHC Key Laboratory of Human Disease Comparative Medicine, Beijing Engineering Research Center for Experimental Animal Models of Human Critical DiseasesBeijingChina
- Beijing Engineering Research Center for Experimental Animal Models of Human Critical DiseasesBeijingChina
| | - Mengyuan Li
- National Human Diseases Animal Model Resource Center, The Institute of Laboratory Animal ScienceChinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical CollegeBeijingChina
- NHC Key Laboratory of Human Disease Comparative Medicine, Beijing Engineering Research Center for Experimental Animal Models of Human Critical DiseasesBeijingChina
- Beijing Engineering Research Center for Experimental Animal Models of Human Critical DiseasesBeijingChina
| | - Shuyue Ren
- National Human Diseases Animal Model Resource Center, The Institute of Laboratory Animal ScienceChinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical CollegeBeijingChina
- NHC Key Laboratory of Human Disease Comparative Medicine, Beijing Engineering Research Center for Experimental Animal Models of Human Critical DiseasesBeijingChina
- Beijing Engineering Research Center for Experimental Animal Models of Human Critical DiseasesBeijingChina
| | - Dongbing Zhao
- Department of Pancreatic and Gastric Surgical Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer HospitalChinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical CollegeBeijingChina
| | - Ran Gao
- National Human Diseases Animal Model Resource Center, The Institute of Laboratory Animal ScienceChinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical CollegeBeijingChina
- NHC Key Laboratory of Human Disease Comparative Medicine, Beijing Engineering Research Center for Experimental Animal Models of Human Critical DiseasesBeijingChina
- Beijing Engineering Research Center for Experimental Animal Models of Human Critical DiseasesBeijingChina
| | - Jia‐Nan Gong
- National Human Diseases Animal Model Resource Center, The Institute of Laboratory Animal ScienceChinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical CollegeBeijingChina
- NHC Key Laboratory of Human Disease Comparative Medicine, Beijing Engineering Research Center for Experimental Animal Models of Human Critical DiseasesBeijingChina
- Beijing Engineering Research Center for Experimental Animal Models of Human Critical DiseasesBeijingChina
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Aguilar F, Yu S, Grant RA, Swanson S, Ghose D, Su BG, Sarosiek KA, Keating AE. Peptides from human BNIP5 and PXT1 and non-native binders of pro-apoptotic BAK can directly activate or inhibit BAK-mediated membrane permeabilization. Structure 2023; 31:265-281.e7. [PMID: 36706751 PMCID: PMC9992319 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2023.01.001] [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: 08/30/2022] [Revised: 11/24/2022] [Accepted: 01/02/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Apoptosis is important for development and tissue homeostasis, and its dysregulation can lead to diseases, including cancer. As an apoptotic effector, BAK undergoes conformational changes that promote mitochondrial outer membrane disruption, leading to cell death. This is termed "activation" and can be induced by peptides from the human proteins BID, BIM, and PUMA. To identify additional peptides that can regulate BAK, we used computational protein design, yeast surface display screening, and structure-based energy scoring to identify 10 diverse new binders. We discovered peptides from the human proteins BNIP5 and PXT1 and three non-native peptides that activate BAK in liposome assays and induce cytochrome c release from mitochondria. Crystal structures and binding studies reveal a high degree of similarity among peptide activators and inhibitors, ruling out a simple function-determining property. Our results shed light on the vast peptide sequence space that can regulate BAK function and will guide the design of BAK-modulating tools and therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiona Aguilar
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Stacey Yu
- Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Harvard Program in Therapeutic Science, Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Program in Molecular and Integrative Physiological Sciences Program, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; John B. Little Center for Radiation Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Robert A Grant
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Sebastian Swanson
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Dia Ghose
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Bonnie G Su
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Kristopher A Sarosiek
- Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Harvard Program in Therapeutic Science, Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Program in Molecular and Integrative Physiological Sciences Program, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; John B. Little Center for Radiation Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Amy E Keating
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA; Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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Huang AS, Chin HS, Reljic B, Djajawi TM, Tan IKL, Gong JN, Stroud DA, Huang DCS, van Delft MF, Dewson G. Mitochondrial E3 ubiquitin ligase MARCHF5 controls BAK apoptotic activity independently of BH3-only proteins. Cell Death Differ 2023; 30:632-646. [PMID: 36171332 PMCID: PMC9984372 DOI: 10.1038/s41418-022-01067-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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Revised: 09/11/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Intrinsic apoptosis is principally governed by the BCL-2 family of proteins, but some non-BCL-2 proteins are also critical to control this process. To identify novel apoptosis regulators, we performed a genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 library screen, and it identified the mitochondrial E3 ubiquitin ligase MARCHF5/MITOL/RNF153 as an important regulator of BAK apoptotic function. Deleting MARCHF5 in diverse cell lines dependent on BAK conferred profound resistance to BH3-mimetic drugs. The loss of MARCHF5 or its E3 ubiquitin ligase activity surprisingly drove BAK to adopt an activated conformation, with resistance to BH3-mimetics afforded by the formation of inhibitory complexes with pro-survival proteins MCL-1 and BCL-XL. Importantly, these changes to BAK conformation and pro-survival association occurred independently of BH3-only proteins and influence on pro-survival proteins. This study identifies a new mechanism by which MARCHF5 regulates apoptotic cell death by restraining BAK activating conformation change and provides new insight into how cancer cells respond to BH3-mimetic drugs. These data also highlight the emerging role of ubiquitin signalling in apoptosis that may be exploited therapeutically.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allan Shuai Huang
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, 1G Royal Parade, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC, 3052, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Hui San Chin
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, 1G Royal Parade, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC, 3052, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Boris Reljic
- Bio21 Molecular Science & Biotechnology Institute, 30 Flemington Road, Parkville, Melbourne, 3052, Australia
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Tirta M Djajawi
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, 1G Royal Parade, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC, 3052, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Iris K L Tan
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, 1G Royal Parade, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC, 3052, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Jia-Nan Gong
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, 1G Royal Parade, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC, 3052, Australia
- NHC Key Laboratory of Human Disease Comparative Medicine, The Institute of Laboratory Animal Sciences, the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- Beijing Engineering Research Center for Experimental Animal Models of Human Critical Disease, Beijing, China
| | - David A Stroud
- Bio21 Molecular Science & Biotechnology Institute, 30 Flemington Road, Parkville, Melbourne, 3052, Australia
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, The Royal Children's Hospital, 50 Flemington Road, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - David C S Huang
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, 1G Royal Parade, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC, 3052, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Mark F van Delft
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, 1G Royal Parade, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC, 3052, Australia.
- Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia.
| | - Grant Dewson
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, 1G Royal Parade, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC, 3052, Australia.
- Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia.
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Dong X, Li X, Gan Y, Ding J, Wei B, Zhou L, Cui W, Li W. TRAF4-mediated ubiquitination-dependent activation of JNK/Bcl-xL drives radioresistance. Cell Death Dis 2023; 14:102. [PMID: 36765039 PMCID: PMC9918491 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-023-05637-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [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: 10/23/2022] [Revised: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023]
Abstract
The E3 ligase TNF receptor-associated factor 4 (TRAF4) is upregulated and closely associated with tumorigenesis and the progression of multiple human malignancies. However, its effect on radiosensitivity in colorectal cancer (CRC) has not been elucidated. The present study found that TRAF4 was significantly increased in CRC clinical tumor samples. Depletion of TRAF4 impaired the malignant phenotype of CRC cells and sensitized irradiation-induced cell death. Irradiation activated the c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs)/c-Jun signaling via increasing JNKs K63-linked ubiquitination and phosphorylation. Furthermore, c-Jun activation triggered the transcription of the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-xL, thus contributing to the radioresistance of CRC cells. TRAF4 was positively correlated with c-Jun and Bcl-xL, and blocking TRAF4 or inhibiting Bcl-xL with inhibitor markedly promoted ionizing radiation (IR)-induced intrinsic apoptosis and sensitized CRC cells to radiotherapy in vitro and in vivo. Our findings illustrate a potential mechanism of radioresistance, emphasizing the clinical value of targeting the TRAF4/Bcl-xL axis in CRC therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Dong
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China
| | - Xiaoying Li
- Department of Radiology, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410013, China
| | - Yu Gan
- Department of Radiology, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410013, China
| | - Jie Ding
- Department of Anesthesia, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100000, China
| | - Baojun Wei
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China
| | - Li Zhou
- Department of Pathology, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410008, China
| | - Wei Cui
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China.
| | - Wei Li
- Department of Radiology, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410013, China.
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Grissenberger S, Sturtzel C, Wenninger-Weinzierl A, Radic-Sarikas B, Scheuringer E, Bierbaumer L, Etienne V, Némati F, Pascoal S, Tötzl M, Tomazou EM, Metzelder M, Putz EM, Decaudin D, Delattre O, Surdez D, Kovar H, Halbritter F, Distel M. High-content drug screening in zebrafish xenografts reveals high efficacy of dual MCL-1/BCL-X L inhibition against Ewing sarcoma. Cancer Lett 2023; 554:216028. [PMID: 36462556 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2022.216028] [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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2022] [Revised: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Ewing sarcoma is a pediatric bone and soft tissue cancer with an urgent need for new therapies to improve disease outcome. To identify effective drugs, phenotypic drug screening has proven to be a powerful method, but achievable throughput in mouse xenografts, the preclinical Ewing sarcoma standard model, is limited. Here, we explored the use of xenografts in zebrafish for high-throughput drug screening to discover new combination therapies for Ewing sarcoma. We subjected xenografts in zebrafish larvae to high-content imaging and subsequent automated tumor size analysis to screen single agents and compound combinations. We identified three drug combinations effective against Ewing sarcoma cells: Irinotecan combined with either an MCL-1 or an BCL-XL inhibitor and in particular dual inhibition of the anti-apoptotic proteins MCL-1 and BCL-XL, which efficiently eradicated tumor cells in zebrafish xenografts. We confirmed enhanced efficacy of dual MCL-1/BCL-XL inhibition compared to single agents in a mouse PDX model. In conclusion, high-content screening of small compounds on Ewing sarcoma zebrafish xenografts identified dual MCL-1/BCL-XL targeting as a specific vulnerability and promising therapeutic strategy for Ewing sarcoma, which warrants further investigation towards clinical application.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Caterina Sturtzel
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria; Zebrafish Platform Austria for Preclinical Drug Screening (ZANDR), Vienna, Austria
| | - Andrea Wenninger-Weinzierl
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria; Zebrafish Platform Austria for Preclinical Drug Screening (ZANDR), Vienna, Austria
| | - Branka Radic-Sarikas
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria; Department of Pediatric Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Eva Scheuringer
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria; Zebrafish Platform Austria for Preclinical Drug Screening (ZANDR), Vienna, Austria
| | - Lisa Bierbaumer
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria
| | - Vesnie Etienne
- Laboratory of Preclinical Investigation, Department of Translational Research, Institut Curie, PSL University, Paris, France
| | - Fariba Némati
- Laboratory of Preclinical Investigation, Department of Translational Research, Institut Curie, PSL University, Paris, France
| | - Susana Pascoal
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria; Zebrafish Platform Austria for Preclinical Drug Screening (ZANDR), Vienna, Austria
| | - Marcus Tötzl
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria
| | - Eleni M Tomazou
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria
| | - Martin Metzelder
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Eva M Putz
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria
| | - Didier Decaudin
- Laboratory of Preclinical Investigation, Department of Translational Research, Institut Curie, PSL University, Paris, France; Department of Medical Oncology, Institut Curie Research Centre, Paris, France
| | - Olivier Delattre
- INSERM U830, Équipe Labellisée LNCC, Diversity and Plasticity of Childhood Tumors Lab, PSL Research University, SIREDO Oncology Centre, Institut Curie Research Centre, Paris, France
| | - Didier Surdez
- INSERM U830, Équipe Labellisée LNCC, Diversity and Plasticity of Childhood Tumors Lab, PSL Research University, SIREDO Oncology Centre, Institut Curie Research Centre, Paris, France; Balgrist University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich (UZH), Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Heinrich Kovar
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria; Dept. Pediatrics, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Martin Distel
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria; Zebrafish Platform Austria for Preclinical Drug Screening (ZANDR), Vienna, Austria.
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Wu G, Yang F, Cheng X, Mai Z, Wang X, Chen T. Live-cell imaging analysis on the anti-apoptotic function of the Bcl-xL transmembrane carboxyl terminal domain. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2023; 639:91-99. [PMID: 36476951 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2022.11.104] [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: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
The Transmembrane Carboxyl Terminal Domain (TMD) of some Bcl-2 family proteins has been demonstrated to play a key role in modulating apoptosis. We here ustilzed live-cell fluorescence imaging to evaluate how the Bcl-xL TMD (XT) regulate apoptosis. Cell viability assay revealed that XT had strong anti-apoptotic ability similarly to the full-length Bcl-xL. Fluorescence images of living cells co-expressing CFP-XT and Bad-YFP or YFP-Bax revealed that XT recruited Bad to mitochondria but prevented Bax translocation to mitochondria, and also significantly suppressed Bad/Bax-mediated apoptosis, indicating that XT prevents the pro-apoptotic function of Bad and Bax. Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) analyses determined that XT directly interacted with Bad and Bax, and deletion of XT completely eliminated the mitochondrial localization and homo-oligomerization of Bcl-xL. Fluorescence images of living cells co-expressing CFP-XT and YFP-Bax revealed that XT significantly prevented mitochondrial Bax oligomerization, resulting in cytosolic Bax distribution. Collectively, XT is necessary for the mitochondrial localization and anti-apoptotic capacity of Bcl-xL, and XT, similarly to the full-length Bcl-xL, forms homo-oligomers on mitochondria to directly interact with Bad and Bax to inhibit their apoptotic functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ge Wu
- Key Laboratory of Laser Life Science, Ministry of Education, College of Biophotonics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510631, China; Guangdong Key Laboratory of Laser Life Science, College of Biophotonics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510631, China
| | - Fangfang Yang
- Key Laboratory of Laser Life Science, Ministry of Education, College of Biophotonics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510631, China; Guangdong Key Laboratory of Laser Life Science, College of Biophotonics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510631, China
| | - Xuecheng Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Laser Life Science, Ministry of Education, College of Biophotonics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510631, China; Guangdong Key Laboratory of Laser Life Science, College of Biophotonics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510631, China
| | - Zihao Mai
- Key Laboratory of Laser Life Science, Ministry of Education, College of Biophotonics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510631, China; Guangdong Key Laboratory of Laser Life Science, College of Biophotonics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510631, China
| | - Xiaoping Wang
- Department of Pain Management, The First Affiliated Hospital, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 5610632, China.
| | - Tongsheng Chen
- Key Laboratory of Laser Life Science, Ministry of Education, College of Biophotonics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510631, China; Guangdong Key Laboratory of Laser Life Science, College of Biophotonics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510631, China; SCNU Qingyuan Institute of Science and Technology Innovation Co., Ltd., South China Normal University, Qingyuan, 511517, China.
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Jaiswal A, Jaiswal A, Williamson EA, Gelfond J, Zheng G, Zhou D, Hromas R. Resistance to the BCL-XL degrader DT2216 in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia is rare and correlates with decreased BCL-XL proteolysis. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 2023; 91:89-95. [PMID: 36346454 PMCID: PMC10405225 DOI: 10.1007/s00280-022-04490-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [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: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 10/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE The BCL-2 family of anti-apoptotic proteins, BCL-2, BCL-XL and MCL-1, can mediate survival of some types of cancer. DT2216 is a PROteolysis-TArgeting Chimera (PROTAC) that degrades BCL-XL specifically and is in phase 1 trials. We sought to define the frequency and mechanism of resistance to DT2216 in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) cell lines. METHODS We measured cell survival and protein levels of BCL-XL, BCL-2, MCL-1 and the pro-apoptotic BIM in 13 distinct T-ALL cell lines after exposure to varying concentrations of DT2216. RESULTS We identified concentrations of DT2216 which were cytotoxic to each T-ALL cell line. These concentrations have no correlation with the initial protein levels of BCL-XL, BCL-2, MCL-1 or BIM in each cell line. However, there was a correlation between survival to DT2216 and the efficiency of degradation of BCL-XL by DT2216. Only one cell line, SUP-T1, had significant resistance to DT2216, defined as an IC50 above what is achievable in murine tumors in vivo. CONCLUSION Resistance to DT2216 is rare in a wide variety of T-ALL cells but when it occurs is correlated with decreased BCL-XL degradation. Resistance to DT2216 in T-ALL is not predicted by initial BCL-XL or BIM protein levels, or BCL-2 or MCL-1 levels before or after treatment. These data imply that a phase 2 clinical trial of DT2216 in T-ALL should be widely available and not limited to a subset of patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arunima Jaiswal
- Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine and the Mays Cancer Center, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
| | - Aruna Jaiswal
- Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine and the Mays Cancer Center, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Williamson
- Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine and the Mays Cancer Center, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
| | - Jonathon Gelfond
- Division of Biostatistics, Department of Population Health Science, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
| | - Guangrong Zheng
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA
| | - Daohong Zhou
- Center for Innovative Drug Development and the Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
| | - Robert Hromas
- Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine and the Mays Cancer Center, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA.
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Liu Z, Fu Y, Huang Y, Zeng F, Rao J, Xiao X, Sun X, Jin H, Li J, Yang J, Du W, Liu L. Ubiquitination of SARS-CoV-2 ORF7a Prevents Cell Death Induced by Recruiting BclXL To Activate ER Stress. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0150922. [PMID: 36326498 PMCID: PMC9769937 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01509-22] [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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which has emerged in the last 2 years. The accessory protein ORF7a has been proposed as an immunomodulating factor that can cause dramatic inflammatory responses, but it is unknown how ORF7a interacts with host cells. We show that ORF7a induces cell apoptosis by recruiting the prosurvival factor BclXL to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) via the exposed C-terminal residues Lys117 and Lys119. Simultaneously, ORF7a activates ER stress via the PERK-elF2α-CHOP pathway and inhibits the expression of endogenous BclXL, resulting in enhanced cell apoptosis. Ubiquitination of ORF7a interrupts the interaction with BclXL in the ER and weakens the activation of ER stress, which to some extent rescues the cells. Our work demonstrates that SARS-CoV-2 ORF7a hires antiapoptosis protein and aggregates on the ER, resulting in ER stress and apoptosis initiation. On the other hand, ORF7a utilizes the ubiquitin system to impede and escape host elimination, providing a promising potential target for developing strategies for minimizing the COVID-19 pandemic. IMPORTANCE Viruses struggle to reproduce after infecting cells, and the host eliminates infected cells through apoptosis to prevent virus spread. Cells adopt a special ubiquitination code to protect against viral infection, while ORF7a manipulates and exploits the ubiquitin system to eliminate host cells' effect on apoptosis and redirect cellular pathways in favor of virus survival. Our results revealed that SARS-CoV-2-encoded accessory protein ORF7a recruits prosurvival factor BclXL to the ER and activates the cellular ER stress response resulting in the initiation of programmed death to remove virus-infected cells. Ubiquitination of ORF7a blocked the recruitment of BclXL and suppressed the ER stress response, which helps to counteract cell apoptosis and rescue cell fate. These findings help us understand the mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 invasion and contribute to a theoretical foundation for the clinical prevention of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhixin Liu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Renmin Hospital, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China
- Institute of Virology, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Embryonic Stem Cell Research, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China
| | - Yanan Fu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Renmin Hospital, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China
- Institute of Virology, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China
| | - Yanping Huang
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Renmin Hospital, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China
- Institute of Virology, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China
| | - Feng Zeng
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Renmin Hospital, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China
- Institute of Virology, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China
| | - Jingjing Rao
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Renmin Hospital, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China
- Institute of Virology, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China
| | - Xiao Xiao
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Renmin Hospital, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China
- Institute of Virology, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China
| | - Xiaoguang Sun
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Renmin Hospital, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China
- Institute of Virology, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China
| | - Hao Jin
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Renmin Hospital, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China
| | - Jian Li
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Renmin Hospital, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China
- Institute of Virology, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China
| | - Jing Yang
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Renmin Hospital, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China
- Institute of Virology, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China
| | - Weixing Du
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Renmin Hospital, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China
| | - Long Liu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Renmin Hospital, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China
- Institute of Virology, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Embryonic Stem Cell Research, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China
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Bharti V, Watkins R, Kumar A, Shattuck-Brandt RL, Mossing A, Mittra A, Shen C, Tsung A, Davies AE, Hanel W, Reneau JC, Chung C, Sizemore GM, Richmond A, Weiss VL, Vilgelm AE. BCL-xL inhibition potentiates cancer therapies by redirecting the outcome of p53 activation from senescence to apoptosis. Cell Rep 2022; 41:111826. [PMID: 36543138 PMCID: PMC10030045 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Revised: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer therapies trigger diverse cellular responses, ranging from apoptotic death to acquisition of persistent therapy-refractory states such as senescence. Tipping the balance toward apoptosis could improve treatment outcomes regardless of therapeutic agent or malignancy. We find that inhibition of the mitochondrial protein BCL-xL increases the propensity of cancer cells to die after treatment with a broad array of oncology drugs, including mitotic inhibitors and chemotherapy. Functional precision oncology and omics analyses suggest that BCL-xL inhibition redirects the outcome of p53 transcriptional response from senescence to apoptosis, which likely occurs via caspase-dependent down-modulation of p21 and downstream cytostatic proteins. Consequently, addition of a BCL-2/xL inhibitor strongly improves melanoma response to the senescence-inducing drug targeting mitotic kinase Aurora kinase A (AURKA) in mice and patient-derived organoids. This study shows a crosstalk between the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway and cell cycle regulation that can be targeted to augment therapeutic efficacy in cancers with wild-type p53.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vijaya Bharti
- Department of Pathology, The Ohio State University, 460 W. 12th Avenue, Office 496, Columbus, OH, USA; The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Reese Watkins
- Department of Pathology, The Ohio State University, 460 W. 12th Avenue, Office 496, Columbus, OH, USA; The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Amrendra Kumar
- Department of Pathology, The Ohio State University, 460 W. 12th Avenue, Office 496, Columbus, OH, USA; The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Rebecca L Shattuck-Brandt
- Department of Veterans Affairs, Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Alexis Mossing
- The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, Columbus, OH, USA; Department of Radiation Oncology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Arjun Mittra
- The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, Columbus, OH, USA; Division of Medical Oncology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Chengli Shen
- Department of Surgery, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Allan Tsung
- Department of Surgery, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Alexander E Davies
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Walter Hanel
- The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - John C Reneau
- The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Catherine Chung
- Department of Pathology, The Ohio State University, 460 W. 12th Avenue, Office 496, Columbus, OH, USA; The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Gina M Sizemore
- The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, Columbus, OH, USA; Department of Radiation Oncology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Ann Richmond
- Department of Veterans Affairs, Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Vivian L Weiss
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Anna E Vilgelm
- Department of Pathology, The Ohio State University, 460 W. 12th Avenue, Office 496, Columbus, OH, USA; The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, Columbus, OH, USA.
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Kusunoki H, Hamaguchi I, Kobayashi N, Nagata T. Chemical shift assignments of a fusion protein comprising the C-terminal-deleted hepatitis B virus X protein BH3-like motif peptide and Bcl-x L. Biomol NMR Assign 2022; 16:357-361. [PMID: 36044106 DOI: 10.1007/s12104-022-10104-4] [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: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major risk factor for the development of liver diseases including fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). HBV has the multifunctional protein, HBV X protein (HBx, 154 residues), which plays key roles in HBV replication and liver disease development. Interaction of HBx through its BH3-like motif with the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-xL leads to HBV replication and induction of apoptosis, resulting in HCC development. Our previous nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) study revealed that the HBx BH3-like motif peptide (residues 101-136) binds to the common BH3-binding groove of Bcl-xL. Importantly, a C-terminal-truncated HBx, e.g., residues 1-120 of HBx, is strongly associated with the increased risk of HBV-related HCC development. However, the interaction mode between the C-terminal-truncated HBx and Bcl-xL remains unclear. To elucidate this interaction mode, the C-terminal-deleted HBx BH3-like motif peptide (residues 101-120) was used as a model peptide in this study. To facilitate the NMR analysis, we prepared a fusion protein of HBx (101-120) and Bcl-xL connected with five repeats of the glycine-serine dipeptide as a linker. Here, we report the 1H, 13C, and 15N resonance assignments of the fusion protein. This is the first step for the elucidation of the pathogenesis of liver diseases caused by the interaction between the C-terminal-truncated HBx and Bcl-xL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hideki Kusunoki
- Research Center for Biological Products in the Next Generation, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Musashimurayama, Tokyo, 208-0011, Japan.
| | - Isao Hamaguchi
- Research Center for Biological Products in the Next Generation, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Musashimurayama, Tokyo, 208-0011, Japan
| | - Naohiro Kobayashi
- Laboratory for Advanced NMR Application and Development, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 230-0045, Japan
| | - Takashi Nagata
- Institute of Advanced Energy, Kyoto University, Uji, Kyoto, 611-0011, Japan.
- Graduate School of Energy Science, Kyoto University, Uji, Kyoto, 611-0011, Japan.
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Gehrke N, Wörns MA, Mann A, Hövelmeyer N, Waisman A, Straub BK, Galle PR, Schattenberg JM. Hepatocyte Bcl-3 protects from death-receptor mediated apoptosis and subsequent acute liver failure. Cell Death Dis 2022; 13:510. [PMID: 35641486 PMCID: PMC9156769 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-022-04946-y] [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: 11/05/2021] [Revised: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Acute liver failure (ALF) is a rare entity but exhibits a high mortality. The mechanisms underlying ALF are not completely understood. The present study explored the role of the hepatic B cell leukemia-3 (Bcl-3), a transcriptional regulator of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), in two independent models of ALF. We employed a recently developed transgenic mouse model in a C57BL6/J background comparing wild-type (WT) and transgenic littermates with hepatocyte-specific overexpression of Bcl-3 (Bcl-3Hep) in the ALF model of d-galactosamine (d-GalN) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Additionally, the apoptosis-inducing CD95 (FAS/APO-1)-ligand was explored. Bcl-3Hep mice exhibited a significant protection from ALF with decreased serum transaminases, decreased activation of the apoptotic caspases 8, 9, and 3, lower rates of oxidative stress, B-cell lymphoma 2 like 1 (BCL2L1/BCL-XL) degradation and accompanying mitochondrial cytochrome c release, and ultimately a decreased mortality rate from d-GalN/LPS compared to WT mice. d-GalN/LPS treatment resulted in a marked inflammatory cytokine release and stimulated the activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) 3, c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling comparably in the hepatic compartment of Bcl-3Hep and WT mice. However, in contrast to the WT, Bcl-3Hep mice showed a diminished rate of IkappaB kinase-beta (IKK-β) degradation, persistent receptor interacting protein kinase (RIPK) 1 function and thus prolonged cytoprotective nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) p65 signaling through increased p65 stability and enhanced transcription. Likewise, Bcl-3 overexpression in hepatocytes protected from ALF with massive hepatocyte apoptosis induced by the anti-FAS antibody Jo2. The protection was also linked to IKK-β stabilization. Overall, our study showed that Bcl-3 rendered hepatocytes more resistant to hepatotoxicity induced by d-GalN/LPS and FAS-ligand. Therefore, Bcl-3 appears to be a critical regulator of the dynamics in ALF through IKK-β.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadine Gehrke
- Department of Medicine, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Marcus A Wörns
- Department of Medicine, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hematology, Oncology and Endocrinology, Klinikum Dortmund, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Amrit Mann
- Department of Medicine, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
- Center for Thrombosis and Hemostasis, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Nadine Hövelmeyer
- Institute for Molecular Medicine, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
- Research Center for Immunotherapy, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Ari Waisman
- Institute for Molecular Medicine, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
- Research Center for Immunotherapy, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Beate K Straub
- Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Peter R Galle
- Department of Medicine, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
- Research Center for Immunotherapy, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Jörn M Schattenberg
- Department of Medicine, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany.
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36
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Sela Y, Li J, Maheswaran S, Norgard R, Yuan S, Hubbi M, Doepner M, Xu JP, Ho E, Measaros C, Sheehan C, Croley G, Muir A, Blair IA, Shalem O, Dang CV, Stanger BZ. Bcl-xL Enforces a Slow-Cycling State Necessary for Survival in the Nutrient-Deprived Microenvironment of Pancreatic Cancer. Cancer Res 2022; 82:1890-1908. [PMID: 35315913 PMCID: PMC9117449 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-22-0431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [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: 02/09/2022] [Revised: 03/13/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Solid tumors possess heterogeneous metabolic microenvironments where oxygen and nutrient availability are plentiful (fertile regions) or scarce (arid regions). While cancer cells residing in fertile regions proliferate rapidly, most cancer cells in vivo reside in arid regions and exhibit a slow-cycling state that renders them chemoresistant. Here, we developed an in vitro system enabling systematic comparison between these populations via transcriptome analysis, metabolomic profiling, and whole-genome CRISPR screening. Metabolic deprivation led to pronounced transcriptional and metabolic reprogramming, resulting in decreased anabolic activities and distinct vulnerabilities. Reductions in anabolic, energy-consuming activities, particularly cell proliferation, were not simply byproducts of the metabolic challenge, but rather essential adaptations. Mechanistically, Bcl-xL played a central role in the adaptation to nutrient and oxygen deprivation. In this setting, Bcl-xL protected quiescent cells from the lethal effects of cell-cycle entry in the absence of adequate nutrients. Moreover, inhibition of Bcl-xL combined with traditional chemotherapy had a synergistic antitumor effect that targeted cycling cells. Bcl-xL expression was strongly associated with poor patient survival despite being confined to the slow-cycling fraction of human pancreatic cancer cells. These findings provide a rationale for combining traditional cancer therapies that target rapidly cycling cells with those that target quiescent, chemoresistant cells associated with nutrient and oxygen deprivation. SIGNIFICANCE The majority of pancreatic cancer cells inhabit nutrient- and oxygen-poor tumor regions and require Bcl-xL for their survival, providing a compelling antitumor metabolic strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yogev Sela
- Departments of Medicine and Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 19104, USA
- Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 19104, USA
| | - Jinyang Li
- Departments of Medicine and Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 19104, USA
- Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 19104, USA
| | - Shivahamy Maheswaran
- Departments of Medicine and Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 19104, USA
- Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 19104, USA
| | - Robert Norgard
- Departments of Medicine and Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 19104, USA
- Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 19104, USA
| | - Salina Yuan
- Departments of Medicine and Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 19104, USA
- Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 19104, USA
| | - Maimon Hubbi
- Departments of Medicine and Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 19104, USA
- Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 19104, USA
| | - Miriam Doepner
- Departments of Medicine and Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 19104, USA
| | - Jimmy P. Xu
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 19104, USA
| | - Elaine Ho
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 19104, USA
| | - Clementina Measaros
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 19104, USA
| | - Colin Sheehan
- Ben May Department of Cancer Research, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Grace Croley
- Ben May Department of Cancer Research, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Alexander Muir
- Ben May Department of Cancer Research, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Ian A. Blair
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 19104, USA
| | - Ophir Shalem
- Center for Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
- Department of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - Chi V. Dang
- Systems and Computational Biology Center and Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis Program, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, 19104, USA
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, New York, 10016, USA
| | - Ben Z. Stanger
- Departments of Medicine and Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 19104, USA
- Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 19104, USA
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He W, Li X, Morsch M, Ismail M, Liu Y, Rehman FU, Zhang D, Wang Y, Zheng M, Chung R, Zou Y, Shi B. Brain-Targeted Codelivery of Bcl-2/Bcl-xl and Mcl-1 Inhibitors by Biomimetic Nanoparticles for Orthotopic Glioblastoma Therapy. ACS Nano 2022; 16:6293-6308. [PMID: 35353498 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.2c00320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) is among the most treatment-resistant solid tumors and often recurrs after resection. One of the mechanisms through which GBM escapes various treatment modalities is the overexpression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins (e.g., Bcl-2, Bcl-xl, and Mcl-1) in tumor cells. Small-molecule inhibitors such as ABT-263 (ABT), which can promote mitochondrial-mediated cell apoptosis by selectively inhibiting the function of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xl, have been proven to be promising anticancer agents in clinical trials. However, the therapeutic prospects of ABT for GBM treatment are hampered by its limited blood-brain barrier (BBB) penetration, dose-dependent thrombocytopenia, and the drug resistance driven by Mcl-1, which is overexpressed in GBM cells and further upregulated upon treatment with ABT. Herein, we reported that the Mcl-1-specific inhibitor A-1210477 (A12) can act synergistically with ABT to induce potent cell apoptosis in U87 MG cells, drug-resistant U251 cells, and patient-derived GBM cancer stem cells. We further designed a biomimetic nanomedicine, based on the apolipoprotein E (ApoE) peptide-decorated red blood cell membrane and pH-sensitive dextran nanoparticles, for the brain-targeted delivery of ABT and A12. The synergistic anti-GBM effect was retained after encapsulation in the nanomedicine. Additionally, the obtained nanomedicine possessed good biocompatibility, exhibited efficient BBB penetration, and could effectively suppress tumor growth and prolong the survival time of mice bearing orthotopic GBM xenografts without inducing detectable adverse effects.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Marco Morsch
- Center for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Macquarie Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Roger Chung
- Center for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Macquarie Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia
| | - Yan Zou
- Center for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Macquarie Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia
| | - Bingyang Shi
- Center for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Macquarie Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia
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Park HA, Crowe-White KM, Ciesla L, Scott M, Bannerman S, Davis AU, Adhikari B, Burnett G, Broman K, Ferdous KA, Lackey KH, Licznerski P, Jonas EA. Alpha-Tocotrienol Enhances Arborization of Primary Hippocampal Neurons via Upregulation of Bcl-xL. Nutr Res 2022; 101:31-42. [PMID: 35366596 PMCID: PMC9081260 DOI: 10.1016/j.nutres.2022.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2021] [Revised: 02/18/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Alpha-tocotrienol (α-TCT) is a member of the vitamin E family. It has been reported to protect the brain against various pathologies including cerebral ischemia and neurodegeneration. However, it is still unclear if α-TCT exhibits beneficial effects during brain development. We hypothesized that treatment with α-TCT improves intracellular redox homeostasis supporting normal development of neurons. We found that primary hippocampal neurons isolated from rat feti grown in α-TCT-containing media achieved greater levels of neurite complexity compared to ethanol-treated control neurons. Neurons were treated with 1 μM α-TCT for 3 weeks, and media were replaced with fresh α-TCT every week. Treatment with α-TCT increased α-TCT levels (26 pmol/mg protein) in the cells, whereas the control neurons did not contain α-TCT. α-TCT-treated neurons produced adenosine triphosphate (ATP) at a higher rate and increased ATP retention at neurites, supporting formation of neurite branches. Although treatment with α-TCT alone did not change neuronal viability, neurons grown in α-TCT were more resistant to death at maturity. We further found that messenger RNA and protein levels of B-cell lymphoma-extra large (Bcl-xL) are increased by α-TCT treatment without inducing posttranslational cleavage of Bcl-xL. Bcl-xL is known to enhance mitochondrial energy production, which improves neuronal function including neurite outgrowth and neurotransmission. Therefore α-TCT-mediated Bcl-xL upregulation may be the central mechanism of neuroprotection seen in the α-TCT-treated group. In summary, treatment with α-TCT upregulates Bcl-xL and increases ATP levels at neurites. This correlates with increased neurite branching during development and with protection of mature neurons against oxidative stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han-A Park
- Department of Human Nutrition and Hospitality Management, College of Human Environmental Sciences, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487, USA.
| | - Kristi M Crowe-White
- Department of Human Nutrition and Hospitality Management, College of Human Environmental Sciences, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487, USA
| | - Lukasz Ciesla
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487, USA
| | - Madison Scott
- Department of Human Nutrition and Hospitality Management, College of Human Environmental Sciences, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487, USA
| | - Sydni Bannerman
- Department of Human Nutrition and Hospitality Management, College of Human Environmental Sciences, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487, USA
| | - Abigail U Davis
- Department of Human Nutrition and Hospitality Management, College of Human Environmental Sciences, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487, USA
| | - Bishnu Adhikari
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487, USA
| | - Garrett Burnett
- Department of Human Nutrition and Hospitality Management, College of Human Environmental Sciences, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487, USA
| | - Katheryn Broman
- Department of Human Nutrition and Hospitality Management, College of Human Environmental Sciences, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487, USA
| | - Khondoker Adeba Ferdous
- Department of Human Nutrition and Hospitality Management, College of Human Environmental Sciences, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487, USA
| | - Kimberly H Lackey
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487, USA
| | - Pawel Licznerski
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Endocrinology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Jonas
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Endocrinology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
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Ramesh P, Di Franco S, Atencia Taboada L, Zhang L, Nicotra A, Stassi G, Medema JP. BCL-XL inhibition induces an FGFR4-mediated rescue response in colorectal cancer. Cell Rep 2022; 38:110374. [PMID: 35172148 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [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: 03/23/2021] [Revised: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The heterogeneous therapy response observed in colorectal cancer is in part due to cancer stem cells (CSCs) that resist chemotherapeutic insults. The anti-apoptotic protein BCL-XL plays a critical role in protecting CSCs from cell death, where its inhibition with high doses of BH3 mimetics can induce apoptosis. Here, we screen a compound library for synergy with low-dose BCL-XL inhibitor A-1155463 to identify pathways that regulate sensitivity to BCL-XL inhibition and reveal that fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR)4 inhibition effectively sensitizes to A-1155463 both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, we identify a rescue response that is activated upon BCL-XL inhibition and leads to rapid FGF2 secretion and subsequent FGFR4-mediated post-translational stabilization of MCL-1. FGFR4 inhibition prevents MCL-1 upregulation and thereby sensitizes CSCs to BCL-XL inhibition. Altogether, our findings suggest a cell transferable induction of a FGF2/FGFR4 rescue response in CRC that is induced upon BCL-XL inhibition and leads to MCL-1 upregulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prashanthi Ramesh
- Laboratory for Experimental Oncology and Radiobiology, Center for Experimental and Molecular Medicine, AmsterdamUMC, University of Amsterdam, Cancer Center Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Oncode Institute, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Simone Di Franco
- Department of Surgical Oncological and Stomatological Sciences, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Lidia Atencia Taboada
- Laboratory for Experimental Oncology and Radiobiology, Center for Experimental and Molecular Medicine, AmsterdamUMC, University of Amsterdam, Cancer Center Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Oncode Institute, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Le Zhang
- Laboratory for Experimental Oncology and Radiobiology, Center for Experimental and Molecular Medicine, AmsterdamUMC, University of Amsterdam, Cancer Center Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Oncode Institute, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Annalisa Nicotra
- Department of Surgical Oncological and Stomatological Sciences, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Giorgio Stassi
- Department of Surgical Oncological and Stomatological Sciences, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Jan Paul Medema
- Laboratory for Experimental Oncology and Radiobiology, Center for Experimental and Molecular Medicine, AmsterdamUMC, University of Amsterdam, Cancer Center Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Oncode Institute, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
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40
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Fuentes-Fayos AC, Pérez-Gómez JM, G-García ME, Jiménez-Vacas JM, Blanco-Acevedo C, Sánchez-Sánchez R, Solivera J, Breunig JJ, Gahete MD, Castaño JP, Luque RM. SF3B1 inhibition disrupts malignancy and prolongs survival in glioblastoma patients through BCL2L1 splicing and mTOR/ß-catenin pathways imbalances. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2022; 41:39. [PMID: 35086552 PMCID: PMC8793262 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-022-02241-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Glioblastoma is one of the most devastating cancer worldwide based on its locally aggressive behavior and because it cannot be cured by current therapies. Defects in alternative splicing process are frequent in cancer. Recently, we demonstrated that dysregulation of the spliceosome is directly associated with glioma development, progression, and aggressiveness. METHODS Different human cohorts and a dataset from different glioma mouse models were analyzed to determine the mutation frequency as well as the gene and protein expression levels between tumor and control samples of the splicing-factor-3B-subunit-1 (SF3B1), an essential and druggable spliceosome component. SF3B1 expression was also explored at the single-cell level across all cell subpopulations and transcriptomic programs. The association of SF3B1 expression with relevant clinical data (e.g., overall survival) in different human cohorts was also analyzed. Different functional (proliferation/migration/tumorspheres and colonies formation/VEGF secretion/apoptosis) and mechanistic (gene expression/signaling pathways) assays were performed in three different glioblastomas cell models (human primary cultures and cell lines) in response to SF3B1 blockade (using pladienolide B treatment). Moreover, tumor progression and formation were monitored in response to SF3B1 blockade in two preclinical xenograft glioblastoma mouse models. RESULTS Our data provide novel evidence demonstrating that the splicing-factor-3B-subunit-1 (SF3B1, an essential and druggable spliceosome component) is low-frequency mutated in human gliomas (~ 1 %) but widely overexpressed in glioblastoma compared with control samples from the different human cohorts and mouse models included in the present study, wherein SF3B1 levels are associated with key molecular and clinical features (e.g., overall survival, poor prognosis and/or drug resistance). Remarkably, in vitro and in vivo blockade of SF3B1 activity with pladienolide B drastically altered multiple glioblastoma pathophysiological processes (i.e., reduction in proliferation, migration, tumorspheres formation, VEGF secretion, tumor initiation and increased apoptosis) likely by suppressing AKT/mTOR/ß-catenin pathways, and an imbalance of BCL2L1 splicing. CONCLUSIONS Together, we highlight SF3B1 as a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker and an efficient pharmacological target in glioblastoma, offering a clinically relevant opportunity worth to be explored in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio C Fuentes-Fayos
- Maimonides Biomedical Research Institute of Cordoba (IMIBIC), 14004, Córdoba, Spain
- Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, University of Cordoba, 14004, Cordoba, Spain
- Reina Sofia University Hospital (HURS), 14004, Cordoba, Spain
- CIBER Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition (CIBERobn), 14004, Cordoba, Spain
| | - Jesús M Pérez-Gómez
- Maimonides Biomedical Research Institute of Cordoba (IMIBIC), 14004, Córdoba, Spain
- Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, University of Cordoba, 14004, Cordoba, Spain
- Reina Sofia University Hospital (HURS), 14004, Cordoba, Spain
- CIBER Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition (CIBERobn), 14004, Cordoba, Spain
| | - Miguel E G-García
- Maimonides Biomedical Research Institute of Cordoba (IMIBIC), 14004, Córdoba, Spain
- Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, University of Cordoba, 14004, Cordoba, Spain
- Reina Sofia University Hospital (HURS), 14004, Cordoba, Spain
- CIBER Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition (CIBERobn), 14004, Cordoba, Spain
| | - Juan M Jiménez-Vacas
- Maimonides Biomedical Research Institute of Cordoba (IMIBIC), 14004, Córdoba, Spain
- Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, University of Cordoba, 14004, Cordoba, Spain
- Reina Sofia University Hospital (HURS), 14004, Cordoba, Spain
- CIBER Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition (CIBERobn), 14004, Cordoba, Spain
| | - Cristóbal Blanco-Acevedo
- Maimonides Biomedical Research Institute of Cordoba (IMIBIC), 14004, Córdoba, Spain
- Reina Sofia University Hospital (HURS), 14004, Cordoba, Spain
- Department of Neurosurgery, Reina Sofia University Hospital, 14004, Cordoba, Spain
| | - Rafael Sánchez-Sánchez
- Maimonides Biomedical Research Institute of Cordoba (IMIBIC), 14004, Córdoba, Spain
- Reina Sofia University Hospital (HURS), 14004, Cordoba, Spain
- Pathology Service, Reina Sofia University Hospital, 14004, Cordoba, Spain
| | - Juan Solivera
- Maimonides Biomedical Research Institute of Cordoba (IMIBIC), 14004, Córdoba, Spain
- Reina Sofia University Hospital (HURS), 14004, Cordoba, Spain
- Department of Neurosurgery, Reina Sofia University Hospital, 14004, Cordoba, Spain
| | - Joshua J Breunig
- Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA
- Center for Neural Sciences in Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA
- Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA
- Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Manuel D Gahete
- Maimonides Biomedical Research Institute of Cordoba (IMIBIC), 14004, Córdoba, Spain
- Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, University of Cordoba, 14004, Cordoba, Spain
- Reina Sofia University Hospital (HURS), 14004, Cordoba, Spain
- CIBER Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition (CIBERobn), 14004, Cordoba, Spain
| | - Justo P Castaño
- Maimonides Biomedical Research Institute of Cordoba (IMIBIC), 14004, Córdoba, Spain
- Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, University of Cordoba, 14004, Cordoba, Spain
- Reina Sofia University Hospital (HURS), 14004, Cordoba, Spain
- CIBER Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition (CIBERobn), 14004, Cordoba, Spain
| | - Raúl M Luque
- Maimonides Biomedical Research Institute of Cordoba (IMIBIC), 14004, Córdoba, Spain.
- Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, University of Cordoba, 14004, Cordoba, Spain.
- Reina Sofia University Hospital (HURS), 14004, Cordoba, Spain.
- CIBER Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition (CIBERobn), 14004, Cordoba, Spain.
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Thummuri D, Khan S, Underwood PW, Zhang P, Wiegand J, Zhang X, Budamagunta V, Sobh A, Tagmount A, Loguinov A, Riner AN, Akki AS, Williamson E, Hromas R, Vulpe CD, Zheng G, Trevino JG, Zhou D. Overcoming Gemcitabine Resistance in Pancreatic Cancer Using the BCL-X L-Specific Degrader DT2216. Mol Cancer Ther 2022; 21:184-192. [PMID: 34667112 PMCID: PMC8742767 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-21-0474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2021] [Revised: 08/16/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer is the third most common cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Although gemcitabine is the standard of care for most patients with pancreatic cancer, its efficacy is limited by the development of resistance. This resistance may be attributable to the evasion of apoptosis caused by the overexpression of BCL-2 family antiapoptotic proteins. In this study, we investigated the role of BCL-XL in gemcitabine resistance to identify a combination therapy to more effectively treat pancreatic cancer. We used CRISPR-Cas9 screening to identify the key genes involved in gemcitabine resistance in pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer cell dependencies on different BCL-2 family proteins and the efficacy of the combination of gemcitabine and DT2216 (a BCL-XL proteolysis targeting chimera or PROTAC) were determined by MTS, Annexin-V/PI, colony formation, and 3D tumor spheroid assays. The therapeutic efficacy of the combination was investigated in several patient-derived xenograft (PDX) mouse models of pancreatic cancer. We identified BCL-XL as a key mediator of gemcitabine resistance. The combination of gemcitabine and DT2216 synergistically induced cell death in multiple pancreatic cancer cell lines in vitro In vivo, the combination significantly inhibited tumor growth and prolonged the survival of tumor-bearing mice compared with the individual agents in pancreatic cancer PDX models. Their synergistic antitumor activity is attributable to DT2216-induced degradation of BCL-XL and concomitant suppression of MCL-1 by gemcitabine. Our results suggest that DT2216-mediated BCL-XL degradation augments the antitumor activity of gemcitabine and their combination could be more effective for pancreatic cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dinesh Thummuri
- Department of Pharmacodynamics, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Sajid Khan
- Department of Pharmacodynamics, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Patrick W Underwood
- Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Peiyi Zhang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Janet Wiegand
- Department of Pharmacodynamics, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Xuan Zhang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Vivekananda Budamagunta
- Department of Pharmacodynamics, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Amin Sobh
- Department of Physiological Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Abderrahmane Tagmount
- Department of Physiological Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Alexander Loguinov
- Department of Physiological Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Andrea N Riner
- Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Ashwin S Akki
- Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Elizabeth Williamson
- Department of Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
| | - Robert Hromas
- Department of Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
| | - Christopher D Vulpe
- Department of Physiological Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Guangrong Zheng
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Jose G Trevino
- Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
- Division of Surgical Oncology, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia
| | - Daohong Zhou
- Department of Pharmacodynamics, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.
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42
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Hidalgo D, Bejder J, Pop R, Gellatly K, Hwang Y, Maxwell Scalf S, Eastman AE, Chen JJ, Zhu LJ, Heuberger JAAC, Guo S, Koury MJ, Nordsborg NB, Socolovsky M. EpoR stimulates rapid cycling and larger red cells during mouse and human erythropoiesis. Nat Commun 2021; 12:7334. [PMID: 34921133 PMCID: PMC8683474 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27562-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2020] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The erythroid terminal differentiation program couples sequential cell divisions with progressive reductions in cell size. The erythropoietin receptor (EpoR) is essential for erythroblast survival, but its other functions are not well characterized. Here we use Epor-/- mouse erythroblasts endowed with survival signaling to identify novel non-redundant EpoR functions. We find that, paradoxically, EpoR signaling increases red cell size while also increasing the number and speed of erythroblast cell cycles. EpoR-regulation of cell size is independent of established red cell size regulation by iron. High erythropoietin (Epo) increases red cell size in wild-type mice and in human volunteers. The increase in mean corpuscular volume (MCV) outlasts the duration of Epo treatment and is not the result of increased reticulocyte number. Our work shows that EpoR signaling alters the relationship between cycling and cell size. Further, diagnostic interpretations of increased MCV should now include high Epo levels and hypoxic stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Hidalgo
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Jacob Bejder
- Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ramona Pop
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
- Harvard Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Kyle Gellatly
- Program in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Yung Hwang
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - S Maxwell Scalf
- Department of Cell Biology and Yale Stem Cell Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Anna E Eastman
- Department of Cell Biology and Yale Stem Cell Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Jane-Jane Chen
- Institute for Medical Engineering & Science, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Lihua Julie Zhu
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
- Program in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | | | - Shangqin Guo
- Department of Cell Biology and Yale Stem Cell Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Mark J Koury
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | | | - Merav Socolovsky
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA.
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Li T, Zhao G, Zhang T, Zhang Z, Chen X, Song J, Wang X, Li J, Huang L, Wen L, Li C, Zhao D, He X, Bu Z, Zheng J, Weng C. African Swine Fever Virus pE199L Induces Mitochondrial-Dependent Apoptosis. Viruses 2021; 13:2240. [PMID: 34835046 PMCID: PMC8617669 DOI: 10.3390/v13112240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [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: 09/14/2021] [Revised: 10/31/2021] [Accepted: 11/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
African swine fever (ASF) is a severe hemorrhagic disease in swine characterized by massive lymphocyte depletion and cell death, with apoptosis and necrosis in infected lymphoid tissues. However, the molecular mechanism regarding ASFV-induced cell death remains largely unknown. In this study, 94 ASFV-encoded proteins were screened to determine the viral proteins involved in cell death in vitro, and pE199L showed the most significant effect. Ectopic expression of pE199L in porcine cells (CRL-2843) and human cells (HEK293T and HeLa cells) induced cell death remarkably, showing obvious shrinking, blistering, apoptotic bodies, and nuclear DNA fragments. Meanwhile, cell death was markedly alleviated when the expression of pE199L was knocked down during ASFV infection. Additionally, the expression of pE199L caused a loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, release of cytochrome C, and caspase-9 and -3/7 activation, indicating that the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway was involved in pE199L-induced apoptosis. Further investigations showed that pE199L interacted with several anti-apoptotic BCL-2 subfamily members (such as BCL-XL, MCL-1, BCL-W, and BCL-2A1) and competed with BAK for BCL-XL, which promoted BAK and BAX activation. Taken together, ASFV pE199L induces the mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis, which may provide clues for a comprehensive understanding of ASFV pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Jun Zheng
- Division of Fundamental Immunology, National African Swine Fever Para-Reference Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Harbin 150069, China; (T.L.); (G.Z.); (T.Z.); (Z.Z.); (X.C.); (J.S.); (X.W.); (J.L.); (L.H.); (L.W.); (C.L.); (D.Z.); (X.H.); (Z.B.)
| | - Changjiang Weng
- Division of Fundamental Immunology, National African Swine Fever Para-Reference Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Harbin 150069, China; (T.L.); (G.Z.); (T.Z.); (Z.Z.); (X.C.); (J.S.); (X.W.); (J.L.); (L.H.); (L.W.); (C.L.); (D.Z.); (X.H.); (Z.B.)
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44
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Li Y, Fan Y, Zhou Y, Jiang N, Xue M, Meng Y, Liu W, Zhang J, Lin G, Zeng L. Bcl-xL Reduces Chinese Giant Salamander Iridovirus-Induced Mitochondrial Apoptosis by Interacting with Bak and Inhibiting the p53 Pathway. Viruses 2021; 13:v13112224. [PMID: 34835028 PMCID: PMC8622046 DOI: 10.3390/v13112224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Revised: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Chinese giant salamander iridovirus (GSIV) infection could lead to mitochondrial apoptosis in this animal, a process that involves B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2) superfamily molecules. The mRNA expression level of Bcl-xL, a crucial antiapoptotic molecule in the BCL-2 family, was reduced in early infection and increased in late infection. However, the molecular mechanism remains unknown. In this study, the function and regulatory mechanisms of Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus) Bcl-xL (AdBcl-xL) during GSIV infection were investigated. Western blotting assays revealed that the level of Bcl-xL protein was downregulated markedly as the infection progressed. Plasmids expressing AdBcl-xL or AdBcl-xL short interfering RNAs were separately constructed and transfected into Chinese giant salamander muscle cells. Confocal microscopy showed that overexpressed AdBcl-xL was translocated to the mitochondria after infection with GSIV. Additionally, flow cytometry analysis demonstrated that apoptotic progress was reduced in both AdBcl-xL-overexpressing cells compared with those in the control, while apoptotic progress was enhanced in cells silenced for AdBcl-xL. A lower number of copies of virus major capsid protein genes and a reduced protein synthesis were confirmed in AdBcl-xL-overexpressing cells. Moreover, AdBcl-xL could bind directly to the proapoptotic molecule AdBak with or without GSIV infection. In addition, the p53 level was inhibited and the mRNA expression levels of crucial regulatory molecules in the p53 pathway were regulated in AdBcl-xL-overexpressing cells during GSIV infection. These results suggest that AdBcl-xL plays negative roles in GSIV-induced mitochondrial apoptosis and virus replication by binding to AdBak and inhibiting p53 activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiqun Li
- Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Wuhan 430223, China; (Y.L.); (Y.F.); (Y.Z.); (N.J.); (M.X.); (Y.M.); (W.L.); (J.Z.); (G.L.)
| | - Yuding Fan
- Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Wuhan 430223, China; (Y.L.); (Y.F.); (Y.Z.); (N.J.); (M.X.); (Y.M.); (W.L.); (J.Z.); (G.L.)
| | - Yong Zhou
- Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Wuhan 430223, China; (Y.L.); (Y.F.); (Y.Z.); (N.J.); (M.X.); (Y.M.); (W.L.); (J.Z.); (G.L.)
| | - Nan Jiang
- Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Wuhan 430223, China; (Y.L.); (Y.F.); (Y.Z.); (N.J.); (M.X.); (Y.M.); (W.L.); (J.Z.); (G.L.)
| | - Mingyang Xue
- Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Wuhan 430223, China; (Y.L.); (Y.F.); (Y.Z.); (N.J.); (M.X.); (Y.M.); (W.L.); (J.Z.); (G.L.)
| | - Yan Meng
- Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Wuhan 430223, China; (Y.L.); (Y.F.); (Y.Z.); (N.J.); (M.X.); (Y.M.); (W.L.); (J.Z.); (G.L.)
| | - Wenzhi Liu
- Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Wuhan 430223, China; (Y.L.); (Y.F.); (Y.Z.); (N.J.); (M.X.); (Y.M.); (W.L.); (J.Z.); (G.L.)
| | - Jingjing Zhang
- Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Wuhan 430223, China; (Y.L.); (Y.F.); (Y.Z.); (N.J.); (M.X.); (Y.M.); (W.L.); (J.Z.); (G.L.)
- National Demonstration Center for Experimental Fisheries Science Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China
| | - Ge Lin
- Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Wuhan 430223, China; (Y.L.); (Y.F.); (Y.Z.); (N.J.); (M.X.); (Y.M.); (W.L.); (J.Z.); (G.L.)
| | - Lingbing Zeng
- Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Wuhan 430223, China; (Y.L.); (Y.F.); (Y.Z.); (N.J.); (M.X.); (Y.M.); (W.L.); (J.Z.); (G.L.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +86-027-81785190
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45
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Candadai AA, Liu F, Verma A, Adil MS, Alfarhan M, Fagan SC, Somanath PR, Narayanan SP. Neuroprotective Effects of Fingolimod in a Cellular Model of Optic Neuritis. Cells 2021; 10:cells10112938. [PMID: 34831161 PMCID: PMC8616192 DOI: 10.3390/cells10112938] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2021] [Revised: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Visual dysfunction resulting from optic neuritis (ON) is one of the most common clinical manifestations of multiple sclerosis (MS), characterized by loss of retinal ganglion cells, thinning of the nerve fiber layer, and inflammation to the optic nerve. Current treatments available for ON or MS are only partially effective, specifically target the inflammatory phase, and have limited effects on long-term disability. Fingolimod (FTY) is an FDA-approved immunomodulatory agent for MS therapy. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the neuroprotective properties of FTY in the cellular model of ON-associated neuronal damage. R28 retinal neuronal cell damage was induced through treatment with tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα). In our cell viability analysis, FTY treatment showed significantly reduced TNFα-induced neuronal death. Treatment with FTY attenuated the TNFα-induced changes in cell survival and cell stress signaling molecules. Furthermore, immunofluorescence studies performed using various markers indicated that FTY treatment protects the R28 cells against the TNFα-induced neurodegenerative changes by suppressing reactive oxygen species generation and promoting the expression of neuronal markers. In conclusion, our study suggests neuroprotective effects of FTY in an in vitro model of optic neuritis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amritha A. Candadai
- Clinical and Experimental Therapeutics Program, College of Pharmacy, University of Georgia, Augusta, GA 30912, USA; (A.A.C.); (F.L.); (A.V.); (M.S.A.); (M.A.); (S.C.F.); (P.R.S.)
- Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
- Culver Vision Discovery Institute, Augusta University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
| | - Fang Liu
- Clinical and Experimental Therapeutics Program, College of Pharmacy, University of Georgia, Augusta, GA 30912, USA; (A.A.C.); (F.L.); (A.V.); (M.S.A.); (M.A.); (S.C.F.); (P.R.S.)
- Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
- Culver Vision Discovery Institute, Augusta University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
| | - Arti Verma
- Clinical and Experimental Therapeutics Program, College of Pharmacy, University of Georgia, Augusta, GA 30912, USA; (A.A.C.); (F.L.); (A.V.); (M.S.A.); (M.A.); (S.C.F.); (P.R.S.)
- Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
| | - Mir S. Adil
- Clinical and Experimental Therapeutics Program, College of Pharmacy, University of Georgia, Augusta, GA 30912, USA; (A.A.C.); (F.L.); (A.V.); (M.S.A.); (M.A.); (S.C.F.); (P.R.S.)
- Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
| | - Moaddey Alfarhan
- Clinical and Experimental Therapeutics Program, College of Pharmacy, University of Georgia, Augusta, GA 30912, USA; (A.A.C.); (F.L.); (A.V.); (M.S.A.); (M.A.); (S.C.F.); (P.R.S.)
- Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
- Culver Vision Discovery Institute, Augusta University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
| | - Susan C. Fagan
- Clinical and Experimental Therapeutics Program, College of Pharmacy, University of Georgia, Augusta, GA 30912, USA; (A.A.C.); (F.L.); (A.V.); (M.S.A.); (M.A.); (S.C.F.); (P.R.S.)
- Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
| | - Payaningal R. Somanath
- Clinical and Experimental Therapeutics Program, College of Pharmacy, University of Georgia, Augusta, GA 30912, USA; (A.A.C.); (F.L.); (A.V.); (M.S.A.); (M.A.); (S.C.F.); (P.R.S.)
- Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
| | - S. Priya Narayanan
- Clinical and Experimental Therapeutics Program, College of Pharmacy, University of Georgia, Augusta, GA 30912, USA; (A.A.C.); (F.L.); (A.V.); (M.S.A.); (M.A.); (S.C.F.); (P.R.S.)
- Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
- Culver Vision Discovery Institute, Augusta University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
- Correspondence:
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Khan A, Ahsan O, Wei DQ, Ansari JK, Najmi MH, Muhammad K, Waheed Y. Computational Evaluation of Abrogation of HBx-Bcl-xL Complex with High-Affinity Carbon Nanotubes (Fullerene) to Halt the Hepatitis B Virus Replication. Molecules 2021; 26:6433. [PMID: 34770842 PMCID: PMC8587554 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26216433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [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: 09/19/2021] [Revised: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is the world's most prevalent chronic viral infection. More than 350 million individuals are chronic carriers of the virus, with an estimated 2 billion infected persons. For instance, the role of HBx protein in attachment and infection is very obvious and consequently deemed as an important druggable target. Targeting the interface and discovering novel drugs greatly advanced the field of therapeutics development. Therefore, in the current study, HBx to Bcl-xL is abrogated on high-affinity carbon nanotubes using computational structural biology tools. Our analysis revealed that among the total 62 carbon fullerenes, only 13 compounds exhibited inhibitory activity against HBx, which was further confirmed through IFD-based rescoring. Structural dynamics investigation revealed stable binding, compactness, and hydrogen bonds reprogramming. Moreover, the binding free energy calculation results revealed that the top hits1-4 possess the total binding energy of -54.36 kcal/mol (hit1), -50.81 kcal/mol (hit2), -47.09 kcal/mol (hit3), and -45.59 kcal/mol for hit4. In addition, the predicted KD values and bioactivity scores further validated the inhibitory potential of these top hits. The identified compounds need further in vitro and in vivo validation to aid the treatment process of HBV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abbas Khan
- Foundation University Medical College, Foundation University Islamabad, DHA-I, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan; (A.K.); (O.A.); (J.K.A.); (M.H.N.)
| | - Omar Ahsan
- Foundation University Medical College, Foundation University Islamabad, DHA-I, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan; (A.K.); (O.A.); (J.K.A.); (M.H.N.)
| | - Dong-Qing Wei
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biological Statistics, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China;
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Shanghai-Islamabad-Belgrade Joint Innovation Centre on Antibacterial Resistances, Joint Laboratory of International Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences, Ministry of Education and School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030, China
- Peng Cheng Laboratory, Vanke Cloud City Phase I Building 8, Xili Street, Nashan District, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Jawad Khaliq Ansari
- Foundation University Medical College, Foundation University Islamabad, DHA-I, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan; (A.K.); (O.A.); (J.K.A.); (M.H.N.)
| | - Muzammil Hasan Najmi
- Foundation University Medical College, Foundation University Islamabad, DHA-I, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan; (A.K.); (O.A.); (J.K.A.); (M.H.N.)
| | - Khalid Muhammad
- Department of Biology, College of Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain 15551, United Arab Emirates
| | - Yasir Waheed
- Foundation University Medical College, Foundation University Islamabad, DHA-I, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan; (A.K.); (O.A.); (J.K.A.); (M.H.N.)
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Sperl LE, Rührnößl F, Schiller A, Haslbeck M, Hagn F. High-resolution analysis of the conformational transition of pro-apoptotic Bak at the lipid membrane. EMBO J 2021; 40:e107159. [PMID: 34523144 PMCID: PMC8521305 DOI: 10.15252/embj.2020107159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Revised: 08/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Permeabilization of the outer mitochondrial membrane by pore-forming Bcl2 proteins is a crucial step for the induction of apoptosis. Despite a large set of data suggesting global conformational changes within pro-apoptotic Bak during pore formation, high-resolution structural details in a membrane environment remain sparse. Here, we used NMR and HDX-MS (Hydrogen deuterium exchange mass spectrometry) in lipid nanodiscs to gain important high-resolution structural insights into the conformational changes of Bak at the membrane that are dependent on a direct activation by BH3-only proteins. Furthermore, we determined the first high-resolution structure of the Bak transmembrane helix. Upon activation, α-helix 1 in the soluble domain of Bak dissociates from the protein and adopts an unfolded and dynamic potentially membrane-bound state. In line with this finding, comparative protein folding experiments with Bak and anti-apoptotic BclxL suggest that α-helix 1 in Bak is a metastable structural element contributing to its pro-apoptotic features. Consequently, mutagenesis experiments aimed at stabilizing α-helix 1 yielded Bak variants with delayed pore-forming activity. These insights will contribute to a better mechanistic understanding of Bak-mediated membrane permeabilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura E Sperl
- Bavarian NMR Center at the Department of ChemistryTechnical University of MunichGarchingGermany
- Institute of Structural BiologyHelmholtz Zentrum MünchenNeuherbergGermany
| | - Florian Rührnößl
- Center for Functional Protein Assemblies and Department of ChemistryTechnical University of MunichGarchingGermany
| | - Anita Schiller
- Bavarian NMR Center at the Department of ChemistryTechnical University of MunichGarchingGermany
- Institute of Structural BiologyHelmholtz Zentrum MünchenNeuherbergGermany
| | - Martin Haslbeck
- Center for Functional Protein Assemblies and Department of ChemistryTechnical University of MunichGarchingGermany
| | - Franz Hagn
- Bavarian NMR Center at the Department of ChemistryTechnical University of MunichGarchingGermany
- Institute of Structural BiologyHelmholtz Zentrum MünchenNeuherbergGermany
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Castellanet O, Ahmad F, Vinik Y, Mills GB, Habermann B, Borg JP, Lev S, Lamballe F, Maina F. BCL-XL blockage in TNBC models confers vulnerability to inhibition of specific cell cycle regulators. Theranostics 2021; 11:9180-9197. [PMID: 34646365 PMCID: PMC8490507 DOI: 10.7150/thno.60503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell cycle regulators are frequently altered in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC). Emerging agents targeting these signals offer the possibility to design new combinatorial therapies. However, preclinical models that recapitulate TNBC primary resistance and heterogeneity are essential to evaluate the potency of these combined treatments. Methods: Bioinformatic processing of human breast cancer datasets was used to analyse correlations between expression levels of cell cycle regulators and patient survival outcome. The MMTV-R26Met mouse model of TNBC resistance and heterogeneity was employed to analyse expression and targeting vulnerability of cell cycle regulators in the presence of BCL-XL blockage. Robustness of outcomes and selectivity was further explored using a panel of human breast cancer cells. Orthotopic studies in nude mice were applied for preclinical evaluation of efficacy and toxicity. Alterations of protein expression, phosphorylation, and/or cellular localisation were analysed by western blots, reverse phase protein array, and immunocytochemistry. Bioinformatics was performed to highlight drug's mechanisms of action. Results: We report that high expression levels of the BCL2L1 gene encoding BCL-XL and of specific cell cycle regulators correlate with poor survival outcomes of TNBC patients. Blockage of BCL-XL confers vulnerability to drugs targeting CDK1/2/4, but not FOXM1, CDK4/6, Aurora A and Aurora B, to all MMTV-R26Met and human TNBC cell lines tested. Combined blockage of BCL-XL and CDK1/2/4 interfered with tumour growth in vivo. Mechanistically, we show that, co-targeting of BCL-XL and CDK1/2/4 synergistically inhibited cell viability by combinatorial depletion of survival and RTK/AKT signals, and concomitantly restoring FOXO3a tumour suppression actions. This was accompanied by an accumulation of DNA damage and consequently apoptosis. Conclusions: Our studies illustrate the possibility to exploit the vulnerability of TNBC cells to CDK1/2/4 inhibition by targeting BCL-XL. Moreover, they underline that specificity matters in targeting cell cycle regulators for combinatorial anticancer therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Castellanet
- Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, Developmental Biology Institute of Marseille (IBDM), Turing Center for Living Systems, Parc Scientifique de Luminy, Marseille (France)
| | - Fahmida Ahmad
- Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, Developmental Biology Institute of Marseille (IBDM), Turing Center for Living Systems, Parc Scientifique de Luminy, Marseille (France)
| | - Yaron Vinik
- Weizmann Institute of Science, Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Rehovot (Israel)
| | | | - Bianca Habermann
- Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, Developmental Biology Institute of Marseille (IBDM), Turing Center for Living Systems, Parc Scientifique de Luminy, Marseille (France)
| | - Jean-Paul Borg
- Aix Marseille Univ, Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Marseille (CRCM), Equipe labellisée Ligue 'Cell polarity, cell signaling and cancer', Inserm, CNRS, Institut Paoli-Calmettes, Marseille (France)
- Institut Universitaire de France (IUF)
| | - Sima Lev
- Weizmann Institute of Science, Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Rehovot (Israel)
| | - Fabienne Lamballe
- Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, Developmental Biology Institute of Marseille (IBDM), Turing Center for Living Systems, Parc Scientifique de Luminy, Marseille (France)
| | - Flavio Maina
- Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, Developmental Biology Institute of Marseille (IBDM), Turing Center for Living Systems, Parc Scientifique de Luminy, Marseille (France)
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Bernhem K, Fontana JM, Svensson D, Zhang L, Nilsson LM, Scott L, Blom H, Brismar H, Aperia A. Super-resolution microscopy reveals that Na +/K +-ATPase signaling protects against glucose-induced apoptosis by deactivating Bad. Cell Death Dis 2021; 12:739. [PMID: 34315852 PMCID: PMC8316575 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-021-04025-8] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2020] [Revised: 07/14/2021] [Accepted: 07/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Activation of the apoptotic pathway is a major cause of progressive loss of function in chronic diseases such as neurodegenerative and diabetic kidney diseases. There is an unmet need for an anti-apoptotic drug that acts in the early stage of the apoptotic process. The multifunctional protein Na+,K+-ATPase has, in addition to its role as a transporter, a signaling function that is activated by its ligand, the cardiotonic steroid ouabain. Several lines of evidence suggest that sub-saturating concentrations of ouabain protect against apoptosis of renal epithelial cells, a common complication and major cause of death in diabetic patients. Here, we induced apoptosis in primary rat renal epithelial cells by exposing them to an elevated glucose concentration (20 mM) and visualized the early steps in the apoptotic process using super-resolution microscopy. Treatment with 10 nM ouabain interfered with the onset of the apoptotic process by inhibiting the activation of the BH3-only protein Bad and its translocation to mitochondria. This occurred before the pro-apoptotic protein Bax had been recruited to mitochondria. Two ouabain regulated and Akt activating Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinases were found to play an essential role in the ouabain anti-apoptotic effect. Our results set the stage for further exploration of ouabain as an anti-apoptotic drug in diabetic kidney disease as well as in other chronic diseases associated with excessive apoptosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristoffer Bernhem
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Applied Physics, Royal Institute of Technology, Solna, Sweden
| | - Jacopo M Fontana
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Applied Physics, Royal Institute of Technology, Solna, Sweden
| | - Daniel Svensson
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Liang Zhang
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Linnéa M Nilsson
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Applied Physics, Royal Institute of Technology, Solna, Sweden
| | - Lena Scott
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Hans Blom
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Applied Physics, Royal Institute of Technology, Solna, Sweden
| | - Hjalmar Brismar
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Applied Physics, Royal Institute of Technology, Solna, Sweden.
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden.
| | - Anita Aperia
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
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50
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Ritter V, Krautter F, Klein D, Jendrossek V, Rudner J. Bcl-2/Bcl-xL inhibitor ABT-263 overcomes hypoxia-driven radioresistence and improves radiotherapy. Cell Death Dis 2021; 12:694. [PMID: 34257274 PMCID: PMC8277842 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-021-03971-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Revised: 06/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Hypoxia, a characteristic of most human solid tumors, is a major obstacle to successful radiotherapy. While moderate acute hypoxia increases cell survival, chronic cycling hypoxia triggers adaptation processes, leading to the clonal selection of hypoxia-tolerant, apoptosis-resistant cancer cells. Our results demonstrate that exposure to acute and adaptation to chronic cycling hypoxia alters the balance of Bcl-2 family proteins in favor of anti-apoptotic family members, thereby elevating the apoptotic threshold and attenuating the success of radiotherapy. Of note, inhibition of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL by BH3-mimetic ABT-263 enhanced the sensitivity of HCT116 colon cancer and NCI-H460 lung cancer cells to the cytotoxic action of ionizing radiation. Importantly, we observed this effect not only in normoxia, but also in severe hypoxia to a similar or even higher extent. ABT-263 furthermore enhanced the response of xenograft tumors of control and hypoxia-selected NCI-H460 cells to radiotherapy, thereby confirming the beneficial effect of combined treatment in vivo. Targeting the Bcl-2 rheostat with ABT-263, therefore, is a particularly promising approach to overcome radioresistance of cancer cells exposed to acute or chronic hypoxia with intermittent reoxygenation. Moreover, we found intrinsic as well as ABT-263- and irradiation-induced regulation of Bcl-2 family members to determine therapy sensitivity. In this context, we identified Mcl-1 as a resistance factor that interfered with apoptosis induction by ABT-263, ionizing radiation, and combinatorial treatment. Collectively, our findings provide novel insights into the molecular determinants of hypoxia-mediated resistance to apoptosis and radiotherapy and a rationale for future therapies of hypoxic and hypoxia-selected tumor cell fractions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Violetta Ritter
- Institute for Cell Biology (Cancer Research), University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Franziska Krautter
- Institute for Cell Biology (Cancer Research), University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Diana Klein
- Institute for Cell Biology (Cancer Research), University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Verena Jendrossek
- Institute for Cell Biology (Cancer Research), University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Justine Rudner
- Institute for Cell Biology (Cancer Research), University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
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