Protocol for long-term treatment of lowly aggressive cancer cell lines with low concentrations of anti-tumor drugs.

The understanding of anti-tumor drug effects requires specific experimental settings which model clinical scenarios. We describe a protocol for 10-day treatment of lowly aggressive tumor cell lines with antineoplastic agents at concentrations which do not affect cell growth. We describe steps for seeding cells and treating cells with anti-tumor drugs.

Acyl-CoA synthetase 4 modulates mitochondrial function in breast cancer cells.

Mitochondria are dynamic organelles that respond to cellular stress through changes in global mass, interconnection, and subcellular location. As mitochondria play an important role in tumor development and progression, alterations in energy metabolism allow tumor cells to survive and spread even in challenging conditions. Alterations in mitochondrial bioenergetics have been recently proposed as a hallmark of cancer, and positive regulation of lipid metabolism constitutes one of the most common metabolic changes observed in tumor cells.

Specific cellular microenvironments for spatiotemporal regulation of StAR and steroid synthesis.

For many years, research in the field of steroid synthesis has aimed to understand the regulation of the rate-limiting step of steroid synthesis, i.e. the transport of cholesterol from the outer to the inner mitochondrial membrane, and identify the protein involved in the conversion of cholesterol into pregnenolone.

New insights into signal transduction pathways in adrenal steroidogenesis: role of mitochondrial fusion, lipid mediators, and MAPK phosphatases.

Hormone-receptor signal transduction has been extensively studied in adrenal gland. and cells are responsible for glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid synthesis by adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) and angiotensin II (Ang II) stimulation, respectively. Since the rate-limiting step in steroidogenesis occurs in the mitochondria, these organelles are key players in the process.

Regulation and role of Acyl-CoA synthetase 4 in glial cells.

Acyl-CoA synthetase 4 (Acsl4), an enzyme involved in arachidonic acid (AA) metabolism, participates in physiological and pathological processes such as steroidogenesis and cancer. The role of Acsl4 in neurons and in nervous system development has also been documented but little is known regarding its functionality in glial cells. In turn, several processes in glial cells, including neurosteroidogenesis, stellation and AA uptake, are regulated by cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) signal.

New inhibitor targeting Acyl-CoA synthetase 4 reduces breast and prostate tumor growth, therapeutic resistance and steroidogenesis.

Acyl-CoA synthetase 4 (ACSL4) is an isoenzyme of the fatty acid ligase-coenzyme-A family taking part in arachidonic acid metabolism and steroidogenesis. ACSL4 is involved in the development of tumor aggressiveness in breast and prostate tumors through the regulation of various signal transduction pathways. Here, a bioinformatics analysis shows that the ACSL4 gene expression and proteomic signatures obtained using a cell model was also observed in tumor samples from breast and cancer patients.

Angiotensin II-upregulated MAP kinase phosphatase-3 modulates FOXO1 and p21 in adrenocortical H295R cells.

MAPK phosphatases (MKP) downregulate the activity of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK), such as ERK1/2, and modulate the processes regulated by these kinases. ERK1/2 participate in a wide range of processes including tissue-specific hormone-stimulated steroidogenesis. H295R cells are a suitable model for the study of human adrenal cortex functions, particularly steroid synthesis, and respond to angiotensin II (Ang II) triggering ERK1/2 phosphorylation in a transient fashion.

Regulatory mechanisms leading to differential Acyl-CoA synthetase 4 expression in breast cancer cells.

Acyl-CoA synthetase 4 (ACSL4) overexpression plays a causal role in the aggressiveness of triple negative breast cancer. In turn, a negative correlation has been established between ACSL4 and estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) expression. However, the upstream regulatory mechanisms leading to differential ACSL4 expression between triple negative breast cancer and ERα-positive cells remained unknown.

Acyl-CoA synthetase-4 is implicated in drug resistance in breast cancer cell lines involving the regulation of energy-dependent transporter expression.

Acyl-CoA synthetase-4 (ACSL4) is an enzyme implicated in estrogen receptor α (ERα) negative regulation and hormone therapy resistance in breast cancer. In addition, ACSL4 has been associated to certain types of hormone resistance in prostate cancer. Chemotherapeutic treatment of disseminated breast cancer is usually faced with therapy resistance associated to ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter expression, which detect and eject anti-cancer drugs from cells.

Role of Protein Phosphorylation and Tyrosine Phosphatases in the Adrenal Regulation of Steroid Synthesis and Mitochondrial Function.

In adrenocortical cells, adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) promotes the activation of several protein kinases. The action of these kinases is linked to steroid production, mainly through steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR), whose expression and activity are dependent on protein phosphorylation events at genomic and non-genomic levels. Hormone-dependent mitochondrial dynamics and cell proliferation are functions also associated with protein kinases.

ACTH Modulates PTP-PEST Activity and Promotes Its Interaction With Paxillin.

Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) treatment has been proven to promote paxillin dephosphorylation and increase soluble protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) activity in rat adrenal zona fasciculata (ZF). Also, in-gel PTP assays have shown the activation of a 115-kDa PTP (PTP115) by ACTH. In this context, the current work presents evidence that PTP115 is PTP-PEST, a PTP that recognizes paxillin as substrate.

Acyl-CoA synthetase-4, a new regulator of mTOR and a potential therapeutic target for enhanced estrogen receptor function in receptor-positive and -negative breast cancer.

Although the role of acyl-CoA synthetase 4 (ACSL4) in mediating an aggressive phenotype is well accepted, there is little evidence as to the early steps through which ACSL4 increases tumor growth and progression. In this study, and by means of the stable transfection of MCF-7 cells with ACSL4 using the tetracycline Tet-Off system (MCF-7 Tet-Off/ACSL4), we identify the mTOR pathway as one of the main specific signatures of ACSL4 expression and demonstrate the partial involvement of the lipoxygenase pathway in the activation of mTOR. The specificity of ACSL4 action on mTOR signaling is also determined by doxycycline inhibition of ACSL4 expression in MCF-7 Tet-Off/ACSL4 cells, by the expression of ACSL4 in the non-aggressive T47D breast cancer cell line and by knocking down this enzyme expression in the MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells, which constitutively express ACSL4.

OxeR1 regulates angiotensin II and cAMP-stimulated steroid production in human H295R adrenocortical cells.

Hormone-regulated steroidogenesis and StAR protein induction involve the action of lipoxygenated products. The products of 5-lipoxygenase act on inflammation and immunity by stimulation of a membrane receptor called OxeR1. The presence of OxeR1 in other systems has not been described up to date and little is known about its mechanism of action and other functions.

Characterization of the mouse promoter region of the acyl-CoA synthetase 4 gene: role of Sp1 and CREB.

Acyl-CoA synthetase 4 (Acsl4) is involved in several cellular functions including steroidogenesis, synaptic development and cancer metastasis. Although the expression of Acsl4 seems to be regulated by tissue- and cell-specific factors as well as pituitary hormones and growth factors, the transcriptional mechanisms involved remain unknown. We demonstrated hCG and cAMP regulation of Acsl4 mRNA in mouse steroidogenic MA-10 Leydig cells.

Expression and function of OXE receptor, an eicosanoid receptor, in steroidogenic cells.

Hormonal regulation of steroidogenesis involves arachidonic acid (AA) metabolism through the 5-lipoxygenase pathway. One of the products, 5-hydroperoxy-eicosatetraenoic acid (5-HpETE), acts as a modulator of the activity of the steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) protein promoter. Besides, an oxoeicosanoid receptor of the leukotriene receptor family named OXE-R is a membrane protein with high affinity and response to 5-HpETE, among other AA derivatives.

The functional interaction between Acyl-CoA synthetase 4, 5-lipooxygenase and cyclooxygenase-2 controls tumor growth: a novel therapeutic target.

The acyl-CoA synthetase 4 (ACSL4), which esterify mainly arachidonic acid (AA) into acyl-CoA, is increased in breast, colon and hepatocellular carcinoma. The transfection of MCF-7 cells with ACSL4 cDNA transforms the cells into a highly aggressive phenotype and controls both lipooxygenase-5 (LOX-5) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) metabolism of AA, suggesting a causal role of ACSL4 in tumorigenesis. We hypothesized that ACSL4, LOX-5 and COX-2 may constitute potential therapeutic targets for the control of tumor growth.

Tyrosine phosphatase SHP2 regulates the expression of acyl-CoA synthetase ACSL4.

Acyl-CoA synthetase 4 (ACSL4) is implicated in fatty acid metabolism with marked preference for arachidonic acid (AA). ACSL4 plays crucial roles in physiological functions such as steroid synthesis and in pathological processes such as tumorigenesis. However, factors regulating ACSL4 mRNA and/or protein levels are not fully described.

MAPK phosphatase-1 (MKP-1) expression is up-regulated by hCG/cAMP and modulates steroidogenesis in MA-10 Leydig cells.

MAP kinases (MAPKs), such as ERK1/2, exert profound effects on a variety of physiological processes. In steroidogenic cells, ERK1/2 are involved in the expression and activation of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein, which plays a central role in the regulation of steroidogenesis. In MA-10 Leydig cells, LH and chorionic gonadotropin (CG) trigger transient ERK1/2 activation via protein kinase A, although the events that lead to ERK1/2 inactivation are not fully described.

Tyrosine phosphatases as key regulators of StAR induction and cholesterol transport: SHP2 as a potential tyrosine phosphatase involved in steroid synthesis.

The phospho-dephosphorylation of intermediate proteins is a key event in the regulation of steroid biosynthesis. In this regard, it is well accepted that steroidogenic hormones act through the activation of serine/threonine (Ser/Thr) protein kinases. Although many cellular processes can be regulated by a crosstalk between different kinases and phosphatases, the relationship of Ser/Thr phosphorylation and tyrosine (Tyr)-dephosphorylation is a recently explored field in the regulation of steroid synthesis.

Functional interaction between acyl-CoA synthetase 4, lipooxygenases and cyclooxygenase-2 in the aggressive phenotype of breast cancer cells.

The acyl-CoA synthetase 4 (ACSL4) is increased in breast cancer, colon and hepatocellular carcinoma. ACSL4 mainly esterifies arachidonic acid (AA) into arachidonoyl-CoA, reducing free AA intracellular levels, which is in contradiction with the need for AA metabolites in tumorigenesis. Therefore, the causal role of ACSL4 is still not established.

Detection of a mitochondrial kinase complex that mediates PKA-MEK-ERK-dependent phosphorylation of mitochondrial proteins involved in the regulation of steroid biosynthesis.

In order to achieve the goal of this article, as an example we will describe the strategies followed to analyze the presence of the multi-kinase complex at the mitochondria and the posttranslational modification of two key mitochondrial proteins, which participate in the regulation of cholesterol transport across the mitochondrial membranes and in the regulation of steroid biosynthesis. Hormones, ions or growth factors modulate steroid biosynthesis by the posttranslational phosphorylation of proteins. The question still remains on how phosphorylation events transmit a specific signal to its mitochondrial site of action.

Hormonal activation of a kinase cascade localized at the mitochondria is required for StAR protein activity.

It is known that ERK1/2 and MEK1/2 participate in the regulation of Star gene transcription. However, their role in StAR protein post-transcriptional regulation is not described yet. In this study we analyzed the relationship between the MAPK cascade and StAR protein phosphorylation and function.

A mitochondrial kinase complex is essential to mediate an ERK1/2-dependent phosphorylation of a key regulatory protein in steroid biosynthesis.

ERK1/2 is known to be involved in hormone-stimulated steroid synthesis, but its exact roles and the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Both ERK1/2 phosphorylation and steroidogenesis may be triggered by cAMP/cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA)-dependent and-independent mechanisms; however, ERK1/2 activation by cAMP results in a maximal steroidogenic rate, whereas canonical activation by epidermal growth factor (EGF) does not. We demonstrate herein by Western blot analysis and confocal studies that temporal mitochondrial ERK1/2 activation is obligatory for PKA-mediated steroidogenesis in the Leydig-transformed MA-10 cell line.