Rapamycin decelerates cellular senescence. Zoya N Demidenko

Melatonin decreases estrogen receptor binding to estrogen response elements sites on the OCT4 gene in human breast cancer stem cells ABSTRACT Cancer stem cells (CSCs) pose a challenge in cancer treatment, as these cells can drive tumor growth and are resistant to chemotherapy. Melatonin exerts its oncostatic effects through the estrogen receptor (ER) pathway in cancer cells, however its action in CSCs is unclear. Here, we evaluated the effect of melatonin on the regulation of the transcription factor OCT4 (Octamer Binding 4) by estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) in breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs). The cells were grown as a cell suspension or as anchorage independent growth, for the mammospheres growth, representing the CSCs population and treated with 10 nM estrogen (E2) or 10 µM of the environmental estrogen Bisphenol A (BPA) and 1 mM of melatonin. At the end, the cell growth as well as OCT4 and ERα expression and the binding activity of ERα to the OCT4 was assessed. The increase in numbe

High-Throughput Chemical Screens Identify Disulfiram as an Inhibitor of Human Glioblastoma Stem Cells ABSTRACT Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) continues to have a poor patient prognosis despite optimal standard of care. Glioma stem cells (GSCs) have been implicated as the presumed cause of tumor recurrence and resistance to therapy. With this in mind, we screened a diverse chemical library of 2,000 compounds to identify therapeutic agents that inhibit GSC proliferation and therefore have the potential to extend patient survival. High-throughput screens (HTS) identified 78 compounds that repeatedly inhibited cellular proliferation, of which 47 are clinically approved for other indications and 31 are experimental drugs. Several compounds (such as digitoxin, deguelin, patulin and phenethyl caffeate) exhibited high cytotoxicity, with half maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC 50 ) in the low nanomolar range. In particular, the FDA approved drug for the treatment of alcoholism, disulfiram (DS

Up-regulation of c-MYC and SIRT1 expression correlates with malignant transformation in the serrated route to colorectal cancer ABSTRACT Approximately 7.5% of all colorectal cancers are considered to originate from the alternative, serrated route. Here, we investigate the expression of the c-MYC oncogene and the SIRT1 protein deacetylase by immunohistochemical staining in subgroups of colorectal serrated lesions that were characterized by different molecular alterations. The expression of c-MYC and SIRT1 correlated with the presence of  KRAS  and  BRAF  mutations and high expression of c-MYC and SIRT1 was strongly associated with higher grades of malignancy. In contrast, in the majority of serrated lesions without  KRAS  or  BRAF  mutations, c-MYC and SIRT1 expression was not found increased. In this group only a subset of mostly high grade intraepithelial neoplasia and carcinoma was characterized by elevated c-MYC and SIRT1 expression. This was associated with nuclear localization of

Quantifying pharmacologic suppression of cellular senescence: prevention of cellular hypertrophy versus preservation of proliferative potential Abstract Development of agents that suppress aging (aging suppressants) requires quantification of cellular senescence. Cellular senescence in vitro is characterized by a large cell morphology and permanent loss of proliferative potential. When HT-1080 cells were arrested by p21, they continued to grow exponentially in size and became hypertrophic with a 15-fold increase in the protein content per cell. These changes were mirrored by accumulation of GFP (driven by CMV promoter) per cell, which also served as a marker of cellular hypertrophy. Preservation of proliferative potential (competence) was measured by an increase in live cell number, when p21 was switched off. While modestly decreasing hypertrophy in p21-arresrted cells, rapamycin considerably preserved competence, converting senescence into quiescence. Preservation of proliferative pot

Paradoxical suppression of cellular senescene by p53 Abstract The tumor suppressor p53 is a canonical inducer of cellular senescence (irreversible loss of proliferative potential and senescent morphology). p53 can also cause reversible arrest without senescent morphology, which has usually been interpreted as failure of p53 to induce senescence. Here we demonstrate that p53-induced quiescence actually results from suppression of senescence by p53. In previous studies, suppression of senescence by p53 was masked by p53-induced cell cycle arrest. Here, we separated these two activities by inducing senescence through overexpression of p21 and then testing the effect of p53 on senescence. We found that in p21-arrested cells, p53 converted senescence into quiescence. Suppression of senescence by p53 required its transactivation function. Like rapamycin, which is known to suppress senescence, p53 inhibited the mTOR pathway. We suggest that, while inducing cell cycle arrest, p53 may simultane

Exploring long-term protection of normal human fibroblast and epithelial cells from chemotherapy in cell culture Abstract Killing of proliferating normal cells limits chemotherapy of cancer. Several strategies to selectively protect normal cells were previously suggested. Here we further explored the protection of normal cells from cell cycle-specific chemotherapeutic agents such as mitotic inhibitors (MI). We focused on a long-term cell recovery (rather than on a short-term cell survival) after a 3-day exposure to MI (paclitaxel and nocodazole). In three normal human cell types (RPE, NKE, WI-38t cells) but not in cancer cells with mutant p53, pre-treatment with nutlin-3a, a non-genotoxic inducer of wt p53, caused G1 and/or G2 arrest, thus preventing lethal mitotic arrest caused by MI and allowing normal cells to recover after removal of MI. Rapamycin, an inhibitor of the nutrient-sensing mTOR pathway, potentiated the protective effect of nutlin-3a in normal cells. Also, a combination

The purpose of the HIF-1/PHD feedback loop: to limit mTOR-induced HIF-1alpha Abstract Prolyl hydroxylases (PHDs) target hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) for degradation. Hypoxia inactivates PHDs, causing accumulation of HIF-1α. In turn, HIF-1 further transactivates PHDs. It is thought that the purpose of this feedback loop is to limit HIF-1α accumulation caused by hypoxia. Here, we suggest that the feedback is intended to limit the induction of HIF-1α by insulin, growth factors, hormones, cytokines and nutrients. These stimuli induce HIF-1α by increasing its translation, not by inhibiting PHDs. As exemplified herein, in a mTOR-dependent manner, insulin transiently induced HIF-1α in retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. Induction of HIF-1α was followed by activation of HIF-dependent transcription. Furthermore, DFX, which inactivates PHDs, potentiated the induction of HIF-1α by insulin. We propose that the most relevant function of the PHD-HIF feedback loop is to limit the inductio

Elimination of Proliferating Cells Unmasks the Shift from Senescence to Quiescence Cause by Rapamycin Abstract Depending on cellular context, p53-inducing agents (such as nutlin-3a) cause different outcomes including reversible quiescence and irreversible senescence. Inhibition of mTOR shifts the balance from senescence to quiescence. In cell lines with incomplete responses to p53, this shift may be difficult to document because of a high proportion of proliferating cells contaminating arrested (quiescent and senescent) cells. This problem also complicates the study of senescence caused by minimal levels of p21 that are capable to arrest a few cells. During induction of senescence by low levels of endogenous p53 and ectopic p21, cells were co-treated with nocodazole, which eliminated proliferating cells. As a result, only senescent and quiescent cells remained. This approach revealed that rapamycin efficiently converted nutlin-induced-senescence into quiescence. In the presence of rapa

Recent progress in targeting cancer Abstract In recent years, numerous new targets have been identified and new experimental therapeutics have been developed. Importantly, existing non-cancer drugs found novel use in cancer therapy. And even more importantly, new original therapeutic strategies to increase potency, selectivity and decrease detrimental side effects have been evaluated. Here we review some recent advances in targeting cancer.  https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/39445053_Zoya_N_Demidenko   impact journals llc Zoya Demidenko Dr. Zoya N. Demidenko Zoya N. Demidenko , Ph.D. is Executive Manager of the Oncotarget journal . Oncotarget publishes high-impact research papers of general interest and outstanding significance and novelty in all areas of biology and medicine: in translational, basic and clinical research including but not limited to cancer research, oncogenes, oncoproteins and tumor suppressors, signaling pathways as potential targets for therape

Pharmacological induction of Hsp70 protects apoptosis-prone cells from doxorubicin: Comparison with caspase-inhibitor- and cycle-arrest-mediated cytoprotection Abstract Selective modulation of cell death is important for rational chemotherapy. By depleting Hsp90-client oncoproteins, geldanamycin (GA) and 17-allylamino-17-demethoxy-GA (17-AAG) (heat-shock protein-90-active drugs) render certain oncoprotein-addictive cancer cells sensitive to chemotherapy. Here we investigated effects of GA and 17-AAG in apoptosis-prone cells such as HL60 and U937. In these cells, doxorubicin (DOX) caused rapid apoptosis, whereas GA-induced heat-shock protein-70 (Hsp70) (a potent inhibitor of apoptosis) and G1 arrest without significant apoptosis. GA blocked caspase activation and apoptosis and delayed cell death caused by DOX. Inhibitors of translation and transcription and siRNA Hsp70 abrogated cytoprotective effects of GA. Also GA failed to protect HL60 cells from cytotoxicity of actinomycin D and fla

Rapamycin decelerates cellular senescence Abstract When the cell cycle is arrested but cellular growth is not, then cells senesce, permanently losing proliferative potential. Here we demonstrated that the duration of cell cycle arrest determines a progressive loss of proliferative capacity. In human and rodent cell lines, rapamycin (an inhibitor of mTOR) dramatically decelerated loss of proliferative potential caused by ectopic p21, p16 and sodium butyrate-induced p21. Thus, when the cell cycle was arrested by these factors in the presence of rapamycin, cells retained the capacity to resume proliferation, once p21, p16 or sodium butyrate were removed. While rapamycin prevented the permanent loss of proliferative potential in arrested cells, it did not force the arrested cells into proliferation. During cell cycle arrest, rapamycin transformed the irreversible arrest into a reversible condition. Our data demonstrate that senescence can be pharmacologically suppressed. oncotarget impact