bims-pimaco Biomed News
on PI3K and MAPK signalling in colorectal cancer
Issue of 2021–04–18
seventeen papers selected by
Lucas B. Zeiger, CRUK Scotland Institute, Beatson Institute for Cancer Research
  1. KRAS Mutational Regression Is Associated With Oligo-Metastatic Status and Good Prognosis in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer.
  2. Tuning protein synthesis for cancer therapy.
  3. CRISPR screens identify a novel combination treatment targeting BCL-XL and WNT signaling for KRAS/BRAF-mutated colorectal cancers.
  4. Precision oncology in metastatic colorectal cancer - from biology to medicine.
  5. The Spectrum, Tendency and Predictive Value of PIK3CA Mutation in Chinese Colorectal Cancer Patients.
  6. GOLM1 restricts colitis and colon tumorigenesis by ensuring Notch signaling equilibrium in intestinal homeostasis.
  7. Enhancing the landscape of colorectal cancer using targeted deep sequencing.
  8. Silencing of Oncogenic KRAS by Mutant-Selective Small Interfering RNA.
  9. Targeting Son of Sevenless 1: The pacemaker of KRAS.
  10. Mechanisms of KRAS Inhibitor Resistance Revealed.
  11. SOD1 regulates ribosome biogenesis in KRAS mutant non-small cell lung cancer.
  12. How can we turn the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway down? Insights into inhibition and treatment of cancer.
  13. The dynamic mechanism of 4E-BP1 recognition and phosphorylation by mTORC1.
  14. Searching for treatments for non-G12C-KRAS mutant cancers.
  15. Management of BRAF Gene Alterations in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: From Current Therapeutic Strategies to Future Perspectives.
  16. Butyrate Suppresses Glucose Metabolism of Colorectal Cancer Cells via GPR109a-AKT Signaling Pathway and Enhances Chemotherapy.
  17. The mTORC1 pathway stimulates glutamine metabolism and cell proliferation by repressing SIRT4.
  1. Front Oncol. 2021 ;11 632962
    KRAS Mutational Regression Is Associated With Oligo-Metastatic Status and Good Prognosis in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer.
    Alessandro Ottaiano, Guglielmo Nasti, Mariachiara Santorsola, Vincenzo Altieri, Giuseppina Di Fruscio, Luisa Circelli, Amalia Luce, Alessia Maria Cossu, Giosuè Scognamiglio, Francesco Perri, Marco Correra, Andrea Belli, Paolo Delrio, Gerardo Botti, Michele Caraglia.
       Background: We previously reported that loss of KRAS mutations ("regressive" mutational trajectories) from primary tumors to metastases associated with the oligo-metastatic status in colorectal cancer (CRC). The present study was undertaken in order to analyze the mutational trajectories of KRAS in a well-characterized cohort of CRC patients who developed poly- or oligo-metastatic disease.
    Material and Methods: Patients were treated and followed-up according to European Society of Medical Oncology guidelines. Primary CRC FFPE tissue and metastatic circulating-free DNA were extracted using the QIAamp DNA specific kits (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany). Samples were sequenced with the Oncomine Solid Tumour DNA kit (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA). Plasma collection for liquid biopsy was done from 1 to 14 days before starting first-line chemotherapy. Analysis of the prognostic power of KRAS evolutionary trajectories was done with uni- and multivariate analyses.
    Results: One-hundred-fourteen patients were enrolled. Sixty-three patients presented with mutated KRAS (mutKRAS) and 51 with wild-type KRAS (wtKRAS). KRAS mutational concordance was high (70.1%).Two divergent subsets were identified: mutKRAS in primary tumors and wtKRAS in metastatic ones (regressive: mutKRAS → wtKRAS in 8.8% of patients), and vice versa (progressive: wtKRAS → mutKRAS in 21.1% of patients). An association between KRAS regressive trajectory and the oligo-metastatic status (P <0.0001) was found. At multivariate analysis, regressive and progressive mutational trajectories emerged as independent prognostic factors for survival, with Hazard Ratios of 0.22 (CI 95%: 0.08-0.61; median survival: not reached) and 2.70 (CI 95%: 1.11-6.56, median survival: 12.1 months), respectively.
    Conclusions: Our data provide evidence that the evolutionary trajectories of KRAS can have a strong clinical prognostic role and that they can be involved in discriminating between poly-metastatic aggressive vs oligo-metastatic indolent CRC.
    Keywords:  DNA; KRAS; liquid biopsy; metastatic colorectal cancer; prognosis
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3389/fonc.2021.632962
  2. Mol Cell Oncol. 2021 Feb 22. 8(2): 1884034
    Tuning protein synthesis for cancer therapy.
    John R P Knight, Owen J Sansom.
      ~50% of colorectal cancers have an activating mutation in KRAS (encoding the KRAS proto-oncogene) and remain difficult to target in the clinic. We have recently shown that activation of KRAS protein alters the regulation of mRNA translation, increasing total protein synthesis, and maintaining elevated c-MYC (MYC proto-oncogene) expression. Targeting these pathways downstream of KRAS reveals a striking dependency that has potential for clinical translation.
    Keywords:  KRAS mutation; MYC; Protein synthesis; colorectal cancer; eIF4E
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1080/23723556.2021.1884034
  3. Oncogene. 2021 Apr 12.
    CRISPR screens identify a novel combination treatment targeting BCL-XL and WNT signaling for KRAS/BRAF-mutated colorectal cancers.
    Hae Rim Jung, Yumi Oh, Deukchae Na, Seoyeon Min, Jinjoo Kang, Dongjun Jang, Seungjae Shin, Jiwon Kim, Sang Eun Lee, Eui Man Jeong, Joon Yong An, Chang Ohk Sung, Won-Suk Lee, Charles Lee, Sung-Yup Cho.
      Metastatic or recurrent colorectal cancer (CRC) patients require systemic chemotherapy, but the therapeutic options of targeted agents remain limited. CRC patients with KRAS or BRAF gene mutations exhibit a worse prognosis and are resistant to anti-EGFR treatment. Previous studies have shown that the expression of anti-apoptotic protein BCL-XL is increased in CRC patients with KRAS/BRAF mutations, suggesting BCL-XL as a therapeutic target for this subgroup. Here, we performed genome-wide CRISPR/Cas9 screens of cell lines with KRAS mutations to investigate the factors required for sensitivity to BCL-XL inhibitor ABT-263 using single-guide RNAs (sgRNAs) that induce loss-of-function mutations. In the presence of ABT-263, sgRNAs targeting negative regulators of WNT signaling (resulting in WNT activation) were enriched, whereas sgRNAs targeting positive regulators of WNT signaling (resulting in WNT inhibition) were depleted in ABT-263-resistant cells. The activation of WNT signaling was highly associated with an increased expression ratio of anti- to pro-apoptotic BCL-2 family genes in CRC samples. Genetic and pharmacologic inhibition of WNT signaling using β-catenin short hairpin RNA or TNIK inhibitor NCB-0846, respectively, augmented ABT-263-induced cell death in KRAS/BRAF-mutated cells. Inhibition of WNT signaling resulted in transcriptional repression of the anti-apoptotic BCL-2 family member, MCL1, via the functional inhibition of the β-catenin-containing complex at the MCL1 promoter. In addition, the combination of ABT-263 and NCB-0846 exhibited synergistic effects in in vivo patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models with KRAS mutations. Our data provide a novel targeted combination treatment strategy for the CRC patient subgroup with KRAS or BRAF mutations.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41388-021-01777-7
  4. Nat Rev Clin Oncol. 2021 Apr 16.
    Precision oncology in metastatic colorectal cancer - from biology to medicine.
    Federica Di Nicolantonio, Pietro Paolo Vitiello, Silvia Marsoni, Salvatore Siena, Josep Tabernero, Livio Trusolino, Rene Bernards, Alberto Bardelli.
      Remarkable progress has been made in the development of biomarker-driven targeted therapies for patients with multiple cancer types, including melanoma, breast and lung tumours, although precision oncology for patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) continues to lag behind. Nonetheless, the availability of patient-derived CRC models coupled with in vitro and in vivo pharmacological and functional analyses over the past decade has finally led to advances in the field. Gene-specific alterations are not the only determinants that can successfully direct the use of targeted therapy. Indeed, successful inhibition of BRAF or KRAS in metastatic CRCs driven by activating mutations in these genes requires combinations of drugs that inhibit the mutant protein while at the same time restraining adaptive resistance via CRC-specific EGFR-mediated feedback loops. The emerging paradigm is, therefore, that the intrinsic biology of CRC cells must be considered alongside the molecular profiles of individual tumours in order to successfully personalize treatment. In this Review, we outline how preclinical studies based on patient-derived models have informed the design of practice-changing clinical trials. The integration of these experiences into a common framework will reshape the future design of biology-informed clinical trials in this field.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41571-021-00495-z
  5. Front Oncol. 2021 ;11 595675
    The Spectrum, Tendency and Predictive Value of PIK3CA Mutation in Chinese Colorectal Cancer Patients.
    Xinhui Fu, Hanjie Lin, Xinjuan Fan, Yaxi Zhu, Chao Wang, Zhiting Chen, Xiaoli Tan, Jinglin Huang, Yacheng Cai, Yan Huang.
       Background: PIK3CA is a high-frequency mutation gene in colorectal cancer, while its prognostic value remains unclear. This study evaluated the mutation tendency, spectrum, prognosis power and predictive power in cetuximab treatment of PIK3CA in Chinese CRC cohort.
    Methods: The PIK3CA exon 9 and 20 status of 5763 CRC patients was detected with Sanger sequencing and a high-resolution melting test. Clinicopathological characteristics of 5733 patients were analyzed. Kaplan-Meier method and nomogram were used to evaluate the overall survival curve and disease recurrence, respectively.
    Results: Fifty-eight types of mutations in 13.4% (771/5733) of the patients were detected. From 2014 to 2018, the mutation rate of PIK3CA increased from 11.0% to 13.5%. At stage IV, exon 20 mutated patients suffered shorter overall survival time than wild-type patients (multivariate COX regression analysis, HR = 2.72, 95% CIs = 1.47-5.09; p-value = 0.012). At stage III, PIK3CA mutated patients were more likely to relapse (multivariate Logistic regression analysis, exon 9: OR = 2.54, 95% CI = 1.34-4.73, p = 0.003; exon 20: OR = 3.89, 95% CI = 1.66-9.10, p = 0.002). The concordance index of the nomogram for predicting the recurrence risk of stage III patients was 0.685. After cetuximab treatment, the median PFS of PIK3CA exon 9 wild-type patients (n = 9) and mutant patients (n = 5) did not reach a significant difference (3.6 months vs. 2.3 months, Log-rank test, p-value = 0.513).
    Conclusions: We found that PIK3CA mutation was an adverse predictive marker for the overall survival of stage IV patients and recurrence of stage III patients, respectively. Further more, we suggested that PIK3CA exon 9 mutations are not negative predictors of cetuximab treatment in KRAS, NRAS, and BRAF wild-type mCRC patients.
    Keywords:  HRM test; PIK3CA; cetuximab; colorectal cancer; mutation spectrum; nomogram; the predictive value
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3389/fonc.2021.595675
  6. Signal Transduct Target Ther. 2021 Apr 14. 6(1): 148
    GOLM1 restricts colitis and colon tumorigenesis by ensuring Notch signaling equilibrium in intestinal homeostasis.
    Yang Pu, Ya Song, Mengdi Zhang, Caifeng Long, Jie Li, Yanan Wang, Yinzhe Xu, Fei Pan, Na Zhao, Xinyu Zhang, Yanan Xu, Jianxin Cui, Hongying Wang, Yan Li, Yong Zhao, Di Jin, Hongbing Zhang.
      Intestinal epithelium serves as the first barrier against the infections and injuries that mediate colonic inflammation. Colorectal cancer is often accompanied with chronic inflammation. Differed from its well-known oncogenic role in many malignancies, we present here that Golgi membrane protein 1 (GOLM1, also referred to as GP73) suppresses colorectal tumorigenesis via maintenance of intestinal epithelial barrier. GOLM1 deficiency in mice conferred susceptibility to mucosal inflammation and colitis-induced epithelial damage, which consequently promoted colon cancer. Mechanistically, depletion of GOLM1 in intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) led to aberrant Notch activation that interfered with IEC differentiation, maturation, and lineage commitment in mice. Pharmacological inhibition of Notch pathway alleviated epithelial lesions and restrained pro-tumorigenic inflammation in GOLM1-deficient mice. Therefore, GOLM1 maintains IEC homeostasis and protects against colitis and colon tumorigenesis by modulating the equilibrium of Notch signaling pathway.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41392-021-00535-1
  7. Sci Rep. 2021 Apr 14. 11(1): 8154
    Enhancing the landscape of colorectal cancer using targeted deep sequencing.
    Chul Seung Lee, In Hye Song, Ahwon Lee, Jun Kang, Yoon Suk Lee, In Kyu Lee, Young Soo Song, Sung Hak Lee.
      Targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology detects specific mutations that can provide treatment opportunities for colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. We included 145 CRC patients who underwent surgery. We analyzed the mutation frequencies of common actionable genes and their association with clinicopathological characteristics and oncologic outcomes using targeted NGS. Approximately 97.9% (142) of patients showed somatic mutations. Frequent mutations were observed in TP53 (70%), APC (60%), and KRAS (49%). TP53 mutations were significantly linked to higher overall stage (p = 0.038) and lower disease-free survival (DFS) (p = 0.039). ATM mutation was significantly associated with higher tumor stage (p = 0.012) and shorter overall survival (OS) (p = 0.041). Stage 3 and 4 patients with ATM mutations (p = 0.023) had shorter OS, and FBXW7 mutation was significantly associated with shorter DFS (p = 0.002). However, the OS of patients with or without TP53, RAS, APC, PIK3CA, and SMAD4 mutations did not differ significantly (p = 0.59, 0.72, 0.059, 0.25, and 0.12, respectively). Similarly, the DFS between patients with RAS, APC, PIK3CA, and SMAD4 mutations and those with wild-type were not statistically different (p = 0.3, 0.79, 0.13, and 0.59, respectively). In multivariate Cox regression analysis, ATM mutation was an independent biomarker for poor prognosis of OS (p = 0.043). A comprehensive analysis of the molecular markers for CRC can provide insights into the mechanisms underlying disease progression and help optimize a personalized therapy.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-87486-3
  8. ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci. 2021 Apr 09. 4(2): 703-712
    Silencing of Oncogenic KRAS by Mutant-Selective Small Interfering RNA.
    Bjoern Papke, Salma H Azam, Anne Y Feng, Christina Gutierrez-Ford, Hayden Huggins, Pradeep S Pallan, Amanda E D Van Swearingen, Martin Egli, Adrienne D Cox, Channing J Der, Chad V Pecot.
      Oncogenic mutations in the KRAS gene are well-established drivers of cancer. While the recently developed KRASG12C inhibitors offer a targeted KRAS therapy and have shown success in the clinic, KRASG12C represents only 11% of all KRAS mutations. Current therapeutic approaches for all other KRAS mutations are both indirect and nonmutant-selective, largely focusing on inhibition of downstream KRAS effectors such as MAP kinases. Inhibition of KRAS downstream signaling results in a system-wide down-modulation of the respective targets, raising concerns about systemic cell toxicity. Here, we describe a custom short interfering RNA oligonucleotide (EFTX-D1) designed to preferentially bind mRNA of the most commonly occurring KRAS missense mutations in codons 12 and 13. We determined that EFTX-D1 preferentially reduced the mutant KRAS sequence versus wild-type at the levels of both transcription and translation and reversed oncogenic KRAS-induced morphologic and growth transformation. Furthermore, EFTX-D1 significantly impaired the proliferation of several KRAS mutant cancer cell lines in 2-D as well as 3-D assays. Taken together, our data indicate a novel use of RNA interference to target oncogenic KRAS-driven cancers specifically.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1021/acsptsci.0c00165
  9. Curr Opin Chem Biol. 2021 Apr 10. pii: S1367-5931(21)00036-3. [Epub ahead of print]62 109-118
    Targeting Son of Sevenless 1: The pacemaker of KRAS.
    Dirk Kessler, Daniel Gerlach, Norbert Kraut, Darryl B McConnell.
      Son of Sevenless (SOS) is a guanine nucleotide exchange factor that activates the important cell signaling switch KRAS. SOS acts as a pacemaker for KRAS, the beating heart of cancer, by catalyzing the "beating" from the KRAS(off) to the KRAS(on) conformation. Activating mutations in SOS1 are common in Noonan syndrome and oncogenic alterations in KRAS drive 1 in seven human cancers. Promising clinical efficacy has been observed for selective KRASG12C inhibitors, but the vast majority of oncogenic KRAS alterations remain undrugged. The discovery of a druggable pocket on SOS1 has led to potent SOS1 inhibitors such as BI-3406. SOS1 inhibition leads to antiproliferative effects against all major KRAS mutants. The first SOS1 inhibitor has entered clinical trials for KRAS-mutated cancers. In this review, we provide an overview of SOS1 function, its association with cancer and RASopathies, known SOS1 activators and inhibitors, and a future perspective is provided.
    Keywords:  Cancer; KRAS; Medicinal chemistry; Protein–protein interaction; RASopathies; SOS1
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpa.2021.02.014
  10. Cancer Discov. 2021 Apr 14.
    Mechanisms of KRAS Inhibitor Resistance Revealed.
      A recent study revealed diverse mechanisms of acquired resistance in patients with non-small cell lung cancer or colorectal cancer who stop responding to a KRASG12C inhibitor. These patients developed secondary KRAS mutations, MAPK pathway alterations, or genomic rearrangements-and in some cases multiple resistance mechanisms occurred simultaneously.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1158/2159-8290.CD-NB2021-0335
  11. Nat Commun. 2021 04 15. 12(1): 2259
    SOD1 regulates ribosome biogenesis in KRAS mutant non-small cell lung cancer.
    Xiaowen Wang, Hong Zhang, Russell Sapio, Jun Yang, Justin Wong, Xin Zhang, Jessie Y Guo, Sharon Pine, Holly Van Remmen, Hong Li, Eileen White, Chen Liu, Megerditch Kiledjian, Dimitri G Pestov, X F Steven Zheng.
      SOD1 is known as the major cytoplasmic superoxide dismutase and an anticancer target. However, the role of SOD1 in cancer is not fully understood. Herein we describe the generation of an inducible Sod1 knockout in KRAS-driven NSCLC mouse model. Sod1 knockout markedly reduces tumor burden in vivo and blocks growth of KRAS mutant NSCLC cells in vitro. Intriguingly, SOD1 is enriched in the nucleus and notably in the nucleolus of NSCLC cells. The nuclear and nucleolar, not cytoplasmic, form of SOD1 is essential for lung cancer cell proliferation. Moreover, SOD1 interacts with PeBoW complex and controls its assembly necessary for pre-60S ribosomal subunit maturation. Mechanistically, SOD1 regulates co-localization of PeBoW with and processing of pre-rRNA, and maturation of cytoplasmic 60S ribosomal subunits in KRAS mutant lung cancer cells. Collectively, our study unravels a nuclear SOD1 function essential for ribosome biogenesis and proliferation in KRAS-driven lung cancer.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-22480-x
  12. Expert Rev Anticancer Ther. 2021 Apr 15.
    How can we turn the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway down? Insights into inhibition and treatment of cancer.
    Said M Afify, Aung Ko Ko Oo, Ghmkin Hassan, Akimasa Seno, Masaharu Seno.
       INTRODUCTION: The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase-B/mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K/AKT/mTOR) pathway is a fundamental regulator of cell proliferation and survival. Dysregulation in this pathway leads to the development of cancer. Accumulating evidence indicates that dysregulation in this pathway is involved in cancer initiation, progression, and recurrence. However, the pathway consists of various signal transducing factors related with cellular events, such as transformation, tumorigenesis, cancer progression, and drug resistance. Therefore, it is very important to determine the targets in this pathway for cancer therapy. Although many drugs inhibiting this signaling pathway are in clinical trials or have been approved for treating solid tumors and hematologic malignancies, further understanding of the signaling mechanism is required to achieve better therapeutic efficacy.
    AREAS COVERED: In this review, we have describe the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway in detail, along with its critical role in cancer stem cells, for identifying potential therapeutic targets. We also summarize the recent developments in different types of signaling inhibitors.
    EXPERT OPINION: Downregulation of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway is very important for treating all types of cancers. Thus, further studies are required to establish novel prognostic factors to support the current progress in cancer treatment with emphasis on this pathway.
    Keywords:  4E-BP; AKT/PKB; HIF1-alpha; PI3K; RHEV; S6 kinase; Signaling pathway; TSC1/2; dual inhibitors; mTOR
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1080/14737140.2021.1918001
  13. Mol Cell. 2021 Apr 05. pii: S1097-2765(21)00226-4. [Epub ahead of print]
    The dynamic mechanism of 4E-BP1 recognition and phosphorylation by mTORC1.
    Raphael Böhm, Stefan Imseng, Roman P Jakob, Michael N Hall, Timm Maier, Sebastian Hiller.
      The activation of cap-dependent translation in eukaryotes requires multisite, hierarchical phosphorylation of 4E-BP by the 1 MDa kinase mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1). To resolve the mechanism of this hierarchical phosphorylation at the atomic level, we monitored by NMR spectroscopy the interaction of intrinsically disordered 4E binding protein isoform 1 (4E-BP1) with the mTORC1 subunit regulatory-associated protein of mTOR (Raptor). The N-terminal RAIP motif and the C-terminal TOR signaling (TOS) motif of 4E-BP1 bind separate sites in Raptor, resulting in avidity-based tethering of 4E-BP1. This tethering orients the flexible central region of 4E-BP1 toward the mTORC1 kinase site for phosphorylation. The structural constraints imposed by the two tethering interactions, combined with phosphorylation-induced conformational switching of 4E-BP1, explain the hierarchy of 4E-BP1 phosphorylation by mTORC1. Furthermore, we demonstrate that mTORC1 recognizes both free and eIF4E-bound 4E-BP1, allowing rapid phosphorylation of the entire 4E-BP1 pool and efficient activation of translation. Finally, our findings provide a mechanistic explanation for the differential rapamycin sensitivity of the 4E-BP1 phosphorylation sites.
    Keywords:  NMR spectroscopy; atypical kinase; hierarchical phosphorylation; intrinsically disordered protein; kinetic modelling; mTOR signaling; multi‑site binding; protein dynamics; target of rapamycin; translational control
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molcel.2021.03.031
  14. Br J Cancer. 2021 Apr 15.
    Searching for treatments for non-G12C-KRAS mutant cancers.
    Christina Guo, Udai Banerji.
      KRAS mutations drive a wide variety of cancers. Drugs targeting the protein product of KRASG12C mutations are currently being evaluated show preliminary efficacy in clinical trials. A clinical trial of VS-6766, a dual RAF-MEK inhibitor, has reported early single agent activity in non-G12C mutated KRAS driven cancers.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41416-021-01357-2
  15. Front Oncol. 2021 ;11 602194
    Management of BRAF Gene Alterations in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: From Current Therapeutic Strategies to Future Perspectives.
    Hiroyuki Takeda, Yu Sunakawa.
      BRAF mutations constitute an important poor prognostic factor in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) and the development of treatments in this context is of great necessity to prolong patient survival. Although the association between BRAF mutations and microsatellite instability (MSI) has been known for several years, previous clinical trials have revealed that the former has a limited prognostic impact and that immune checkpoint inhibitors offer a significant survival benefit to mCRC patients with both characteristics. Furthermore, the genomic classification of BRAF mutations according to their molecular functions enables greater understanding of the characteristics of mCRC patients with BRAF mutations, with therapeutic strategies based on this classification made more ideal to improve poor prognosis through the delivery of targeted therapies. Recently, a phase III trial was conducted in previously treated mCRC patients with BRAF V600E-mutated tumors and revealed that the combination therapy approach of BRAF inhibition and anti-epidermal growth factor receptor antibody therapy with or without MEK inhibition was more efficacious than standard chemotherapy alone. This review discusses current treatment strategies and future perspectives in BRAF-mutated mCRC.
    Keywords:  BRAF V600E; BRAF mutation; BRAF non-V600E; colorectal cancer; microsatellite instability (MSI)
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3389/fonc.2021.602194
  16. Front Mol Biosci. 2021 ;8 634874
    Butyrate Suppresses Glucose Metabolism of Colorectal Cancer Cells via GPR109a-AKT Signaling Pathway and Enhances Chemotherapy.
    Hong-Wei Geng, Feng-Yi Yin, Zhi-Fa Zhang, Xu Gong, Yun Yang.
      Glycolysis inhibitors are promising therapeutic drugs for tumor treatment, which target the uniquely elevated glucose metabolism of cancer cells. Butyrate is a critical product of beneficial microbes in the colon, which exerts extraordinary anti-cancer activities. In particular, butyrate shows biased inhibitory effects on the cell growth of cancerous colonocytes, whereas it is the major energy source for normal colonocytes. Besides its roles as the histone deacetylases (HDACs) inhibitor and the ligand for G-protein coupled receptor (GPR) 109a, the influence of butyrate on the glucose metabolism of cancerous colonocytes and the underlying molecular mechanism are not fully understood. Here, we show that butyrate markedly inhibited glucose transport and glycolysis of colorectal cancer cells, through reducing the abundance of membrane GLUT1 and cytoplasmic G6PD, which was regulated by the GPR109a-AKT signaling pathway. Moreover, butyrate significantly promoted the chemotherapeutical efficacy of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) on cancerous colonocytes, with exacerbated impairment of DNA synthesis efficiency. Our findings provide useful information to better understand the molecular basis for the impact of butyrate on the glucose metabolism of colorectal cancer cells, which would promote the development of beneficial metabolites of gut microbiota as therapeutical or adjuvant anti-cancer drugs.
    Keywords:  butyrate; chemotherapy; colorectal cancer cell; glucose metabolism; glycolysis inhibition
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3389/fmolb.2021.634874
  17. Cell. 2021 Apr 15. pii: S0092-8674(21)00432-3. [Epub ahead of print]184(8): 2256
    The mTORC1 pathway stimulates glutamine metabolism and cell proliferation by repressing SIRT4.
    Alfred Csibi, Sarah-Maria Fendt, Chenggang Li, George Poulogiannis, Andrew Y Choo, Douglas J Chapski, Seung Min Jeong, Jamie M Dempsey, Andrey Parkhitko, Tasha Morrison, Elizabeth P Henske, Marcia C Haigis, Lewis C Cantley, Gregory Stephanopoulos, Jane Yu, John Blenis.
      
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2021.03.059
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