Modeling of Intracellular Taurine Levels Associated with Ovarian Cancer Reveals Activation of p53, ERK, mTOR and DNA-Damage-Sensing-Dependent Cell Protection.

Taurine, a non-proteogenic amino acid and commonly used nutritional supplement, can protect various tissues from degeneration associated with the action of the DNA-damaging chemotherapeutic agent cisplatin. Whether and how taurine protects human ovarian cancer (OC) cells from DNA damage caused by cisplatin is not well understood. We found that OC ascites-derived cells contained significantly more intracellular taurine than cell culture-modeled OC. In culture, elevation of intracellular taurine concentration to OC ascites-cell-associated levels suppressed proliferation of various OC cell lines and patient-derived organoids, reduced glycolysis, and induced cell protection from cisplatin. Taurine cell protection was associated with decreased DNA damage in response to cisplatin. A combination of RNA sequencing, reverse-phase protein arrays, live-cell microscopy, flow cytometry, and biochemical validation experiments provided evidence for taurine-mediated induction of mutant or wild-type p53 binding to DNA, activation of p53 effectors involved in negative regulation of the cell cycle (p21), and glycolysis (TIGAR). Paradoxically, taurine's suppression of cell proliferation was associated with activation of pro-mitogenic signal transduction including ERK, mTOR, and increased mRNA expression of major DNA damage-sensing molecules such as DNAPK, ATM and ATR. While inhibition of ERK or p53 did not interfere with taurine's ability to protect cells from cisplatin, suppression of mTOR with Torin2, a clinically relevant inhibitor that also targets DNAPK and ATM/ATR, broke taurine's cell protection. Our studies implicate that elevation of intracellular taurine could suppress cell growth and metabolism, and activate cell protective mechanisms involving mTOR and DNA damage-sensing signal transducti.

The nutritional supplement taurine activates p53-dependent and independent tumor suppressor mechanisms in various cellular models of ovarian cancer.

Loss of treatment-induced ovarian carcinoma (OC) growth suppression poses a major clinical challenge because it leads to disease recurrence. Therefore, there is a compelling need for well- -tolerated approaches that can support tumor growth-suppression after therapy is stopped. We have profiled ascites as OC tumor microenvironments to search for potential non-toxic soluble components that would activate tumor suppressor pathways in OC cells. Our investigations revealed that low levels of taurine, a non-proteogenic sulfonic amino acid, were present within OC ascites. Taurine supplementation, beyond levels found in ascites, induced growth suppression without causing cytotoxicity in various OC cells, including chemotherapy-resistant cell clones and patient-derived organoids representing primary or chemotherapy recovered disease. Inhibition of proliferation by taurine was linked to increased mutant or wild-type p53 proteins binding to DNA, induction of p21, and independently of p53, TIGAR expression. Taurine-induced activation of p21 and TIGAR was associated with suppression of cell-cycle progression, glycolysis, and mitochondrial respiration. Expression of p21 or TIGAR in OC cells mimicked taurine-induced growth suppression. Our studies support the potential therapeutic value of taurine supplementation in OC.

Extracellular Matrix Modulates Outgrowth Dynamics in Ovarian Cancer.

Ovarian carcinoma (OC) forms outgrowths that extend from the outer surface of an afflicted organ into the peritoneum. OC outgrowth formation is poorly understood due to the limited availability of cell culture models examining the behavior of cells that form outgrowths. Prompted by immunochemical evaluation of extracellular matrix (ECM) components in human tissues, laminin and collagen-rich ECM-reconstituted cell culture models amenable to studies of cell clusters that can form outgrowths are developed. It is demonstrated that ECM promotes outgrowth formation in fallopian tube non-ciliated epithelial cells (FNE) expressing mutant p53 and various OC cell lines. Outgrowths are initiated by cells that underwent outward translocation and retained the ability to intercalate into mesothelial cell monolayers. Electron microscopy, optical coherence tomography, and small amplitude oscillatory shear experiments reveal that increased ECM levels led to increased fibrous network thickness and high shear elasticity of the microenvironment. These physical characteristics are associated with outgrowth suppression. The low ECM microenvironment mimicks the viscoelasticity of malignant peritoneal fluid (ascites) and supports cell proliferation, cell translocation, and outgrowth formation. These results highlight the importance of the ECM microenvironment in modulating OC growth and can provide additional insights into the mode of dissemination of primary and recurrent ovarian tumors.

Ovarian Cancer Dissemination-A Cell Biologist's Perspective.

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) comprises multiple disease states representing a variety of distinct tumors that, irrespective of tissue of origin, genetic aberrations and pathological features, share common patterns of dissemination to the peritoneal cavity. EOC peritoneal dissemination is a stepwise process that includes the formation of malignant outgrowths that detach and establish widespread peritoneal metastases through adhesion to serosal membranes. The cell biology associated with outgrowth formation, detachment, and de novo adhesion is at the nexus of diverse genetic backgrounds that characterize the disease. Development of treatment for metastatic disease will require detailed characterization of cellular processes involved in each step of EOC peritoneal dissemination. This article offers a review of the literature that relates to the current stage of knowledge about distinct steps of EOC peritoneal dissemination, with emphasis on the cell biology aspects of the process.

The effects of low-level laser irradiation on breast tumor in mice and the expression of Let-7a, miR-155, miR-21, miR125, and miR376b.

Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) is a form of photon therapy which can be a non-invasive therapeutic procedure in cancer therapy using low-intensity light in the range of 450-800 nm. One of the main functional features of laser therapy is the photobiostimulation effects of low-level lasers on various biological systems including altering DNA synthesis and modifying gene expression, and stopping cellular proliferation. This study investigated the effects of LLLT on mice mammary tumor and the expression of Let-7a, miR155, miR21, miR125, and miR376b in the plasma and tumor samples. Sixteen mice were equally divided into four groups including control, and blue, green, and red lasers at wavelengths of 405, 532, and 632 nm, respectively. Weber Medical Applied Laser irradiation was carried out with a low power of 1-3 mW and a series of 10 treatments at three times a week after tumor establishment. Tumor volume was weekly measured by a digital vernier caliper, and qRT-PCR assays were performed to accomplish the study. Depending on the number of groups and the p value of the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test of normality, a t test, a one-way ANOVA, or a non-parametric test was used for data analyses, and p < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. The average tumor volume was significantly less in the treated blue group than the control group on at days 21, 28, and 35 after cancerous cell injection. Our data also showed an increase of Let-7a and miR125a expression and a decrease of miR155, miR21, and miR376b expression after LLLT with the blue laser both the plasma and tumor samples compared to other groups. It seems that the non-invasive nature of laser bio-stimulation can make LLLT an attractive alternative therapeutic tool.

Expression of the circulating and the tissue microRNAs after surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy in mice mammary tumor.

The expression of microRNAs (miRNAs), as novel biomarkers, is subject to change in many cancers. Therefore, the overall profile of miRNAs can be used for detection of cancer type, response to therapies, pathological variables, and other factors related to the disease. In this study, to evaluate miRNA expression associated with the tumor progression and response to treatment, 60 BALB/c mice received subcutaneous injections of 4T1 cells. The study includes ten groups: one group as control, six groups were euthanized at different time points to assess the role of miRNA expression in the tumor progression, and three groups received chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery to evaluate miRNA expression in response to treatment. MicroRNAs were extracted from the breast tumor and the plasma samples, and their relative expressions were quantified using qRT-PCR. MiR-155 expression was increased in the plasma in the early weeks after the cell injection but decreased in the plasma after surgery and radiotherapy and also in tumor samples after chemotherapy and radiotherapy. MiR-10b expression was increased in the late weeks both in the plasma and the tumor and was decreased in the plasma after radiotherapy and surgery and in the tumor after radiotherapy. MiR-21 expression was increased in the plasma and the tumor tissue during the disease progression at the third and the fourth weeks following tumor induction but was decreased in the plasma in all the therapy groups. Interestingly, miR-125a showed a significant decrease during the tumor progression, and its expression was increased after the treatment. Our results showed that the candidate miRNAs could be divided into two groups of oncomiRs and tumor suppressor miR based on their deregulation after tumor growth and treatments. It seems that the oncomiRs in the plasma can be an ideal noninvasive candidate biomarker for the early detection of breast cancer and also for following the response of the common therapies.

Mitochondrial targeted peptides for cancer therapy.

Mitochondria are a key pharmacological target in all cancer cells, since the structure and function of this organelle is different between healthy and malignant cells. Oxidative damage, disruption of mitochondrial ATP synthesis, calcium dyshomeostasis, mtDNA damage, and induction of the mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP) lead to the mitochondrial dysfunctionality and increase the probability of the programmed cell death or apoptosis. A variety of the signaling pathways have been developed to promote cell death including overexpression of pro-apoptotic members of Bcl-2 family, overloaded calcium, and elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a key role in the promoting mitochondrial cytochrome c release through MOMP and eventually leads to cell death. There are a wide range of the therapeutic-based peptide drugs, known mitochondrial targeted peptides (MTPs), which specifically target mitochondrial pathways into death. They have prominent advantages such as low toxicity, high specificity, and easy to synthesis. Some of these therapeutic peptides have shown to increased the clinical activity alone or in combination with other agents. In this review, we will outline the biological properties of MTPs for cancer therapy. Understanding the molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways controlling cell death by MTPs can be critical for the development of the therapeutic strategies for cancer patients that would be valuable for researchers in both fields of molecular and clinical oncology.

Metastasis review: from bench to bedside.

Cancer is the final result of uninhibited cell growth that involves an enormous group of associated diseases. One major aspect of cancer is when cells attack adjacent components of the body and spread to other organs, named metastasis, which is the major cause of cancer-related mortality. In developing this process, metastatic cells must successfully negotiate a series of complex steps, including dissociation, invasion, intravasation, extravasation, and dormancy regulated by various signaling pathways. In this review, we will focus on the recent studies and collect a comprehensive encyclopedia in molecular basis of metastasis, and then we will discuss some new potential therapeutics which target the metastasis pathways. Understanding the new aspects on molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways controlling tumor cell metastasis is critical for the development of therapeutic strategies for cancer patients that would be valuable for researchers in both fields of molecular and clinical oncology.