Targeting the SUMO pathway as a novel treatment for anaplastic thyroid cancer.

ABSTRACT: Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are expanded in anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) and standard treatment approaches have failed to improve survival, suggesting a need to specifically target the CSC population. Recent studies in breast and colorectal cancer demonstrated that inhibition of the SUMO pathway repressed CD44 and cleared the CSC population, mediated through SUMO-unconjugated TFAP2A. We sought to evaluate effects of inhibiting the SUMO pathway in ATC. ATC cell lines and primary ATC tumor samples were evaluated. The SUMO pathway was inhibited by knockdown of PIAS1 and use of SUMO inhibitors anacardic acid and PYR-41. The expression of TFAP2A in primary ATC was examined by immunohistochemistry. All ATC cell lines expressed TFAP2A but only 8505C expressed SUMO-conjugated TFAP2A. In 8505C only

SUBMITTER: De Andrade JP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5777733 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature