bims-istrec 2022-01-23 papers

Issue of 2022‒01‒23
five papers selected by
Vincenzo Ciminale’s Lab
Istituto Oncologico Veneto

Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Jan 06. pii: 579. [Epub ahead of print]23(2):

Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Contributed to Dipyridamole-Induced Impaired Autophagic Flux and Glioma Apoptosis.

Cheng-Yi Chang, Chih-Cheng Wu, Jiaan-Der Wang, Su-Lan Liao, Wen-Ying Chen, Yu-Hsiang Kuan, Wen-Yi Wang, Chun-Jung Chen.

Elevation of intracellular cAMP levels has been implicated in glioma cell proliferation inhibition, differentiation, and apoptosis. Inhibition of phosphodiesterase is a way to elevate intracellular cAMP levels. The present study aimed to investigate the anti-glioma potential of dipyridamole, an inhibitor of phosphodiesterase. Upon treatment with dipyridamole, human U87 glioma cells decreased cell viability, clonogenic colonization, migration, and invasion, along with Noxa upregulation, Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) stress, impaired autophagic flux, Yes-associated Protein 1 (YAP1) phosphorylation, and YAP1 reduction. Pharmacological and genetic studies revealed the ability of dipyridamole to initiate Noxa-guided apoptosis through ER stress. Additionally, the current study further identified the biochemical role of YAP1 in communicating with ER stress and autophagy under situations of dipyridamole treatment. YAP1 promoted autophagy and protected glioma cells from dipyridamole-induced apoptotic cell death. Dipyridamole impaired autophagic flux and rendered glioma cells more vulnerable to apoptotic cell death through ER stress-inhibitable YAP1/autophagy axis. The overall cellular changes caused by dipyridamole appeared to ensure a successful completion of apoptosis. Dipyridamole also duplicated the biochemical changes and apoptosis in glioma T98G cells. Since dipyridamole has additional biochemical and pharmacological properties, further research centered on the anti-glioma mechanisms of dipyridamole is still needed.

Keywords: ER stress; apoptosis; autophagy; glioma

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23020579

Environ Toxicol. 2022 Jan 19.

Uranium induces kidney cells apoptosis via reactive oxygen species generation, endoplasmic reticulum stress and inhibition of PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling in culture.

Qiaoni Hu, Jifang Zheng, Xiao Na Xu, Chaohao Gu, Wanting Li.

Uranium (U) induces generation of excessive intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), which is generally considered as a possible mediator of U-triggered kidney tubular cells injury and nephrotoxicity. Our goal is designed to elucidate that the precise molecular mechanism in ROS downstream is association with U-induced NRK-52E cells apoptosis. The results show that U intoxication in NRK-52E cells reduced cell activity and triggered apoptosis, as demonstrated by flow cytometry and apoptotic marker cleaved Caspase-3 expression. U exposure triggered endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, which is involvement of apoptosis determined by marker molecules including GRP78, PERK, IRE1, ATF6, CHOP, cleaved Caspase-12, and Caspase-3. Administration of antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) effectively blocked U-triggered ROS generation, ER stress, and apoptosis. U contamination evidently decreased the expression of phosphorylation PI3K, AKT, and mTOR and ratios of their respective phosphorylation to the corresponding total proteins. Application of a PI3K activator IGF-1 significantly abolished these adverse effects of U intoxication on PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling and subsequently abrogated U-triggered apoptosis. NAC also effectively reversed down-regulation of phosphorylated PI3K induced by U exposure. Taken together, these data strongly suggest that U treatment induces NRK-52E cells apoptosis through ROS production, ER stress, and down-regulation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling. Targeting ROS formation-, ER stress-, and PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway-mediated apoptosis could be a novel approach for attenuating U-triggered nephrotoxicity.

Keywords: PI3K; apoptosis; endoplasmic reticulum stress; oxidative stress; uranium

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/tox.23453

Antioxidants (Basel). 2022 Jan 05. pii: 117. [Epub ahead of print]11(1):

Induction of Paraptotic Cell Death in Breast Cancer Cells by a Novel Pyrazolo[3,4-h]quinoline Derivative through ROS Production and Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress.

Phuong Linh Nguyen, Chang Hoon Lee, Heesoon Lee, Jungsook Cho.

Chemotherapy has been a standard intervention for a variety of cancers to impede tumor growth, mainly by inducing apoptosis. However, development of resistance to this regimen has led to a growing interest and demand for drugs targeting alternative cell death modes, such as paraptosis. Here, we designed and synthesized a novel derivative of a pyrazolo[3,4-h]quinoline scaffold (YRL1091), evaluated its cytotoxic effect, and elucidated the underlying molecular mechanisms of cell death in MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 breast cancer (BC) cells. We found that YRL1091 induced cytotoxicity in these cells with numerous cytoplasmic vacuoles, one of the distinct characteristics of paraptosis. YRL1091-treated BC cells displayed several other distinguishing features of paraptosis, excluding autophagy or apoptosis. Briefly, YRL1091-induced cell death was associated with upregulation of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3B, downregulation of multifunctional adapter protein Alix, and activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase. Furthermore, the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and newly synthesized proteins were also observed, subsequently causing ubiquitinated protein accumulation and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Collectively, these results indicate that YRL1091 induces paraptosis in BC cells through ROS generation and ER stress. Therefore, YRL1091 can serve as a potential candidate for the development of a novel anticancer drug triggering paraptosis, which may provide benefit for the treatment of cancers resistant to conventional chemotherapy.

Keywords: breast cancer cells; cytoplasmic vacuolization; drug resistance; endoplasmic reticulum stress; paraptosis; pyrazolo[3,4-h]quinoline scaffold; reactive oxygen species

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox11010117

Molecules. 2022 Jan 07. pii: 373. [Epub ahead of print]27(2):

Naringenin Induces ROS-Mediated ER Stress, Autophagy, and Apoptosis in Human Osteosarcoma Cell Lines.

Chiang-Wen Lee, Cathy Chia-Yu Huang, Miao-Ching Chi, Kuan-Han Lee, Kuo-Ti Peng, Mei-Ling Fang, Yao-Chang Chiang, Ju-Fang Liu.

Osteosarcoma, a primary bone tumor, responds poorly to chemotherapy and radiation therapy in children and young adults; hence, as the basis for an alternative treatment, this study investigated the cytotoxic and antiproliferative effects of naringenin on osteosarcoma cell lines, HOS and U2OS, by using cell counting kit-8 and colony formation assays. DNA fragmentation and the increase in the G2/M phase in HOS and U2OS cells upon treatment with various naringenin concentrations were determined by using the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling assay and Annexin V/propidium iodide double staining, respectively. Flow cytometry was performed, and 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate, JC-1, and Fluo-4 AM ester probes were examined for reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, mitochondrial membrane potential, and intracellular calcium levels, respectively. Caspase activation, cell cycle, cytosolic and mitochondrial, and autophagy-related proteins were determined using western blotting. The results indicated that naringenin significantly inhibited viability and proliferation of osteosarcoma cells in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, naringenin induced cell cycle arrest in osteosarcoma cells by inhibiting cyclin B1 and cyclin-dependent kinase 1 expression and upregulating p21 expression. Furthermore, naringenin significantly inhibited the growth of osteosarcoma cells by increasing the intracellular ROS level. Naringenin induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-mediated apoptosis through the upregulation of ER stress markers, GRP78 and GRP94. Naringenin caused acidic vesicular organelle formation and increased autophagolysosomes, microtubule-associated protein-light chain 3-II protein levels, and autophagy. The findings suggest that the induction of cell apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, and autophagy by naringenin through mitochondrial dysfunction, ROS production, and ER stress signaling pathways contribute to the antiproliferative effect of naringenin on osteosarcoma cells.

Keywords: ER stress; ROS; apoptosis; autophagy; naringenin; osteosarcoma

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27020373

Cancer Res. 2022 Jan 19. pii: canres.2229.2021. [Epub ahead of print]

Targeting squalene epoxidase interrupts homologous recombination via the ER stress response and promotes radiotherapy efficacy.

Over 50% of all cancer patients are treated with radiation therapy (RT). However, RT is often insufficient as a monotherapy and requires a non-toxic radiosensitizer. Squalene epoxidase (SQLE) controls cholesterol biosynthesis by converting squalene to 2,3-oxidosqualene. Given that SQLE is frequently overexpressed in human cancer, this study investigated the importance of SQLE in breast cancer (BC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), two cancers often treated with RT. SQLE-positive immunohistochemical staining was observed in 68% of BC and 56% of NSCLC specimens versus 15% and 25% in normal breast and lung tissue, respectively. Importantly, SQLE expression was an independent predictor of poor prognosis, and pharmacological inhibition of SQLE enhanced breast and lung cancer cell radiosensitivity. In addition, SQLE inhibition enhanced sensitivity to PARP inhibition. Inhibition of SQLE interrupted homologous recombination by suppressing ATM activity via the translational upregulation of wild-type p53-induced phosphatase (WIP1), regardless of the p53 status. SQLE inhibition and subsequent squalene accumulation promoted this upregulation by triggering the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response. Collectively, these results identify a novel tumor-specific radiosensitizer by revealing unrecognized crosstalk between squalene metabolites, ER stress, and the DNA damage response (DDR). Although SQLE inhibitors have been used as antifungal agents in the clinic, they have not yet been used as antitumor agents. Repurposing existing SQLE-inhibiting drugs may provide new cancer treatments.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-21-2229