scholarly journals Sirtuins and Cancer: Role in the Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raffaele Palmirotta ◽  
Mauro Cives ◽  
David Della-Morte ◽  
Barbara Capuani ◽  
Davide Lauro ◽  
...  

The human sirtuins (SIRT1–SIRT7) enzymes are a highly conserved family of NAD+-dependent histone deacetylases, which play a critical role in the regulation of a large number of metabolic pathways involved in stress response and aging. Cancer is an age-associated disease, and sirtuins may have a considerable impact on a plethora of processes that regulate tumorigenesis. In particular, growing evidence suggests that sirtuins may modulate epithelial plasticity by inducing transcriptional reprogramming leading to epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), invasion, and metastases. Though commonly regarded as EMT inducers, sirtuins may also suppress this process, and their functional properties seem to largely depend on the cellular context, stage of cancer development, tissue of origin, and microenvironment architecture. Here, we review the role of sirtuins in cancer biology with particular emphasis on their role in EMT.

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (8) ◽  
pp. 1924 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gugnoni ◽  
Ciarrocchi

Epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a multistep process that allows epithelial cells to acquire mesenchymal properties. Fundamental in the early stages of embryonic development, this process is aberrantly activated in aggressive cancerous cells to gain motility and invasion capacity, thus promoting metastatic phenotypes. For this reason, EMT is a central topic in cancer research and its regulation by a plethora of mechanisms has been reported. Recently, genomic sequencing and functional genomic studies deepened our knowledge on the fundamental regulatory role of noncoding DNA. A large part of the genome is transcribed in an impressive number of noncoding RNAs. Among these, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to control several biological processes affecting gene expression at multiple levels from transcription to protein localization and stability. Up to now, more than 8000 lncRNAs were discovered as selectively expressed in cancer cells. Their elevated number and high expression specificity candidate these molecules as a valuable source of biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets. Rising evidence currently highlights a relevant function of lncRNAs on EMT regulation defining a new layer of involvement of these molecules in cancer biology. In this review we aim to summarize the findings on the role of lncRNAs on EMT regulation and to discuss their prospective potential value as biomarkers and therapeutic targets in cancer.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
Divya Adiga ◽  
Raghu Radhakrishnan ◽  
Sanjiban Chakrabarty ◽  
Prashant Kumar ◽  
Shama Prasada Kabekkodu

Despite substantial advances in the field of cancer therapeutics, metastasis is a significant challenge for a favorable clinical outcome. Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a process of acquiring increased motility, invasiveness, and therapeutic resistance by cancer cells for their sustained growth and survival. A plethora of intrinsic mechanisms and extrinsic microenvironmental factors drive the process of cancer metastasis. Calcium (Ca<sup>2+</sup>) signaling plays a critical role in dictating the adaptive metastatic cell behavior comprising of cell migration, invasion, angiogenesis, and intravasation. By modulating EMT, Ca<sup>2+</sup> signaling can regulate the complexity and dynamics of events leading to metastasis. This review summarizes the role of Ca<sup>2+</sup> signal remodeling in the regulation of EMT and metastasis in cancer.


Cancers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenjuan Mei ◽  
Xiaozeng Lin ◽  
Anil Kapoor ◽  
Yan Gu ◽  
Kuncheng Zhao ◽  
...  

Research in the last decade has clearly revealed a critical role of prostate cancer stem cells (PCSCs) in prostate cancer (PC). Prostate stem cells (PSCs) reside in both basal and luminal layers, and are the target cells of oncogenic transformation, suggesting a role of PCSCs in PC initiation. Mutations in PTEN, TP53, and RB1 commonly occur in PC, particularly in metastasis and castration-resistant PC. The loss of PTEN together with Ras activation induces partial epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), which is a major mechanism that confers plasticity to cancer stem cells (CSCs) and PCSCs, which contributes to metastasis. While PTEN inactivation leads to PC, it is not sufficient for metastasis, the loss of PTEN concurrently with the inactivation of both TP53 and RB1 empower lineage plasticity in PC cells, which substantially promotes PC metastasis and the conversion to PC adenocarcinoma to neuroendocrine PC (NEPC), demonstrating the essential function of TP53 and RB1 in the suppression of PCSCs. TP53 and RB1 suppress lineage plasticity through the inhibition of SOX2 expression. In this review, we will discuss the current evidence supporting a major role of PCSCs in PC initiation and metastasis, as well as the underlying mechanisms regulating PCSCs. These discussions will be developed along with the cancer stem cell (CSC) knowledge in other cancer types.


2007 ◽  
Vol 293 (3) ◽  
pp. L525-L534 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brigham C. Willis ◽  
Zea Borok

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a process whereby fully differentiated epithelial cells undergo transition to a mesenchymal phenotype giving rise to fibroblasts and myofibroblasts, is increasingly recognized as playing an important role in repair and scar formation following epithelial injury. The extent to which this process contributes to fibrosis following injury in the lung is a subject of active investigation. Recently, it was demonstrated that transforming growth factor (TGF)-β induces EMT in alveolar epithelial cells (AEC) in vitro and in vivo, and epithelial and mesenchymal markers have been colocalized to hyperplastic type II (AT2) cells in lung tissue from patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), suggesting that AEC may exhibit extreme plasticity and serve as a source of fibroblasts and/or myofibroblasts in lung fibrosis. In this review, we describe the characteristic features of EMT and its mechanistic underpinnings. We further describe the contribution of EMT to fibrosis in adult tissues following injury, focusing especially on the critical role of TGF-β and its downstream mediators in this process. Finally, we highlight recent descriptions of EMT in the lung and the potential implications of this process for the treatment of fibrotic lung disease. Treatment for fibrosis of the lung in diseases such as IPF has heretofore focused largely on amelioration of potential inciting processes such as inflammation. It is hoped that this review will stimulate further consideration of the cellular mechanisms of fibrogenesis in the lung and especially the role of the epithelium in this process, potentially leading to innovative avenues of investigation and treatment.


Acta Naturae ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 76-90
Author(s):  
Margarita A. Yastrebova ◽  
Alvina I. Khamidullina ◽  
Victor V. Tatarskiy ◽  
Alexander M. Scherbakov

The review analyzes Snail family proteins, which are transcription factors involved in the regulation of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of tumor cells. We describe the structure of these proteins, their post-translational modification, and the mechanisms of Snail-dependent regulation of genes. The role of Snail proteins in carcinogenesis, invasion, and metastasis is analyzed. Furthermore, we focus on EMT signaling mechanisms involving Snail proteins. Next, we dissect Snail signaling in hypoxia, a condition that complicates anticancer treatment. Finally, we offer classes of chemical compounds capable of down-regulating the transcriptional activity of Snails. Given the important role of Snail proteins in cancer biology and the potential for pharmacological inhibition, Snail family proteins may be considered promising as therapeutic targets.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Xue ◽  
Tingting Du ◽  
Fangfang Lai ◽  
Jing Jin ◽  
Ming Ji ◽  
...  

Abstract Extracellular heat shock protein 90α (HSP90α) has been reported to promote cancer cell invasion and migration. However, whether pancreatic cancer (PC) cells expressed membrane-bound or secreted HSP90α and its underlying mechanism for PC progression were still unclear. Our study pointed out that highly invasive Capan2 cells has a higher level of secreted HSP90α, rather than membrane HSP90α, compared with those of less invasive PL45 cells. The conditioned medium of Capan2 cells or recombinant HSP90α protein was able to stimulate the migration and invasion of PL45 or capan2 cells, which could be prevented by a neutralizing anti-HSP90α antibody. Furthermore, secreted HSP90α promoted elements of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in PL45 cells, including increases in vimentin and snail expressions, decreases in E-cadherin expression and changes in cell shape towards a mesenchymal phenotype, but these phenomena were reversed by anti-HSP90α antibody in Capan2 cells. In addition, high levels of low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1) mRNA were associated with worsened patient survival in pancreatic adenocarcinoma. LRP1 as a receptor of eHSP90α for its stimulatory role of PC cells EMT and metastasis by activating AKT signaling. Down-regulation of LRP1 could promote chemosensitivity to gemcitabine and doxorubicin, but not to topotecan and paclitaxel in Capan2 cells. Therefore, our study reveals a critical role of secreted HSP90α on EMT events and suggests blocking secreted HSP90α underlies an aspect of metastasis and chemoresistance.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
lun gao ◽  
Zhang Ye ◽  
Jun-Hui Liu ◽  
Ji-An Yang ◽  
Yong Li ◽  
...  

Abstract Transmembrane and coiled-coil domains 1 (TMCO1) is a recently discovered transmembrane protein of endoplasmic reticulum (ER), which plays a critical role in maintaining calcium homeostasis. TMCO1 dysfunction has been proved to be closely related to a variety of human diseases, including glaucoma, deformities, mental retardation and tumorigenesis. However, the role of TMCO1 in gliomas remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to detect the role of TMCO1 in the pathogenesis and progression of gliomas. This study demonstrated that TMCO1 was up-regulated in gliomas and its overexpression predicted poor prognosis. We also revealed that the expression of TMCO1 was associated with the World Health Organization (WHO) grade of gliomas. Knockdown of TMCO1 inhibited the proliferation and induced apoptosis of U87 and U251cells. In addition, TMCO1 induced GBM cell migration and invasion by promoting epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). These dates collectively proved the crucial role of TMCO1 as a novel prognostic factor and underlying therapeutic target for glioma patients.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaobo Zheng ◽  
Fuzhen Dai ◽  
Lei Feng ◽  
Hong Zou ◽  
Li Feng ◽  
...  

The epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) is closely associated with the acquisition of aggressive traits by carcinoma cells and is considered responsible for metastasis, relapse, and chemoresistance. Molecular links between the EMT and cancer stem cells (CSCs) have indicated that EMT processes play important roles in the expression of CSC-like properties. It is generally thought that EMT-related transcription factors (EMT-TFs) need to be downregulated to confer an epithelial phenotype to mesenchymal cells and increase cell proliferation, thereby promoting metastasis formation. However, the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms that regulate EMT and CSC activation are contradictory. Emerging evidence suggests that EMT need not be a binary model and instead a hybrid epithelial/mesenchymal state. This dynamic process correlates with epithelial–mesenchymal plasticity, which indicates a contradictory role of EMT during cancer progression. Recent studies have linked the epithelial–mesenchymal plasticity and stem cell-like traits, providing new insights into the conflicting relationship between EMT and CSCs. In this review, we examine the current knowledge about the interplay between epithelial–mesenchymal plasticity and CSCs in cancer biology and evaluate the controversies and future perspectives. Understanding the biology of epithelial–mesenchymal plasticity and CSCs and their implications in therapeutic treatment may provide new opportunities for targeted intervention.


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