Drugs targeting Bcl-2 family members as an emerging strategy in cancer

2010 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Leber ◽  
Fei Geng ◽  
Justin Kale ◽  
David W. Andrews
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Chemotherapy Resistance ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Cancer Therapies ◽  
Unfolded Protein ◽  
Early Results ◽  
Different Types ◽  
The Unfolded Protein Response ◽  
Protein Response

Inhibiting apoptosis is widely accepted as a necessary step in the transition from normal to cancer cells, and most cancer therapies exert their effects by indirectly reversing this process. Commitment to apoptosis is caused by permeabilisation of the outer mitochondrial membrane – a process regulated by the binding between different members of the Bcl-2 family. Furthermore, Bcl-2 family members also bind to the endoplasmic reticulum, where they modify processes such as the unfolded-protein response and autophagy that also cause or modify different types of cell death. With the growing understanding of the importance of the Bcl-2 family as crucial regulators of the decision to initiate apoptosis, much effort has been directed at developing small molecules that modify function by directly binding to Bcl-2 proteins. Preclinical experiments have confirmed that these agents kill cancer cells and overcome chemotherapy resistance. Two of these drugs are in the initial stages of clinical development (ABT-263 and obatoclax), and early results show clinical efficacy at tolerable doses. Important questions for the future include the role of these drugs as monotherapy versus combination therapy with other anticancer drugs, and the related issue of the relative toxicity to cancerous versus normal cells.

scholarly journals Role of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in Atherosclerosis and Its Potential as a Therapeutic Target

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Shengjie Yang ◽  
Min Wu ◽  
Xiaoya Li ◽  
Ran Zhao ◽  
Yixi Zhao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Endoplasmic Reticulum ◽  
Er Stress ◽  
Unfolded Protein ◽  
Atherosclerotic Lesions ◽  
Different Types ◽  
The Unfolded Protein Response ◽  
Protein Response ◽  
Er Homeostasis ◽  
Progression Of Atherosclerosis

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is closely associated with atherosclerosis and related cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). It occurs due to various pathological factors that interfere with ER homeostasis, resulting in the accumulation of unfolded or misfolded proteins in the ER lumen, thereby causing ER dysfunction. Here, we discuss the role of ER stress in different types of cells in atherosclerotic lesions. This discussion includes the activation of apoptotic and inflammatory pathways induced by prolonged ER stress, especially in advanced lesional macrophages and endothelial cells (ECs), as well as common atherosclerosis-related ER stressors in different lesional cells, which all contribute to the clinical progression of atherosclerosis. In view of the important role of ER stress and the unfolded protein response (UPR) signaling pathways in atherosclerosis and CVDs, targeting these processes to reduce ER stress may be a novel therapeutic strategy.

scholarly journals Confounding Roles of ER Stress and the Unfolded Protein Response in Skeletal Muscle Atrophy

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 2567
Author(s):  
Yann S. Gallot ◽  
Kyle R. Bohnert
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Er Stress ◽  
Unfolded Protein Response ◽  
Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum ◽  
Skeletal Muscle Atrophy ◽  
Unfolded Protein ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Unfolded Protein Response ◽  
Protein Response

Skeletal muscle is an essential organ, responsible for many physiological functions such as breathing, locomotion, postural maintenance, thermoregulation, and metabolism. Interestingly, skeletal muscle is a highly plastic tissue, capable of adapting to anabolic and catabolic stimuli. Skeletal muscle contains a specialized smooth endoplasmic reticulum (ER), known as the sarcoplasmic reticulum, composed of an extensive network of tubules. In addition to the role of folding and trafficking proteins within the cell, this specialized organelle is responsible for the regulated release of calcium ions (Ca2+) into the cytoplasm to trigger a muscle contraction. Under various stimuli, such as exercise, hypoxia, imbalances in calcium levels, ER homeostasis is disturbed and the amount of misfolded and/or unfolded proteins accumulates in the ER. This accumulation of misfolded/unfolded protein causes ER stress and leads to the activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR). Interestingly, the role of the UPR in skeletal muscle has only just begun to be elucidated. Accumulating evidence suggests that ER stress and UPR markers are drastically induced in various catabolic stimuli including cachexia, denervation, nutrient deprivation, aging, and disease. Evidence indicates some of these molecules appear to be aiding the skeletal muscle in regaining homeostasis whereas others demonstrate the ability to drive the atrophy. Continued investigations into the individual molecules of this complex pathway are necessary to fully understand the mechanisms.

scholarly journals Metformin Dysregulates the Unfolded Protein Response and the WNT/β-Catenin Pathway in Endometrial Cancer Cells through an AMPK-Independent Mechanism

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 1067
Author(s):  
Domenico Conza ◽  
Paola Mirra ◽  
Gaetano Calì ◽  
Luigi Insabato ◽  
Francesca Fiory ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Endometrial Cancer ◽  
Unfolded Protein Response ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Independent Manner ◽  
Growth And Survival ◽  
Unfolded Protein ◽  
Compound C ◽  
Survival Pathways ◽  
The Unfolded Protein Response ◽  
Protein Response

Multiple lines of evidence suggest that metformin, an antidiabetic drug, exerts anti-tumorigenic effects in different types of cancer. Metformin has been reported to affect cancer cells’ metabolism and proliferation mainly through the activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). Here, we show that metformin inhibits, indeed, endometrial cancer cells’ growth and induces apoptosis. More importantly, we report that metformin affects two important pro-survival pathways, such as the Unfolded Protein Response (UPR), following endoplasmic reticulum stress, and the WNT/β-catenin pathway. GRP78, a key protein in the pro-survival arm of the UPR, was indeed downregulated, while GADD153/CHOP, a transcription factor that mediates the pro-apoptotic response of the UPR, was upregulated at both the mRNA and protein level. Furthermore, metformin dramatically inhibited β-catenin mRNA and protein expression. This was paralleled by a reduction in β-catenin transcriptional activity, since metformin inhibited the activity of a TCF/LEF-luciferase promoter. Intriguingly, compound C, a well-known inhibitor of AMPK, was unable to prevent all these effects, suggesting that metformin might inhibit endometrial cancer cells’ growth and survival through the modulation of specific branches of the UPR and the inhibition of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in an AMPK-independent manner. Our findings may provide new insights on the mechanisms of action of metformin and refine the use of this drug in the treatment of endometrial cancer.

Are cachexia-associated tumors transmitTERS of ER stress?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Sayuri Yamagata ◽  
Paula Paccielli Freire
Keyword(s):  
Er Stress ◽  
Tumor Cells ◽  
Cancer Cachexia ◽  
Genotoxic Stress ◽  
Unfolded Protein ◽  
Response To Chemotherapy ◽  
The Unfolded Protein Response ◽  
Protein Response ◽  
Associated Tumors

Cancer cachexia is associated with deficient response to chemotherapy. On the other hand, the tumors of cachectic patients remarkably express more chemokines and have higher immune infiltration. For immunogenicity, a strong induction of the unfolded protein response (UPR) is necessary. UPR followed by cell surface exposure of calreticulin on the dying tumor cell is essential for its engulfment by macrophages and dendritic cells. However, some tumor cells upon endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress can release factors that induce ER stress to other cells, in the so-called transmissible ER stress (TERS). The cells that received TERS produce more interleukin 6 (IL-6) and chemokines and acquire resistance to subsequent ER stress, nutrient deprivation, and genotoxic stress. Since ER stress enhances the release of extracellular vesicles (EVs), we suggest they can mediate TERS. It was found that ER stressed cachexia-inducing tumor cells transmit factors that trigger ER stress in other cells. Therefore, considering the role of EVs in cancer cachexia, the release of exosomes can possibly play a role in the process of blunting the immunogenicity of the cachexia-associated tumors. We propose that TERS can cause an inflammatory and immunosuppressive phenotype in cachexia-inducing tumors.

Sequencing of Argonaute-bound miRNA/mRNA hybrids reveals regulation of the unfolded protein response by microRNA-320a

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher J Fields ◽  
Lu Li ◽  
Nicholas M Hiers ◽  
Tianqi Li ◽  
Peike Sheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Colorectal Cancer ◽  
Er Stress ◽  
Unfolded Protein Response ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Rna Polymerase Ii ◽  
Mirna Biogenesis ◽  
Unfolded Protein ◽  
Colorectal Cancer Cells ◽  
The Unfolded Protein Response ◽  
Protein Response

MicroRNAs (miRNA) are short non-coding RNAs widely implicated in gene regulation. Most metazoan miRNAs utilize the RNase III enzymes Drosha and Dicer for biogenesis. One notable exception is the RNA polymerase II transcription start sites (TSS) miRNAs whose biogenesis does not require Drosha. The functional importance of the TSS-miRNA biogenesis is uncertain. To better understand the function of TSS-miRNAs, we applied a modified Crosslinking, Ligation, and Sequencing of Hybrids on Argonaute (AGO-qCLASH) to identify the targets for TSS-miRNAs in HCT116 colorectal cancer cells with or without DROSHA knockout. We observed that miR-320a hybrids dominate in TSS-miRNA hybrids identified by AGO-qCLASH. Targets for miR-320a are enriched in the eIF2 signaling pathway, a downstream component of the unfolded protein response. Consistently, in miR-320a mimic- and antagomir- transfected cells, differentially expressed genes are enriched in eIF2 signaling. Within the AGO-qCLASH data, we identified the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) chaperone Calnexin as a direct miR-320a target, thus connecting miR-320a to the unfolded protein response. During ER stress, but not amino acid deprivation, miR-320a up-regulates ATF4, a critical transcription factor for resolving ER stress. Our study investigates the targetome of the TSS-miRNAs in colorectal cancer cells and establishes miR-320a as a regulator of unfolded protein response.

scholarly journals A Role for the DnaJ Homologue Scj1p in Protein Folding in the Yeast Endoplasmic Reticulum

1998 ◽  
Vol 143 (4) ◽  
pp. 921-933 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susana Silberstein ◽  
Gabriel Schlenstedt ◽  
Pam A. Silver ◽  
Reid Gilmore
Keyword(s):  
Endoplasmic Reticulum ◽  
Unfolded Protein Response ◽  
Physiological Role ◽  
Carboxypeptidase Y ◽  
Reporter Protein ◽  
Unfolded Protein ◽  
A Cell ◽  
The Unfolded Protein Response ◽  
Protein Response

Members of the eukaryotic heat shock protein 70 family (Hsp70s) are regulated by protein cofactors that contain domains homologous to bacterial DnaJ. Of the three DnaJ homologues in the yeast rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER; Scj1p, Sec63p, and Jem1p), Scj1p is most closely related to DnaJ, hence it is a probable cofactor for Kar2p, the major Hsp70 in the yeast RER. However, the physiological role of Scj1p has remained obscure due to the lack of an obvious defect in Kar2p-mediated pathways in scj1 null mutants. Here, we show that the Δscj1 mutant is hypersensitive to tunicamycin or mutations that reduce N-linked glycosylation of proteins. Although maturation of glycosylated carboxypeptidase Y occurs with wild-type kinetics in Δscj1 cells, the transport rate for an unglycosylated mutant carboxypeptidase Y (CPY) is markedly reduced. Loss of Scj1p induces the unfolded protein response pathway, and results in a cell wall defect when combined with an oligosaccharyltransferase mutation. The combined loss of both Scj1p and Jem1p exaggerates the sensitivity to hypoglycosylation stress, leads to further induction of the unfolded protein response pathway, and drastically delays maturation of an unglycosylated reporter protein in the RER. We propose that the major role for Scj1p is to cooperate with Kar2p to mediate maturation of proteins in the RER lumen.

scholarly journals Homocysteine as a Risk Factor for Atherosclerosis: Is Its Conversion toS-Adenosyl-L-Homocysteine the Key to Deregulated Lipid Metabolism?

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oksana Tehlivets
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factor ◽  
Lipid Metabolism ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Yeast Cells ◽  
Sterol Synthesis ◽  
Unfolded Protein ◽  
Strong Product ◽  
The Unfolded Protein Response ◽  
Protein Response

Homocysteine (Hcy) has been recognized for the past five decades as a risk factor for atherosclerosis. However, the role of Hcy in the pathological changes associated with atherosclerosis as well as the pathological mechanisms triggered by Hcy accumulation is poorly understood. Due to the reversal of the physiological direction of the reaction catalyzed byS-adenosyl-L-homocysteine hydrolase Hcy accumulation leads to the synthesis ofS-adenosyl-L-homocysteine (AdoHcy). AdoHcy is a strong product inhibitor ofS-adenosyl-L-methionine (AdoMet)-dependent methyltransferases, and to date more than 50 AdoMet-dependent methyltransferases that methylate a broad spectrum of cellular compounds including nucleic acids, proteins and lipids have been identified. Phospholipid methylation is the major consumer of AdoMet, both in mammals and in yeast. AdoHcy accumulation induced either by Hcy supplementation or due toS-adenosyl-L-homocysteine hydrolase deficiency results in inhibition of phospholipid methylation in yeast. Moreover, yeast cells accumulating AdoHcy also massively accumulate triacylglycerols (TAG). Similarly, Hcy supplementation was shown to lead to increased TAG and sterol synthesis as well as to the induction of the unfolded protein response (UPR) in mammalian cells. In this review a model of deregulation of lipid metabolism in response to accumulation of AdoHcy in Hcy-associated pathology is proposed.

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