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. 2018 Aug 21;19(9):2468. doi: 10.3390/ijms19092468

Table 2.

Pre-clinical studies with ER stress response factors in other solid tumours and haematological malignancies.

Factor Disease Material Treatment (Concentration) ER Stress Factors Involved p Brief Ref
ATF4 Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumour 45 patient samples - GRP78/ATF4/CHOP <0.05 ATF4 is overexpressed in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours [75]
MCL and AML MCL cell lines (Z-138, JVM-2, MINO, and JeKo-1). AML cell lines (OCI-AML3, MOLM-13, HL-60, and THP-1). Primary cells. Mouse models (via tail vein injection) ONC201 (5 μm), rapamycin (10 nm), or tunicamycin (1 μm) ATF4/mTORC1 <0.0001 ONC201 induces apoptosis independent of TP53 mutation status and causes changes in gene expression similarly by UPR. ONC201 induces ATF4 and inhibits mTORC1 [71]
ATF4-ATF3-CHOP TLL TLL cell lines (Jurkat, Molt4) and the T-cell hybridoma cell line (DO11.10) Farnesol (75 μm) ATF4/ATF3/CHOP/PERK-eIF2α <0.01 Farnesol induces apoptosis in leukemic cells by induction of the PERK-eIF2α-ATF3/4 cascade [72]
ATF4 CRC CRC cell lines (HCT116 and LoVo) Glucose deprivation (1,5 mmol/L glucose) GRP78/PERK/ATF4 <0.001 Glucose deprivation protects cells from oxaliplatin- and 5-fluorouracil-induced apoptosis, and induces the expression of ATF4. Depletion of ATF4 can induce apoptosis and drug re-sensitisation. [73]
ATF6 Insulinoma Cell lines isolated from rat and mouse pancreas (INS-1 832/13) Tunicamycin (0.1 µg/m), thapsigargin (0.1 µg/m), staurosporin, SB239063 (50 µm), and SP600125 (50 µm), ATF6α siRNA GRP78/ATF6α <0.05 ATF6α knockdown activates JNK and P38 to induce apoptosis in insulinoma cells and primary islets [90]
OC and CML OC cell lines (HeLa), and CML cell lines (K562 and LAMA) Dithiothreitol (1 mm), thapsigargin (500 nm), azetidine-2-carboxylic acid (10 mm), and tunicamycin (5 μg/mL) PDIA5/ATF6/BiP <0.01 PDIA5/ATF6α axis modulates sensitivity of leukemia cells to imatinib [92]
IRE1α AML AML cell lines (NB4, U937, K-562, TF-1, HL-60, PL-21, and THP-1). Primary samples and murine hematopoietic cells 2-hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde (25 μm), STF-083010 (50 μm), and toyocamycin (500 nm) IRE1α/XBP1 <0.01 Inhibition of IRE1α decreases cell viability and induces apoptosis and G1 cell cycle arrest [81]
IRE1/ATF6 Melanoma Melanoma cell lines (Mel-RM, Mel-RMu, Mel-CV, and MM200) siRNA and shRNA of IRE1α and ATF6 IRE1α/ATF6 <0.05 IRE1α and ATF6 are critical for survival of melanoma cells undergoing ER stress [93]
IRE1/XBP1 BC BC cell lines (MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7) Thapsigargin (250 nm) or bortezomib (100 nm) IRE1/XBP-1 <0.05 Estrogen receptor β sensitises BC cells to thapsigargin and to bortezomib by regulating the IRE1/XBP-1 pathway [83]
BC BC cell lines (SUM159, BT549, and MDA-MB-231), PDX models, and genetically engineered mouse models Small molecule inhibitor 8866 (300 mg/kg oral daily) IRE1/XBP1 pathway and MYC <0.001 Silencing of XBP1 selectively blocks the growth of MYC-hyperactivated cells. Pharmacological inhibition of IRE1 selectively restrained MYC-overexpressing tumour growth in vivo in a cohort of preclinical patient-derived xenograft models and genetically engineered mouse models [84]
XBP-1 BC CSC derived from MCF7 cell line (CD44+/CD24-) Tunicamycin (2 μg/mL) XBP-1/ATF6/CHOP <0.001 Tunicamycin inhibited invasion, increased cell death, suppressed proliferation, and reduced migration in a CD44+/CD24- and CD44+/CD24- rich MCF7 cell culture by an increased level of spliced XBP-1, ATF6 nuclear translocation and CHOP protein expression [77]
P38α/β CRC and BC CRC cell lines (HT29, HCT116, and LS174T) and BC cell lines (MDA-MB-231) Heparan sulfate hexasaccharide (100 µm) TCF4 <0.005 Heparan sulfate hexasaccharide selectively inhibits CSC self-renewal and induces apoptosis in colorectal and breast CSCs [97]
GRP78 CRC CRC cell lines (HT29, HT8, SW480 and colo205) Oxaliplatin (5 µm) and vomitoxin (1 µg/mL) GRP78/CD24 <0.001 Suppression of GRP78 sensitises human colorectal cancer cells to oxaliplatin by downregulation of CD24 [62]
BC BC cell lines (MCF-7 and T47D) Plumbagin (from 0.5 to 5 μm) and Tamoxifen (1 or 5 μm) GRP78/BIK < 0.05 Plumbagin inhibits GRP78 activity, and increases Bik expression and apoptosis induction, which contributes to the sensitisation of BC cells to tamoxifen [63]
NSCLC and GB NSCLC cell lines (A549, and H460), and GB cell lines (D54 and U251). Mouse xenografts. Anti-GRP78 antibody (1 μg/mL) GRP78 and PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling <0.0001 Anti-GRP78 attenuates cell proliferation, enhances radiation therapy, induces apoptosis, and delays tumour growth in mouse xenograft through the suppression of Akt/mTOR signaling [64]
PERK Insulinoma Mice samples (insulinoma generated by SV40 Large T-Antigen) ISRIB (250 nm), Gemcitabine (1 μm), ATF4 siRNA PERK <0.000005 PERK promotes tumour proliferation and angiogenesis [68]
Breast, lung and gastric cancer BC cell lines (MCF7, T47D, BT474, BT549, ZR-75–30, Hs578T, MDA-MB-157, and MDA-MB-231). Orthotopic injection into a mammary pad on NOD/SCID mice. Breast, lung and gastric cancer patient samples. AEBSF (1 mg) PERK/CREB3L1/ATF4 < 0.01 PERK signalling drives invasion and metastasis of breast cancer cell lines through CREB3L1, and associates with a poor outcome in breast, lung, and gastric cancer patients [69]

AML: acute myeloid leukemia; BC: Breast cancer; CML: chronic myeloid leukemia; CSC: Cancer stem cell; CRC: Colorectal cancer; EC: endometrial cancer; ER: endoplasmic reticulum; GB: Glioblastoma; NOD/SCID: non-obese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficiency; NSCLC: non-small cell lung cancer; MCL: mantle cell lymphoma; OC: Ovarian Cancer; PDX: patient-derived xenograft; TLL: T lymphoblastic leukemia; UPR: unfolded protein response; Ref: references.