Cancer lettersPub Date : 2025-02-01Epub Date: 2024-11-26DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2024.217356
Muhammad Jameel Mughal, Yi Zhang, Zhuqing Li, Shuyan Zhou, Changmin Peng, Ya-Qin Zhang, Edward Seto, Min Shen, Matthew D Hall, Wenge Zhu
{"title":"TFAP2C-DDR1 axis regulates resistance to CDK4/6 inhibitor in breast cancer.","authors":"Muhammad Jameel Mughal, Yi Zhang, Zhuqing Li, Shuyan Zhou, Changmin Peng, Ya-Qin Zhang, Edward Seto, Min Shen, Matthew D Hall, Wenge Zhu","doi":"10.1016/j.canlet.2024.217356","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.canlet.2024.217356","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Breast cancer is the predominant malignancy with the majority of cases are characterized as HR+/HER2-subtype. Although cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i) have shown remarkable efficacy in treating this subtype when combined with endocrine therapy, the development of resistance to these inhibitors remains a significant clinical obstacle. Hence, there is an urgent need to explore innovative therapies and decipher the underlying mechanisms of resistance to CDK4/6i. In this study, we employed quantitative high-throughput combination screening (qHTCS) and genomics/proteomics approaches to uncover the molecular mechanisms driving resistance to CDK4/6i (palbociclib) in breast cancer. The comprehensive analyses revealed DDR1 as a potential factor implicated in mediating resistance to CDK4/6i. Specifically, DDR1 inhibition in combination with palbociclib exhibited remarkable synergistic effects, reducing cell survival signaling and promoting apoptosis in resistant cells. In-vivo xenograft model further validated the synergistic effects, showing a significant reduction in the resistant tumor growth. Exploration into DDR1 activation uncovered TFAP2C as a key transcription factor regulating DDR1 expression in palbociclib resistant cells and inhibition of TFAP2C re-sensitized resistant cells to palbociclib. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) in the NeoPalAna trial demonstrated a significant enrichment of the TFAP2C-DDR1 gene set from patitens after palbociclib treatment, suggesting the possible activation of the TFAP2C-DDR1 axis following palbociclib exposure. Overall, this study provides crucial insights into the novel molecular landscape of palbociclib resistance in breast cancer, suggesting TFAP2C-DDR1 axis inhibition as a promising strategy to overcome resistance.</p>","PeriodicalId":9506,"journal":{"name":"Cancer letters","volume":" ","pages":"217356"},"PeriodicalIF":9.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11783577/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142738490","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cancer lettersPub Date : 2025-02-01Epub Date: 2024-11-30DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2024.217358
Queenie Fernandes
{"title":"Corrigendum to \"Precision meets repurposing: Innovative approaches in human papillomavirus and Epstein-Barr virus-driven cancer therapy\" [Cancer Lett. 607 (2024) 217318].","authors":"Queenie Fernandes","doi":"10.1016/j.canlet.2024.217358","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.canlet.2024.217358","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":9506,"journal":{"name":"Cancer letters","volume":" ","pages":"217358"},"PeriodicalIF":9.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142766588","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cancer lettersPub Date : 2025-02-01Epub Date: 2024-11-22DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2024.217350
Baofa Yu, Shengwen Shao, Wenxue Ma
{"title":"Frontiers in pancreatic cancer on biomarkers, microenvironment, and immunotherapy.","authors":"Baofa Yu, Shengwen Shao, Wenxue Ma","doi":"10.1016/j.canlet.2024.217350","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.canlet.2024.217350","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Pancreatic cancer remains one of the most challenging malignancies to treat due to its late-stage diagnosis, aggressive progression, and high resistance to existing therapies. This review examines the latest advancements in early detection, and therapeutic strategies, with a focus on emerging biomarkers, tumor microenvironment (TME) modulation, and the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in data analysis. We highlight promising biomarkers, including microRNAs (miRNAs) and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), that offer enhanced sensitivity and specificity for early-stage diagnosis when combined with multi-omics panels. A detailed analysis of the TME reveals how components such as cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), immune cells, and the extracellular matrix (ECM) contribute to therapy resistance by creating immunosuppressive barriers. We also discuss therapeutic interventions that target these TME components, aiming to improve drug delivery and overcome immune evasion. Furthermore, AI-driven analyses are explored for their potential to interpret complex multi-omics data, enabling personalized treatment strategies and real-time monitoring of treatment response. We conclude by identifying key areas for future research, including the clinical validation of biomarkers, regulatory frameworks for AI applications, and equitable access to innovative therapies. This comprehensive approach underscores the need for integrated, personalized strategies to improve outcomes in pancreatic cancer.</p>","PeriodicalId":9506,"journal":{"name":"Cancer letters","volume":" ","pages":"217350"},"PeriodicalIF":9.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142709208","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Chemoresistance-motility signature of molecular evolution to chemotherapy in non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer and its clinical implications.","authors":"Mi-So Jeong, Seung-Woo Baek, Gi-Eun Yang, Jeong-Yeon Mun, Jeong Ah Kim, Tae-Nam Kim, Jong-Kil Nam, Yung-Hyun Choi, Ju-Seog Lee, In-Sun Chu, Sun-Hee Leem","doi":"10.1016/j.canlet.2024.217339","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.canlet.2024.217339","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) often recurs and can progress to MIBC due to resistance to treatments like intravesical chemotherapy or Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG). Therefore, we established the Gemcitabine-Resistant Cells (GRCs) to study the molecular evolution under external pressure. A 63-gene Chemoresistance-Motility (CrM) signature was created to identify stage-specific traits of GRCs. This signature was tested on 1846 samples using log-rank tests and Cox regression to evaluate clinical utility. Early and intermediate resistance stages showed increased cell motility and metastatic potential. FAK, PI3K-AKT, and TGFβ pathways were activated first, followed by MAPK signaling. Single-cell analysis and experiments utilizing the CrM signature confirmed interaction with cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). The high-CrM groups mainly included NMIBC patients with poor prognosis (progression-free survival analysis by log-rank test based on UROMOL cohort, p < 0.001), T1-high grade, high European Association of Urology (EAU) risk score, and also included MIBC patients with a history of metastases. Additionally, relative ineffectiveness was observed for BCG (the chi-square test based on BRS cohort, p = 0.02) and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in patients with high-CrM. In addition, we identified five drugs that can be used with gemcitabine in these patients, including doxorubicin, docetaxel, paclitaxel, napabucacin, and valrubicin, and verified their efficacy. This study provides insights into NMIBC progression to MIBC via molecular evolution. The CrM signature can assess NMIBC prognosis and BCG treatment response, suggesting alternative treatments. Furthermore, these results need to be prospectively validated.</p>","PeriodicalId":9506,"journal":{"name":"Cancer letters","volume":" ","pages":"217339"},"PeriodicalIF":9.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142749568","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cancer lettersPub Date : 2025-02-01Epub Date: 2024-11-27DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2024.217359
Dengxiong Li, Fanglin Shao, Xinrui Li, Qingxin Yu, Ruicheng Wu, Jie Wang, Zhipeng Wang, Dilinaer Wusiman, Luxia Ye, Yiqing Guo, Zhouting Tuo, Wuran Wei, Koo Han Yoo, William C Cho, Dechao Feng
{"title":"Advancements and challenges of R-loops in cancers: Biological insights and future directions.","authors":"Dengxiong Li, Fanglin Shao, Xinrui Li, Qingxin Yu, Ruicheng Wu, Jie Wang, Zhipeng Wang, Dilinaer Wusiman, Luxia Ye, Yiqing Guo, Zhouting Tuo, Wuran Wei, Koo Han Yoo, William C Cho, Dechao Feng","doi":"10.1016/j.canlet.2024.217359","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.canlet.2024.217359","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>R-loops involve in various biological processes under human normal physiological conditions. Disruption of R-loops can lead to disease onset and affect the progression of illnesses, particularly in cancers. Herein, we summarized and discussed the regulative networks, phenotypes and future directions of R-loops in cancers. In this review, we highlighted the following insights: (1) R-loops significantly influence cancer development, progression and treatment efficiency by regulating key genes, such as PARPs, BRCA1/2, sex hormone receptors, DHX9, and TOP1. (2) Currently, the ATM, ATR, cGAS/STING, and noncanonical pathways are the main pathways that involve in the regulatory network of R-loops in cancer. (3) Cancer biology can be modulated by R-loops-regulated phenotypes, including RNA methylation, DNA and histone methylation, oxidative stress, immune and inflammation regulation, and senescence. (4) Regulation of R-loops induces kinds of drug resistance in various cancers, suggesting that targeting R-loops maybe a promising way to overcome treatment resistance. (5) The role of R-loops in tumorigenesis remains controversial, and senescence may be a crucial research direction to unravel the mechanism of R-loop-induced tumorigenesis. Looking forward, further studies are needed to elucidate the specific mechanisms of R-loops in cancer, laying the groundwork for preclinical and clinical research.</p>","PeriodicalId":9506,"journal":{"name":"Cancer letters","volume":" ","pages":"217359"},"PeriodicalIF":9.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142754793","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cancer lettersPub Date : 2025-02-01Epub Date: 2024-11-26DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2024.217354
Katsuhiro Yoshimura, Gengyi Zou, Yibo Fan, Kohei Yamashita, Lingzhi Wang, Jingjing Wu, Ruiping Wang, Shan Shao, Ailing W Scott, Jiankang Jin, Melissa Pool Pizzi, Xiaodan Yao, Calena-Abel Brown, Linghua Wang, Qiong Gan, Rebecca E Waters, Feng Yin, Shumei Song, Shilpa S Dhar, Jaffer A Ajani
{"title":"HSP90 inhibitor AUY922 suppresses tumor growth and modulates immune response through YAP1-TEAD pathway inhibition in gastric cancer.","authors":"Katsuhiro Yoshimura, Gengyi Zou, Yibo Fan, Kohei Yamashita, Lingzhi Wang, Jingjing Wu, Ruiping Wang, Shan Shao, Ailing W Scott, Jiankang Jin, Melissa Pool Pizzi, Xiaodan Yao, Calena-Abel Brown, Linghua Wang, Qiong Gan, Rebecca E Waters, Feng Yin, Shumei Song, Shilpa S Dhar, Jaffer A Ajani","doi":"10.1016/j.canlet.2024.217354","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.canlet.2024.217354","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Heat shock protein 90 (HSP90), a vital chaperone involved in the folding and stabilization of various cellular proteins, regulates key functions in many tumor cells. In the context of gastric adenocarcinoma (GAC), where HSP90's role remains largely unexplored, we aimed to investigate the significance of HSP90 inhibitor, AUY922, in regulating the YAP1/TEAD pathway and its association with the tumor immune microenvironment (TME). Our results showed that AUY922 effectively inhibited GAC aggressiveness in both the invitro and invivo models, induced apoptosis, and cell-cycle arrest. Various functional assays elucidated that AUY922 potently inhibited the expression and interaction among YAP1/TEAD and HSP90, resulting in down-regulation of target functional genes. AUY922 additionally altered the tumor microenvironment (TME) into an inflamed state with increased cytokine production in T cells, including interferon gamma, granzyme B, and perforin, and inhibited M2 polarization of tumor-associated macrophages, rendering it a favorable partner for immune checkpoint inhibition. Our findings highlighted the suggestion of targeting HSP90 in GAC therapy via down-regulating YAP1/TEAD signaling. Additionally, our results suggest that AUY922's ability to reshape the GAC TME favoring the host sets the stage for a clinical trial that combines HSP90 and checkpoint inhibition, where HSP90 could serve as a biomarker for patient selection.</p>","PeriodicalId":9506,"journal":{"name":"Cancer letters","volume":" ","pages":"217354"},"PeriodicalIF":9.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142738523","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Synergistic Enhancement of Radio-immunotherapy Efficacy by IL-15 via Macrophage Activation and Memory T Cell Response.","authors":"Peng Jin, Menglin Bai, Ji Li, Wenxiao Jia, Jinming Yu, Xue Meng","doi":"10.1016/j.canlet.2025.217511","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.canlet.2025.217511","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Successful immunotherapy requires systemic activation of the immune system. Radio-immunotherapy has a synergistic effect, enhancing this activation, but still faces many challenges, requiring methods to further improve its efficacy. Interleukin 15 (IL-15) is considered a potential therapeutic agent because of its broad immunoregulatory activity. This study found that in various tumor-bearing mouse models, systemic immune activation mediated by memory T cells in secondary lymphoid organs was crucial after radio-immunotherapy and IL-15 played a key role in this process. Radio-immunotherapy stimulated the expression of IL-15Rα on macrophages in the tumor microenvironment. When macrophages were depleted, the IL-15 levels in the tumor microenvironment and spleen tissues significantly decreased. Co-culture models confirmed that radio-immunotherapy enhanced the anti-tumor immune response by activating macrophages to secrete IL-15. Applying IL-15 significantly enhances the effects of radio-immunotherapy, stimulating systemic immune activation and providing long-term memory effects and tumor protection. Under co-culture conditions, IL-15 combined with radio-immunotherapy stimulated the proliferation of CD8+ T cells, secretion of IFN-γ and TNF-α, and secretion of chemokines by macrophages, especially CCL5, increasing the recruitment of effector T cells and enhancing the immune response. The synergistic effect of IL-15 and radio-immunotherapy was macrophage-dependent. Our study revealed the mechanism of IL-15 in systemic immune activation after radio-immunotherapy and explored the potential use of IL-15 to enhance the efficacy of radio-immunotherapy, providing new avenues for future treatment strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":9506,"journal":{"name":"Cancer letters","volume":" ","pages":"217511"},"PeriodicalIF":9.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143064009","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Phase separation of EEF1E1 promotes tumor stemness via PTEN/AKT-mediated DNA repair in hepatocellular carcinoma.","authors":"Xiaofan Pu, Chaolei Zhang, Junbin Jin, Yifeng Jin, Jianghao Ren, Senhao Zhou, Harsh Patel, Jingyun Chen, Bicheng Wu, Leyi Chen, Haoran Qian, Tianyu Lin","doi":"10.1016/j.canlet.2025.217508","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.canlet.2025.217508","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study aimed to investigate the associations of liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) and tumor stemness in hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC). LLPS-related genes were extracted from DrLLPS, LLPSDB and PhaSepDB databases. Stemness index (mRNAsi) was calculated based on the data from TCGA and Progenitor Cell Biology Consortium. Through some series of bioinformatics methods, we first found that stemness index mRNAsi was associated with worse survival outcomes, immune infiltration and therapy sensitivity in HCC. G2M checkpoint and DNA repair pathways were significantly activated with high mRNAsi. Totally, 71 differentially expressed LLPS genes in HCC were correlated with mRNAsi, and a mRNAsi-associated LLPS gene signature (KPNA2, EEF1E1 and ATIC) was identified to predict prognosis for HCC patients. mRNAsi-associated LLPS genes contributed to cluster HCC patients into four molecular clusters that markedly differed on survival, immune infiltration and therapy sensitivity. Further in vivo and in vitro experiments showed that EEF1E1 was highly expressed in HepG2 and HCCLM3 cells, and EEF1E1 silencing observably inhibited tumor cell growth, liver cancer stem cells (CSCs) markers (CD133, EpCAM and SOX2) expression, enhanced DNA damage marker γH2AX expression by activating PTEN/AKT pathway. EEF1E1 could undergo LLPS condensates, and roles of EEF1E1 on tumor cells were partly reversed after inhibiting LLPS using 1, 6-hexanediol. In conclusion, EEF1E1 was identified as a phase separation protein and involves in tumor stemness and DNA damage repair in HCC. EEF1E1 and its LLPS condensate may be novel targets to elaborate the underlying mechanisms of CSCs propagation in HCC.</p>","PeriodicalId":9506,"journal":{"name":"Cancer letters","volume":" ","pages":"217508"},"PeriodicalIF":9.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143064007","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}