The Role of Intracellular Calcium for the Development and Treatment of Neuroblastoma

Abstract

Neuroblastoma is the second most common paediatric cancer. It develops from undifferentiated simpatico-adrenal lineage cells and is mostly sporadic; however, the aetiology behind the development of neuroblastoma is still not fully understood. Intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) is a secondary messenger which regulates numerous cellular processes and, therefore, its concentration is tightly regulated. This review focuses on the role of [Ca2+]i in differentiation, apoptosis and proliferation in neuroblastoma. It describes the mechanisms by which [Ca2+]i is regulated and how it modulates intracellular pathways. Furthermore, the importance of [Ca2+]i for the function of anti-cancer drugs is illuminated in this review as [Ca2+]i could be a target to improve the outcome of anti-cancer treatment in neuroblastoma. Overall, modulations of [Ca2+]i could be a key target to induce apoptosis in cancer cells leading to a more efficient and effective treatment of neuroblastoma.

Deorphanization and characterization of the ectopically expressed olfactory receptor OR51B5 in myelogenous leukemia cells

“…Phosphorylation of Bcr-Abl is known to induce proliferation and apoptosis resistance. 24–26 However, phosphorylation of Bcr-Abl was significantly downregulated after 5–15 min of incubation with isononyl alcohol ( Figure 5b ). After 30 min of incubation, Bcr-Abl phosphorylation returned to basal levels.…”

Polytrichum commune L.ex Hedw ethyl acetate extract-triggered perturbations in intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis regulates mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis

“…Many key events in the apoptotic process are known to be triggered by Ca 2+ signals (Nomura et al, 2014;Orrenius et al, 2003). More important, the role of Ca 2+ in both the initiation and effectuation of cell death is closely related to the mitochondria (Orrenius et al, 2015;Satheesh and Busselberg, 2015). Based on these, in the present study, our attentions were focused on whether Ca 2+ was involved in PC-EEF-induced apoptosis, and what interplay existed among Ca 2+ , mitochondria and apoptosis.…”

Digitalis-like Compounds Facilitate Non-Medullary Thyroid Cancer Redifferentiation through Intracellular Ca2+, FOS, and Autophagy-Dependent Pathways

“…Pathways of differentiation are among the most prominently influenced mechanisms in this respect, which has been shown for an extensive collection of cell types (23)(24)(25)(26)(27). Changes in intracellular Ca 2þ have also been linked to carcinogenesis, proliferation, and dedifferentiation grade of malignant cells, with autophagy as important pathway involved in processes of UPR and ER stress and in regulation of Ca 2þ transport between different intracellular Ca 2þ storage compartments (28)(29)(30)(31)(32). DLCs have been extensively investigated as repositioned anticancer treatment based on their antiproliferative and apoptotic effects, selectively induced in malignant cells only, and was revealed to result from perturbations of multiple pathways (reviewed in ref.…”