Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a limited cell population inside a tumor bulk characterized by high levels of glutathione (GSH), the most important antioxidant thiol of which cysteine is the limiting amino acid for GSH biosynthesis. In fact, CSCs over-express xCT, a cystine transporter stabilized on cell membrane through interaction with CD44, a stemness marker whose expression is modulated by protein kinase Cα (PKCα). Since many chemotherapeutic drugs, such as Etoposide, exert their cytotoxic action by increasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, the presence of high antioxidant defenses confers to CSCs a crucial role in chemoresistance. In this study, Etoposide-sensitive and -resistant neuroblastoma CSCs were chronically treated with Etoposide, given alone or in combination with Sulfasalazine (SSZ) or with an inhibitor of PKCα (C2-4), which target xCT directly or indirectly, respectively. Both combined approaches are able to sensitize CSCs to Etoposide by decreasing intracellular GSH levels, inducing a metabolic switch from OXPHOS to aerobic glycolysis, down-regulating glutathione-peroxidase-4 activity and stimulating lipid peroxidation, thus leading to ferroptosis. Our results suggest, for the first time, that PKCα inhibition inducing ferroptosis might be a useful strategy with which to fight CSC chemoresistance.

Chemoresistance is due to multiple factors including the induction of a metabolic adaptation of tumor cells. In fact, in these cells, stress conditions induced by therapies stimulate a metabolic reprogramming which involves the strengthening of various pathways such as glycolysis, glutaminolysis and the pentose phosphate pathway. This metabolic reprogramming is the result of a complex network of mechanisms that, through the activation of oncogenes (i.e., MYC, HIF1, and PI3K) or the downregulation of tumor suppressors (i.e., TP53), induces an increased expression of glucose and/or glutamine transporters and of glycolytic enzymes. Therefore, in order to overcome chemoresistance, it is necessary to develop combined therapies which are able to selectively and simultaneously act on the multiple molecular targets responsible for this adaptation. This review is focused on highlighting the role of MYC in modulating the epigenetic redox changes which are crucial in the acquisition of therapy resistance.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common adult brain tumor and, although many efforts have been made to find valid therapies, the onset of resistance is the main cause of recurrence. Therefore, it is crucial to identify and target the molecular mediators responsible for GBM malignancy. In this context, the use of Src inhibitors such as SI306 (C1) and its prodrug (C2) showed promising results, suggesting that SI306 could be the lead compound useful to derivate new anti-GBM drugs. Therefore, a new prodrug of SI306 (C3) was synthesized and tested on CAS-1 and U87 human GBM cells by comparing its effect to that of C1 and C2. All compounds were more effective on CAS-1 than U87 cells, while C2 was the most active on both cell lines. Moreover, the anti-survival effect was associated with a reduction in the expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)WT and EGFR-vIII in U87 and CAS-1 cells, respectively. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that all tested compounds are able to counteract GBM survival, further supporting the role of SI306 as progenitor of promising new drugs to treat malignant GBM.

Neuroblastoma (NB) accounts for about 8–10% of pediatric cancers, and the main causes of death are the presence of metastases and the acquisition of chemoresistance. Metastatic NB is characterized by MYCN amplification that correlates with changes in the expression of miRNAs, which are small non-coding RNA sequences, playing a crucial role in NB development and chemoresistance. In the present study, miRNA expression was analyzed in two human MYCN-amplified NB cell lines, one sensitive (HTLA-230) and one resistant to Etoposide (ER-HTLA), by microarray and RT-qPCR techniques. These analyses showed that miRNA-15a, -16-1, -19b, -218, and -338 were down-regulated in ER-HTLA cells. In order to validate the presence of this down-regulation in vivo, the expression of these miRNAs was analyzed in primary tumors, metastases, and bone marrow of therapy responder and non-responder pediatric patients. Principal component analysis data showed that the expression of miRNA-19b, -218, and -338 influenced metastases, and that the expression levels of all miRNAs analyzed were higher in therapy responders in respect to non-responders. Collectively, these findings suggest that these miRNAs might be involved in the regulation of the drug response, and could be employed for therapeutic purposes.

BackgroundMalignant melanoma is the most lethal form of skin cancer which shows BRAF mutation in 50% of patients. In this context, the identification of BRAFV600E mutation led to the development of specific inhibitors like PLX4032. Nevertheless, although its initial success, its clinical efficacy is reduced after six-months of therapy leading to cancer relapse due to the onset of drug resistance. Therefore, investigating the mechanisms underlying PLX4032 resistance is fundamental to improve therapy efficacy. In this context, several models of PLX4032 resistance have been developed, but the discrepancy between in vitro and in vivo results often limits their clinical translation.MethodsThe herein reported model has been realized by treating with PLX4032, for six months, patient-derived BRAF-mutated melanoma cells in order to obtain a reliable model of acquired PLX4032 resistance that could be predictive of patient’s treatment responses. Metabolic analyses were performed by evaluating glucose consumption, ATP synthesis, oxygen consumption rate, P/O ratio, ATP/AMP ratio, lactate release, lactate dehydrogenase activity, NAD+/NADH ratio and pyruvate dehydrogenase activity in parental and drug resistant melanoma cells. The intracellular oxidative state was analyzed in terms of reactive oxygen species production, glutathione levels and NADPH/NADP+ ratio. In addition, a principal component analysis was conducted in order to identify the variables responsible for the acquisition of targeted therapy resistance.ResultsCollectively, our results demonstrate, for the first time in patient-derived melanoma cells, that the rewiring of oxidative phosphorylation and the maintenance of pyruvate dehydrogenase activity and of high glutathione levels contribute to trigger the onset of PLX4032 resistance.ConclusionTherefore, it is possible to hypothesize that inhibitors of glutathione biosynthesis and/or pyruvate dehydrogenase activity could be used in combination with PLX4032 to overcome drug resistance of BRAF-mutated melanoma patients. However, the identification of new adjuvant targets related to drug-induced metabolic reprogramming could be crucial to counteract the failure of targeted therapy in metastatic melanoma.