scholarly journals Cancer Stem Cells, Quo Vadis? The Notch Signaling Pathway in Tumor Initiation and Progression

Cells ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 1879 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian T. Meisel ◽  
Cristina Porcheri ◽  
Thimios A. Mitsiadis

The Notch signaling pathway regulates cell proliferation, cytodifferentiation and cell fate decisions in both embryonic and adult life. Several aspects of stem cell maintenance are dependent from the functionality and fine tuning of the Notch pathway. In cancer, Notch is specifically involved in preserving self-renewal and amplification of cancer stem cells, supporting the formation, spread and recurrence of the tumor. As the function of Notch signaling is context dependent, we here provide an overview of its activity in a variety of tumors, focusing mostly on its role in the maintenance of the undifferentiated subset of cancer cells. Finally, we analyze the potential of molecules of the Notch pathway as diagnostic and therapeutic tools against the various cancers.

2018 ◽  
Vol 154 (6) ◽  
pp. S-151
Author(s):  
Dharmalingam Subramaniam ◽  
Sivapriya Ponnurangam ◽  
Prasad Dandawate ◽  
Ossama Tawfik ◽  
Roy A. Jensen ◽  
...  

2006 ◽  
Vol 26 (13) ◽  
pp. 4769-4774 ◽  
Author(s):  
Céline Souilhol ◽  
Sarah Cormier ◽  
Kenji Tanigaki ◽  
Charles Babinet ◽  
Michel Cohen-Tannoudji

ABSTRACT The Notch signaling pathway is an evolutionarily conserved signaling system which has been shown to be essential in cell fate specification and in numerous aspects of embryonic development in all metazoans thus far studied. We recently demonstrated that several components of the Notch signaling pathway, including the four Notch receptors and their five ligands known in mammals, are expressed in mouse oocytes, in mouse preimplantation embryos, or both. This suggested a possible implication of the Notch pathway in the first cell fate specification of the dividing mouse embryo, which results in the formation of the blastocyst. To address this issue directly, we generated zygotes in which both the maternal and the zygotic expression of Rbpsuh, a key element of the core Notch signaling pathway, were abrogated. We find that such zygotes give rise to blastocysts which implant and develop normally. Nevertheless, after gastrulation, these embryos die around midgestation, similarly to Rbpsuh-null mutants. This demonstrates that the RBP-Jκ-dependent pathway, otherwise called the canonical Notch pathway, is dispensable for blastocyst morphogenesis and the establishment of the three germ layers, ectoderm, endoderm, and mesoderm. These results are discussed in the light of recent observations which have challenged this conclusion.


Oncotarget ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 3217-3232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sivapriya Ponnurangam ◽  
Prasad R. Dandawate ◽  
Animesh Dhar ◽  
Ossama W. Tawfik ◽  
Rajashri R. Parab ◽  
...  

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e10334
Author(s):  
Dimitrios Vlachakis ◽  
Louis Papageorgiou ◽  
Ariadne Papadaki ◽  
Maria Georga ◽  
Sofia Kossida ◽  
...  

Notch family proteins play a key role in a variety of developmental processes by controlling cell fate decisions and operating in a great number of biological processes in several organ systems, such as hematopoiesis, somatogenesis, vasculogenesis, neurogenesis and homeostasis. The Notch signaling pathway is crucial for the majority of developmental programs and regulates multiple pathogenic processes. Notch family receptors’ activation has been largely related to its multiple effects in sustaining oncogenesis. The Notch signaling pathway constitutes an ancient and conserved mechanism for cell to cell communication. Much of what is known about Notch family proteins function comes from studies done in Caenorhabditis Elegans and Drosophila Melanogaster. Although, human Notch homologs had also been identified, the molecular mechanisms which modulate the Notch signaling pathway remained substantially unknown. In this study, an updated evolutionary analysis of the Notch family members among 603 different organisms of all kingdoms, from bacteria to humans, was performed in order to discover key regions that have been conserved throughout evolution and play a major role in the Notch signaling pathway. The major goal of this study is the presentation of a novel updated phylogenetic tree for the Notch family as a reliable phylogeny “map”, in order to correlate information of the closely related members and identify new possible pharmacological targets that can be used in pathogenic cases, including cancer.


2021 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amir Valizadeh ◽  
Ali Sayadmanesh ◽  
Zatollah Asemi ◽  
Forough Alemi ◽  
Ata Mahmoodpoor ◽  
...  

: The liver is one of the significant regenerative organs in the body. Nevertheless, underlying molecular mechanisms regulating liver repair and regeneration following resection or damage remain largely unknown. The Notch signaling pathway is a profoundly evolutionarily well‐conserved cell signaling system that plays mostly in multicellular organisms' development. Malfunctions in this pathway lead to the progression of several liver disorders, including hepatoblastoma (HB), cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and so on. Notch pathway plays a fundamental role in cell fate during the embryonic stage's progression to the adult stage in liver tissue. Modulation of Notch signaling may be used in the vast array of patients who succumb to cirrhosis owing to chronic hepatitis by virus infection. This review describes the underlying mechanisms of the Notch signaling pathway in liver development and regeneration briefly and discusses how this pathway leads to better liver disorders in the clinic.


Cells ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 2204
Author(s):  
McKenna BeLow ◽  
Clodia Osipo

Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease that can be subdivided into unique molecular subtypes based on protein expression of the Estrogen Receptor, Progesterone Receptor, and/or the Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2. Therapeutic approaches are designed to inhibit these overexpressed receptors either by endocrine therapy, targeted therapies, or combinations with cytotoxic chemotherapy. However, a significant percentage of breast cancers are inherently resistant or acquire resistance to therapies, and mechanisms that promote resistance remain poorly understood. Notch signaling is an evolutionarily conserved signaling pathway that regulates cell fate, including survival and self-renewal of stem cells, proliferation, or differentiation. Deregulation of Notch signaling promotes resistance to targeted or cytotoxic therapies by enriching of a small population of resistant cells, referred to as breast cancer stem cells, within the bulk tumor; enhancing stem-like features during the process of de-differentiation of tumor cells; or promoting epithelial to mesenchymal transition. Preclinical studies have shown that targeting the Notch pathway can prevent or reverse resistance through reduction or elimination of breast cancer stem cells. However, Notch inhibitors have yet to be clinically approved for the treatment of breast cancer, mainly due to dose-limiting gastrointestinal toxicity. In this review, we discuss potential mechanisms of Notch-mediated resistance in breast cancer cells and breast cancer stem cells, and various methods of targeting Notch through γ-secretase inhibitors, Notch signaling biologics, or transcriptional inhibitors. We also discuss future plans for identification of novel Notch-targeted therapies, in order to reduce toxicity and improve outcomes for women with resistant breast cancer.


Genetics ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 152 (2) ◽  
pp. 567-576 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Cornell ◽  
D A P Evans ◽  
R Mann ◽  
M Fostier ◽  
M Flasza ◽  
...  

Abstract During development, the Notch receptor regulates many cell fate decisions by a signaling pathway that has been conserved during evolution. One positive regulator of Notch is Deltex, a cytoplasmic, zinc finger domain protein, which binds to the intracellular domain of Notch. Phenotypes resulting from mutations in deltex resemble loss-of-function Notch phenotypes and are suppressed by the mutation Suppressor of deltex [Su(dx)]. Homozygous Su(dx) mutations result in wing-vein phenotypes and interact genetically with Notch pathway genes. We have previously defined Su(dx) genetically as a negative regulator of Notch signaling. Here we present the molecular identification of the Su(dx) gene product. Su(dx) belongs to a family of E3 ubiquitin ligase proteins containing membrane-targeting C2 domains and WW domains that mediate protein-protein interactions through recognition of proline-rich peptide sequences. We have identified a seven-codon deletion in a Su(dx) mutant allele and we show that expression of Su(dx) cDNA rescues Su(dx) mutant phenotypes. Overexpression of Su(dx) also results in ectopic vein differentiation, wing margin loss, and wing growth phenotypes and enhances the phenotypes of loss-of-function mutations in Notch, evidence that supports the conclusion that Su(dx) has a role in the downregulation of Notch signaling.


2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Mauricio Meza Lasso ◽  
Cindy Johana Peña Barrera ◽  
Francy Yomara Bayona Rodriguez ◽  
Belfran Alcides Carbonell Medina ◽  
Clementina Infante

<p class="p1"><strong>RESUMEN</strong></p><p class="p2">La vía de señalización Notch se caracteriza por mediar la comunicación célula-célula, regulando diferentes procesos celulares como proliferación, apoptosis y definición del destino celular. Esta vía ha sido implicada en el desarrollo de estructuras craneofaciales como paladar, diente y bóveda craneal. El objetivo de esta investigación fue identificar los patrones de expresión de los genes componentes de la vía Notch, Serrate1 y Notch1, durante el desarrollo del tercio medio facial. Se utilizaron embriones de pollo (Gallus gallus) seleccionados de acuerdo a los criterios de Hamilton y Hamburger y sobre los cuales se realizó hibridación in situ con ribosondas marcadas con Digoxigenina (DIG), para luego ser detectadas con anticuerpos Anti-Dig. Los resultados mostraron expresión de los genes evaluados, en las prominencias maxilares (pmx) y frontonasal (pfn) durante el desarrollo del tercio medio facial. Estos resultados sugieren una probable participación de la vía Notch a través de estos genes, en los diferentes procesos celulares que determinan la morfogénesis y el desarrollo del tercio medio facial.</p><p class="p2"><strong>ABSTRACT</strong></p><p class="p2">The Notch signaling pathway is characterized by mediate cell-cell communication, regulating different cellular processes as proliferation, apoptosis and cell fate definition. This pathway has been implicated in craniofacial structures development as palate, teeth and cranial vault. The objective of this research was to identify the genes expression patterns of some Notch signaling pathway components, Serrate1 and Notch1, during the midface development. It was used chicken embryos (Gallus gallus) selected according to Hamilton and Hamburger criteria. We performed in situ hybridization with Digoxigenin (DIG)-labeled riboprobes and detected with the antibody Anti-Dig. The results showed the expression of the evaluated genes in the maxillary (pmx) and frontonasal (pfn) prominences during the midface development. These results suggest a probable involvement of the Notch pathway through these genes in different cellular processes that determine midface morphogenesis and development.</p><p class="p2"> </p>


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min Kyoung Jo ◽  
Chang Mo Moon ◽  
Eun Ju Kim ◽  
Jee Hee Kwan ◽  
Xiang Fei ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Since colon cancer stem cells (CSCs) play an important role in chemoresistance and in tumor recurrence and metastasis, targeting of CSCs has emerged as a sophisticated strategy for cancer therapy. α-mangostin (αM) has been confirmed to have antiproliferative and apoptotic effects on cancer cells. This study aimed to evaluate the selective inhibition of αM on CSCs in colorectal cancer (CRC) and the suppressive effect on 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-induced CSCs. Methods: The cell viability assay was performed to determine the optimal concentration of αM. A sphere forming assay and flow cytometry with CSC markers were carried out to evaluate the αM-mediated inhibition of CSCs. Western blot analysis and quantitative real-time PCR were performed to investigate the effects of αM on the Notch signaling pathway and colon CSCs. The in vivo anticancer efficacy of αM in combination with 5-FU was investigated using a xenograft mouse model. Results: αM inhibited the cell viability and reduced the number of spheres in HT29 and SW620 cells. αM treatment decreased CSCs and suppressed the 5-FU-induced an increase in CSCs on flow cytometry. αM markedly suppressed Notch1, NICD1, and Hes1 in the Notch signaling pathway in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Moreover, αM attenuated CSC markers CD44 and CD133, in a manner similar to that upon DAPT treatment, in HT29 cells. In xenograft mice, the tumor and CSC makers were suppressed in the αM group and in the αM group with 5-FU treatment. Conclusion: This study shows that low-dose αM inhibits CSCs in CRC and suppresses 5-FU–induced augmentation of CSCs via the Notch signaling pathway.


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