A molecular perspective for the use of type IV tyrosine kinase inhibitors as anticancer therapeutics

Tyrosine kinases are enzymes that can transfer a phosphate group from ATP to a specific protein tyrosine, serine or threonine residue within a cell, operating as a switch that can turn ‘on’ and ‘off’ causing different physiological alterations in the body. Mutated kinases have been shown to display an equilibrium shift toward the activated state. Types I–III have been studied intensively leading to drugs like imatinib (type II), cobimetinib (type III), among others. It is the same scenario for types V–VII; however, there is a lacuna in information regarding type IV inhibitors, although recently some advances have surfaced. This review aims to accumulate the knowledge gained so far about type IV inhibitors.     

Non-canonical role of Hippo tumor suppressor serine/threonine kinase 3 STK3 in prostate cancer

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原发性肺鳞癌中EGFR和ALK基因突变的临床研究北大核心

目的:探讨赣南地区原发性肺鳞癌患者EGFR和ALK基因突变的特点,科学指导此类患者优选靶向用药。方法:入组73例原发性肺鳞癌病例,采用ARMS-PNA技术检测EGFR基因第18、19、20、21外显子突变,应用不平衡法检测其中60例病例的ALK融合基因,回顾性分析EGFR和ALK基因突变患者的临床病理特征。结果:EGFR基因突变8例,阳性率为10.96%(8/73),4例为L858R突变,3例为19del突变,1例为G719X突变。女性患者突变率(66.67%,2/3)明显高于男性患者(8.57%,6/70)(P=0.030),EGFR基因突变在高龄(≥60岁)、进展期(N_(1-3)、Ⅲ+Ⅳ期)患者中相对较高,但差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。EGFR基因突变与吸烟史、T分期以及肿瘤分布位置均无相关性(P>0.05);ALK融合基因表达2例,阳性率3.33%(2/60),与患者性别、年龄、吸烟史、TNM分期及肿瘤分布类型等各临床病理特征均无相关性(P>0.05);未发现EGFR和ALK基因共存突变病例。结论:赣南地区原发性肺鳞癌患者EGFR和ALK基因突变率相对不高,EGFR基因突变以L858R和19del突变为主,且好发于女性患者,可能是患者病情进展的预测因子之一。     

Mechanism of action of Orthosiphon stamineus against non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: Insights from systems pharmacology and molecular docking approaches

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common complications of a metabolic syndrome caused by excessive accumulation of fat in the liver. Orthosiphon stamineus also known as Orthosiphon aristatus is a medicinal plant with possible potential beneficial effects on various metabolic disorders. This study aims to investigate the in vitro inhibitory effects of O. stamineus on hepatic fat accumulation and to further use the computational systems pharmacology approach to identify the pharmacokinetic properties of the bioactive compounds of O. stamineus and to predict their molecular mechanisms against NAFLD. Methods: The effects of an ethanolic extract of O. stamineus leaves on cytotoxicity, fat accumulation and antioxidant activity were assessed using HepG2 cells. The bioactive compounds of O. stamineus were identified using LC/MS and two bioinformatics databases, namely the Traditional Chinese Medicine Integrated Database (TCMID) and the Bioinformatics Analysis Tool for the Molecular Mechanism of Traditional Chinese Medicine (BATMAN-TCM). Pathway enrichment analysis was performed on the predicted targets of the bioactive compounds to provide a systematic overview of the molecular mechanism of action, while molecular docking was used to validate the predicted targets. Results: A total of 27 bioactive compounds corresponding to 50 potential NAFLD-related targets were identified. O. stamineus exerts its anti-NAFLD effects by modulating a variety of cellular processes, including oxidative stress, mitochondrial β-oxidation, inflammatory signalling pathways, insulin signalling, and fatty acid homeostasis pathways. O. stamineus is significantly targeting many oxidative stress regulators, including JNK, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), NFKB1, PPAR, and AKT1. Molecular docking analysis confirmed the expected high affinity for the potential targets, while the in vitro assay indicates the ability of O. stamineus to inhibit hepatic fat accumulation. Conclusion: Using the computational systems pharmacology approach, the potentially beneficial effect of O. stamineus in NAFLD was indicated through the combination of multiple compounds, multiple targets, and multicellular components.     

Inverse correlation between the expression of AMPK/SIRT1 and NAMPT in psoriatic skin: A pilot study

PurposeEpidermal hyperplasia and the involvement of immune cells characterize the clinical picture of psoriasis. Among the several factors involved, attention has been focused on sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) - a deacetylase endowed with a variety of functions including the control of metabolic and inflammatory processes-, and on nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT), important for SIRT1 activation and involved in inflammatory events. The aim of the study was to analyze changes of SIRT1 and NAMPT expression in psoriatic skin.Patients and methodsSamples from healthy controls and psoriatic patients were subjected to immunohistochemical analysis.ResultsA strong downregulation of SIRT1 expression was observed in skin samples from psoriatic patients compared to healthy controls. This was accompanied by a parallel reduction of adenosine monophosphate-activated kinase (AMPK) expression and, more strikingly, by the disappearance of cells immunolabeled for its active, phosphorylated form (pAMPK). In both cases, analysis of the distribution of immunopositive cells revealed a shift towards reduced intensity of staining. In contrast, NAMPT expression was upregulated in psoriatic samples in line with its pro-inflammatory role. This was again more visible with an intensity-based distribution analysis that evidenced a shift towards more intensely immunostained cell populations.ConclusionsThe present data correlate in the same samples the expression of SIRT1, pAMPK/AMPK and NAMPT in psoriasis and open the way for novel pharmacological targets in the treatment of the disease.     

Cancer Stem Cells and Circulatory Tumor Cells Promote Breast Cancer Metastasis

Breast cancer (BC) is a highly metastatic, pathological cancer that significantly affects women worldwide. The mortality rate of BC is related to its heterogeneity, aggressive phenotype, and metastasis. Recent studies have highlighted that the tumor microenvironment (TME) is critical for the interplay between metastasis mediators in BC. BC stem cells, tumor-derived exosomes, circulatory tumor cells (CTCs), and signaling pathways dynamically remodel the TME and promote metastasis. This review examines the cellular and molecular mechanisms governing the epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) that facilitate metastasis. This review also discusses the role of cancer stem cells (CSCs), tumor-derived exosomes, and CTs in promoting BC metastasis. Furthermore, the review emphasizes major signaling pathways that mediate metastasis in BC. Finally, the interplay among CSCs, exosomes, and CTCs in mediating metastasis have been highlighted. Therefore, understanding the molecular cues that mediate the association of CSCs, exosomes, and CTCs in TME helps to optimize systemic therapy to target metastatic BC.     

The clinical dilemma of JAK inhibitor failure in myelofibrosis: Predictive characteristics and outcomes

Two Janus-associated kinase inhibitors (JAKi) (initially ruxolitinib and, more recently, fedratinib) have been approved as treatment options for patients who have intermediate-risk and high-risk myelofibrosis (MF), with pivotal trials demonstrating improvements in spleen volume, disease symptoms, and quality of life. At the same time, however, clinical trial experiences with JAKi agents in MF have demonstrated a high frequency of discontinuations because of adverse events or progressive disease. In addition, overall survival benefits and clinical and molecular predictors of response have not been established in this population, for which the disease burden is high and treatment options are limited. Consistently poor outcomes have been documented after JAKi discontinuation, with survival durations after ruxolitinib ranging from 11 to 16 months across several studies. To address such a high unmet therapeutic need, various non-JAKi agents are being actively explored (in combination with ruxolitinib in first-line or salvage settings and/or as monotherapy in JAKi-pretreated patients) in phase 3 clinical trials, including pelabresib (a bromodomain and extraterminal domain inhibitor), navitoclax (a B-cell lymphoma 2/B-cell lymphoma 2-xL inhibitor), parsaclisib (a phosphoinositide 3-kinase inhibitor), navtemadlin (formerly KRT-232; a murine double-minute chromosome 2 inhibitor), and imetelstat (a telomerase inhibitor). The breadth of data expected from these trials will provide insight into the ability of non-JAKi treatments to modify the natural history of MF.     

Mesenchymal neoplasms with NTRK and other kinase gene alterations

Kinase alterations are increasingly recognised as oncogenic drivers in mesenchymal tumours. Infantile fibrosarcoma and the related renal tumour, congenital mesoblastic nephroma, were among the first solid tumours shown to harbour recurrent tyrosine kinase fusions, with the canonical ETV6::NTRK3 fusion identified more than 20 years ago. Although targeted testing has long been used in diagnosis, the advent of more robust sequencing techniques has driven the discovery of kinase alterations in an array of mesenchymal tumours. As our ability to identify these genetic alterations has improved, as has our recognition and understanding of the tumours that harbour these alterations. Specifically, this study will focus upon mesenchymal tumours harbouring NTRK or other kinase alterations, including tumours with an infantile fibrosarcoma-like appearance, spindle cell tumours resembling lipofibromatosis or peripheral nerve sheath tumours and those occurring in adults with a fibrosarcoma-like appearance. As publications describing the histology of these tumours increase so, too, do the variety kinase alterations reported, now including NTRK1/2/3, RET, MET, RAF1, BRAF, ALK, EGFR and ABL1 fusions or alterations. To date, these tumours appear locally aggressive and rarely metastatic, without a clear link between traditional features used in histological grading (e.g. mitotic activity, necrosis) and outcome. However, most of these tumours are amenable to new targeted therapies, making their recognition of both diagnostic and therapeutic import. The goal of this study is to review the clinicopathological features of tumours with NTRK and other tyrosine kinase alterations, discuss the most common differential diagnoses and provide recommendations for molecular confirmation with associated treatment implications.