Browsing by Author "Liu, Wensheng"

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    Pro-survival signaling regulates lipophagy essential for multiple myeloma resistance to stress-induced death
    (Elsevier, 2024) Peng, Peng; Chavel, Colin; Liu, Wensheng; Carlson, Louise M.; Cao, Sha; Utley, Adam; Olejniczak, Scott H.; Lee, Kelvin P.; Biostatistics and Health Data Science, Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health
    Pro-survival metabolic adaptations to stress in tumorigenesis remain less well defined. We find that multiple myeloma (MM) is unexpectedly dependent on beta-oxidation of long-chain fatty acids (FAs) for survival under both basal and stress conditions. However, under stress conditions, a second pro-survival signal is required to sustain FA oxidation (FAO). We previously found that CD28 is expressed on MM cells and transduces a significant pro-survival/chemotherapy resistance signal. We now find that CD28 signaling regulates autophagy/lipophagy that involves activation of the Ca2+→AMPK→ULK1 axis and regulates the translation of ATG5 through HuR, resulting in sustained lipophagy, increased FAO, and enhanced MM survival. Conversely, blocking autophagy/lipophagy sensitizes MM to chemotherapy in vivo. Our findings link a pro-survival signal to FA availability needed to sustain the FAO required for cancer cell survival under stress conditions and identify lipophagy as a therapeutic target to overcome treatment resistance in MM.
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    Systems Pharmacology Modeling Identifies a Novel Treatment Strategy for Bortezomib-Induced Neuropathic Pain
    (Frontiers Media, 2022-01-19) Bloomingdale, Peter; Meregalli, Cristina; Pollard, Kevin; Canta, Annalisa; Chiorazzi, Alessia; Fumagalli, Giulia; Monza, Laura; Pozzi, Eleonora; Alberti, Paola; Ballarini, Elisa; Oggioni, Norberto; Carlson, Louise; Liu, Wensheng; Ghandili, Mehrnoosh; Ignatowski, Tracey A.; Lee, Kelvin P.; Moore, Michael J.; Cavaletti, Guido; Mager, Donald E.; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neurotoxicity is a common dose-limiting side effect of several cancer chemotherapeutic agents, and no effective therapies exist. Here we constructed a systems pharmacology model of intracellular signaling in peripheral neurons to identify novel drug targets for preventing peripheral neuropathy associated with proteasome inhibitors. Model predictions suggested the combinatorial inhibition of TNFα, NMDA receptors, and reactive oxygen species should prevent proteasome inhibitor-induced neuronal apoptosis. Dexanabinol, an inhibitor of all three targets, partially restored bortezomib-induced reduction of proximal action potential amplitude and distal nerve conduction velocity in vitro and prevented bortezomib-induced mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia in rats, including a partial recovery of intraepidermal nerve fiber density. Dexanabinol failed to restore bortezomib-induced decreases in electrophysiological endpoints in rats, and it did not compromise bortezomib anti-cancer effects in U266 multiple myeloma cells and a murine xenograft model. Owing to its favorable safety profile in humans and preclinical efficacy, dexanabinol might represent a treatment option for bortezomib-induced neuropathic pain.