scholarly journals Expression of ERK1 and ERK2 in prostate cancer

MAP Kinase ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Norelia Torrealba ◽  
Benito Fraile ◽  
Gabriel Olmedilla ◽  
Pilar Martínez-Onsurbe ◽  
Manuel Guil-Cid ◽  
...  

Prostate cancer may emerge as result of dysregulated balance between cell proliferation and death rates, increased angiogenesis and chronic. These processes are regulated by numerous signaling proteins, including the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). JNK, p38 and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) are the three major sub-families of MAPKs. The pro-oncogenic effects of ERK isoforms (ERK1 and ERK2) lie in their aberrant activation through phosphorylation by any mutation along the pathway of receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK)-Ras-Raf-MEK-ERK1/2. Once activated, ERKs phosphorylate cytoskeletal proteins, kinases, and transcription factors. Active ERK proteins induce strong proliferative and anti-apoptotic effects. Our group has tested variations in expression, activation and localization of ERKs in human prostate. Differential ERK1/2 expression and phosphorylation status may be linked to the progression of prostate cancer. The major striking observation is that ERKs are expressed in tumors with higher proportion than normal prostate. We believe that this is an important notion because the status (expression, localization, phosphorylation and the ERK1/ERK2 ratio) of ERK in the prostate may be developed into an important prognostic marker that predicts patient responce to the anti-cancer treatment.

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 182
Author(s):  
Stella Baliou ◽  
Maria Goulielmaki ◽  
Petros Ioannou ◽  
Christina Cheimonidi ◽  
Ioannis P. Trougakos ◽  
...  

Background: Taurine (Tau) ameliorates cancer pathogenesis. Researchers have focused on the functional properties of bromamine T (BAT), a stable active bromine molecule. Both N-bromotaurine (TauNHBr) and BAT exert potent anti-inflammatory properties, but the landscape remains obscure concerning the anti-cancer effect of BAT. Methods: We used Crystal Violet, colony formation, flow cytometry and Western blot experiments to evaluate the effect of BAT and Tau on the apoptosis and autophagy of cancer cells. Xenograft experiments were used to determine the in vivo cytotoxicity of either agent. Results: We demonstrated that both BAT and Tau inhibited the growth of human colon, breast, cervical and skin cancer cell lines. Among them, BAT exerted the greatest cytotoxic effect on both RKO and MDA-MB-468 cells. In particular, BAT increased the phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK½), p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and extracellular-signal-regulated kinases (ERK½), thereby inducing mitochondrial apoptosis and autophagy in RKO cells. In contrast, Tau exerted its cytotoxic effect by upregulating JNK½ forms, thus triggering mitochondrial apoptosis in RKO cells. Accordingly, colon cancer growth was impaired in vivo. Conclusions: BAT and Tau exerted their anti-tumor properties through the induction of (i) mitochondrial apoptosis, (ii) the MAPK family, and iii) autophagy, providing novel anti-cancer therapeutic modalities.


Author(s):  
Max Piffoux ◽  
Erwan Eriau ◽  
Philippe A. Cassier

Abstract Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is characterised by early metastasis and resistance to anti-cancer therapy, leading to an overall poor prognosis. Despite continued research efforts, no targeted therapy has yet shown meaningful efficacy in PDAC; mutations in the oncogene KRAS and the tumour suppressor TP53, which are the most common genomic alterations in PDAC, have so far shown poor clinical actionability. Autophagy, a conserved process allowing cells to recycle altered or unused organelles and cellular components, has been shown to be upregulated in PDAC and is implicated in resistance to both cytotoxic chemotherapy and targeted therapy. Autophagy is thus regarded as a potential therapeutic target in PDAC and other cancers. Although the molecular mechanisms of autophagy activation in PDAC are only beginning to emerge, several groups have reported interesting results when combining inhibitors of the extracellular-signal-regulated kinase/mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway and inhibitors of autophagy in models of PDAC and other KRAS-driven cancers. In this article, we review the existing preclinical data regarding the role of autophagy in PDAC, as well as results of relevant clinical trials with agents that modulate autophagy in this cancer.


Blood ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 112 (11) ◽  
pp. 5028-5028
Author(s):  
Zhen Li ◽  
Sarah Bezucha ◽  
Floyd Galiano ◽  
Hong Yin ◽  
Jonathan Glass

Abstract Iron (Fe) is an essential nutrient required for growth of all cells. Actively growing cells appear to have a greater need for iron at least as measured by increased expression of the transferrin receptor (TfR), the major route by which iron enters cells. Various attempts have been made to use iron chelators to deplete cells of iron as a means for decreasing the growth of cancer cells. We hypothesized that a contrary approach of enhancing iron entry would allow for generation of increased reactive oxygen species which could then potentiate radiation and radiomimetic drugs. To identify small molecules that would accelerate iron uptake we used a high through-put screening system in conjunction with a reporter system of K562 cells loaded with the divalent metal chelator calcein whose fluorescence is quenched with chelation of Fe2+. Small molecules that stimulate Fe uptake were defined as causing an increase of calcein fluorescence quenching compared to Fe alone. K562 cells were exposed to 0.1 μM calcein for 10 minutes, thoroughly washed, and 1 × 105 cells plated into each well of multiple 96-well plates. After equilibration of the plates at 37° C, aliquots of the individual components of an in-house chemical library of ~10,000 compounds dissolved in DMSO were screened in duplicate or triplicate and fluorescence measurements made at 0 and 30 min after addition of 10 μM FeNH4SO4 in a Synergy IV plate reader. 30 chemicals were identified that stimulated iron-induced quenching of calcein fluorescence. The stimulation was verified by dose response curves and the lack of toxicity noted by having no significant cell death after exposure for up to 5 days. One of the compounds, LS-0108076, at 3 or 10 μM stimulated iron uptake from FeNH4SO4 by 50% in K562 cells. LS-0108076 also facilitated uptake from transferrinbound iron in a prostate cancer line as evidenced by a 2-fold increase in ferritin levels when PC-3 cells were cultured with 10% serum. LS-0108076 (3μM) also significantly increased generation of ROS from 100±0% to 150±18% as measured with DCFDA but only in the serum-free Hepes buffer with 2 μM FeNH4citrate. LS-0108076 was further examined in prostate cancer and normal prostate cells for the ability to enhance cell killing by bleomycin, a radiation mimetic anti-cancer drug that chelates Fe and causes cell death by interchelating with DNA and producing DNA strand breaks. In both the PC3 and DU145 prostate cancer cell lines, LS-0108076 enhanced bleomycin cell killing in serum-free medium with further potentiation by the addition of 2 μM Fe3+ to LS-0108076. Similarly, LS-0108076 potentiated radiation induced cell death with the effects also enhanced by the presence of Fe3+and with marked increase of DNA strand breaks as detected by a comet assay. In normal prostate cells LS-0108076 had no affect on bleomycin cell toxicity. In summary, we have developed a high through-put screening technique that identified small molecules that stimulate iron uptake and demonstrated that compounds which facilitate iron uptake increase cell sensitivity to radiation therapy and chemotherapy and can be used to potentiate anti-cancer agents.


2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 869-876
Author(s):  
Samanta Salvi ◽  
Vincenza Conteduca ◽  
Cristian Lolli ◽  
Sara Testoni ◽  
Valentina Casadio ◽  
...  

Background: Adaptive upregulation of Androgen Receptor (AR) is the most common event involved in the progression from hormone sensitive to Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer (CRPC). AR signaling remains the main target of new AR signalling-directed therapies such as abiraterone and enzalutamide in CRPC patients. Objective: In this review, we discuss general mechanisms of resistance to AR-targeted therapies, with a focus on the role of AR Copy Number (CN). We reported methods and clinical applications of AR CN evaluation in tissue and liquid biopsy, thus to have a complete information regarding its role as predictive and prognostic biomarker. Conclusion: Outcomes of CRPC patients are reported to be highly variable as the consequence of tumor heterogeneity. AR CN could contribute to patient selection and tumor monitoring in CRPC treated with new anti-cancer treatment as abiraterone and enzalutamide. Further studies to investigate AR CN effect to these agents and its potential combination with other prognostic or predictive clinical factors are necessary in the context of harmonized clinical trial design.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (8) ◽  
pp. 1017-1027
Author(s):  
Abdul M. Baig ◽  
Zohaib Rana ◽  
Mohammad M. Mannan ◽  
Areeba Khaleeq ◽  
Fizza Nazim ◽  
...  

Background: Targeting evolutionarily conserved proteins in malignant cells and the adapter proteins involved in signalling that generates from such proteins may play a cardinal role in the selection of anti-cancer drugs. Drugs targeting these proteins could be of importance in developing anti-cancer drugs. Objectives: We inferred that drugs like loperamide and promethazine that act as antagonists of proteins conserved in cancer cells like voltage-gated Calcium channels (Cav), Calmodulin (CaM) and drug efflux (ABCB1) pump may have the potential to be re-purposed as an anti-cancer agent in Prostate Cancer (PCa). Methods: Growth and cytotoxic assays were performed by selecting loperamide and promethazine to target Cav, CaM and drug efflux (ABCB1) pumps to elucidate their effects on androgen-independent PC3 and DU145 PCa cell lines. Results: We show that loperamide and promethazine in doses of 80-100μg/ml exert oncocidal effects when tested in DU145 and PC3 cell lines. Diphenhydramine, which shares its targets with promethazine, except the CaM, failed to exhibit oncocidal effects. Conclusion: Anti-cancer effects can be of significance if structural analogues of loperamide and promethazine that specifically target Cav, CaM and ABCB1 drug efflux pumps can be synthesized, or these two drugs could be re-purposed after human trials in PCa.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (11) ◽  
pp. 3260
Author(s):  
Yu-Hsiang Lin ◽  
Chi-Chung Wang ◽  
Ying-Hung Lin ◽  
Bing-Huei Chen

Anti-cancer activity of catechin nanoemulsions prepared from Oolong tea leaf waste was studied on prostate cancer cells DU-145 and DU-145-induced tumors in mice. Catechin nanoemulsions composed of lecithin, Tween-80 and water in an appropriate proportion was prepared with high stability, particle size of 11.3 nm, zeta potential of −67.2 mV and encapsulation efficiency of 83.4%. Catechin nanoemulsions were more effective than extracts in inhibiting DU-145 cell growth, with the IC50 being 13.52 and 214.6 μg/mL, respectively, after 48 h incubation. Furthermore, both catechin nanoemulsions and extracts could raise caspase-8, caspase-9 and caspase-3 activities for DU-145 cell apoptosis, arresting the cell cycle at S and G2/M phases. Compared to control, catechin nanoemulsion at 20 μg/mL and paclitaxel at 10 μg/mL were the most effective in reducing tumor volume by 41.3% and 52.5% and tumor weight by 77.5% and 90.6% in mice, respectively, through a decrease in EGF and VEGF levels in serum.


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