Akt抗凋亡机制与癌症治疗

细胞凋亡与抗凋亡的调节异常与许多疾病特别是癌症的发生、发展相关。PI-3K／Akt信号转导通路在抗凋亡机制中发挥了重要作用。蛋白激酶B(Akt)是一种丝氨酸／苏氨酸蛋白激酶,当Akt磷酸化下游靶点后,可阻碍细胞凋亡。最近,Akt抗凋亡机制的研究取得了极大的进展。随着研究的不断深入,尤其是更多Akt底物及抑制剂的不断发现,必将对多种癌症的治疗及药物筛选产生积极的影响。     

肝再生磷酸酶-2的分子结构与功能研究进展

肝再生磷酸酶-2 (PRL-2)在机体正常的细胞、组织和器官,以及大部分的肿瘤中普遍高表达,以其致癌原性被广泛认知,但分子机制尚不明确。近几年的研究发现了PRL-2的新型结合伴侣——细胞周期蛋白M (cyclin-M, CNNM)家族,为进一步解析PRL-2的生理生物功能提供新的方向。现总结PRL-2分子在实体瘤、血液肿瘤中的作用,探讨其结构与功能的关系,并对PRL-2及其结合伴侣的生理功能进行全面综述。     

TBK1在肿瘤中的作用机制及其抑制剂的研究进展

TANK结合激酶1 (TANK-binding kinase 1, TBK1)通过调节干扰素和NF-κB信号通路在先天免疫反应中扮演着重要的角色,而免疫异常与恶性肿瘤的发生密切相关。最近的研究发现,TBK1在多种肿瘤细胞中呈现高水平表达和活性增强,这说明TBK1在多种肿瘤的发生发展中发挥了一定的作用,暗示了靶向TBK1在癌症治疗中的潜力。该文就TBK1的激活机制、其介导癌细胞生长的机制及TBK1抑制剂展开重点介绍。     

中期因子在癌症中的作用及其作为诊断治疗靶点的临床意义

中期因子(midkine, MDK)是一种肝素结合生长因子,在维持正常组织功能以及介导疾病发展中都发挥重要作用。MDK在多种人类恶性肿瘤中高表达,并在癌症的生长、增殖、存活、转移、血管生成以及化疗抵抗过程中发挥重要功能。MDK不仅可以作为癌症诊断、治疗以及预后的生物标志物,还可以用于监测癌症治疗过程中的效果以及病人的反应,以MDK为临床靶点的抑制剂研究也在MDK高表达癌症中大量开展。本文系统地总结了MDK在癌症发生发展过程中的生物学作用及其参与的相关信号通路,并且进一步探讨了以此为基础的肿瘤标志物以及癌症个体化治疗的潜在靶点,旨在为以MDK为靶点指导癌症的临床诊疗提供依据。     

Rac1在肿瘤耐药中的研究进展

Ras相关C3肉毒毒素底物1(Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1, Rac1)对于包括癌症在内的各种疾病的发展和进展至关重要,并且已有研究表明Rac1与肿瘤耐药性相关。该综述概述了Rac1在调节耐药性中的作用,以及相关机制和可用的抑制剂,这可能为未来靶向癌症耐药性的治疗提供新的方向和选择。     

中医药干预癌症免疫逃逸的研究进展

免疫逃逸是指恶性肿瘤细胞通过免疫编辑过程后具备浸润、转移等恶性生物学行为,并逃脱免疫系统的监视和清除,最终促进恶性肿瘤病情发生发展的过程。除其他因素外,免疫细胞还积极影响肿瘤发展的每一步,决定了癌细胞在受威胁的微环境中生存的机会。一旦发现第一个癌细胞,抗肿瘤免疫机制就会被激活,并在原发肿瘤形成和转移过程中发挥作用。然而,免疫功能受损时,肿瘤细胞就会通过逃避或者阻挠免疫反应的机制来促进自身的增殖,就会导致肿瘤的持续性发展。而中医药干预癌症免疫逃逸机制需以“扶正”为基本原则,补益正气以治其本,增强免疫细胞对癌细胞的杀伤力,阻止癌症免疫逃逸,从而抑制癌症的发展。根据现有文献分析可知,目前通过免疫逃逸治疗癌症多用补益类药物,这可能是因为机体免疫调节功能与中医“扶正”观点相符合。因此,研究癌症免疫逃逸机制不仅能够提高治疗癌症的效率,而且通过对中医药的开发利用,能够延缓疾病的发展进程,更好的改善患者的生存质量。     

转移核糖核酸(tRNA)与癌症

转移核糖核酸(transfer RNA, tRNA)在蛋白质生物合成过程中起关键作用,是将遗传信息翻译成蛋白质一级结构的接头分子。tRNA长久以来一直被认为是基因表达调控过程中的执行者而不具备调控功能,更不曾与癌症的发生联系起来。最新研究表明,某些tRNA在癌细胞中异常表达,与癌症的发生和发展有密切联系。tRNA来源的小分子非编码RNA (tRFs和tiRNAs)是一类新的基因表达调控分子,tRFs可以调控癌基因的表达或者与RNA结合蛋白相互作用来调控癌细胞增殖和细胞周期进程。tRNA的转录后修饰能够调控mRNA翻译过程,进而影响癌细胞的生长。随着测序技术的发展,tRNA在癌症发生和发展中的调控作用成为近年来的研究热点,现将从"tRNA分子调控癌症的发生和发展"、"tRNA来源的小分子非编码RNA与癌症"以及"tRNA修饰与癌症"三个方面综述tRNA分子在癌症发生和发展中的调控功能。     

酪氨酸磷酸酶PRL-3增加胃癌细胞BGC823的SP细胞比例并提高其对化疗药物的耐受性

蛋白酪氨酸磷酸酶PRL-3是近年发现的蛋白酪氨酸磷酸酶家族成员,能促进肿瘤细胞的侵袭、转移及上皮细胞间质转型,提示PRL-3可能在肿瘤发生发展及诱导肿瘤干细胞生成中发挥重要作用.由于侧群(SP)细胞具有许多干细胞的性质,SP细胞分选是目前筛选和分离获得干细胞或前体细胞常用的有效方法.为探讨PRL-3在诱导干细胞生成中的潜在作用,本文在建立过表达PRL-3的人胃癌细胞BGC823的基础上,通过SP分选和CCK-8的方法分析PRL-3对BGC823细胞中SP细胞的比例以及对化疗药物耐受性的影响.结果提示,高表达PRL-3提高BGC823中SP细胞的比例（2.5% vs 9.4%）,同时增加BGC823对化疗药物紫杉醇和顺铂的耐受性（相对于对照细胞,其耐药指数分别为1.75和1.29）.由于SP细胞的产生和细胞耐药性的提高与ABC家族基因表达水平上调密切相关,通过定量 RT-PCR和Western印迹检测发现,PRL-3能上调ABCB1和ABCG2的表达.上述研究结果表明,PRL-3有可能通过上调ABCB1和ABCG2的表达,增加胃癌细胞BGC823的SP细胞比例并增加其对化疗药物的耐受性.     

LncRNA HOXA-AS2在癌症中的作用

长链非编码RNA(long non-coding RNAs,lncRNAs)是一类长度超过200个核苷酸的非编码转录本。越来越多的证据表明,lncRNAs在癌症的发生和发展中起着重要的调控作用。HOXA簇反义RNA 2(HOXA cluster antisense RNA 2,HOXA-AS2)是一种新型的lncRNA,其在癌症的发生、发展等过程中发挥了重要作用。本文对近年来HOXA-AS2在人类多种癌症中的表达、分子机制及相关功能进行综述,并探讨其可能的临床应用。     

探寻肝再生磷酸酶3在膀胱癌细胞T24中的作用

目的：已经有研究证明肝再生磷酸酶3（PhosphataseofRegeneratingLiver-3,PRL-3）在消化道肿瘤的发生发展过程中起到重要作用,但其在膀胱癌中发挥何种作用尚不清楚,本次研究主要探寻PRL-3在膀胱癌细胞T24中作用,以求为膀胱癌的治疗提供新思路。方法：采用siRNA干涉的方法下调T24中PRL-3蛋白表达水平,通过westernblot方法检测干涉效果,绘制细胞生长曲线、构建裸鼠种植瘤模型,检测PRL-3下调对细胞体外及体内增殖的影响。结果：我们所设计的siRNA能够下调PRL-3在A498细胞中的表达（F=7．26,P〈0．05）,细胞生长曲线显示下调PRL-3能够抑制细胞的增殖,这种作用从干涉后的第60h开始,随时间增加作用愈加明显（F≥8．35,P〈0．05）;动物实验表明,siRNA下调PRL-3能够抑制T24细胞在活体内的增殖,从干涉后第21天开始这种作用开始体现出来（F≥10．46,P〈0．05）,并且干涉组的肿瘤肿瘤明显低于两个对照组（F=13．63,P〈0．05）。结论：我们构建的siRNA能够在T24细胞中实现对PRL．3蛋白的下调,siRNA介导的PRL-3蛋白下调能够明显抑制T24细胞在活体外及活体内的增殖,这初步证明PRL-3在膀胱癌中发挥重要的作用。随着我们对PRL-3分子进一步深入的了解,揭示其发挥作用的具体机制,PRL-3很可能成为膀胱癌基因治疗的新靶点。     

PRL-3 phosphatase and cancer metastasis

The deregulated expression of members of the phosphatase of regenerating liver (PRL) family has been implicated in the metastatic progression of multiple human cancers. Importantly, PRL-1 and PRL-3 both possess the capacity to drive key steps in metastatic progression. Yet, little is known about the regulation and oncogenic mechanisms of this emerging class of dual-specificity phosphatases. This prospect article details the involvement of PRLs in the metastatic cascade, the regulatory mechanisms controlling PRL expression, and recent efforts in the characterization of PRL-modulated pathways and substrates using biochemical and high-throughput approaches. Current advances and future prospects in anti-cancer therapy targeting this family are also discussed.     

Rhodanine-based PRL-3 inhibitors blocked the migration and invasion of metastatic cancer cells

PRL-3, phosphatase of regenerating liver-3, plays a role in cancer progression through its involvement in invasion, migration, metastasis, and angiogenesis. We synthesized rhodanine derivatives, CG-707 and BR-1, which inhibited PRL-3 enzymatic activity with IC₅₀ values of 0.8 μM and 1.1 μM, respectively. CG-707 and BR-1 strongly inhibited the migration and invasion of PRL-3 overexpressing colon cancer cells without exhibiting cytotoxicity. The specificity of the inhibitors on PRL-3 phosphatase activity was confirmed by the phosphorylation recovery of known PRL-3 substrates such as ezrin and cytokeratin 8. The compounds selectively inhibited PRL-3 in comparison with other phosphatases, and CG-707 regulated epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) marker proteins. The results of the present study reveal that rhodanine is a specific PRL-3 inhibitor and a good lead molecule for obtaining a selective PRL-3 inhibitor.     

Structural insights into molecular function of the metastasis-associated phosphatase PRL-3

Phosphatases and kinases are the cellular signal transduction enzymes that control protein phosphorylation. PRL phosphatases constitute a novel class of small (20 kDa), prenylated phosphatases with oncogenic activity. In particular, PRL-3 is consistently overexpressed in liver metastasis in colorectal cancer cells and represents a new therapeutic target. Here, we present the solution structure of PRL-3, the first structure of a PRL phosphatase. The structure places PRL phosphatases in the class of dual specificity phosphatases with closest structural homology to the VHR phosphatase. The structure, coupled with kinetic studies of site-directed mutants, identifies functionally important residues and reveals unique features, differentiating PRLs from other phosphatases. These differences include an unusually hydrophobic active site without the catalytically important serine/threonine found in most other phosphatases. The position of the general acid loop indicates the presence of conformational change upon catalysis. The studies also identify a potential regulatory role of Cys(49) that forms an intramolecular disulfide bond with the catalytic Cys(104) even under mildly reducing conditions. Molecular modeling of the highly homologous PRL-1 and PRL-2 phosphatases revealed unique surface elements that are potentially important for specificity.     

The metastasis-promoting phosphatase PRL-3 shows activity toward phosphoinositides

Phosphatase of regenerating liver 3 (PRL-3) is suggested as a biomarker and therapeutic target in several cancers. It has a well-established causative role in cancer metastasis. However, little is known about its natural substrates, pathways, and biological functions, and only a few protein substrates have been suggested so far. To improve our understanding of the substrate specificity and molecular determinants of PRL-3 activity, the wild-type (WT) protein, two supposedly catalytically inactive mutants D72A and C104S, and the reported hyperactive mutant A111S were tested in vitro for substrate specificity and activity toward phosphopeptides and phosphoinositides (PIPs), their structural stability, and their ability to promote cell migration using stable HEK293 cell lines. We discovered that WT PRL-3 does not dephosphorylate the tested phosphopeptides in vitro. However, as shown by two complementary biochemical assays, PRL-3 is active toward the phosphoinositide PI(4,5)P(2). Our experimental results substantiated by molecular docking studies suggest that PRL-3 is a phosphatidylinositol 5-phosphatase. The C104S variant was shown to be not only catalytically inactive but also structurally destabilized and unable to promote cell migration, whereas WT PRL-3 promotes cell migration. The D72A mutant is structurally stable and does not dephosphorylate the unnatural substrate 3-O-methylfluorescein phosphate (OMFP). However, we observed residual in vitro activity of D72A against PI(4,5)P(2), and in accordance with this, it exhibits the same cellular phenotype as WT PRL-3. Our analysis of the A111S variant shows that the hyperactivity toward the unnatural OMFP substrate is not apparent in dephosphorylation assays with phosphoinositides: the mutant is completely inactive against PIPs. We observed significant structural destabilization of this variant. The cellular phenotype of this mutant equals that of the catalytically inactive C104S mutant. These results provide a possible explanation for the absence of the conserved Ser of the PTP catalytic motif in the PRL family. The correlation of the phosphatase activity toward PI(4,5)P(2) with the observed phenotypes for WT PRL-3 and the mutants suggests a link between the PI(4,5)P(2) dephosphorylation by PRL-3 and its role in cell migration.     

Inhibition of PRL-3 gene expression in gastric cancer cell line SGC7901 via microRNA suppressed reduces peritoneal metastasis

High expression of PRL-3, a protein tyrosine phosphatase, is proved to be associated with lymph node metastasis in gastric carcinoma from previous studies. In this paper, we examined the relationship between PRL-3 expression and peritoneal metastasis in gastric carcinoma. We applied the artificial miRNA (pCMV-PRL3miRNA), which is based on the murine miR-155 sequence, to efficiently silence the target gene expression of PRL-3 in SGC7901 gastric cancer cells at both mRNA and protein levels. Then we observed that, in vitro, pCMV-PRL3miRNA significantly depressed the SGC7901 cell invasion and migration independent of cellular proliferation. In vivo, PRL-3 knockdown effectively suppressed the growth of peritoneal metastases and improved the prognosis in nude mice. Therefore, we concluded that artificial miRNA can depress the expression of PRL-3, and that PRL-3 might be a potential therapeutic target for gastric cancer peritoneal metastasis.     

The essential role of FKBP38 in regulating phosphatase of regenerating liver 3 (PRL-3) protein stability

The phosphatase of regenerating liver-3 (PRL-3) is a member of protein tyrosine phosphatases and whose deregulation is implicated in tumorigenesis and metastasis of many cancers. However, the underlying mechanism by which PRL-3 is regulated is not known. In this study, we identified the peptidyl prolyl cis/trans isomerase FK506-binding protein 38 (FKBP38) as an interacting protein of PRL-3 using a yeast two-hybrid system. FKBP38 specifically binds to PRL-3 in vivo, and that the N-terminal region of FKBP38 is crucial for binding with PRL-3. FKBP38 overexpression reduces endogenous PRL-3 expression levels, whereas the depletion of FKBP38 by siRNA increases the level of PRL-3 protein. Moreover, FKBP38 promotes degradation of endogenous PRL-3 protein via protein-proteasome pathway. Furthermore, FKBP38 suppresses PRL-3-mediated p53 activity and cell proliferation. These results demonstrate that FKBP38 is a novel regulator of the oncogenic protein PRL-3 abundance and that alteration in the stability of PRL-3 can have a dramatic impact on cell proliferation. Thus, FKBP38 may play a critical role in tumorigenesis.     

Emodin inhibits migration and invasion of DLD-1 (PRL-3) cells via inhibition of PRL-3 phosphatase activity

Anthraquinones have been reported as phosphatase inhibitors. Therefore, anthraquinone derivatives were screened to identify a potent phosphatase inhibitor against the phosphatase of regenerating liver-3 (PRL-3). Emodin strongly inhibited phosphatase activity of PRL-3 with IC(50) values of 3.5μM and blocked PRL-3-induced tumor cell migration and invasion in a dose-dependent manner. Emodin rescued the phosphorylation of ezrin, which is a known PRL-3 substrate. The results of this study reveal that emodin is a PRL-3 inhibitor and a good lead molecule for obtaining a selective PRL-3 inhibitor.     

The Phosphatase PRL-3 Is Involved in Key Steps of Cancer Metastasis

PRL-3 belongs to the PRL phosphatase family. Its physiological role remains unclear, but many studies have identified that PRL-3 is a marker of cancer progression and shown it to be associated with metastasis. Evidence implicating PRL-3 in various elements of the metastatic process, such as the cell cycle, survival, angiogenesis, adhesion, cytoskeleton remodeling, EMT, motility and invasion, has been reported. Furthermore, several molecules acting as direct or indirect substrates have been identified. However, this information was obtained in many different studies, and it remains difficult to see the larger picture. We therefore systematically collected the published information together and used it to develop a comprehensive signaling network map. By analyzing this network map, we were able to retrieve the signaling pathways via which PRL-3 governs the key steps of the metastatic process in cancer. In this review, we summarize current knowledge of the role of PRL-3 in cancer and the molecular mechanisms involved. We also provide the web-based open-source PRL-3 signaling network map, for use in further studies.     

PRL-1 protein promotes ERK1/2 and RhoA protein activation through a non-canonical interaction with the Src homology 3 domain of p115 Rho GTPase-activating protein

Phosphatases of the regenerating liver (PRL) play oncogenic roles in cancer development and metastasis. Although previous studies indicate that PRL-1 promotes cell growth and migration by activating both the ERK1/2 and RhoA pathways, the mechanism by which it activates these signaling events remains unclear. We have identified a PRL-1-binding peptide (Peptide 1) that shares high sequence identity with a conserved motif in the Src homology 3 (SH3) domain of p115 Rho GTPase-activating protein (GAP). p115 RhoGAP directly binds PRL-1 in vitro and in cells via its SH3 domain. Structural analyses of the PRL-1·Peptide 1 complex revealed a novel protein-protein interaction whereby a sequence motif within the PxxP ligand-binding site of the p115 RhoGAP SH3 domain occupies a folded groove within PRL-1. This prevents the canonical interaction between the SH3 domain of p115 RhoGAP and MEKK1 and results in activation of ERK1/2. Furthermore, PRL-1 binding activates RhoA signaling by inhibiting the catalytic activity of p115 RhoGAP. The results demonstrate that PRL-1 binding to p115 RhoGAP provides a coordinated mechanism underlying ERK1/2 and RhoA activation.