scholarly journals Slow-Cycling (Dormant) Cancer Cells in Therapy Resistance, Cancer Relapse and Metastasis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sukanya Basu ◽  
Yang Dong ◽  
Rahul Kumar ◽  
Collene Jeter ◽  
Dean G. Tang
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Therapy Resistance ◽  
Cancer Relapse ◽  
Slow Cycling

Abstract LB-285: Regulation of therapy resistance in slow-cycling cancer cells

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan Moore ◽  
Amy Chen ◽  
Michal Kamionek ◽  
JeanMarie Houghton ◽  
Stephen Lyle
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Therapy Resistance ◽  
Slow Cycling

scholarly journals SHH-N non-canonically sustains androgen receptor activity in androgen-independent prostate cancer cells

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana Trnski ◽  
Maja Sabol ◽  
Sanja Tomić ◽  
Ivan Štefanac ◽  
Milanka Mrčela ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prostate Cancer ◽  
Androgen Receptor ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Therapy Resistance ◽  
Androgen Deprivation ◽  
Prostate Cancer Cells ◽  
Androgen Independence ◽  
Androgen Receptor Activity ◽  
Signaling Activation ◽  
Androgen Independent

AbstractProstate cancer is the second most frequent cancer diagnosed in men worldwide. Localized disease can be successfully treated, but advanced cases are more problematic. After initial effectiveness of androgen deprivation therapy, resistance quickly occurs. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the role of Hedgehog-GLI (HH-GLI) signaling in sustaining androgen-independent growth of prostate cancer cells. We found various modes of HH-GLI signaling activation in prostate cancer cells depending on androgen availability. When androgen was not deprived, we found evidence of non-canonical SMO signaling through the SRC kinase. After short-term androgen deprivation canonical HH-GLI signaling was activated, but we found little evidence of canonical HH-GLI signaling activity in androgen-independent prostate cancer cells. We show that in androgen-independent cells the pathway ligand, SHH-N, non-canonically binds to the androgen receptor through its cholesterol modification. Inhibition of this interaction leads to androgen receptor signaling downregulation. This implies that SHH-N activates the androgen receptor and sustains androgen-independence. Targeting this interaction might prove to be a valuable strategy for advanced prostate cancer treatment. Also, other non-canonical aspects of this signaling pathway should be investigated in more detail and considered when developing potential therapies.

scholarly journals Targeting E-selectin to Tackle Cancer Using Uproleselan

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 335
Author(s):  
Barbara Muz ◽  
Anas Abdelghafer ◽  
Matea Markovic ◽  
Jessica Yavner ◽  
Anupama Melam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bone Marrow ◽  
Tumor Microenvironment ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Metastatic Tumor ◽  
Therapy Resistance ◽  
Surface Proteins ◽  
Cell Trafficking ◽  
Primary Role ◽  
Novel Therapy ◽  
Tumor Dissemination

E-selectin is a vascular adhesion molecule expressed mainly on endothelium, and its primary role is to facilitate leukocyte cell trafficking by recognizing ligand surface proteins. E-selectin gained a new role since it was demonstrated to be involved in cancer cell trafficking, stem-like properties and therapy resistance. Therefore, being expressed in the tumor microenvironment, E-selectin can potentially be used to eradicate cancer. Uproleselan (also known as GMI-1271), a specific E-selectin antagonist, has been tested on leukemia, myeloma, pancreatic, colon and breast cancer cells, most of which involve the bone marrow as a primary or as a metastatic tumor site. This novel therapy disrupts the tumor microenvironment by affecting the two main steps of metastasis—extravasation and adhesion—thus blocking E-selectin reduces tumor dissemination. Additionally, uproleselan mobilized cancer cells from the protective vascular niche into the circulation, making them more susceptible to chemotherapy. Several preclinical and clinical studies summarized herein demonstrate that uproleselan has favorable safety and pharmacokinetics and is a tumor microenvironment-disrupting agent that improves the efficacy of chemotherapy, reduces side effects such as neutropenia, intestinal mucositis and infections, and extends overall survival. This review highlights the critical contribution of E-selectin and its specific antagonist, uproleselan, in the regulation of cancer growth, dissemination, and drug resistance in the context of the bone marrow microenvironment.

scholarly journals Aberrant Bcl-x splicing in cancer: from molecular mechanism to therapeutic modulation

2021 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhihui Dou ◽  
Dapeng Zhao ◽  
Xiaohua Chen ◽  
Caipeng Xu ◽  
Xiaodong Jin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Human Cancer ◽  
Structural Characteristics ◽  
Therapy Resistance ◽  
Regulatory Elements ◽  
Aberrant Splicing ◽  
Clinical Role ◽  
Splicing Isoforms ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Splicing Patterns

AbstractBcl-x pre-mRNA splicing serves as a typical example to study the impact of alternative splicing in the modulation of cell death. Dysregulation of Bcl-x apoptotic isoforms caused by precarious equilibrium splicing is implicated in genesis and development of multiple human diseases, especially cancers. Exploring the mechanism of Bcl-x splicing and regulation has provided insight into the development of drugs that could contribute to sensitivity of cancer cells to death. On this basis, we review the multiple splicing patterns and structural characteristics of Bcl-x. Additionally, we outline the cis-regulatory elements, trans-acting factors as well as epigenetic modifications involved in the splicing regulation of Bcl-x. Furthermore, this review highlights aberrant splicing of Bcl-x involved in apoptosis evade, autophagy, metastasis, and therapy resistance of various cancer cells. Last, emphasis is given to the clinical role of targeting Bcl-x splicing correction in human cancer based on the splice-switching oligonucleotides, small molecular modulators and BH3 mimetics. Thus, it is highlighting significance of aberrant splicing isoforms of Bcl-x as targets for cancer therapy.

scholarly journals Transcriptome profiles of stem-like cells from primary breast cancers allow identification of ITGA7 as a predictive marker of chemotherapy response

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noha Gwili ◽  
Stacey J. Jones ◽  
Waleed Al Amri ◽  
Ian M. Carr ◽  
Sarah Harris ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Breast Cancer Cells ◽  
Predictive Marker ◽  
Therapy Resistance ◽  
Differentially Expressed ◽  
Molecular Profile ◽  
Chemotherapy Response ◽  
Breast Cancers

Abstract Background Breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) are drivers of therapy-resistance, therefore are responsible for poor survival. Molecular signatures of BCSCs from primary cancers remain undefined. Here, we identify the consistent transcriptome of primary BCSCs shared across breast cancer subtypes, and we examine the clinical relevance of ITGA7, one of the genes differentially expressed in BCSCs. Methods Primary BCSCs were assessed using immunohistochemistry and fluorescently labelled using Aldefluor (n = 17). Transcriptomes of fluorescently sorted BCSCs and matched non-stem cancer cells were determined using RNA-seq (n = 6). ITGA7 expression was examined in breast cancers using immunohistochemistry (n = 305), and its functional role was tested using siRNA in breast cancer cells. Results Proportions of BCSCs varied from 0 to 9.4%. 38 genes were significantly differentially expressed in BCSCs; genes were enriched for functions in vessel morphogenesis, motility, and metabolism. ITGA7 was found to be significantly downregulated in BCSCs, and low expression significantly correlated with reduced survival in patients treated with chemotherapy, and with chemoresistance in breast cancer cells in vitro. Conclusions This study is the first to define the molecular profile of BCSCs from a range of primary breast cancers. ITGA7 acts as a predictive marker for chemotherapy response, in accordance with its downregulation in BCSCs.

scholarly journals Potent pro-apoptotic combination therapy is highly effective in a broad range of cancers

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonella Montinaro ◽  
Itziar Areso Zubiaur ◽  
Julia Saggau ◽  
Anna-Laura Kretz ◽  
Rute M. M. Ferreira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Combination Therapy ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Standard Of Care ◽  
Therapy Resistance ◽  
Treatment Modalities ◽  
Cancer Resistance ◽  
Therapeutic Approaches ◽  
Highly Effective ◽  
Drastic Increase ◽  
New Treatment

AbstractPrimary or acquired therapy resistance is a major obstacle to the effective treatment of cancer. Resistance to apoptosis has long been thought to contribute to therapy resistance. We show here that recombinant TRAIL and CDK9 inhibition cooperate in killing cells derived from a broad range of cancers, importantly without inducing detectable adverse events. Remarkably, the combination of TRAIL with CDK9 inhibition was also highly effective on cancers resistant to both, standard-of-care chemotherapy and various targeted therapeutic approaches. Dynamic BH3 profiling revealed that, mechanistically, combining TRAIL with CDK9 inhibition induced a drastic increase in the mitochondrial priming of cancer cells. Intriguingly, this increase occurred irrespective of whether the cancer cells were sensitive or resistant to chemo- or targeted therapy. We conclude that this pro-apoptotic combination therapy has the potential to serve as a highly effective new treatment option for a variety of different cancers. Notably, this includes cancers that are resistant to currently available treatment modalities.

scholarly journals Intrinsic growth heterogeneity of mouse leukemia cells underlies differential susceptibility to a growth-inhibiting anticancer drug

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akihisa Seita ◽  
Hidenori Nakaoka ◽  
Reiko Okura ◽  
Yuichi Wakamoto
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Anticancer Drugs ◽  
Cancer Cell ◽  
Anticancer Drug ◽  
Differential Susceptibility ◽  
Leukemia Cells ◽  
Continuous Exposure ◽  
Phenotypic Differences ◽  
Cell Lineages ◽  
Slow Cycling

AbstractCancer cell populations consist of phenotypically heterogeneous cells. Growing evidence suggests that pre-existing phenotypic differences among cancer cells correlate with differential susceptibility to anticancer drugs and eventually lead to a relapse. Such phenotypic differences can arise not only externally driven by the environmental heterogeneity around individual cells but also internally by the intrinsic fluctuation of cells. However, the quantitative characteristics of intrinsic phenotypic heterogeneity emerging even under constant environments and their relevance to drug susceptibility remain elusive. Here we employed a microfluidic device, mammalian mother machine, for studying the intrinsic heterogeneity of growth dynamics of mouse lymphocytic leukemia cells (L1210) across tens of generations. The generation time of this cancer cell line had a distribution with a long tail and a heritability across generations. We determined that a minority of cell lineages exist in a slow-cycling state for multiple generations. These slow-cycling cell lineages had a higher chance of survival than the fast-cycling lineages under continuous exposure to the anticancer drug Mitomycin C. This result suggests that heritable heterogeneity in cancer cells’ growth in a population influences their susceptibility to anticancer drugs.

scholarly journals Blood Vessels and Peripheral Nerves as Key Players in Cancer Progression and Therapy Resistance

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (17) ◽  
pp. 4471
Author(s):  
Niccolò Roda ◽  
Giada Blandano ◽  
Pier Giuseppe Pelicci
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Blood Vessels ◽  
Cancer Progression ◽  
Peripheral Nerves ◽  
Tumor Development ◽  
Therapy Resistance ◽  
Tumor Mass ◽  
Cancer Pathogenesis ◽  
Initial Results ◽  
Metastatic Spreading

Cancer cells continuously interact with the tumor microenvironment (TME), a heterogeneous milieu that surrounds the tumor mass and impinges on its phenotype. Among the components of the TME, blood vessels and peripheral nerves have been extensively studied in recent years for their prominent role in tumor development from tumor initiation. Cancer cells were shown to actively promote their own vascularization and innervation through the processes of angiogenesis and axonogenesis. Indeed, sprouting vessels and axons deliver several factors needed by cancer cells to survive and proliferate, including nutrients, oxygen, and growth signals, to the expanding tumor mass. Nerves and vessels are also fundamental for the process of metastatic spreading, as they provide both the pro-metastatic signals to the tumor and the scaffold through which cancer cells can reach distant organs. Not surprisingly, continuously growing attention is devoted to the development of therapies specifically targeting these structures, with promising initial results. In this review, we summarize the latest evidence that supports the importance of blood vessels and peripheral nerves in cancer pathogenesis, therapy resistance, and innovative treatments.

scholarly journals Repression of Human Papillomavirus Oncogene Expression under Hypoxia Is Mediated by PI3K/mTORC2/AKT Signaling

mBio ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Felicitas Bossler ◽  
Bianca J. Kuhn ◽  
Thomas Günther ◽  
Stephen J. Kraemer ◽  
Prajakta Khalkar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Immune Evasion ◽  
Tumor Recurrence ◽  
Growth Arrest ◽  
Therapy Resistance ◽  
Akt Signaling ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Signaling Cascade ◽  
Transcriptional Level ◽  
Akt Activation

ABSTRACTHypoxia is linked to therapeutic resistance and poor clinical prognosis for many tumor entities, including human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive cancers. Notably, HPV-positive cancer cells can induce a dormant state under hypoxia, characterized by a reversible growth arrest and strong repression of viral E6/E7 oncogene expression, which could contribute to therapy resistance, immune evasion and tumor recurrence. The present work aimed to gain mechanistic insights into the pathway(s) underlying HPV oncogene repression under hypoxia. We show that E6/E7 downregulation is mediated by hypoxia-induced stimulation of AKT signaling. Ablating AKT function in hypoxic HPV-positive cancer cells by using chemical inhibitors efficiently counteracts E6/E7 repression. Isoform-specific activation or downregulation of AKT1 and AKT2 reveals that both AKT isoforms contribute to hypoxic E6/E7 repression and act in a functionally redundant manner. Hypoxic AKT activation and consecutive E6/E7 repression is dependent on the activities of the canonical upstream AKT regulators phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) complex 2 (mTORC2). Hypoxic downregulation of E6/E7 occurs, at least in part, at the transcriptional level. Modulation of E6/E7 expression by the PI3K/mTORC2/AKT cascade is hypoxia specific and not observed in normoxic HPV-positive cancer cells. Quantitative proteome analyses identify additional factors as candidates to be involved in hypoxia-induced activation of the PI3K/mTORC2/AKT signaling cascade and in the AKT-dependent repression of the E6/E7 oncogenes under hypoxia. Collectively, these data uncover a functional key role of the PI3K/mTORC2/AKT signaling cascade for viral oncogene repression in hypoxic HPV-positive cancer cells and provide new insights into the poorly understood cross talk between oncogenic HPVs and their host cells under hypoxia.IMPORTANCEOncogenic HPV types are major human carcinogens. Under hypoxia, HPV-positive cancer cells can repress the viral E6/E7 oncogenes and induce a reversible growth arrest. This response could contribute to therapy resistance, immune evasion, and tumor recurrence upon reoxygenation. Here, we uncover evidence that HPV oncogene repression is mediated by hypoxia-induced activation of canonical PI3K/mTORC2/AKT signaling. AKT-dependent downregulation of E6/E7 is only observed under hypoxia and occurs, at least in part, at the transcriptional level. Quantitative proteome analyses identify additional factors as candidates to be involved in AKT-dependent E6/E7 repression and/or hypoxic PI3K/mTORC2/AKT activation. These results connect PI3K/mTORC2/AKT signaling with HPV oncogene regulation, providing new mechanistic insights into the cross talk between oncogenic HPVs and their host cells.

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