Search results for "5.1 Pharmaceuticals"
showing 6 items of 6 documents
CXCR7 Reactivates ERK Signaling to Promote Resistance to EGFR Kinase Inhibitors in NSCLC
2019
Abstract Although EGFR mutant–selective tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) are clinically effective, acquired resistance can occur by reactivating ERK. We show using in vitro models of acquired EGFR TKI resistance with a mesenchymal phenotype that CXCR7, an atypical G protein-coupled receptor, activates the MAPK–ERK pathway via β-arrestin. Depletion of CXCR7 inhibited the MAPK pathway, significantly attenuated EGFR TKI resistance, and resulted in mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition. CXCR7 overexpression was essential in reactivation of ERK1/2 for the generation of EGFR TKI–resistant persister cells. Many patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring an EGFR kinase domain mutatio…
CRISPR-Cas9 screen reveals a MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma dependency on EZH2.
2018
Pharmacologically difficult targets, such as MYC transcription factors, represent a major challenge in cancer therapy. For the childhood cancer neuroblastoma, amplification of the oncogene MYCN is associated with high-risk disease and poor prognosis. Here, we deployed genome-scale CRISPR-Cas9 screening of MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma and found a preferential dependency on genes encoding the polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) components EZH2, EED, and SUZ12. Genetic and pharmacological suppression of EZH2 inhibited neuroblastoma growth in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, compared with neuroblastomas without MYCN amplification, MYCN-amplified neuroblastomas expressed higher levels of EZH2. ChIP…
Adult rat myelin enhances axonal outgrowth from neural stem cells.
2018
Axon regeneration after spinal cord injury (SCI) is attenuated by growth inhibitory molecules associated with myelin. We report that rat myelin stimulated the growth of axons emerging from rat neural progenitor cells (NPCs) transplanted into sites of SCI in adult rat recipients. When plated on a myelin substrate, neurite outgrowth from rat NPCs and from human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neural stem cells (NSCs) was enhanced threefold. In vivo, rat NPCs and human iPSC-derived NSCs extended greater numbers of axons through adult central nervous system white matter than through gray matter and preferentially associated with rat host myelin. Mechanistic investigations excluded …
Paroxetine Administration Affects Microbiota and Bile Acid Levels in Mice.
2020
Recent interest in the role of microbiota in health and disease has implicated gut microbiota dysbiosis in psychiatric disorders including major depressive disorder. Several antidepressant drugs that belong to the class of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors have been found to display antimicrobial activities. In fact, one of the first antidepressants discovered serendipitously in the 1950s, the monoamine-oxidase inhibitor Iproniazid, was a drug used for the treatment of tuberculosis. In the current study we chronically treated DBA/2J mice for 2 weeks with paroxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, and collected fecal pellets as a proxy for the gut microbiota from the animals…
Endothelin-1-Mediated Drug Resistance in EGFR-Mutant Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma.
2020
Abstract Progression on therapy in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) is often evaluated radiographically, however, image-based evaluation of said therapies may not distinguish disease progression due to intrinsic tumor drug resistance or inefficient tumor penetration of the drugs. Here we report that the inhibition of mutated EGFR promotes the secretion of a potent vasoconstrictor, endothelin-1 (EDN1), which continues to increase as the cells become resistant with a mesenchymal phenotype. As EDN1 and its receptor (EDNR) is linked to cancer progression, EDNR-antagonists have been evaluated in several clinical trials with disappointing results. These trials were based on a hypothesis that…
Frontiers of metal-coordinating drug design
2020
INTRODUCTION: The occurrence of metal ions in biomolecules is required to exert vital cellular functions. Metal-containing biomolecules can be modulated by small-molecule inhibitors targeting their metal-moiety. As well, the discovery of cisplatin ushered the rational discovery of metal-containing-drugs. The use of both drug types exploiting metal–ligand interactions is well established to treat distinct pathologies. Therefore, characterizing and leveraging metal-coordinating drugs is a pivotal, yet challenging, part of medicinal chemistry. AREA COVERED: Atomic-level simulations are increasingly employed to overcome the challenges met by traditional drug-discovery approaches and to compleme…