scholarly journals Role of Glutathione in Cancer Progression and Chemoresistance

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola Traverso ◽  
Roberta Ricciarelli ◽  
Mariapaola Nitti ◽  
Barbara Marengo ◽  
Anna Lisa Furfaro ◽  
...  

Glutathione (GSH) plays an important role in a multitude of cellular processes, including cell differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis, and disturbances in GSH homeostasis are involved in the etiology and progression of many human diseases including cancer. While GSH deficiency, or a decrease in the GSH/glutathione disulphide (GSSG) ratio, leads to an increased susceptibility to oxidative stress implicated in the progression of cancer, elevated GSH levels increase the antioxidant capacity and the resistance to oxidative stress as observed in many cancer cells. The present review highlights the role of GSH and related cytoprotective effects in the susceptibility to carcinogenesis and in the sensitivity of tumors to the cytotoxic effects of anticancer agents.

Cells ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 1037 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cho ◽  
Kim ◽  
Baek ◽  
Kim ◽  
Lee

Rho GDP dissociation inhibitors (RhoGDIs) play important roles in various cellular processes, including cell migration, adhesion, and proliferation, by regulating the functions of the Rho GTPase family. Dissociation of Rho GTPases from RhoGDIs is necessary for their spatiotemporal activation and is dynamically regulated by several mechanisms, such as phosphorylation, sumoylation, and protein interaction. The expression of RhoGDIs has changed in many human cancers and become associated with the malignant phenotype, including migration, invasion, metastasis, and resistance to anticancer agents. Here, we review how RhoGDIs control the function of Rho GTPases by regulating their spatiotemporal activity and describe the regulatory mechanisms of the dissociation of Rho GTPases from RhoGDIs. We also discuss the role of RhoGDIs in cancer progression and their potential uses for therapeutic intervention.


Author(s):  
Eva Crosas-Molist ◽  
Remi Samain ◽  
Leonie Kohlhammer ◽  
Jose Orgaz ◽  
Samantha George ◽  
...  

Rho GTPases are a family of small G proteins that regulate a wide array of cellular processes related to their key roles controlling the cytoskeleton. On the other hand, cancer is a multi-step disease caused by the accumulation of genetic mutations and epigenetic alterations, from the initial stages of cancer development when cells in normal tissues undergo transformation, to the acquisition of invasive and metastatic traits, responsible for a large number of cancer related deaths. In this review, we discuss the role of Rho GTPase signalling in cancer in every step of disease progression. Rho GTPases contribute to tumour initiation and progression, by regulating proliferation and apoptosis, but also metabolism, senescence and cell stemness. Rho GTPases play a major role in cell migration, and in the metastatic process. They are also involved in interactions with the tumour microenvironment and regulate inflammation, contributing to cancer progression. After years of intensive research, we highlight the importance of relevant models in the Rho GTPase field, and we reflect on the therapeutic opportunities arising for cancer patients.


Author(s):  
Yin Ni ◽  
Chunbo Li ◽  
Chen Bo ◽  
Bomiao Zhang ◽  
Yanlong Liu ◽  
...  

Accumulating researches have proved that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) regulate a variety of cellular processes during cancer progression. However, the detailed function of most lncRNAs in colorectal cancer (CRC) remains mostly unknown. This study was aimed at exploring the specific role of lncRNA EGOT in CRC. Data from this study revealed that EGOT expression was obviously upregulated in CRC tissues and cell lines, and high EGOT expression indicated poor overall survival of CRC patients. Besides, functional assays proved that EGOT knockdown inhibited cell proliferation and promoted cell apoptosis in CRC. Then, subsequent molecular mechanism assays uncovered that EGOT could bind with miR-33b-5p and negatively regulate miR-33b-5p expression. Additionally, CROT was a downstream target of miR-33b-5p. Further, rescued-function assays suggested that the suppressive influence of EGOT depletion on CRC progression was reversed by miR-33b-5p inhibition or CROT overexpression. In conclusion, lncRNA EGOT mediates the tumor-facilitating part in CRC via miR-33b-5p/CROT pathway.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1239
Author(s):  
Leila Jahangiri ◽  
Tala Ishola ◽  
Perla Pucci ◽  
Ricky M. Trigg ◽  
Joao Pereira ◽  
...  

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) possess properties such as self-renewal, resistance to apoptotic cues, quiescence, and DNA-damage repair capacity. Moreover, CSCs strongly influence the tumour microenvironment (TME) and may account for cancer progression, recurrence, and relapse. CSCs represent a distinct subpopulation in tumours and the detection, characterisation, and understanding of the regulatory landscape and cellular processes that govern their maintenance may pave the way to improving prognosis, selective targeted therapy, and therapy outcomes. In this review, we have discussed the characteristics of CSCs identified in various cancer types and the role of autophagy and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in maintaining the homeostasis of CSCs. Further, we have discussed methods to detect CSCs and strategies for treatment and relapse, taking into account the requirement to inhibit CSC growth and survival within the complex backdrop of cellular processes, microenvironmental interactions, and regulatory networks associated with cancer. Finally, we critique the computationally reinforced triangle of factors inclusive of CSC properties, the process of autophagy, and lncRNA and their associated networks with respect to hypoxia, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and signalling pathways.


Antioxidants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 205
Author(s):  
Carmen Griñan-Lison ◽  
Jose L. Blaya-Cánovas ◽  
Araceli López-Tejada ◽  
Marta Ávalos-Moreno ◽  
Alba Navarro-Ocón ◽  
...  

Breast cancer is the most frequent cancer and the leading cause of cancer death in women. Oxidative stress and the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been related to cancer progression. Compared to their normal counterparts, tumor cells show higher ROS levels and tight regulation of REDOX homeostasis to maintain a low degree of oxidative stress. Traditionally antioxidants have been extensively investigated to counteract breast carcinogenesis and tumor progression as chemopreventive agents; however, there is growing evidence indicating their potential as adjuvants for the treatment of breast cancer. Aimed to elucidate whether antioxidants could be a reality in the management of breast cancer patients, this review focuses on the latest investigations regarding the ambivalent role of antioxidants in the development of breast cancer, with special attention to the results derived from clinical trials, as well as their potential use as plausible agents in combination therapy and their power to ameliorate the side effects attributed to standard therapeutics. Data retrieved herein suggest that antioxidants play an important role in breast cancer prevention and the improvement of therapeutic efficacy; nevertheless, appropriate patient stratification based on “redoxidomics” or tumor subtype is mandatory in order to define the dosage for future standardized and personalized treatments of patients.


Author(s):  
Andrea Sanchez-Navarro ◽  
Isaac González-Soria ◽  
Rebecca Caldiño-Bohn ◽  
Norma A. Bobadilla

Serpins are a superfamily of proteins characterized by their common function as serine protease inhibitors. So far, 36 serpins from nine clades have been identified. These proteins are expressed in all the organs and are involved in multiple important functions such as the regulation of blood pressure, hormone transport, insulin sensitivity, and the inflammatory response. Diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular, and kidney disorders are intensively studied to find effective therapeutic targets. Given serpins' outstanding functionality, the deficiency or overexpression of certain types of serpin have been associated with diverse pathophysiological events. In particular, we will focus on reviewing the studies evaluating the participation of serpins, and particularly SerpinA3, in diverse diseases that occur in relevant organs such as the brain, retinas, corneas, lungs, cardiac vasculature, and kidneys. In this review, we summarize the role of serpins in physiological and pathophysiological processes, as well as recent evidence on the crucial role of SerpinA3 in several pathologies. Finally, we emphasize the importance of SerpinA3 in regulating cellular processes such as angiogenesis, apoptosis, fibrosis, oxidative stress, and the inflammatory response.


2011 ◽  
Vol 9 (71) ◽  
pp. 1389-1397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seung-Wook Chung ◽  
Carlton R. Cooper ◽  
Mary C. Farach-Carson ◽  
Babatunde A. Ogunnaike

TGF-β, a key cytokine that regulates diverse cellular processes, including proliferation and apoptosis, appears to function paradoxically as a tumour suppressor in normal cells, and as a tumour promoter in cancer cells, but the mechanisms underlying such contradictory roles remain unknown. In particular, given that this cytokine is primarily a tumour suppressor, the conundrum of the unusually high level of TGF-β observed in the primary cancer tissue and blood samples of cancer patients with the worst prognosis, remains unresolved. To provide a quantitative explanation of these paradoxical observations, we present, from a control theory perspective, a mechanistic model of TGF-β-driven regulation of cell homeostasis. Analysis of the overall system model yields quantitative insight into how cell population is regulated, enabling us to propose a plausible explanation for the paradox: with the tumour suppressor role of TGF-β unchanged from normal to cancer cells, we demonstrate that the observed increased level of TGF-β is an effect of cancer cell phenotypic progression (specifically, acquired TGF-β resistance), not the cause . We are thus able to explain precisely why the clinically observed correlation between elevated TGF-β levels and poor prognosis is in fact consistent with TGF-β's original (and unchanged) role as a tumour suppressor.


Cancers ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 332
Author(s):  
Yan Zhao ◽  
Hongling Peng

Epigenetics is identified as the study of heritable modifications in gene expression and regulation that do not involve DNA sequence alterations, such as DNA methylation, histone modifications, etc. Importantly, N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methylation modification is one of the most common epigenetic modifications of eukaryotic messenger RNA (mRNA), which plays a key role in various cellular processes. It can not only mediate various RNA metabolic processes such as RNA splicing, translation, and decay under the catalytic regulation of related enzymes but can also affect the normal development of bone marrow hematopoiesis by regulating the self-renewal, proliferation, and differentiation of pluripotent stem cells in the hematopoietic microenvironment of bone marrow. In recent years, numerous studies have demonstrated that m6A methylation modifications play an important role in the development and progression of hematologic malignancies (e.g., leukemia, lymphoma, myelodysplastic syndromes [MDS], multiple myeloma [MM], etc.). Targeting the inhibition of m6A-associated factors can contribute to increased susceptibility of patients with hematologic malignancies to therapeutic agents. Therefore, this review elaborates on the biological characteristics and normal hematopoietic regulatory functions of m6A methylation modifications and their role in the pathogenesis of hematologic malignancies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (23) ◽  
pp. 9328
Author(s):  
Hiroaki Iwamoto ◽  
Kouji Izumi ◽  
Atsushi Mizokami

C-C motif ligand 2 (CCL2) was originally reported as a chemical mediator attracting mononuclear cells to inflammatory tissue. Many studies have reported that CCL2 can directly activate cancer cells through a variety of mechanisms. CCL2 can also promote cancer progression indirectly through increasing the recruitment of tumor-associated macrophages into the tumor microenvironment. The role of CCL2 in cancer progression has gradually been understood, and various preclinical cancer models elucidate that CCL2 and its receptor C-C chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2) are attractive targets for intervention in cancer development. However, clinically available drugs that regulate the CCL2–CCR2 axis as anticancer agents are not available at this time. The complete elucidation of not only the oncological but also the physiological functions of the CCL2–CCR2 axis is required for achieving a satisfactory effect of the CCL2–CCR2 axis-targeted therapy.


Cells ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (9) ◽  
pp. 133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Concetti ◽  
Caroline L Wilson

Current evidence strongly suggests that aberrant activation of the NF-κB signalling pathway is associated with carcinogenesis. A number of key cellular processes are governed by the effectors of this pathway, including immune responses and apoptosis, both crucial in the development of cancer. Therefore, it is not surprising that dysregulated and chronic NF-κB signalling can have a profound impact on cellular homeostasis. Here we discuss NFKB1 (p105/p50), one of the five subunits of NF-κB, widely implicated in carcinogenesis, in some cases driving cancer progression and in others acting as a tumour-suppressor. The complexity of the role of this subunit lies in the multiple dimeric combination possibilities as well as the different interacting co-factors, which dictate whether gene transcription is activated or repressed, in a cell and organ-specific manner. This review highlights the multiple roles of NFKB1 in the development and progression of different cancers, and the considerations to make when attempting to manipulate NF-κB as a potential cancer therapy.


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