Browsing by Author "Cuello, Mauricio A."

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Cyclooxygenase-2 Blockade Is Crucial to Restore Natural Killer Cell Activity before Anti-CTLA-4 Therapy against High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer
    (2023) Gómez-Valenzuela, Fernán; Wichmann Pérez, Ignacio Alberto; Suárez, Felipe; Kato Cardemil, Sumie Rode; Ossandón, Enrique; Hermoso, Marcela; Fernández, Elmer A.; Cuello, Mauricio A.
    Chronic inflammation influences the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) in high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC). Specifically, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) overexpression promotes cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein-4 (CTLA-4) expression. Notably, elevated COX-2 levels in the TIME have been associated with reduced response to anti-CTLA-4 immunotherapy. However, the precise impact of COX-2, encoded by PTGS2, on the immune profile remains unknown. To address this, we performed an integrated bioinformatics analysis using data from the HGSOC cohorts (TCGA-OV, n = 368; Australian cohort AOCS, n = 80; GSE26193, n = 62; and GSE30161, n = 45). Employing Gene Set Variation Analysis (GSVA), MIXTURE and Ecotyper cell deconvolution algorithms, we concluded that COX-2 was linked to immune cell ecosystems associated with shorter survival, cell dysfunction and lower NK cell effector cytotoxicity capacity. Next, we validated these results by characterizing circulating NK cells from HGSOC patients through flow cytometry and cytotoxic assays while undergoing COX-2 and CTLA-4 blockade. The blockade of COX-2 improved the cytotoxic capacity of NK cells against HGSOC cell lines. Our findings underscore the relevance of COX-2 in shaping the TIME and suggest its potential as a prognostic indicator and therapeutic target. Increased COX-2 expression may hamper the effectivity of immunotherapies that require NK cell effector function. These results provide a foundation for experimental validation and clinical trials investigating combined therapies targeting COX-2 and CTLA-4 in HGSOC.
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    Obesity and gynecological cancers: A toxic relationship
    (WILEY, 2021) Wichmann, Ignacio A.; Cuello, Mauricio A.
    Despite the evidence supporting the relevance of obesity and obesity-associated disorders in the development, management, and prognosis of various cancers, obesity rates continue to increase worldwide. Growing evidence supports the involvement of obesity in the development of gynecologic malignancies. This article explores the molecular basis governing the alteration of hallmarks of cancer in the development of obesity-related gynecologic malignancies encompassing cervical, endometrial, and ovarian cancers. We highlight specific examples of how development, management, and prognosis are affected for each cancer, incorporate current knowledge on complementary approaches including lifestyle interventions to improve patient outcomes, and highlight how new technologies are helping us better understand the biology underlying this neglected pandemic.
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    Progesterone promotes focal adhesion formation and migration in breast cancer cells through induction of protease-activated receptor-1
    (BIOSCIENTIFICA LTD, 2012) Diaz, Jorge; Aranda, Evelyn; Henriquez, Soledad; Quezada, Marisol; Espinoza, Estefania; Loreto Bravo, Maria; Oliva, Barbara; Lange, Soledad; Villalon, Manuel; Jones, Marius; Brosens, Jan J.; Kato, Sumie; Cuello, Mauricio A.; Knutson, Todd P.; Lange, Carol A.; Leyton, Lisette; Owen, Gareth I.
    Progesterone and progestins have been demonstrated to enhance breast cancer cell migration, although the mechanisms are still not fully understood. The protease-activated receptors (PARs) are a family of membrane receptors that are activated by serine proteases in the blood coagulation cascade. PAR1 (F2R) has been reported to be involved in cancer cell migration and overexpressed in breast cancer. We herein demonstrate that PAR1 mRNA and protein are upregulated by progesterone treatment of the breast cancer cell lines ZR-75 and T47D. This regulation is dependent on the progesterone receptor (PR) but does not require PR phosphorylation at serine 294 or the PR proline-rich region mPRO. The increase in PAR1 mRNA was transient, being present at 3 h and returning to basal levels at 18 h. The addition of a PAR1-activating peptide (aPAR1) to cells treated with progesterone resulted in an increase in focal adhesion (FA) formation as measured by the cellular levels of phosphorylated FA kinase. The combined but not individual treatment of progesterone and aPAR1 also markedly increased stress fiber formation and the migratory capacity of breast cancer cells. In agreement with in vitro findings, data mining from the Oncomine platform revealed that PAR1 expression was significantly upregulated in PR-positive breast tumors. Our observation that PAR1 expression and signal transduction are modulated by progesterone provides new insight into how the progestin component in hormone therapies increases the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Journal of Endocrinology (2012) 214, 165-175
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    Progesterone Utilizes Distinct Membrane Pools of Tissue Factor to Increase Coagulation and Invasion and These Effects are Inhibited by TFPI
    (WILEY, 2011) Henriquez, Soledad; Calderon, Claudia; Quezada, Marisol; Oliva, Barbara; Loreto Bravo, Maria; Aranda, Evelyn; Kato, Sumie; Cuello, Mauricio A.; Gutierrez, Jorge; Quest, Andrew F. G.; Owen, Gareth I.
    Tissue factor (TF) serving as the receptor for coagulation factor VII (FVII) initiates the extrinsic coagulation pathway. We previously demonstrated that progesterone increases TF, coagulation and invasion in breast cancer cell lines. Herein, we investigated if tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) could down-regulate progesterone-increased TF activity in these cells. Classically, TFPI redistributes TF-FVII-FX-TFPI in an inactive quaternary complex to membrane associated lipid raft regions. Herein, we demonstrate that TF increased by progesterone is localized to the heavy membrane fraction, despite progesterone-increased coagulation originating almost exclusively from lipid raft domains, where TF levels are extremely low. The progesterone increase in coagulation is not a rapid effect, but is progesterone receptor (PR) dependent and requires protein synthesis. Although a partial relocalization of TF occurs, TFPI does not require the redistribution to lipid rafts to inhibit coagulation or invasion. Inhibition by TFPI and anti-TF antibodies in lipid raft membrane fractions confirmed the dependence on TF for progesterone-mediated coagulation. Through the use of pathway inhibitors, we further demonstrate that the TF up-regulated by progesterone is not coupled to the progesterone increase in TF-mediated coagulation. However, the progesterone up-regulated TF protein may be involved in progesterone-mediated breast cancer cell invasion, which TFPI also inhibits. J. Cell. Physiol. 226: 3278-3285, 2011. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.