scholarly journals Metastatic cells are preferentially vulnerable to lysosomal inhibition

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (36) ◽  
pp. E8479-E8488 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Morgan ◽  
Brent E. Fitzwalter ◽  
Charles R. Owens ◽  
Rani K. Powers ◽  
Joseph L. Sottnik ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tumor Cells ◽  
Expression Patterns ◽  
Selective Vulnerability ◽  
Molecular Alterations ◽  
Metastatic Cells ◽  
Lung Colonization ◽  
Potential Biomarker ◽  
Selection For

Molecular alterations that confer phenotypic advantages to tumors can also expose specific therapeutic vulnerabilities. To search for potential treatments that would selectively affect metastatic cells, we examined the sensitivity of lineage-related human bladder cancer cell lines with different lung colonization abilities to chloroquine (CQ) or bafilomycin A1, which are inhibitors of lysosome function and autophagy. Both CQ and bafilomycin A1 were more cytotoxic in vitro to highly metastatic cells compared with their less metastatic counterparts. Genetic inactivation of macroautophagy regulators and lysosomal proteins indicated that this was due to greater reliance on the lysosome but not upon macroautophagy. To identify the mechanism underlying these effects, we generated cells resistant to CQ in vitro. Surprisingly, selection for in vitro CQ resistance was sufficient to alter gene expression patterns such that unsupervised cluster analysis of whole-transcriptome data indicated that selection for CQ resistance alone created tumor cells that were more similar to the poorly metastatic parental cells from which the metastatic cells were derived; importantly, these tumor cells also had diminished metastatic ability in vivo. These effects were mediated in part by differential expression of the transcriptional regulator ID4 (inhibitor of DNA binding 4); depletion of ID4 both promoted in vitro CQ sensitivity and restored lung colonization and metastasis of CQ-resistant cells. These data demonstrate that selection for metastasis ability confers selective vulnerability to lysosomal inhibitors and identify ID4 as a potential biomarker for the use of lysosomal inhibitors to reduce metastasis in patients.

scholarly journals Novel Proteome Extraction Method Illustrates a Conserved Immunological Signature of MSI-H Colorectal Tumors

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (10) ◽  
pp. 1619-1631
Author(s):  
Elez D. Vainer ◽  
Juliane Kania-Almog ◽  
Ghadeer Zatara ◽  
Yishai Levin ◽  
Gilad W. Vainer
Keyword(s):  
Tumor Cells ◽  
Expression Patterns ◽  
Interferon Γ ◽  
Short Exposure ◽  
Clinical Samples ◽  
Temporal Regulation ◽  
Stat Proteins ◽  
Clinical Biomarkers

Using a simple, environment friendly proteome extraction (TOP), we were able to optimize the analysis of clinical samples. Using our TOP method we analyzed a clinical cohort of microsatellite stable (MSS) and unstable (MSI-H) colorectal carcinoma (CRC). We identified a tumor cell specific, STAT1-centered, immune signature expressed by the MSI-H tumor cells. We then showed that long, but not short, exposure to Interferon-γ induces a similar signature in vitro. We identified 10 different temporal protein expression patterns, classifying the Interferon-γ protein temporal regulation in CRC. Our data sheds light on the changes that tumor cells undergo under long-term immunological pressure in vivo, the importance of STAT proteins in specific biological scenarios. The data generated could help find novel clinical biomarkers and therapeutic approaches.

scholarly journals Repression of LKB1 by miR-17∼92 sensitizes MYC-dependent lymphoma to biguanide treatment

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Said Izreig ◽  
Alexandra Gariepy ◽  
Ariel O. Donayo ◽  
Gaëlle Bridon ◽  
Daina Avizonis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Tumor Cells ◽  
Human Cancer ◽  
Tca Cycle ◽  
Mirna Cluster ◽  
Lymphoma Cells ◽  
Ampk Signaling ◽  
Potential Biomarker

AbstractCancer cells display metabolic plasticity to survive metabolic and energetic stresses in the tumor microenvironment, prompting the need for tools to target tumor metabolism. Cellular adaptation to energetic stress is coordinated in part by signaling through the Liver Kinase B1 (LKB1)-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway. Reducing LKB1-AMPK signaling exposes metabolic vulnerabilities in tumor cells with potential for therapeutic targeting. Here we describe that miRNA-mediated silencing of LKB1 (mediated by the oncogenic miRNA cluster miR-17∼92) confers sensitivity of lymphoma cells to mitochondrial inhibition by biguanides. Using both classic (phenformin) and novel (IM156) biguanides, we demonstrate that Myc+ lymphoma cells with elevated miR-17∼92 expression display increased sensitivity to biguanide treatment both in cell viability assays in vitro and tumor growth assays in vivo. This increased biguanide sensitivity is driven by miR-17-dependent silencing of LKB1, which results in reduced AMPK activation in response to bioenergetic stress. Mechanistically, biguanide treatment inhibits TCA cycle metabolism and mitochondrial respiration in miR-17∼92-expressing tumor cells, targeting their metabolic vulnerability. Finally, we demonstrate a direct correlation between miR-17∼92 expression and biguanide sensitivity in human cancer cells. Our results identify miR-17∼92 expression as a potential biomarker for biguanide sensitivity in hematological malignancies and solid tumors.One Sentence SummarymiR-17∼92 expression in Myc+ tumors sensitizes cancer cells to biguanide treatment by disrupting bioenergetic stability in lymphoma cells.

scholarly journals Insulin enhancement of the antitumor activity of chemotherapeutic agents in colorectal cancer is linked with downregulating PIK3CA and GRB2

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Siddarth Agrawal ◽  
Marta Woźniak ◽  
Mateusz Łuc ◽  
Sebastian Makuch ◽  
Ewa Pielka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Colon Cancer ◽  
Tumor Cells ◽  
Circulating Tumor Cells ◽  
Western Blotting ◽  
Expression Patterns ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Chemotherapeutic Agents ◽  
Significant Inhibition

Abstract The present state of cancer chemotherapy is unsatisfactory. New anticancer drugs that marginally improve the survival of patients continue to be developed at an unsustainably high cost. The study aimed to elucidate the effects of insulin (INS), an inexpensive drug with a convincing safety profile, on the susceptibility of colon cancer to chemotherapeutic agents: 5-fluorouracil (FU), oxaliplatin (OXA), irinotecan (IRI), cyclophosphamide (CPA) and docetaxel (DOC). To examine the effects of insulin on cell viability and apoptosis, we performed an in vitro analysis on colon cancer cell lines Caco-2 and SW480. To verify the results, we performed in vivo analysis on mice bearing MC38 colon tumors. To assess the underlying mechanism of the therapy, we examined the mRNA expression of pathways related to the signaling downstream of insulin receptors (INSR). Moreover, we performed Western blotting to confirm expression patterns derived from the genetic analysis. For the quantification of circulating tumor cells in the peripheral blood, we used the maintrac method. The results of our study show that insulin-pretreated colon cancer cells are significantly more susceptible to commonly used chemotherapeutics. The apoptosis ratio was also enhanced when INS was administered complementary to the examined drugs. The in vivo study showed that the combination of INS and FU resulted in significant inhibition of tumor growth and reduction of the number of circulating tumor cells. This combination caused a significant downregulation of the key signaling substrates downstream of INSR. The results indicate that the downregulation of PIK3CA (phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase catalytic subunit alpha), which plays a critical role in cell signaling and GRB2 (growth factor receptor-bound protein 2), a regulator of cell proliferation and differentiation may be responsible for the sensitizing effect of INS. These findings were confirmed at protein levels by Western blotting. In conclusion, these results suggest that INS might be potentially applied to clinical use to enhance the therapeutic effectiveness of chemotherapeutic drugs. The findings may become a platform for the future development of new and inexpensive strategies for the clinical chemotherapy of tumors.

scholarly journals Tumor cell-intrinsic PD-1 receptor is a tumor suppressor and mediates resistance to PD-1 blockade therapy

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (12) ◽  
pp. 6640-6650 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaodong Wang ◽  
Xiaohui Yang ◽  
Chang Zhang ◽  
Yang Wang ◽  
Tianyou Cheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Proliferation ◽  
Tumor Suppressor ◽  
Tumor Growth ◽  
Tumor Cell ◽  
Tumor Cells ◽  
Colony Formation ◽  
Immune Escape ◽  
Potential Biomarker

The programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) receptor on the surface of immune cells is an immune checkpoint molecule that mediates the immune escape of tumor cells. Consequently, antibodies targeting PD-1 have shown efficacy in enhancing the antitumor activity of T cells in some types of cancers. However, the potential effects of PD-1 on tumor cells remain largely unknown. Here, we show that PD-1 is expressed across a broad range of tumor cells. The silencing of PD-1 or its ligand, PD-1 ligand 1 (PD-L1), promotes cell proliferation and colony formation in vitro and tumor growth in vivo. Conversely, overexpression of PD-1 or PD-L1 inhibits tumor cell proliferation and colony formation. Moreover, blocking antibodies targeting PD-1 or PD-L1 promote tumor growth in cell cultures and xenografts. Mechanistically, the coordination of PD-1 and PD-L1 activates its major downstream signaling pathways including the AKT and ERK1/2 pathways, thus enhancing tumor cell growth. This study demonstrates that PD-1/PD-L1 is a potential tumor suppressor and potentially regulates the response to anti-PD-1/PD-L1 treatments, thus representing a potential biomarker for the optimal cancer immunotherapeutic treatment.

scholarly journals Fate-mapping post-hypoxic tumor cells reveals a ROS-resistant phenotype that promotes metastasis

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Inês Godet ◽  
Yu Jung Shin ◽  
Julia A. Ju ◽  
I Chae Ye ◽  
Guannan Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tumor Cells ◽  
Cellular Response ◽  
Expression Patterns ◽  
Prognostic Indicator ◽  
Gene Signature ◽  
Fate Map ◽  
Resistant Phenotype ◽  
Hypoxic Tumor

Abstract Hypoxia is known to be detrimental in cancer and contributes to its development. In this work, we present an approach to fate-map hypoxic cells in vivo in order to determine their cellular response to physiological O2 gradients as well as to quantify their contribution to metastatic spread. We demonstrate the ability of the system to fate-map hypoxic cells in 2D, and in 3D spheroids and organoids. We identify distinct gene expression patterns in cells that experienced intratumoral hypoxia in vivo compared to cells exposed to hypoxia in vitro. The intratumoral hypoxia gene-signature is a better prognostic indicator for distant metastasis-free survival. Post-hypoxic tumor cells have an ROS-resistant phenotype that provides a survival advantage in the bloodstream and promotes their ability to establish overt metastasis. Post-hypoxic cells retain an increase in the expression of a subset of hypoxia-inducible genes at the metastatic site, suggesting the possibility of a ‘hypoxic memory.’

scholarly journals Mechanism of circADD2 as ceRNA in Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuting Zhu ◽  
Xiaopeng Ma ◽  
Heng Zhang ◽  
Yijun Wu ◽  
Meiyun Kang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia ◽  
Lymphoblastic Leukemia ◽  
Expression Patterns ◽  
Tumor Biology ◽  
Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia ◽  
Luciferase Assay ◽  
Mechanistic Study ◽  
Potential Biomarker

Background: Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) is the most common malignant tumor in children. Increasing evidence suggests that circular RNAs (circRNAs) play critical regulatory roles in tumor biology. However, the expression patterns and roles of circRNAs in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) remain largely unknown.Methods: circADD2 was selected by microarray assay and confirmed by qRT-PCR; in vitro effects of circADD2 were determined by CCK-8 and flow cytometry; while mice subcutaneous tumor model was designed for in vivo analysis. RNA immunoprecipitation and dual-luciferase assay were applied for mechanistic study. Protein levels were examined by Western blot assay.Results: circADD2 was down-regulated in ALL tissues and cell lines. Overexpression of circADD2 inhibited cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis both in vitro and in vivo. Briefly, circADD2 could directly sponge miR-149-5p, and the level of AKT2, a target gene of miR-149-5p, was downregulated by circADD2.Conclusion: circADD2, as a tumor suppressor in ALL, can sponge miR-149-5p, and may serve as a potential biomarker for the diagnosis or treatment of ALL.

scholarly journals Use of PiggyBac Transposon System Constructed Murine Breast Cancer Model For Reporter Gene Imaging And Characterization of Metastatic Tumor Cells

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying-Ling Chen ◽  
Kuei-Yuan Hou ◽  
Min-Ying Lin ◽  
Yu-Chuan Lin ◽  
Hui-Yen Chuang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Tumor Cells ◽  
Reporter Gene ◽  
Reporter Genes ◽  
Reporter Gene Imaging ◽  
Mammosphere Formation ◽  
Metastatic Cells ◽  
4T1 Cells

Abstract The piggyBac transposon system is known to non-viral integrate exogenous genes to chromosomes of mammalian cells. For reporter gene imaging, this transposon system is believed to efficiently establish xenograft tumor model with low immunogenicity. Because tumor cells usually exhibit genomic instability, it is important to investigate if piggyBac mediated transduction of reporter genes would change tumor characteristics. In this study, reporter gene imaging mediated by the piggyBac transposon system was exploited to track the growth and dissemination of 4T1 triple-negative murine breast cancer cells in vivo, followed by ex vivo analysis of the metastatic cells expressing reporter genes. We demonstrated that several cell properties, including proliferation rate, invasion and migration rate, and mammosphere formation ability of 4T1 cells were not influenced by piggyBac transposon system. Further, we isolated the liver metastatic cells, named 4T1-3R_L cells for further analysis. Compared to parental 4T1 cells, 4T1-3R_L cells exhibited several cancer stem cells (CSC) related characteristics, including significant mammosphere formation ability, resistance to doxorubicin, high tumorigenicity potential in Balb/C mice and expression of CD44 CSC marker. We also found that 4T1-3R_L cells exhibited stronger migrated and invasive abilities, by wound healing assay and in vitro invasion assay, respectively. The cell adhesive ability of 4T1-3R_L cells was also lower than that of 4T1 cells. The microarray assay showed that several epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) promoting markers, including vimentin, N-cadherin, Twist1, and Snail were up-regulated, and anti-EMT marker E-cadherin was down-regulated in 4T1-3R_L cells. Current data suggest that the piggyBac transposon system is a reliable and biocompatible tool to engineer cancer cells for tacking and characterizing tumor development in vivo and in vitro.

Melatonin modifies tumor hypoxia and metabolism by inhibiting HIF-1α and energy metabolic pathway in the in vitro and in vivo models of breast cancer

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 83-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
André De Lima Mota ◽  
Bruna Vitorasso Jardim-Perassi ◽  
Tialfi Bergamin De Castro ◽  
Jucimara Colombo ◽  
Nathália Martins Sonehara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Glucose Metabolism ◽  
Tumor Growth ◽  
Tumor Cells ◽  
Carbonic Anhydrases ◽  
In Vivo Models ◽  
Ca Ix ◽  
Gene And Protein Expression

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women and has a high mortality rate. Adverse conditions in the tumor microenvironment, such as hypoxia and acidosis, may exert selective pressure on the tumor, selecting subpopulations of tumor cells with advantages for survival in this environment. In this context, therapeutic agents that can modify these conditions, and consequently the intratumoral heterogeneity need to be explored. Melatonin, in addition to its physiological effects, exhibits important anti-tumor actions which may associate with modification of hypoxia and Warburg effect. In this study, we have evaluated the action of melatonin on tumor growth and tumor metabolism by different markers of hypoxia and glucose metabolism (HIF-1α, glucose transporters GLUT1 and GLUT3 and carbonic anhydrases CA-IX and CA-XII) in triple negative breast cancer model. In an in vitro study, gene and protein expressions of these markers were evaluated by quantitative real-time PCR and immunocytochemistry, respectively. The effects of melatonin were also tested in a MDA-MB-231 xenograft animal model. Results showed that melatonin treatment reduced the viability of MDA-MB-231 cells and tumor growth in Balb/c nude mice (p <0.05). The treatment significantly decreased HIF-1α gene and protein expression concomitantly with the expression of GLUT1, GLUT3, CA-IX and CA-XII (p <0.05). These results strongly suggest that melatonin down-regulates HIF-1α expression and regulates glucose metabolism in breast tumor cells, therefore, controlling hypoxia and tumor progression. 

Improvement of effectiveness in maize breeding

2006 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
pp. 351-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Pepó
Keyword(s):  
Recurrent Selection ◽  
Genetic Manipulation ◽  
Field Testing ◽  
Tissue Cultures ◽  
Maize Breeding ◽  
Breeding Programmes ◽  
Speed Up ◽  
Selection For

Plant regeneration via tissue culture is becoming increasingly more common in monocots such as maize (Zea mays L.). Pollen (gametophytic) selection for resistance to aflatoxin in maize can greatly facilitate recurrent selection and the screening of germplasm for resistance at much less cost and in a shorter time than field testing. In vivo and in vitro techniques have been integrated in maize breeding programmes to obtain desirable agronomic attributes, enhance the genes responsible for them and speed up the breeding process. The efficiency of anther and tissue cultures in maize and wheat has reached the stage where they can be used in breeding programmes to some extent and many new cultivars produced by genetic manipulation have now reached the market.

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