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  1. Mechanisms of sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor signalling in cancer
    Patmanathan SN, Wang W, Yap LF, Herr DR, Paterson IC
    Cell Signal, 2017 06;34:66-75.
    PMID: 28302566 DOI: 10.1016/j.cellsig.2017.03.002
    S1P is a small bioactive lipid which exerts its effects following binding to a family of five G protein-coupled receptors, known as S1P1-5. Following receptor activation, multiple signalling cascades are activated, allowing S1P to regulate a range of cellular processes, such as proliferation, apoptosis, migration and angiogenesis. There is strong evidence implicating the involvement of S1P receptors (S1PRs) in cancer progression and the oncogenic effects of S1P can result from alterations in the expression of one or more of the S1PRs and/or the enzymes that regulate the levels of S1P. However, cooperativity between the individual S1PRs, functional interactions with receptor tyrosine kinases and the sub-cellular localisation of the S1PRs within tumour cells also appear to play a role in mediating the effects of S1PR signalling during carcinogenesis. Here we review what is known regarding the role of individual S1PRs in cancer and discuss the recent evidence to suggest cross-talk between the S1PRs and other cellular signalling pathways in cancer. We will also discuss the therapeutic potential of targeting the S1PRs and their downstream signalling pathways for the treatment of cancer.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sphingosine/analogs & derivatives*; Sphingosine/metabolism
  2. Fulltext Sphingosine Kinase 1 Regulates the Survival of Breast Cancer Stem Cells and Non-stem Breast Cancer Cells by Suppression of STAT1
    Hii LW, Chung FF, Mai CW, Yee ZY, Chan HH, Raja VJ, et al.
    Cells, 2020 04 04;9(4).
    PMID: 32260399 DOI: 10.3390/cells9040886
    Cancer stem cells (CSCs) represent rare tumor cell populations capable of self-renewal, differentiation, and tumor initiation and are highly resistant to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Thus, therapeutic approaches that can effectively target CSCs and tumor cells could be the key to efficient tumor treatment. In this study, we explored the function of SPHK1 in breast CSCs and non-CSCs. We showed that RNAi-mediated knockdown of SPHK1 inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in both breast CSCs and non-CSCs, while ectopic expression of SPHK1 enhanced breast CSC survival and mammosphere forming efficiency. We identified STAT1 and IFN signaling as key regulatory targets of SPHK1 and demonstrated that an important mechanism by which SPHK1 promotes cancer cell survival is through the suppression of STAT1. We further demonstrated that SPHK1 inhibitors, FTY720 and PF543, synergized with doxorubicin in targeting both breast CSCs and non-CSCs. In conclusion, we provide important evidence that SPHK1 is a key regulator of cell survival and proliferation in breast CSCs and non-CSCs and is an attractive target for the design of future therapies.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sphingosine/analogs & derivatives; Sphingosine/metabolism
  3. Activation of sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor-1 by SEW2871 improves cognitive function in Alzheimer's disease model rats
    Asle-Rousta M, Oryan S, Ahmadiani A, Rahnema M
    EXCLI J, 2013;12:449-61.
    PMID: 26417237
    Sphingosine-1 phosphate (S1P) is involved in a variety of cellular processes via activation of S1P receptors (S1PRs; S1PR1 to S1PR5) that are highly expressed in the brain. It has been shown that the level of S1P is reduced in the brain of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. However, there is no study designed to evaluate the expression of S1PRs in AD brains. The objectives of the present work are (1) to examine the expression of S1PR1-3 in the hippocampus of beta amyloid (Aβ) 1-42 injected rats and (2) to clarify the effects of chronic S1PR1 activation on S1PR1-3 levels, spatial memory deficit and hippocampal damage in AD rats. SEW2871, the S1PR1 selective agonist, repeatedly was injected intraperitoneally during a period of two weeks. Upon Western Blot data bilateral intrahippocampal injection of Aβ1-42 decreased the expression of S1PR1 while increased S1PR2 level and did not affect that of S1PR3. We found that chronic administration of SEW2871 inhibited the reduction of S1PR1 expression and ameliorated spatial memory impairment in the Morris water maze task in rats. In addition, SEW2871 attenuated the Aβ1-42-induced hippocampal neuronal loss according to Nissl staining findings. Data in the current study highlights the importance of S1PR1 signaling pathway deregulation in AD development and suggests that activation of S1PR1 may represent a potential approach for developing new therapeutics to manage memory deficit and apoptosis associated with neurodegenerative disorders such as AD.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sphingosine
  4. Fulltext Aberrant expression of the S1P regulating enzymes, SPHK1 and SGPL1, contributes to a migratory phenotype in OSCC mediated through S1PR2
    Patmanathan SN, Johnson SP, Lai SL, Panja Bernam S, Lopes V, Wei W, et al.
    Sci Rep, 2016 05 10;6:25650.
    PMID: 27160553 DOI: 10.1038/srep25650
    Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a lethal disease with a 5-year mortality rate of around 50%. Molecular targeted therapies are not in routine use and novel therapeutic targets are required. Our previous microarray data indicated sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) metabolism and signalling was deregulated in OSCC. In this study, we have investigated the contribution of S1P signalling to the pathogenesis of OSCC. We show that the expression of the two major enzymes that regulate S1P levels were altered in OSCC: SPHK1 was significantly upregulated in OSCC tissues compared to normal oral mucosa and low levels of SGPL1 mRNA correlated with a worse overall survival. In in vitro studies, S1P enhanced the migration/invasion of OSCC cells and attenuated cisplatin-induced death. We also demonstrate that S1P receptor expression is deregulated in primary OSCCs and that S1PR2 is over-expressed in a subset of tumours, which in part mediates S1P-induced migration of OSCC cells. Lastly, we demonstrate that FTY720 induced significantly more apoptosis in OSCC cells compared to non-malignant cells and that FTY720 acted synergistically with cisplatin to induce cell death. Taken together, our data show that S1P signalling promotes tumour aggressiveness in OSCC and identify S1P signalling as a potential therapeutic target.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sphingosine
  5. Fulltext Oncogenic S1P signalling in EBV-associated nasopharyngeal carcinoma activates AKT and promotes cell migration through S1P receptor 3
    Lee HM, Lo KW, Wei W, Tsao SW, Chung GTY, Ibrahim MH, et al.
    J Pathol, 2017 05;242(1):62-72.
    PMID: 28240350 DOI: 10.1002/path.4879
    Undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a cancer with high metastatic potential that is consistently associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. In this study, we have investigated the functional contribution of sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) signalling to the pathogenesis of NPC. We show that EBV infection or ectopic expression of the EBV-encoded latent genes (EBNA1, LMP1, and LMP2A) can up-regulate sphingosine kinase 1 (SPHK1), the key enzyme that produces S1P, in NPC cell lines. Exogenous addition of S1P promotes the migration of NPC cells through the activation of AKT; shRNA knockdown of SPHK1 resulted in a reduction in the levels of activated AKT and inhibition of cell migration. We also show that S1P receptor 3 (S1PR3) mRNA is overexpressed in EBV-positive NPC patient-derived xenografts and a subset of primary NPC tissues, and that knockdown of S1PR3 suppressed the activation of AKT and the S1P-induced migration of NPC cells. Taken together, our data point to a central role for EBV in mediating the oncogenic effects of S1P in NPC and identify S1P signalling as a potential therapeutic target in this disease. Copyright © 2017 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sphingosine/analogs & derivatives*; Sphingosine/pharmacology; Sphingosine/physiology
  6. Fulltext Evaluation of CERS2 Gene as a Potential Biomarker for Bladder Cancer
    Aldoghachi AF, Baharudin A, Ahmad U, Chan SC, Ong TA, Yunus R, et al.
    Dis Markers, 2019;2019:3875147.
    PMID: 31636736 DOI: 10.1155/2019/3875147
    The ceramide synthase 2 (CERS2) gene has been linked to tumour recurrence and invasion in many different types of cancers including bladder cancer. In this study, the expression levels of CERS2 in bladder cancer cell lines were analysed using qRT-PCR and the protein expression in clinical bladder cancer histopathological specimens were examined via immunohistochemistry. The potential utility of CERS2 as a predictive biomarker of response to oncolytic virotherapy was assessed by correlating the CERS2 mRNA expression to IC50 values of cells treated with the Newcastle disease virus (NDV), AF2240 strain. This study demonstrates that CERS2 is differentially expressed in different types of bladder cancer cell lines and that the siRNA-mediated downregulation of the expression of CERS2 reduces the migratory potential of UMUC1 bladder cancer cells. However, there were no significant correlations between the expression levels of the CERS2 protein with bladder cancer grade/stage or between the IC50 values of cells treated with NDV and CERS2 expression. Although the utility of CERS2 expression may be limited, its potential as an antimigration cancer therapeutic should be further examined.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sphingosine N-Acyltransferase/metabolism*
  7. Fulltext From the Molecular Mechanism to Pre-clinical Results: Anti-epileptic Effects of Fingolimod
    Paudel YN, Angelopoulou E, Piperi C, Gnatkovsky V, Othman I, Shaikh MF
    Curr Neuropharmacol, 2020;18(11):1126-1137.
    PMID: 32310049 DOI: 10.2174/1570159X18666200420125017
    Epilepsy is a devastating neurological condition characterized by long-term tendency to generate unprovoked seizures, affecting around 1-2 % of the population worldwide. Epilepsy is a serious health concern which often associates with other neurobehavioral comorbidities that further worsen disease conditions. Despite tremendous research, the mainstream anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) exert only symptomatic relief leading to 30% of untreatable patients. This reflects the complexity of the disease pathogenesis and urges the precise understanding of underlying mechanisms in order to explore novel therapeutic strategies that might alter the disease progression as well as minimize the epilepsy-associated comorbidities. Unfortunately, the development of novel AEDs might be a difficult process engaging huge funds, tremendous scientific efforts and stringent regulatory compliance with a possible chance of end-stage drug failure. Hence, an alternate strategy is drug repurposing, where anti-epileptic effects are elicited from drugs that are already used to treat non-epileptic disorders. Herein, we provide evidence of the anti-epileptic effects of Fingolimod (FTY720), a modulator of sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptor, USFDA approved already for Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS). Emerging experimental findings suggest that Fingolimod treatment exerts disease-modifying anti-epileptic effects based on its anti-neuroinflammatory properties, potent neuroprotection, anti-gliotic effects, myelin protection, reduction of mTOR signaling pathway and activation of microglia and astrocytes. We further discuss the underlying molecular crosstalk associated with the anti-epileptic effects of Fingolimod and provide evidence for repurposing Fingolimod to overcome the limitations of current AEDs.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sphingosine
  8. Expansion of Hydra actinoporin-like toxin (HALT) gene family: Expression divergence and functional convergence evolved through gene duplication
    Yap WY, Tan KJSX, Hwang JS
    Toxicon, 2019 Dec;170:10-20.
    PMID: 31513812 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2019.09.007
    Hydra actinoporin-like toxin 1 (HALT-1) was previously shown to cause cytolysis and haemolysis in a number of human cells and has similar functional properties to the actinoporins equinatoxin and sticholysin. In addition to HALT-1, five other HALTs (HALTs 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7) were also isolated from Hydra magnipapillata and expressed as recombinant proteins in this study. We demonstrated that recombinant HALTs have cytolytic activity on HeLa cells but each exhibited a different range of toxicity. All six recombinant HALTs bound to sulfatide, while rHALT-1 and rHALT-3 bound to two additional sphingolipids, lysophosphatidic acid and sphingosine-1-phosphate as indicated by the protein-lipid overlay assay. When either tryptophan133 or tyrosine129 of HALT-1 was mutated, the mutant protein lost binding to sulfatide, lysophosphatidic acid and sphingosine-1-phosphate. As further verification of HALTs' binding to sulfatide, we performed ELISA for each HALT. To determine the cell-type specific gene expression of seven HALTs in Hydra, we searched for individual HALT expression in the single-cell RNA-seq data set of Single Cell Portal. The results showed that HALT-1, 4 and 7 were expressed in differentiating stenoteles. HALT-1 and HALT-6 were expressed in the female germline during oogenesis. HALT-2 was strongly expressed in the gland and mucous cells in the endoderm. Information on HALT-3 and HALT-5 could not be found in the single-cell data set. Our findings show that subfunctionalisation of gene expression following duplication enabled HALTs to become specialized in various cell types of the interstitial cell lineage.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sphingosine
  9. Fulltext Functional Antagonism of Sphingosine-1-Phosphate Receptor 1 Prevents Harmaline-Induced Ultrastructural Alterations and Caspase-3 Mediated Apoptosis
    Dahmardeh N, Shabani M, Basiri M, Kalantaripour TP, Asadi-Shekaari M
    Malays J Med Sci, 2019 Jul;26(4):28-38.
    PMID: 31496891 DOI: 10.21315/mjms2019.26.4.4
    Background: There is a meaningful necessity for a targeted therapy of essential tremor (ET), as medications have not been developed specifically for ET. For nearly a century, many drugs have been applied in the treatment of tremor but the drug treatment of ET remains still unknown. Some potential therapeutic factors such fingolimod (FTY720) can be effectively used to treat ET in animals. In the present research, the effect of FTY720, the immunomodulatory sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) analog, on degeneration of cerebellar and olivary neurons induced by harmaline in male rats was investigated.

    Methods: The animals were allotted into control dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), saline + harmaline [30 mg/kg, intraperitoneally, (i.p.)], harmaline + FTY720 (1 mg/kg, i.p, 1 h and 24 h before harmaline injection) groups (n = 10). The cerebellum and inferior olive nucleus (ION) were studied for neuronal degeneration using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and ultrastructural study by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques.

    Results: Harmaline caused neuronal cell loss, caspase-3 mediated apoptosis, astrocytosis and ultrastructural changes in cerebellar Purkinje cells and inferior olive neurons. FTY720 exhibited neuroprotective effects on cerebellar Purkinje cells and inferior olivary neurons.

    Conclusion: These results suggest that FTY720 has potential efficacy for prevention of ET neurodegeneration and astrocytosis induced by harmaline in male rats.

    Matched MeSH terms: Sphingosine
  10. Suppressive effect of maslinic acid on PMA-induced protein kinase C in human B-lymphoblastoid cells
    Mooi LY, Yew WT, Hsum YW, Soo KK, Hoon LS, Chieng YC
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2012;13(4):1177-82.
    PMID: 22799301
    Protein kinase C (PKC) has been implicated in carcinogenesis and displays variable expression profiles during cancer progression. Studies of dietary phytochemicals on cancer signalling pathway regulation have been conducted to search for potent signalling regulatory agents. The present study was designed to evaluate any suppressive effect of maslinic acid on PKC expression in human B-lymphoblastoid cells (Raji cells), and to identify the PKC isoforms expressed. Effects of maslinic acid on PKC activity were determined using a PepTag assay for non-radioactive detection of PKC. The highest expression in Raji cells was obtained at 20 nM PMA induced for 6 hours. Suppressive effects of maslinic acid were compared with those of four PKC inhibitors (H- 7, rottlerin, sphingosine, staurosporine) and two triterpenes (oleanolic acid and ursolic acid). The IC₅₀ values achieved for maslinic acid, staurosporine, H-7, sphingosine, rottlerin, ursolic acid and oleanolic acid were 11.52, 0.011, 0.767, 2.45, 5.46, 27.93 and 39.29 μM, respectively. Four PKC isoforms, PKC βI, βII, δ, and ζ, were identified in Raji cells via western blotting. Maslinic acid suppressed the expression of PKC βI, δ, and ζ in a concentration-dependent manner. These preliminary results suggest promising suppressive effects of maslinic acid on PKC activity in Raji cells. Maslinic acid could be a potent cancer chemopreventive agent that may be involved in regulating many downstream signalling pathways that are activated through PKC receptors.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sphingosine/pharmacology
  11. Gut Microbial Ecosystem in Parkinson Disease: New Clinicobiological Insights from Multi-Omics
    Tan AH, Chong CW, Lim SY, Yap IKS, Teh CSJ, Loke MF, et al.
    Ann Neurol, 2021 03;89(3):546-559.
    PMID: 33274480 DOI: 10.1002/ana.25982
    OBJECTIVE: Gut microbiome alterations in Parkinson disease (PD) have been reported repeatedly, but their functional relevance remains unclear. Fecal metabolomics, which provide a functional readout of microbial activity, have scarcely been investigated. We investigated fecal microbiome and metabolome alterations in PD, and their clinical relevance.

    METHODS: Two hundred subjects (104 patients, 96 controls) underwent extensive clinical phenotyping. Stool samples were analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Fecal metabolomics were performed using two platforms, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

    RESULTS: Fecal microbiome and metabolome composition in PD was significantly different from controls, with the largest effect size seen in NMR-based metabolome. Microbiome and NMR-based metabolome compositional differences remained significant after comprehensive confounder analyses. Differentially abundant fecal metabolite features and predicted functional changes in PD versus controls included bioactive molecules with putative neuroprotective effects (eg, short chain fatty acids [SCFAs], ubiquinones, and salicylate) and other compounds increasingly implicated in neurodegeneration (eg, ceramides, sphingosine, and trimethylamine N-oxide). In the PD group, cognitive impairment, low body mass index (BMI), frailty, constipation, and low physical activity were associated with fecal metabolome compositional differences. Notably, low SCFAs in PD were significantly associated with poorer cognition and low BMI. Lower butyrate levels correlated with worse postural instability-gait disorder scores.

    INTERPRETATION: Gut microbial function is altered in PD, characterized by differentially abundant metabolic features that provide important biological insights into gut-brain pathophysiology. Their clinical relevance further supports a role for microbial metabolites as potential targets for the development of new biomarkers and therapies in PD. ANN NEUROL 2021;89:546-559.

    Matched MeSH terms: Sphingosine/metabolism
  12. Fingolimod affects gene expression profile associated with LPS-induced memory impairment
    Omidbakhsh R, Rajabli B, Nasoohi S, Khallaghi B, Mohamed Z, Naidu M, et al.
    Exp Brain Res, 2014 Nov;232(11):3687-96.
    PMID: 25098558 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-014-4052-4
    Lipopolysaccharide is an endotoxin to induce sickness behavior in several animal models to explore the link between immune activation and cognition. Neuroinflammation playing a pivotal role in disease progress is evidently influenced by sphingosine-1-phosphate. As one of the sphingosine analogs in clinical use for multiple sclerosis, fingolimod (FTY720) was shown to substantially affect gene expression profile in the context of AD in our previous experiments. The present study was designed to evaluate the drug efficacy in the context of the mere inflammatory context leading to memory impairment. FTY720 was repeatedly administered for a few days before or after intracerebral lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injection in rats. Animal's brains were then assigned to histological as well as multiplex mRNA assay following memory performance test. Both FTY720 pre-treatment and post-treatment were similarly capable of ameliorating LPS-induced memory impairment as assessed by passive avoidance test. Such amending effects may be partly accountable by the concomitant alterations in transcriptional levels of mitogen-activated protein kinases as well as inflammatory genes determined by QuantiGene Plex analysis. These findings confirming FTY720 application benefits suggest its efficacy may not differ significantly while considered either as a preventive or as a therapeutic approach against neuroinflammation.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sphingosine/analogs & derivatives*; Sphingosine/pharmacology
  13. Neurorestorative effect of FTY720 in a rat model of Alzheimer's disease: comparison with memantine
    Hemmati F, Dargahi L, Nasoohi S, Omidbakhsh R, Mohamed Z, Chik Z, et al.
    Behav Brain Res, 2013 Sep 1;252:415-21.
    PMID: 23777795 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2013.06.016
    Alzheimer's disease (AD) as a neurodegenerative brain disorder is the most common cause of dementia. To date, there is no causative treatment for AD and there are few preventive treatments either. The sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor modulator FTY720 (fingolimod) prevents lymphocytes from contributing to an autoimmune reaction and has been approved for multiple sclerosis treatment. In concert with other studies showing the anti-inflammatory and protective effect of FTY720 in some neurodegenerative disorders like ischemia, we have recently shown that FTY720 chronic administration prevents from impairment of spatial learning and memory in AD rats. Here FTY720 was examined on AD rats in comparison to the only clinically approved NMDA receptor antagonist, Memantine. Passive avoidance task showed significant memory restoration in AD animals received FTY720 comparable to Memantine. Upon gene profiling by QuantiGene Plex, this behavioral outcomes was concurrent with considerable alterations in some genes transcripts like that of mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and some inflammatory markers that may particularly account for the detected decline in hippocampal neural damage or memory impairment associated with AD. From a therapeutic standpoint, our findings conclude that FTY720 may suggest new opportunities for AD management probably based on several modulatory effects on genes involved in cell death or survival.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sphingosine/analogs & derivatives*; Sphingosine/therapeutic use
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