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Query: UMLS:C0242379 (lung cancer)
 71,905 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Constitutive activation of the Wnt signaling pathway as a result of genetic alterations of APC, AXIN1, and CTNNB1 has been found in various human cancers, including those of the colon, liver, endometrium, ovary, prostate, and stomach. To investigate the pathogenetic significance of constitutive activation of the Wnt signaling pathway in human lung carcinogenesis, CTNNB1 alterations in exon 3, a region known to represent a mutation hot spot, were screened in 46 lung cancer cell lines and 47 primary lung cancers. Missense mutations causing substitutions of Ser/Thr residues critical for regulation by GSK-3beta were detected in one (2%) of the cell lines, A427, and two (4%) of the surgical specimens. The three lung cancers with CTNNB1 mutations were adenocarcinomas. To explore the prevalence of constitutive activation of the Wnt signaling pathway in human lung cancer, we assessed 15 lung cancer cell lines representing major histological subtypes of lung cancers for constitutive Tcf transcriptional activity (CTTA). CTTA was observed only in the A427 adenocarcinoma cell line, but not in the remaining 14 cell lines. The data indicate that constitutive activation of the Wnt signaling pathway caused by CTNNB1 mutation is involved in the development and/or progression of a subset of lung carcinoma, preferentially in adenocarcinoma.
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PMID:Constitutive activation of the Wnt signaling pathway by CTNNB1 (beta-catenin) mutations in a subset of human lung adenocarcinoma. 1117 Feb 92

Insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) have mitogenic and antiapoptotic properties and have been implicated in the development of lung cancer. The effects of IGFs are modulated by insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs). This study explored the effects of IGFBP-3 on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells after infection with an adenovirus constitutively expressing IGFBP-3 under the control of the cytomegalovirus promoter (Ad5CMV-BP3). We found that IGFs, especially IGF-I, stimulated the growth of NSCLC cells, and Ad5CMV-BP3 suppressed this IGF-I-induced NSCLC cell growth. We also found that the clonogenicity of H1299 cells in soft agar was markedly reduced by Ad5CMV-BP3. Furthermore, direct injection of Ad5CMV-BP3 into H1299 NSCLC xenografts s.c. established in athymic nude mice induced massive destruction of the tumors. Ad5CMV-BP3 did not induce detectable cytotoxicity on normal human bronchial epithelial cells, suggesting therapeutic efficacy of this virus. Ad5CMV-BP3 infection was accompanied by apoptotic cell death in vitro as detected by flow cytometry, DNA fragmentation analysis, and Western blot analysis on the expression of Bcl-2 and on the cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, a substrate of caspase 3. Immunofluorescence confocal microscopy was also used to show the apoptotic effect of Ad5CMV-BP3 in H1299 tumors established in nude mice. These findings indicated that IGFBP-3 was a potent inducer of apoptosis in NSCLC cells in vitro and in vivo. To delineate the underlying mechanism, we examined the effect of IGFBP-3 on Akt/protein kinase B and glycogen synthase kinase-3beta, downstream mediators of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathway, and on mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), all three of which are activated by IGF-mediated signaling pathways and have important roles in cell survival. IGFBP-3 overexpression inhibited the phosphorylation of Akt and glycogen synthase kinase-3beta and the activity of MAPK. Furthermore, IGF-I rescued the NSCLC cells from serum depletion-induced apoptosis, and this rescue was blocked in Ad5CMV-BP-3-infected H1299 NSCLC cells. Transient transfection with activated Akt or constitutively active MAPK kinase-1, an upstream activator of MAPK, partially blocked IGFBP-3-induced apoptosis of NSCLC cells. These findings suggested that the growth-regulatory effect of IGFBP-3 on NSCLC cells was attributable in part to the inhibition of the IGF-induced survival pathway. These data demonstrate the importance of IGFBP-3 in the regulation of NSCLC cell proliferation, clonogenicity, and tumor growth, suggesting that IGFBP-3 is a target for the treatment of lung cancer and that Ad5CMV-BP3 is a potential therapeutic agent.
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PMID:Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 inhibits the growth of non-small cell lung cancer. 1206

Tobacco-related diseases such as lung cancer cause over 4.2 million deaths annually, with approximately 400,000 deaths per year occurring in the US. Genotoxic effects of tobacco components have been described, but effects on signaling pathways in normal cells have not been described. Here, we show activation of the serine/threonine kinase Akt in nonimmortalized human airway epithelial cells in vitro by two components of cigarette smoke, nicotine and the tobacco-specific carcinogen 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK). Activation of Akt by nicotine or NNK occurred within minutes at concentrations achievable by smokers and depended upon alpha(3)-/alpha(4)-containing or alpha(7)-containing nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, respectively. Activated Akt increased phosphorylation of downstream substrates such as GSK-3, p70(S6K), 4EBP-1, and FKHR. Treatment with nicotine or NNK attenuated apoptosis caused by etoposide, ultraviolet irradiation, or hydrogen peroxide and partially induced a transformed phenotype manifest as loss of contact inhibition and loss of dependence on exogenous growth factors or adherence to ECM. In vivo, active Akt was detected in airway epithelial cells and lung tumors from NNK-treated A/J mice, and in human lung cancers derived from smokers. Redundant Akt activation by nicotine and NNK could contribute to tobacco-related carcinogenesis by regulating two processes critical for tumorigenesis, cell growth and apoptosis.
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PMID:Rapid Akt activation by nicotine and a tobacco carcinogen modulates the phenotype of normal human airway epithelial cells. 1251 85

Cell adhesion to extracellular matrix (ECM) is thought to confer resistance against cell-damaging agents, that is, drugs and radiation, in tumour and normal cells in vitro. The dependence of cell survival on beta1-integrin-linked kinase (ILK), protein kinase Balpha/Akt (PKBalpha/Akt) and glycogen synthase kinase-3beta (GSK-3beta) activity, which participate in beta1-integrin signalling and cell cycle progression was investigated as a function of radiation exposure. Colony-formation assays on polystyrene, fibronectin (FN), laminin (LA), bovine serum albumin (BSA) or poly-L-lysine (poly-L) (0-8 Gy), kinase assays, flow cytometric DNA and annexin-V analysis and immunoblotting were performed in nonirradiated and irradiated (2 or 6 Gy) A549 human lung cancer cells and CCD32 normal human lung fibroblasts. Cell contact to FN in contrast to polystyrene elevated basal ILK, PKBalpha/Akt and GSK-3beta kinase activities in A549 and CCD32 cells, as well as the basal amount of A549 G2 phase cells. Irradiation on FN or LA as compared to polystyrene, BSA or poly-L significantly improved cell survival. Following irradiation, kinase activities were stimulated strongly on polystyrene but showed to be less prominent on FN, which was because of the FN-related basal induction. Following irradiation, FN compared to polystyrene enlarged and prolonged G2 arrest in both the cell lines. For the analysis of phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3-K) dependence of protein kinases and cell cycle transition, the PI3-K inhibitors LY294002 and wortmannin were used showing decreased kinase activities, antiproliferative and radiation-dependent G2 accumulation-abrogating effects accompanied by downregulation of cyclin D1 and phospho-pRb in cells attached to polystyrene. Fibronectin partly abrogated these effects PI3-K-independently. These findings suggest a novel pathway that makes direct phosphorylation of GSK-3beta by ILK feasible after irradiation. Conclusively, the data indicate that ILK, PKBalpha/Akt and GSK-3beta are involved in modulations of the cell cycle after irradiation. These interactions are strictly dependent on ECM components in a cell line-specific manner. Our findings provide molecular insights into mechanisms likely to be important for ECM-dependent cell survival and cellular radioresistance as well as tumour growth.
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PMID:Cell adhesion to the extracellular matrix protein fibronectin modulates radiation-dependent G2 phase arrest involving integrin-linked kinase (ILK) and glycogen synthase kinase-3beta (GSK-3beta) in vitro. 1277 79

mda-7 is a novel tumor suppressor with cytokine properties. Adenoviral mda-7 (Ad-mda7) induces apoptosis and cell death selectively in tumor cells. The molecular mechanisms underlying the anti-tumor activity of Ad-mda7 in breast and lung cancer lines were investigated. Microarray analyses implicated both the beta-catenin and the PI3K signaling pathways. Ad-mda7 treatment increased protein expression from tumor suppressor genes, including E-cadherin, APC, GSK-3beta, and PTEN, and decreased expression of proto-oncogenes involved in beta-catenin and PI3K signaling. Ad-mda7 caused a redistribution of cellular beta-catenin from the nucleus to the plasma membrane, resulting in reduced TCF/LEF transcriptional activity, and upregulated the E-cadherin-beta-catenin adhesion complex in a tumor cell-specific manner. Expression of the PI3K pathway members (p85 PI3K, FAK, ILK-1, Akt, and PLC-gamma) was downregulated and expression of the PI3K antagonist PTEN was increased. Consistent with this result, pharmacological inhibition of PI3K by wortmannin did not abrogate killing by Ad-mda7. Killing of breast cancer cells by Ad-mda7 required both MAPK and MEK1/2 signaling pathways, whereas these pathways were not essential for MDA-7-mediated killing in lung cancer cells. Thus, in breast and lung tumor cells MDA-7 protein expression modulates cell-cell adhesion and intracellular signaling via coordinate regulation of the beta-catenin and PI3K pathways.
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PMID:MDA-7 negatively regulates the beta-catenin and PI3K signaling pathways in breast and lung tumor cells. 1290 43

Integrin-linked kinase (ILK), bound to the cytoplasmic tails of integrin beta1, beta2, and beta3, is thought to signal through AKT and glycogen synthase kinase-3beta (GSK-3beta) for survival and proliferation regulation. To determine the role of ILK in the cellular radiation response, stably transfected A549 lung cancer cells overexpressing either wild-type (ILK-wk) or hyperactive ILK (ILK-hk) were studied for survival, signaling, proliferation, and examined in immunofluorescence and adhesion assays. Strong radiosensitization was observed in ILK-hk in contrast to ILK-wk mutants and empty vector controls. ILK small interfering RNA transfections showed radioresistance similar to irradiation on fibronectin. AKT, GSK-3beta-cyclin D1, mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1/2-mitogen-activated protein kinase, and c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase signaling was dysregulated in irradiated ILK-hk mutants. Immunofluorescence stainings of ILK-hk cells indicated disturbed ILK and paxillin membrane localization with concomitant decrease in focal adhesions. Profound ILK-hk-dependent changes in morphology were characterized by spindle-like cell shape, cell size reduction, increased cell protrusions, strong formation of membranous f-actin rings, and significantly reduced adhesion to matrix proteins. Additionally, ILK-wk and ILK-hk overexpression impaired beta1-integrin clustering and protein Tyr-phosphorylation. Taken together, the data provide evidence that ILK signaling modulates the cellular radiation response involving diverse signaling pathways and through changes in f-actin-based processes such as focal adhesion formation, cell adhesion, and spreading. Identification of ILK and its signaling partners as potential targets for tumor radiosensitization might promote innovative anticancer strategies by providing insight into the mechanism of cell adhesion-mediated radioresistance, oncogenic transformation, and tumor growth and spread.
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PMID:Overexpression of hyperactive integrin-linked kinase leads to increased cellular radiosensitivity. 1531 8

Retrospective studies have shown that patients with tobacco-related cancers who continue to smoke after their diagnoses have lower response rates and shorter median survival compared with patients who stop smoking. To provide insight into the biologic basis for these clinical observations, we tested whether two tobacco components, nicotine or the tobacco-specific carcinogen, 4-(methylnitrosoamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK), could activate the Akt pathway and increase lung cancer cell proliferation and survival. Nicotine or NNK, rapidly and potently, activated Akt in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) or small cell lung cancer (SCLC) cells. Nicotinic activation of Akt increased phosphorylation of multiple downstream substrates of Akt in a time-dependent manner, including GSK-3, FKHR, tuberin, mTOR and S6K1. Since nicotine or NNK bind to cell surface nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAchR), we used RT-PCR to assess expression of nine alpha and three beta nAchR subunits in five NSCLC cell lines and two types of primary lung epithelial cells. NSCLC cells express multiple nAchR subunits in a cell line-specific manner. Agonists of alpha3/alpha4 or alpha7 subunits activated Akt in a time-dependent manner, suggesting that tobacco components utilize these subunits to activate Akt. Cellular outcomes after nicotine or NNK administration were also assessed. Nicotine or NNK increased proliferation of NSCLC cells in an Akt-dependent manner that was closely linked with changes in cyclin D1 expression. Despite similar induction of proliferation, only nicotine decreased apoptosis caused by serum deprivation and/or chemotherapy. Protection conferred by nicotine was NFkappaB-dependent. Collectively, these results identify tobacco component-induced, Akt-dependent proliferation and NFkappaB-dependent survival as cellular processes that could underlie the detrimental effects of smoking in cancer patients.
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PMID:Tobacco components stimulate Akt-dependent proliferation and NFkappaB-dependent survival in lung cancer cells. 1579 May 91

The melanoma differentiation-associated gene (mda-7; approved gene symbol IL24) is a tumor suppressor gene whose protein expression in normal cells is restricted to the immune system and to melanocytes. Recent studies have shown that mda-7 gene transfer inhibits cell growth and induces apoptosis in melanoma, lung cancer, breast cancer, and other tumor types through activation of various intracellular signaling pathways. In the current study, we demonstrate that Ad-mda7 transduction of human pancreatic cancer cells results in G2/M cell cycle arrest and cell killing. Cytotoxicity is mediated via apoptosis in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Tumor cell killing correlates with regulation of proteins involved in the Wnt and PI3K pathways: beta-catenin, APC, GSK-3, JNK, and PTEN. Additionally, we identify bystander cell killing activated by exposure of pancreatic tumor cells to secreted human MDA-7 protein. In pancreatic tumor cells, exogenous MDA-7 protein activates STAT3 and kills cells via engagement of IL-20 receptors. The specificity of bystander killing is demonstrated using neutralizing anti-MDA-7 antibodies and anti-receptor antibodies, which inhibit the apoptotic effects. In sum, we show that Ad-mda7 is able to induce growth inhibition and apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells via inhibition of the Wnt/PI3K pathways and identify a novel bystander mechanism of MDA-7 killing in pancreatic cancer that functions via IL-20 receptors.
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PMID:mda-7/IL24 kills pancreatic cancer cells by inhibition of the Wnt/PI3K signaling pathways: identification of IL-20 receptor-mediated bystander activity against pancreatic cancer. 1585 Oct 11

ICAM-3 interacts with LFA1, and is involved in the intercellular adhesion of leukocytes as well as in the mainenance of cell survival. It has also been suggested to induce cancer cell proliferation but the precise signaling pathway is unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the ICAM-3-activated downstream pathway in H1299 lung cancer cells. The level of ICAM-3-induced cell growth was examined using BrdU incorporation, which is a colony-forming assay, FACS analysis, and cell counting. The results showed that ICAM-3 expression induces cancer cell proliferation. In addition, FAK, Akt, PDK1, GSK-3beta, BAD, and PTEN were phosphorylated by ICAM-3-overexpression, resulting in enhanced cell proliferation. In conclusion, ICAM-3 expression induces cancer cell proliferation, and an increase in ICAM-3 expression can contribute to cancer progression.
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PMID:ICAM-3-induced cancer cell proliferation through the PI3K/Akt pathway. 1613 25

Celecoxib is being evaluated as a chemopreventive agent. However, its mechanism of action is not clear because high doses were used for in vitro studies to obtain antitumor effects. We found that celecoxib inhibited the growth of premalignant and malignant human bronchial epithelial cells with IC(50) values between 8.9 and 32.7 micromol/L, irrespective of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression. Normal human bronchial epithelial cells were less sensitive to celecoxib. Because these concentrations were higher than those attainable in vivo (<or=5.6 micromol/L), we surmised that combining celecoxib with the synthetic retinoid N-(4-hydroxyphenyl) retinamide (4HPR) might improve its efficacy. Treatment of premalignant lung cell lines with combinations of clinically relevant concentrations of celecoxib (<or=5 micromol/L) and 4HPR (<or=0.25 micromol/L) resulted in greater growth inhibition, apoptosis induction, and suppression of colony formation than did either agent alone. This combination also decreased the levels of Bcl-2, induced the release of mitochondrial cytochrome c, activated caspase-9 and caspase-3, and induced cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase at concentrations at which each agent alone showed no or minimal effects. Furthermore, combinations of celecoxib and 4HPR suppressed the phosphorylation levels of serine/threonine kinase Akt and its substrate glycogen synthase kinase-3beta more effectively than the single agents did. Accordingly, overexpression of constitutively active Akt protected bronchial epithelial cells from undergoing apoptosis after incubation with both celecoxib and 4HPR. These findings indicate that activation of the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway and suppression of the Akt survival pathway mediate the augmented apoptosis and suggest that this combination may be useful for lung cancer chemoprevention.
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PMID:Involvement of mitochondrial and Akt signaling pathways in augmented apoptosis induced by a combination of low doses of celecoxib and N-(4-hydroxyphenyl) retinamide in premalignant human bronchial epithelial cells. 1701 36


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