911: Molecular mechanisms of the antineoplastic action of erufosine in hypoxic tumor cells

2014 ◽  
Vol 50 ◽  
pp. S223
Author(s):  
H. Riffkin ◽  
S. Oeck ◽  
G. Renzelman ◽  
R. Handrick ◽  
V. Jendrossek
2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Reza Jafari ◽  
Reza Rahbarghazi ◽  
Mahdi Ahmadi ◽  
Mehdi Hassanpour ◽  
Jafar Rezaie

AbstractThe solid tumor microenvironment possesses a hypoxic condition, which promotes aggressiveness and resistance to therapies. Hypoxic tumor cells undergo broadly metabolic and molecular adaptations and communicate with surrounding cells to provide conditions promising for their homeostasis and metastasis. Extracellular vesicles such as exosomes originating from the endosomal pathway carry different types of biomolecules such as nucleic acids, proteins, and lipids; participate in cell-to-cell communication. The exposure of cancer cells to hypoxic conditions, not only, increases exosomes biogenesis and secretion but also alters exosomes cargo. Under the hypoxic condition, different signaling pathways such as HIFs, Rab-GTPases, NF-κB, and tetraspanin are involved in the exosomes biogenesis. Hypoxic tumor cells release exosomes that induce tumorigenesis through promoting metastasis, angiogenesis, and modulating immune responses. Exosomes from hypoxic tumor cells hold great potential for clinical application and cancer diagnosis. Besides, targeting the biogenesis of these exosomes may be a therapeutic opportunity for reducing tumorigenesis. Exosomes can serve as a drug delivery system transferring therapeutic compounds to cancer cells. Understanding the detailed mechanisms involved in biogenesis and functions of exosomes under hypoxic conditions may help to develop effective therapies against cancer.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gautier Follain ◽  
Naël Osmani ◽  
Valentin Gensbittel ◽  
Nandini Asokan ◽  
Annabel Larnicol ◽  
...  

AbstractTumor progression and metastatic dissemination are driven by cell-intrinsic and biomechanical cues that favor the growth of life-threatening secondary tumors. We recently identified pro-metastatic vascular regions with blood flow profiles that are permissive for the arrest of circulating tumor cells. We have further established that such flow profiles also control endothelial remodeling, which favors extravasation of arrested CTCs. Yet, how shear forces control endothelial remodeling is unknown. In the present work, we aimed at dissecting the cellular and molecular mechanisms driving blood flow-dependent endothelial remodeling. Transcriptomic analysis of endothelial cells revealed that blood flow enhanced VEGFR signaling, among others. Using a combination of in vitro microfluidics and intravital imaging in zebrafish embryos, we now demonstrate that the early flow-driven endothelial response can be prevented upon specific inhibition of VEGFR tyrosine kinase and subsequent signaling. Inhibitory targeting of VEGFRs reduced endothelial remodeling and subsequent metastatic extravasation. These results confirm the importance of VEGFR-dependent endothelial remodeling as a driving force of CTC extravasation and metastatic dissemination. Furthermore, the present work suggests that therapies targeting endothelial remodeling might be a relevant clinical strategy in order to impede metastatic progression.


Author(s):  
Pierre Sonveaux ◽  
Frédérique Végran ◽  
Thies Schroeder ◽  
Melanie C. Wergin ◽  
Julien Verrax ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (24) ◽  
pp. 10125-10128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cong Xue ◽  
Yingjie Lei ◽  
Sichun Zhang ◽  
Yaowu Sha

A new “turn-on” fluorescent probe, composed of a protected phenol group with ap-nitrobenzyl moiety that functions as a latent donor and conjugated with two benzo[f]indolinium acceptors, was developed and applied for imaging nitroreductase (NTR) in hypoxic tumor cells.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dalia Martinez-Marin ◽  
Courtney Jarvis ◽  
Thomas Nelius ◽  
Stéphanie Filleur

Abstract Macrophages have been recognized as the main inflammatory component of the tumor microenvironment. Although often considered as beneficial for tumor growth and disease progression, tumor-associated macrophages have also been shown to be detrimental to the tumor depending on the tumor microenvironment. Therefore, understanding the molecular interactions between macrophages and tumor cells in relation to macrophages functional activities such as phagocytosis is critical for a better comprehension of their tumor-modulating action. Still, the characterization of these molecular mechanisms in vivo remains complicated due to the extraordinary complexity of the tumor microenvironment and the broad range of tumor-associated macrophage functions. Thus, there is an increasing demand for in vitro methodologies to study the role of cell–cell interactions in the tumor microenvironment. In the present study, we have developed live co-cultures of macrophages and human prostate tumor cells to assess the phagocytic activity of macrophages using a combination of Confocal and Nomarski Microscopy. Using this model, we have emphasized that this is a sensitive, measurable, and highly reproducible functional assay. We have also highlighted that this assay can be applied to multiple cancer cell types and used as a selection tool for a variety of different types of phagocytosis agonists. Finally, combining with other studies such as gain/loss of function or signaling studies remains possible. A better understanding of the interactions between tumor cells and macrophages may lead to the identification of new therapeutic targets against cancer.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Peng ◽  
Shaolu Zhang ◽  
Wenhui Jiao ◽  
Zhenxing Zhong ◽  
Yuqi Yang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: The critical role of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) activation in tumor cell biology has prompted massive efforts to develop PI3K inhibitors (PI3Kis) for cancer therapy. However, recent results from clinical trials have shown only a modest therapeutic efficacy of single-agent PI3Kis in solid tumors. Targeting autophagy has controversial context-dependent effects in cancer treatment. As a FDA-approved lysosomotropic agent, hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) has been well tested as an autophagy inhibitor in preclinical models. Here, we elucidated the novel mechanism of HCQ alone or in combination with PI3Ki BKM120 in the treatment of cancer.Methods: The antitumor effects of HCQ and BKM120 on three different types of tumor cells were assessed by in vitro PrestoBlue assay, colony formation assay and in vivo zebrafish and nude mouse xenograft models. The involved molecular mechanisms were investigated by MDC staining, LC3 puncta formation assay, immunofluorescent assay, flow cytometric analysis of apoptosis and ROS, qRT-PCR, Western blot, comet assay, homologous recombination (HR) assay and immunohistochemical staining. Results: HCQ significantly sensitized cancer cells to BKM120 in vitro and in vivo. Interestingly, the sensitization mediated by HCQ could not be phenocopied by treatment with other autophagy inhibitors (Spautin-1, 3-MA and bafilomycin A1) or knockdown of the essential autophagy genes Atg5/Atg7, suggesting that the sensitizing effect might be mediated independent of autophagy status. Mechanistically, HCQ induced ROS production and activated the transcription factor NRF2. In contrast, BKM120 prevented the elimination of ROS by inactivation of NRF2, leading to accumulation of DNA damage. In addition, HCQ activated ATM to enhance HR repair, a high-fidelity repair for DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) in cells, while BKM120 inhibited HR repair by blocking the phosphorylation of ATM and the expression of BRCA1/2 and Rad51. Conclusions: Our study revealed that HCQ and BKM120 synergistically increased DSBs in tumor cells and therefore augmented apoptosis, resulting in enhanced antitumor efficacy. Our findings provide a new insight into how HCQ exhibits antitumor efficacy and synergizes with PI3Ki BKM120, and warn that one should consider the “off target” effects of HCQ when used as autophagy inhibitor in the clinical treatment of cancer.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (8) ◽  
pp. 2042 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyunkoo Kang ◽  
Hyunwoo Kim ◽  
Sungmin Lee ◽  
HyeSook Youn ◽  
BuHyun Youn

Activation of epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) is thought to be an essential step for cancer metastasis. Tumor cells undergo EMT in response to a diverse range of extra- and intracellular stimulants. Recently, it was reported that metabolic shifts control EMT progression and induce tumor aggressiveness. In this review, we summarize the involvement of altered glucose, lipid, and amino acid metabolic enzyme expression and the underlying molecular mechanisms in EMT induction in tumor cells. Moreover, we propose that metabolic regulation through gene-specific or pharmacological inhibition may suppress EMT and this treatment strategy may be applied to prevent tumor progression and improve anti-tumor therapeutic efficacy. This review presents evidence for the importance of metabolic changes in tumor progression and emphasizes the need for further studies to better understand tumor metabolism.


BMC Cancer ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ethan P. Metz ◽  
Erin L. Wuebben ◽  
Phillip J. Wilder ◽  
Jesse L. Cox ◽  
Kaustubh Datta ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Quiescent tumor cells pose a major clinical challenge due to their ability to resist conventional chemotherapies and to drive tumor recurrence. Understanding the molecular mechanisms that promote quiescence of tumor cells could help identify therapies to eliminate these cells. Significantly, recent studies have determined that the function of SOX2 in cancer cells is highly dose dependent. Specifically, SOX2 levels in tumor cells are optimized to promote tumor growth: knocking down or elevating SOX2 inhibits proliferation. Furthermore, recent studies have shown that quiescent tumor cells express higher levels of SOX2 compared to adjacent proliferating cells. Currently, the mechanisms through which elevated levels of SOX2 restrict tumor cell proliferation have not been characterized. Methods To understand how elevated levels of SOX2 restrict the proliferation of tumor cells, we engineered diverse types of tumor cells for inducible overexpression of SOX2. Using these cells, we examined the effects of elevating SOX2 on their proliferation, both in vitro and in vivo. In addition, we examined how elevating SOX2 influences their expression of cyclins, cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs), and p27Kip1. Results Elevating SOX2 in diverse tumor cell types led to growth inhibition in vitro. Significantly, elevating SOX2 in vivo in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, medulloblastoma, and prostate cancer cells induced a reversible state of tumor growth arrest. In all three tumor types, elevation of SOX2 in vivo quickly halted tumor growth. Remarkably, tumor growth resumed rapidly when SOX2 returned to endogenous levels. We also determined that elevation of SOX2 in six tumor cell lines decreased the levels of cyclins and CDKs that control each phase of the cell cycle, while upregulating p27Kip1. Conclusions Our findings indicate that elevating SOX2 above endogenous levels in a diverse set of tumor cell types leads to growth inhibition both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, our findings indicate that SOX2 can function as a master regulator by controlling the expression of a broad spectrum of cell cycle machinery. Importantly, our SOX2-inducible tumor studies provide a novel model system for investigating the molecular mechanisms by which elevated levels of SOX2 restrict cell proliferation and tumor growth.


Author(s):  
Yingchun Liu

Cancer is a complex disease that is associated with a variety of genetic aberrations. The diagnosis and treatment of cancer have been difficult because of poor understanding of cancer and lack of effective cancer therapies. Many studies have investigated cancer from different perspectives. It remains unclear what molecular mechanisms have triggered and sustained the transition of normal cells to malignant tumor cells in cancer patients. This chapter gives an introduction to the genetic aberrations associated with cancer and a brief view of the topics key to decode cancer, from identifying clinically relevant cancer subtypes to uncovering the pathways deregulated in particular subtypes of cancer.


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