Targeting Sphingolipids for Cancer Therapy

Cancer; Sphingolipids; TherapyCáncer; Esfingolípidos; TerapiaCàncer; Esfingolípids; TeràpiaSphingolipids are an extensive class of lipids with different functions in the cell, ranging from proliferation to cell death. Sphingolipids are modified in multiple cancers and are responsible for tumor proliferation, progression, and metastasis. Several inhibitors or activators of sphingolipid signaling, such as fenretinide, safingol, ABC294640, ceramide nanoliposomes (CNLs), SKI-II, α-galactosylceramide, fingolimod, and sonepcizumab, have been described. The objective of this review was to analyze the results from preclinical and clinical trials of these drugs for the treatment of cancer. Sphingolipid-targeting drugs have been tested alone or in combination with chemotherapy, exhibiting antitumor activity alone and in synergism with chemotherapy in vitro and in vivo. As a consequence of treatments, the most frequent mechanism of cell death is apoptosis, followed by autophagy. Aslthough all these drugs have produced good results in preclinical studies of multiple cancers, the outcomes of clinical trials have not been similar. The most effective drugs are fenretinide and α-galactosylceramide (α-GalCer). In contrast, minor adverse effects restricted to a few subjects and hepatic toxicity have been observed in clinical trials of ABC294640 and safingol, respectively. In the case of CNLs, SKI-II, fingolimod and sonepcizumab there are some limitations and absence of enough clinical studies to demonstrate a benefit. The effectiveness or lack of a major therapeutic effect of sphingolipid modulation by some drugs as a cancer therapy and other aspects related to their mechanism of action are discussed in this review.This work was supported by grants from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII; PI20/00556 and CP03/00101 [ML]) and CIBERONC (ML). This work was also co-financed by the European Regional Fund (ERDF) and AECC (Spanish Association of Cancer Research) (Founding Ref. GC16173720CARR [ML]). YG-M and CM were supported by the VHIR and iP-FIS (ISCIII) fellowships, respectively

Senescence induction; a possible cancer therapy

Cellular immortalization is a crucial step during the development of human cancer. Primary mammalian cells reach replicative exhaustion after several passages in vitro, a process called replicative senescence. During such a state of permanent growth arrest, senescent cells are refractory to physiological proliferation stimuli: they have altered cell morphology and gene expression patterns, although they remain viable with preserved metabolic activity. Interestingly, senescent cells have also been detected in vivo in human tumors, particularly in benign lesions. Senescence is a mechanism that limits cellular lifespan and constitutes a barrier against cellular immortalization. During immortalization, cells acquire genetic alterations that override senescence. Tumor suppressor genes and oncogenes are closely involved in senescence, as their knockdown and ectopic expression confer immortality and senescence induction, respectively. By using high throughput genetic screening to search for genes involved in senescence, several candidate oncogenes and putative tumor suppressor genes have been recently isolated, including subtypes of micro-RNAs. These findings offer new perspectives in the modulation of senescence and open new approaches for cancer therapy

Bypassing Mechanisms of Mitochondria-Mediated Cancer Stem Cells Resistance to Chemo- and Radiotherapy

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are highly resistant to conventional chemo- and radiotherapeutic regimes. Therefore, the multiple drug resistance (MDR) of cancer is most likely due to the resistance of CSCs. Such resistance can be attributed to some bypassing pathways including detoxification mechanisms of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RO/NS) formation or enhanced autophagy. Unlike in normal cells, where RO/NS concentration is maintained at certain threshold required for signal transduction or immune response mechanisms, CSCs may develop alternative pathways to diminish RO/NS levels leading to cancer survival. In this minireview, we will focus on elaborated mechanisms developed by CSCs to attenuate high RO/NS levels. Gaining a better insight into the mechanisms of stem cell resistance to chemo- or radiotherapy may lead to new therapeutic targets thus serving for better anticancer strategies

Cancer, Senescence, and Aging: Translation from Basic Research to Clinics

2 páginas.Unravelling the molecular basis of malignancy is a challenging process of great priority, as cancer rates are increasing worldwide and because certain cancer types are still incurable. The urgent need for novel treatment modalities based upon recent discoveries at the genetic and epigenetic level necessitates a strong collaboration between researchers and clinicians to work toward a common aim: the control of the carcinogenic process in order to ultimately achieve a 100% cure rate.Peer reviewe

Prostate tumor overexpressed-1 (PTOV1) promotes docetaxel- resistance and survival of castration resistant prostate cancer cells

Metastatic prostate cancer is presently incurable. The oncogenic protein PTOV1, first described in prostate cancer, was reported as overexpressed and significantly correlated with poor survival in numerous tumors. Here, we investigated the role of PTOV1 in prostate cancer survival to docetaxel and self-renewal ability. Transduction of PTOV1 in docetaxel-sensitive Du145 and PC3 cells significantly increased cell survival after docetaxel exposure and induced docetaxel-resistance genes expression (ABCB1, CCNG2 and TUBB2B). In addition, PTOV1 induced prostatospheres formation and self-renewal genes expression (ALDH1A1, LIN28A, MYC and NANOG). In contrast, Du145 and PC3 cells knockdown for PTOV1 significantly accumulated in the G2/M phase, presented a concomitant increased subG1 peak, and cell death by apoptosis. These effects were enhanced in docetaxel-resistant cells. Analyses of tumor datasets show that PTOV1 expression significantly correlated with prostate tumor grade, drug resistance (CCNG2) and self-renewal (ALDH1A1, MYC) markers. These genes are concurrently overexpressed in most metastatic lesions. Metastases also show PTOV1 genomic amplification in significant co-occurrence with docetaxel-resistance and self-renewal genes. Our findings identify PTOV1 as a promoter of docetaxel-resistance and self-renewal characteristics for castration resistant prostate cancer. The concomitant increased expression of PTOV1, ALDH1A1 and CCNG2 in primary tumors, may predict metastasis and bad prognosis

MAP17 and SGLT1 Protein Expression Levels as Prognostic Markers for Cervical Tumor Patient Survival

MAP17 is a membrane-associated protein that is overexpressed in human tumors. Because the expression of MAP17 increases reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation through SGLT1 in cancer cells, in the present work, we investigated whether MAP17 and/or SGLT1 might be markers for the activity of treatments involving oxidative stress, such as cisplatin or radiotherapy. First, we confirmed transcriptional alterations in genes involved in the oxidative stress induced by MAP17 expression in HeLa cervical tumor cells and found that Hela cells expressing MAP17 were more sensitive to therapies that induce ROS than were parental cells. Furthermore, MAP17 increased glucose uptake through SGLT receptors. We then analyzed MAP17 and SGLT1 expression levels in cervical tumors treated with cisplatin plus radiotherapy and correlated the expression levels with patient survival. MAP17 and SGLT1 were expressed in approximately 70% and 50% of cervical tumors of different types, respectively, but they were not expressed in adenoma tumors. Furthermore, there was a significant correlation between MAP17 and SGLT1 expression levels. High levels of either MAP17 or SGLT1 correlated with improved patient survival after treatment. However, the patients with high levels of both MAP17 and SGLT1 survived through the end of this study. Therefore, the combination of high MAP17 and SGLT1 levels is a marker for good prognosis in patients with cervical tumors after cisplatin plus radiotherapy treatment. These results also suggest that the use of MAP17 and SGLT1 markers may identify patients who are likely to exhibit a better response to treatments that boost oxidative stress in other cancer types. © 2013 Perez et al.This work was supported by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and FEDER funds (SAF2009-08605), Consejeria de Ciencia e Innovacion and Consejeria de Salud of the Junta de Andalucia (CTS-6844 and PI-0142) and FIS (PI12/00137). AC’s laboratory is also funded by a fellowship from the Fundacion Oncologica FERO, supported by Fundació Josep Botet.Peer Reviewe

Senescence-inducing stress promotes proteolysis of phosphoglycerate mutase via ubiquitin ligase Mdm2.

細胞老化から癌化への変換のカギとなる解糖系制御機構解明に成功 -代謝を標的とした新しい抗がん剤開発に期待-. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2014-02-24.Despite the well-documented clinical significance of the Warburg effect, it remains unclear how the aggressive glycolytic rates of tumor cells might contribute to other hallmarks of cancer, such as bypass of senescence. Here, we report that, during oncogene- or DNA damage-induced senescence, Pak1-mediated phosphorylation of phosphoglycerate mutase (PGAM) predisposes the glycolytic enzyme to ubiquitin-mediated degradation. We identify Mdm2 as a direct binding partner and ubiquitin ligase for PGAM in cultured cells and in vitro. Mutations in PGAM and Mdm2 that abrogate ubiquitination of PGAM restored the proliferative potential of primary cells under stress conditions and promoted neoplastic transformation. We propose that Mdm2, a downstream effector of p53, attenuates the Warburg effect via ubiquitination and degradation of PGAM

TSPAN1 : a Novel Protein Involved in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Chemoresistance

Altres ajuts: This work was supported by grants from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Ayudas a Grupos PCTI Principado de Asturias (IDI2018/155 to J.P.R.), co-financed by the European Regional Fund (ERDF) and AECC (Spanish Association of Cancer Research) Founding Ref. GC16173720CARR (M.E.L.). Y.G.-M. and C.M. were granted by the VHIR and iP-FIS (ISCIII) fellowships respectively.Sensitization of resistant cells and cancer stem cells (CSCs) represents a major challenge in cancer therapy. A proteomic study revealed tetraspanin-1 (TSPAN1) as a protein involved in acquisition of cisplatin (CDDP) resistance (Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD020159). TSPAN1 was found to increase in CDDP-resistant cells, CSCs and biopsies from head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients. TSPAN1 depletion in parental and CDDP-resistant HNSCC cells reduced cell proliferation, induced apoptosis, decreased autophagy, sensitized to chemotherapeutic agents and inhibited several signaling cascades, with phospho-SRC inhibition being a major common target. Moreover, TSPAN1 depletion in vivo decreased the size and proliferation of parental and CDDP-resistant tumors and reduced metastatic spreading. Notably, CDDP-resistant tumors showed epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) features that disappeared upon TSPAN1 inhibition, suggesting a link of TSPAN1 with EMT and metastasis. Immunohistochemical analysis of HNSCC specimens further revealed that TSPAN1 expression was correlated with phospho-SRC (pSRC), and inversely with E-cadherin, thus reinforcing TSPAN1 association with EMT. Overall, TSPAN1 emerges as a novel oncogenic protein and a promising target for HNSCC therapy

miR-125b Acts as a Tumor Suppressor in Breast Tumorigenesis via Its Novel Direct Targets ENPEP, CK2-α, CCNJ, and MEGF9

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in diverse biological processes and are emerging as key regulators of tumorigenesis and tumor progression. To explore the dysregulation of miRNAs in breast cancer, a genome-wide expression profiling of 939 miRNAs was performed in 50 breast cancer patients. A total of 35 miRNAs were aberrantly expressed between breast cancer tissue and adjacent normal breast tissue and several novel miRNAs were identified as potential oncogenes or tumor suppressor miRNAs in breast tumorigenesis. miR-125b exhibited the largest decrease in expression. Enforced miR-125b expression in mammary cells decreased cell proliferation by inducing G2/M cell cycle arrest and reduced anchorage-independent cell growth of cells of mammary origin. miR-125b was found to perform its tumor suppressor function via the direct targeting of the 3'-UTRs of ENPEP, CK2-alpha, CCNJ, and MEGF9 mRNAs. Silencing these miR-125b targets mimicked the biological effects of miR-125b overexpression, confirming that they are modulated by miR-125b. Analysis of ENPEP, CK2-alpha, CCNJ, and MEGF9 protein expression in breast cancer patients revealed that they were overexpressed in 56%, 40-56%, 20%, and 32% of the tumors, respectively. The expression of ENPEP and CK2-alpha was inversely correlated with miR-125b expression in breast tumors, indicating the relevance of these potential oncogenic proteins in breast cancer patients. Our results support a prognostic role for CK2-alpha, whose expression may help clinicians predict breast tumor aggressiveness. In particular, our results show that restoration of miR-125b expression or knockdown of ENPEP, CK2-alpha, CCNJ, or MEGF9 may provide novel approaches for the treatment of breast cancer

Five microRNAs in Serum Are Able to Differentiate Breast Cancer Patients From Healthy Individuals

Breast cancer is the cancer with the most incidence and mortality in women. microRNAs are emerging as novel prognosis/diagnostic tools. Our aim was to identify a serum microRNA signature useful to predict cancer development. We focused on studying the expression levels of 30 microRNAs in the serum of 96 breast cancer patients vs. 92 control individuals. Bioinformatic studies provide a microRNA signature, designated as a predictor, based on the expression levels of five microRNAs. Then, we tested the predictor in a group of 60 randomly chosen women. Lastly, a proteomic study unveiled the overexpression and downregulation of proteins differently expressed in the serum of breast cancer patients vs. that of control individuals. Twenty-six microRNAs differentiate cancer tissue from healthy tissue, and 16 microRNAs differentiate the serum of cancer patients from that of the control group. The tissue expression of miR-99a, miR-497, miR-362, and miR-1274, and the serum levels of miR-141 correlated with patient survival. Moreover, the predictor consisting of miR-125b, miR-29c, miR-16, miR-1260, and miR-451 was able to differentiate breast cancer patients from controls. The predictor was validated in 20 new cases of breast cancer patients and tested in 60 volunteer women, assigning 11 out of 60 women to the cancer group. An association of low levels of miR-16 with a high content of CD44 protein in serum was found. Circulating microRNAs in serum can represent biomarkers for cancer prediction. Their clinical relevance and the potential use of the predictor here described are discussed