顺铂通过抑制PI3K/AKT/mTOR信号通路诱导子宫内膜癌Ishikawa细胞自噬

目的：探讨顺铂对子宫内膜癌Ishikawa细胞自噬的影响,并初步探讨PI3K/AKT/mTOR信号通路在其中的作用。方法：透射电镜观察自噬泡形成,免疫荧光检测微管相关蛋白1轻链3融合蛋白II（microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3II,LC3II） 的荧光聚集情况。采用Westerblot检测mTOR通路中的PI3K、AKT及mTOR蛋白的表达。结果：顺铂（20μg/mL）能诱导Ishikawa细胞发生自噬,其中24h组明显高于12h组（P<0.05）;与对照组（20μg/mL-0h组）相比较,自噬相关蛋白-LC3的表达随着时间延长表达增加（P<0.05）。磷酸化AKT1、磷酸化mTOR及PI3Kp85蛋白表达水平随着时间延长表达下降。胰岛素样生长因子-1（insulin-like growth factors-1,IGF-1）与顺铂共培养组自噬小体及LC3蛋白表达少于顺铂组,但高于对照组。结论：顺铂可能通过抑制PI3K/AKT/mTOR信号通路,从而诱导子宫内膜癌细胞发生自噬。     

苦瓜蛋白MAP30 通过AKT/mTOR通路促进多发性骨髓瘤细胞的自噬和凋亡

[摘要] 目的：探讨苦瓜蛋白MAP30 在多发性骨髓瘤中的作用及其机制。方法：将人骨髓瘤RPMI-8226、NCI-H929 和U266 细胞为靶细胞,以不同浓度（1～10 μmol/L）的MAP30 处理后,采用CCK-8 法检测多发骨髓瘤细胞株RPMI-8226、NCI-H929和U266 的增殖能力,Annexin V/PI 流式细胞术检测骨髓瘤细胞的凋亡情况,Wb实验检测骨髓瘤细胞凋亡相关蛋白（PARP）、自噬相关蛋白（LC3II、P62）及AKT/mTOR通路相关蛋白的表达水平,CCK-8 法、流式细胞术和Wb实验检测MAP30 联合自噬激动剂雷帕霉素（Rap）或自噬抑制剂巴弗洛霉素（Baf）作用后骨髓瘤细胞增殖、凋亡和自噬的变化。结果：MAP30（1～10 μmol/L）抑制骨髓瘤细胞的增殖,且其对增殖的抑制呈时间和剂量依赖关系（P<0.05 或P<0.01）。MAP30 单独作用骨髓瘤细胞后,细胞凋亡和细胞自噬增加,PARP裂解增多,LC3II 表达水平增加,P62 表达明显下降（均P<0.05 或P<0.01）;MAP30+Rap 作用骨髓瘤细胞后,较单用MAP30 细胞增殖率增加、细胞凋亡率减少、细胞自噬减少、PARP裂解降低、LC3II 表达降低及P62 表达增加（均P<0.05 或P<0.01）;相反,MAP30+Baf 作用骨髓瘤细胞较单用MAP30,细胞增殖率减少、细胞凋亡率增加、细胞自噬增加、PARP裂解增加、LC3II 表达增加、P62 表达降低（均P<0.05 或P<0.01）;MAP30 作用骨髓瘤细胞后,AKT/mTOR通路相关蛋白p-AKT和p-mTOR表达水平明显降低（均P<0.05）。结论：MAP30 可通过AKT/mTOR通路促进骨髓瘤细胞的凋亡和自噬,可能为骨髓瘤的治疗提供新的治疗策略。     

石蒜碱通过TGF-β/Smad 信号通路调控自噬抑制食管癌细胞增殖

目的:探讨石蒜碱对食管癌细胞增殖的影响,并分析其机制。方法:细胞计数8（CCK-8）法分析细胞增殖抑制率,MDC染色法检测自噬泡,Western blot法分析LC3II/LC3I、Beclin-1、转化生长因子-β(transforming growth factor-β,TGF-β)、p-Smad2/Smad2水平,观察3-MA对石蒜碱调控自噬和凋亡的影响。裸鼠成瘤实验验证石蒜碱对裸鼠体内瘤体的瘤重、瘤体积及自噬、p-Smad2/Smad2水平的影响。结果:2、4、8、16、32、64 μmol/L的石蒜碱抑制ECA109细胞增殖（F=22.412,P＜0.05）,IC50值为（15.56±2.16）μmol/L。4、8、16 μmol/L石蒜碱促进自噬泡的产生,增加LC3II/LC3I、Beclin-1水平,降低TGF-β1、p-Smad2/Smad2水平（P＜0.05）;3-MA可以逆转石蒜碱对自噬、凋亡及TGF-β/Smad信号通路和Bcl-2/Bax信号通路的影响;体内实验显示,100 mg/kg石蒜碱能降低瘤体体积、瘤体质量,下调p-Smad2/Smad2水平,上调LC3II/LC3I水平（P＜0.05）。3-MA可以逆转石蒜碱对瘤体体积、瘤体质量及LC3II/LC3I、p-Smad2/Smad2水平的影响。结论:石蒜碱能抑制ECA109细胞的增殖,促进细胞凋亡,对体内ECA109细胞移植瘤抑瘤效果明显,其机制与调控TGF-β/Smad信号通路激活自噬有关。     

PI3K/AKT/mTOR信号通路介导索拉非尼治疗原发性肝癌耐药机制的研究进展

索拉非尼（sorafenib）作为原发性肝癌（hepatocellular carcinoma,HCC）靶向治疗的一线药物已广泛应用于临床,然而部分HCC患者对索拉非尼治疗耐药导致临床疗效欠佳,联合其他靶向药物的临床实验仍未取得突破,故深入研究索拉非尼耐药机制,逆转索拉非尼耐药对于改善肝癌治疗的预后具有重要意义。最新研究发现,PI3K/AKT/mTOR信号通路在索拉非尼耐药机制中起重要作用,本文将从PI3K/AKT/mTOR信号通路促进肿瘤血管生成、参与细胞自噬、抑制肿瘤细胞凋亡并促进其增殖、与RAS/RAF/ERK/MEK信号通路交联及其促进上皮-间质转化等几个方面,概述其在索拉非尼治疗原发性肝癌时产生耐药的机制,为进一步开发治疗原发性肝癌的新型药物提供研究方向。     

Prucalopride通过促进自噬抑制胶质瘤细胞U251增殖

目的:研究Prucalopride对胶质瘤U251细胞增殖、自噬、凋亡的影响,并探讨其相关信号通路。方法:通过CCK8检测细胞增殖的变化;Transwell检测迁移和侵袭的变化;细胞流式实验、Western blot检测细胞凋亡的变化;Western blot检测自噬相关蛋白LC3、Beclin1、p62的表达;AKT/mTOR通路相关蛋白的变化。结果:CCK8显示Prucalopride显著抑制U251细胞的增殖（P＜0.05）;Transwell侵袭实验显示Prucalopride可以抑制脑胶质瘤细胞的迁移和侵袭（P＜0.05）;细胞流式实验显示Prucalopride促进U251细胞的凋亡（P＜0.05）,Prucalopride处理后细胞凋亡相关蛋白Bax、Active Caspase3水平升高,Bcl-2表达降低;自噬相关蛋LC3、Beclin1表达上调,p62表达下调;p-AKT蛋白和p-mTOR蛋白水平显著降低。结论:Prucalopride通过抑制AKT/mTOR信号通路激活自噬抑制U251细胞增殖和迁移,促进其凋亡。     

PI3K/AKT/mTOR信号通路介导乳腺癌内分泌治疗耐药的研究进展

内分泌治疗在激素受体阳性乳腺癌患者中的地位越来越受到重视,可以明显改善患者预后.内分泌治疗耐药严重制约着其临床应用,但耐药机制仍不明确,目前认为多信号通路激活参与耐药形成,其中PI3K/AKT/mTOR信号通路在耐药机制中发挥重要作用.临床试验提示,在内分泌治疗的基础上阻断信号通路可以逆转耐药,研究结果令人鼓舞.本文对PI3K/AKT/mTOR信号通路在内分泌耐药机制中的作用进行综述.     

三七皂苷R1调控PI3K/AKT/mTOR信号通路诱导人下咽鳞状细胞癌FaDu细胞凋亡和自噬北大核心

目的:探讨三七皂苷R1(notoginsenoside R1,NGR1)对人下咽鳞状细胞癌(hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma,HSCC)FaDu细胞凋亡以及自噬的影响,并对其涉及的信号通路进行研究。方法:75μmol/L、150μmol/L、300μmol/L NGR1作用于FaDu细胞24 h后,采用MTT检测细胞增殖能力;流式细胞术检测细胞凋亡;自噬双标腺病毒检测自噬流;Western blot检测自噬相关蛋白LC3Ⅱ/LC3Ⅰ以及PI3K/AKT/mTOR信号通路相关蛋白表达水平。结果:NGR1能够抑制FaDu细胞的增殖并促进细胞凋亡;NGR1可诱导FaDu细胞自噬,并呈一定浓度依赖性;Western blot结果显示,NGR1作用于Fa Du细胞24 h后,LC3Ⅱ表达明显增加,而p-PI3K、p-AKT、p-m TOR表达相较于Control组明显下降。结论:NGR1可抑制Fa Du细胞增殖,诱导细胞凋亡与自噬,其机制可能与抑制PI3K/AKT/m TOR信号通路有关。     

PI3K/AKT/mTOR信号通路抑制剂在淋巴瘤中的研究进展*

磷脂酰肌醇-3 激酶（phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase,PI 3K）- 蛋白激酶B（protein kinaseB ,PKB ,又称AKT ）- 雷帕霉素靶蛋白（mammalian target of  rapamycin,mTOR）信号通路与细胞的生长、增殖、分化、凋亡、代谢等密切相关,在多种实体肿瘤中已发现该信号通路的异常。近年来,以抑制该通路特定位点的靶向治疗已成为抗肿瘤的研究热点。许多该位点新型抑制剂也已进入淋巴瘤的临床试验中,本文就该通路在淋巴瘤中的活化状态及各个分子靶点抑制剂的研究进展做一综述。     

PI3K/AKT/mTOR信号通路抑制剂治疗结直肠癌的研究进展

PI3K/AKT/mTOR通路的异常活化在结直肠癌的发生发展中起到重要作用,以此通路为靶点的药物已成为结直肠癌治疗的研究热点,临床前和临床试验研究证明,针对PI3K/AKT/mTOR通路的多种抑制剂具有抗肿瘤活性。越来越多的临床数据显示,PTEN缺乏或PIK3CA基因突变对PI3K/AKT/mTOR通路抑制剂敏感,KRAS突变则预示着耐药;寻找针对这一通路抑制剂敏感的优势人群也成为结直肠癌的研究热点;此外,PI3K/AKT/mTOR通路也会影响常规治疗的疗效,因此PI3K/AKT/mTOR通路抑制剂联合细胞毒治疗方案在结直肠癌中可能起到协同作用。     

Combined expression of caveolin-1 and an activated AKT/mTOR pathway predicts reduced disease-free survival in clinically confined renal cell carcinoma

We previously reported that tumour-associated caveolin-1 is a potential biomarker in renal cell carcinoma (RCC), whose overexpression predicts metastasis following surgical resection for clinically confined disease. Much attention has recently focused on the AKT/mTOR pathway in a number of malignancies, including RCC. Since caveolin-1 and the AKT/mTOR signalling cascade are independently shown to be important regulators of tumour angiogenesis, we hypothesised that caveolin-1 interacts with the AKT/mTOR pathway to drive disease progression and metastasis in RCC. The aims of this study were to determine (i) the expression status of the activated AKT/mTOR pathway components (phosphorylated forms) in RCC and (ii) their prognostic value when combined with caveolin-1. Immunohistochemistry for caveolin-1, pAKT, pmTOR, pS6 and p4E-BP1 was performed on tissue microarrays from 174 clinically confined RCCs. Significantly decreased mean disease-free survival was observed when caveolin-1 was coexpressed with either pAKT (2.95 vs 6.14 years), pmTOR (3.17 vs 6.28 years), pS6 (1.45 vs 6.62 years) or p4E-BP1 (2.07 vs 6.09 years) than when neither or any one single biomarker was expressed alone. On multivariate analysis, the covariate of 'caveolin-1/AKT' (neither alone were influential covariates) was a significant influential indicator of poor disease-free survival with a hazard ratio of 2.13 (95% CI: 1.15-3.92), higher than that for vascular invasion. Tumours that coexpressed caveolin-1 and activated mTOR components were more likely to be larger, higher grade and to show vascular invasion. Our results provide the first clinical evidence that caveolin-1 cooperates with an activated AKT/mTOR pathway in cancer and may play an important role in disease progression. We conclude that evaluation of the 'caveolin-1/AKT/mTOR axis' in primary kidney tumours will identify subsets of RCC patients who require greater postoperative surveillance and more intensive treatment.     

Identification of novel therapeutic targets in the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway in hepatocellular carcinoma using targeted next generation sequencing

Understanding genetic aberrations in cancer leads to discovery of new targets for cancer therapies. The genomic landscape of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has not been fully described. Therefore, patients with refractory advanced/metastatic HCC referred for experimental therapies, who had adequate tumor tissue available, had targeted next generation sequencing (NGS) of their tumor samples using the Illumina HiSeq 2000 platform (Foundation One, Foundation Medicine, MA) and their treatment outcomes were analyzed. In total, NGS was obtained for 14 patients (median number of prior therapies, 1) with advanced/metastatic HCC. Of these 14 patients, 10 (71%) were men, 4 (29%) women, 6 (43%) had hepatitis B or C-related HCC. NGS revealed at least 1 molecular abnormality in 12 patients (range 0-8, median 2). Detected molecular aberrations led to putative activation of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway (n=3 [mTOR, PIK3CA, NF1]), Wnt pathway (n=6 [CTNNA1, CTNNB1]), MAPK pathway (n=2 [MAP2K1, NRAS]), and aberrant DNA repair mechanisms, cell cycle control and apoptosis (n=18 [ATM, ATR, BAP1, CCND1, CDKN2A, CDK4, FGF3, FGF4, FGF19, MCL1, MDM2, RB1, TP53]). Of the 3 patients with molecular aberrations putatively activating the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, 2 received therapies including a mTOR inhibitor and all demonstrated therapeutic benefit ranging from a partial response to minor shrinkage per RECIST (-30%, -15%; respectively). In conclusion, genomic alterations are common in advanced HCC. Refractory patients with alterations putatively activating the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway demonstrated early signals of clinical activity when treated with therapies targeting mTOR.     

Costunolide suppresses melanoma growth via the AKT/mTOR pathway in vitro and in vivo

Melanoma is the most common type of skin cancer and its incidence is rapidly increasing. AKT, and its related signaling pathways, are highly activated in many cancers including lung, colon, and esophageal cancers. Costunolide (CTD) is a sesquiterpene lactone that has been reported to possess neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties. However, the target and mechanism underlying its efficacy in melanoma have not been identified. In this study, we elucidated the mechanism behind the anti-cancer effect of CTD in melanoma in vitro and in vivo by identifying CTD as an AKT inhibitor. We first verified that p-AKT and AKT are highly expressed in melanoma patient tissues and cell lines. CTD significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of melanoma cells including SK-MEL-5, SK-MEL-28, and A375 that are overexpressed p-AKT and AKT proteins. We investigated the mechanism of CTD using a computational docking modeling, pull-down, and site directed mutagenesis assay. CTD directly bound to AKT thereby arresting cell cycle at the G1 phase, and inducing the apoptosis of melanoma cells. In addition, CTD regulated the G1 phase and apoptosis biomarkers, and inhibited the expression of AKT/mTOR/GSK3b/p70S6K/4EBP cascade proteins. After reducing AKT expression in melanoma cells, cell growth was significantly decreased and CTD did not showed further inhibitory effects. Furthermore, CTD administration suppressed tumor growth and weight in cell-derived xenograft mice models in vivo without body weight loss and inhibited the expression of Ki-67, p-AKT, and p70S6K in tumor tissues. In summary, our study implied that CTD inhibited melanoma progression in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we reported that CTD could affect melanoma growth by targeting AKT. Therefore, CTD has considerable potential as a drug for melanoma therapy.     

异莲心碱通过PI3K/Akt/mTOR信号通路影响结肠癌SW480细胞增殖、 凋亡和自噬

目的：探讨异莲心碱（Iso）通过PI3K/Akt/mTOR信号通路对结肠癌SW480细胞增殖、凋亡和自噬的影响。方法：用 10、20和40 μmol/L的Iso处理结肠癌SW480细胞,CCK-8法、流式细胞术和WB法分别检测Iso对细胞增殖活力、凋亡和自噬相关 蛋白LC3Ⅰ、LC3Ⅱ、p62表达的影响。然后,用20 μmol/L的Iso和25 μmol/L的PI3K激活剂740 Y-P分别处理SW480细胞,将细 胞分为对照组、740 Y-P组、Iso组和Iso+740 Y-P组,流式细胞术、WB法检测Iso和740 Y-P对各组细胞凋亡及细胞中LC3Ⅰ、LC3Ⅱ、 p62、PI3K、p-PI3K、 mTOR和p-mTOR蛋白表达的影响。结果：10、20和40 μmol/L的Iso处理后,SW480细胞增殖活力均显著下 降（均P<0.05）,细胞凋亡率均显著升高（均P<0.05）,LC3Ⅱ/LC3Ⅰ表达均显著上调（均P<0.05）,p26蛋白表达显著下调（P<0.05）。 Iso和740 Y-P处理后,与对照组相比,740 Y-P 组细胞凋亡率、LC3Ⅱ/LC3Ⅰ表达均显著下降（均P<0.05）,p26、p-PI3K/PI3K和 p-mTOR/mTOR 表达均显著升高（均 P<0.05）;Iso 组 细胞凋亡率、LC3Ⅱ/LC3Ⅰ表达升高（均 P<0.05）,p26、p-PI3K/PI3K和 p-mTOR/mTOR 表达均显著下降（均 P<0.05）;与 740 Y-P 组相比,Iso+740 Y-P 组细胞凋亡率、LC3Ⅱ/LC3Ⅰ表达升高（P<0.05）, p26、p-PI3K/PI3K和p-mTOR/mTOR表达均显著下降（均P<0.05）;与Iso组相比,Iso+740 Y-P组细胞凋亡率、LC3Ⅱ/LC3Ⅰ表达下 降（均P<0.05）,p26、p-PI3K/PI3K和p-mTOR/mTOR表达均显著升高（均P<0.05）。结论：Iso通过抑制PI3K/Akt/mTOR信号通路 抑制结肠癌SW480细胞增殖并诱导细胞凋亡和自噬。     

E2F1-mediated GINS2 transcriptional activation promotes tumor progression through PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway in hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has high morbidity and mortality rates. It is therefore imperative to study the underlying mechanism of HCC to identify potential prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Recently, GINS2 has been identified to be a cancer-promoting gene in different cancer types. Nevertheless, the exact mechanism of GINS2 in HCC remains to be elucidated. To systematically explore the significance of GINS2, we first assessed the relative expression of GINS2 in pan-cancers based on data obtained from the HCCDB, TIMER, and TCGA databases. Then, we explored the clinical significance of GINS2 in HCC through Kaplan-Meier method as well as univariate and multivariate cox regression analysis. Additionally, functional enrichment analysis of GINS2 was done through GO, KEGG, PPI network, and immune cell infiltration analyses. Functional experiments were also conducted to investigate the biological significance of GINS2 in HCC cell lines. Our research revealed that GINS2 is involved in HCC progression and highlighted its potential value as a crucial diagnostic and therapeutic target for HCC.     

Cranberry proanthocyanidins inhibit esophageal adenocarcinoma in vitro and in vivo through pleiotropic cell death induction and PI3K/AKT/mTOR inactivation

Cranberries are rich in bioactive constituents known to improve urinary tract health and more recent evidence supports cranberries possess cancer inhibitory properties. However, mechanisms of cancer inhibition by cranberries remain to be elucidated, particularly in vivo. Properties of a purified cranberry-derived proanthocyanidin extract (C-PAC) were investigated utilizing acid-sensitive and acid-resistant human esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) cell lines and esophageal tumor xenografts in athymic NU/NU mice. C-PAC induced caspase-independent cell death mainly via autophagy and low levels of apoptosis in acid-sensitive JHAD1 and OE33 cells, but resulted in cellular necrosis in acid-resistant OE19 cells. Similarly, C-PAC induced necrosis in JHAD1 cells pushed to acid-resistance via repeated exposures to an acidified bile cocktail. C-PAC associated cell death involved PI3K/AKT/mTOR inactivation, pro-apoptotic protein induction (BAX, BAK1, deamidated BCL-xL, Cytochrome C, PARP), modulation of MAPKs (P-P38/P-JNK) and G_2-M cell cycle arrest in vitro. Importantly, oral delivery of C-PAC significantly inhibited OE19 tumor xenograft growth via modulation of AKT/mTOR/MAPK signaling and induction of the autophagic form of LC3B supporting in vivo efficacy against EAC for the first time. C-PAC is a potent inducer of EAC cell death and is efficacious in vivo at non-toxic behaviorally achievable concentrations, holding promise for preventive or therapeutic interventions in cohorts at increased risk for EAC, a rapidly rising and extremely deadly malignancy.     

Targeting the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway: An emerging treatment strategy for squamous cell lung carcinoma

Squamous cell lung carcinoma accounts for approximately 30% of all non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs). Despite progress in the understanding of the biology of cancer, cytotoxic chemotherapy remains the standard of care for patients with squamous cell lung carcinoma, but the prognosis is generally poor. The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway is one of the most commonly activated signaling pathways in cancer, leading to cell proliferation, survival, and differentiation. It has therefore become a major focus of clinical research. Various alterations in the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway have been identified in squamous cell lung carcinoma and a number of agents targeting these alterations are in clinical development for use as single agents and in combination with other targeted and conventional treatments. These include pan-PI3K inhibitors, isoform-specific PI3K inhibitors, AKT inhibitors, mTOR inhibitors, and dual PI3K/mTOR inhibitors. These agents have demonstrated antitumor activity in preclinical models of NSCLC and preliminary clinical evidence is also available for some agents. This review will discuss the role of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway in cancer and how the discovery of genetic alterations in this pathway in patients with squamous cell lung carcinoma can inform the development of targeted therapies for this disease. An overview of ongoing clinical trials investigating PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway inhibitors in squamous cell lung carcinoma will also be included.