ABSTRACT
Cancer therapy reduces tumor burden by killing tumor cells, yet it simultaneously creates tumor cell debris that may stimulate inflammation and tumor growth. Thus, conventional cancer therapy is inherently a double-edged sword. In this study, we show that tumor cells killed by chemotherapy or targeted therapy ("tumor cell debris") stimulate primary tumor growth when coinjected with a subthreshold (nontumorigenic) inoculum of tumor cells by triggering macrophage proinflammatory cytokine release after phosphatidylserine exposure. Debris-stimulated tumors were inhibited by antiinflammatory and proresolving lipid autacoids, namely resolvin D1 (RvD1), RvD2, or RvE1. These mediators specifically inhibit debris-stimulated cancer progression by enhancing clearance of debris via macrophage phagocytosis in multiple tumor types. Resolvins counterregulate the release of cytokines/chemokines, including TNFα, IL-6, IL-8, CCL4, and CCL5, by human macrophages stimulated with cell debris. These results demonstrate that enhancing endogenous clearance of tumor cell debris is a new therapeutic target that may complement cytotoxic cancer therapies.
Subject(s)
Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology , Docosahexaenoic Acids/pharmacology , Animals , Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use , Cell Line, Tumor , Cell Proliferation , Cytokines/metabolism , Disease Models, Animal , Humans , Inflammation Mediators/metabolism , Macrophages/metabolism , Melanoma, Experimental , Mice , Mice, Knockout , Mice, Transgenic , Neoplasms/drug therapy , Neoplasms/metabolism , Neoplasms/pathology , Phagocytosis , Phosphatidylserines/metabolism , Tumor Burden , Xenograft Model Antitumor AssaysABSTRACT
The connection between cancer and inflammation is widely recognized, yet the underlying molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. We report here that TIPE2 provides a molecular bridge from inflammation to cancer by targeting the Ras signaling pathway. TIPE2 binds the Ras-interacting domain of the RalGDS family of proteins, which are essential effectors of activated Ras. This binding prevented Ras from forming an active complex, thereby inhibiting the activation of the downstream signaling molecules Ral and AKT. Consequently, TIPE2 deficiency led to heightened activation of Ral and AKT, resistance to cell death, increased migration, and dysregulation of exocyst complex formation. Conversely, TIPE2 overexpression induced cell death and significantly inhibited Ras-induced tumorigenesis in mice. Importantly, TIPE2 expression was either completely lost or significantly downregulated in human hepatic cancer. Thus, TIPE2 is an inhibitor of both inflammation and cancer, and a potential drug target for inflammatory and neoplastic diseases.
