Person: Lorente Pérez, María Del Mar
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First Name
María Del Mar
Last Name
Lorente Pérez
Affiliation
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Faculty / Institute
Ciencias Químicas
Department
Bioquímica y Biología Molecular
Area
Bioquímica y Biología Molecular
Identifiers
5 results
Search Results
Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
Item Optimization of a preclinical therapy of cannabinoids in combination with temozolomide against glioma(Biochemical Pharmacology, 2018) López-Valero, Israel; Torres, Sofía; Salazar Roa, María; García-Taboada, Elena; Hernández-Tiedra, Sonia; Guzmán Pastor, Manuel; Sepúlveda-Sánchez, Juan Manuel; Lorente Pérez, María Del Mar; Velasco Díez, Guillermo; Velasco Díez, GuillermoGlioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most frequent and aggressive form of brain cancer. These features are explained at least in part by the high resistance exhibited by these tumors to current anticancer therapies. Thus, the development of novel therapeutic approaches is urgently needed to improve the survival of the patients suffering this devastating disease. Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, the major active ingredient of marijuana), and other cannabinoids have been shown to exert antitumoral actions in animal models of cancer, including glioma. The mechanism of these anticancer actions relies, at least in part, on the ability of these compounds to stimulate autophagy-mediated apoptosis in tumor cells. Previous observations from our group demonstrated that local administration of THC (or of THC + CBD at a 1:1 ratio, a mixture that resembles the composition of the cannabinoid-based medicine Sativex®) in combination with Temozolomide, the benchmark agent for the treatment of GBM, synergistically reduces the growth of glioma xenografts. With the aim of optimizing the possible clinical utilization of cannabinoids in anti-GBM therapies, in this work we explored the anticancer efficacy of the systemic administration of cannabinoids in combination with TMZ in preclinical models of glioma. Our results show that oral administration of Sativex-like extracts (containing THC and CBD at a 1:1 ratio) in combination with TMZ produces a strong antitumoral effect in both subcutaneous and intracranial glioma cell-derived tumor xenografts. In contrast, combined administration of Sativex-like and BCNU (another alkylating agent used for the treatment of GBM which share structural similarities with the TMZ) did not show a stronger effect than individual treatments. Altogether, our findings support the notion that the combined administration of TMZ and oral cannabinoids could be therapeutically exploited for the management of GBM.Item The pseudokinase tribbles homologue-3 plays a crucial role in cannabinoid anticancer action(Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Molecular and Cell Biology of Lipids, 2013) Salazar Roa, María; Lorente Pérez, María Del Mar; García-Taboada, Elena; Hernández-Tiedra, Sonia; Dávila, David; Francis, Sheila E.; Guzmán Pastor, Manuel; Kiss-Toth, Endre; Velasco Díez, Guillermo; Velasco Díez, GuillermoΔ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the major active ingredient of marijuana, and other cannabinoids inhibit tumor growth in animal models of cancer. This effect relies, at least in part, on the up-regulation of several endoplasmic reticulum stress-related proteins including the pseudokinase tribbles homologue-3 (TRIB3), which leads in turn to the inhibition of the AKT/mTORC1 axis and the subsequent stimulation of autophagy-mediated apoptosis in tumor cells. Here, we took advantage of the use of cells derived from Trib3-deficient mice to investigate the precise mechanisms by which TRIB3 regulates the anti-cancer action of THC. Our data show that RasV12/E1A-transformed embryonic fibroblasts derived from Trib3-deficient mice are resistant to THC-induced cell death. We also show that genetic inactivation of this protein abolishes the ability of THC to inhibit the phosphorylation of AKT and several of its downstream targets, including those involved in the regulation of the AKT/mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) axis. Our data support the idea that THC-induced TRIB3 up-regulation inhibits AKT phosphorylation by regulating the accessibility of AKT to its upstream activatory kinase (the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 2; mTORC2). Finally, we found that tumors generated by inoculation of Trib3-deficient cells in nude mice are resistant to THC anticancer action. Altogether, the observations presented here strongly support that TRIB3 plays a crucial role on THC anti-neoplastic activity. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Lipid Metabolism in Cancer.Item A Combined Preclinical Therapy of Cannabinoids and Temozolomide against Glioma(Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, 2011) Torres, S.; Lorente Pérez, María Del Mar; Rodríguez-Fornés, Fátima; Hernández-Tiedra, Sonia; Salazar Roa, María; García-Taboada, Elena; Barcia, J .; Guzmán Pastor, Manuel; Velasco Díez, Guillermo; Velasco Díez, GuillermoGlioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is highly resistant to current anticancer treatments, which makes it crucial to find new therapeutic strategies aimed at improving the poor prognosis of patients suffering from this disease. Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the major active ingredient of marijuana, and other cannabinoid receptor agonists inhibit tumor growth in animal models of cancer, including glioma, an effect that relies, at least in part, on the stimulation of autophagy-mediated apoptosis in tumor cells. Here, we show that the combined administration of THC and temozolomide (TMZ; the benchmark agent for the management of GBM) exerts a strong antitumoral action in glioma xenografts, an effect that is also observed in tumors that are resistant to TMZ treatment. Combined administration of THC and TMZ enhanced autophagy, whereas pharmacologic or genetic inhibition of this process prevented TMZ + THC-induced cell death, supporting that activation of autophagy plays a crucial role on the mechanism of action of this drug combination. Administration of submaximal doses of THC and cannabidiol (CBD; another plant-derived cannabinoid that also induces glioma cell death through a mechanism of action different from that of THC) remarkably reduces the growth of glioma xenografts. Moreover, treatment with TMZ and submaximal doses of THC and CBD produced a strong antitumoral action in both TMZ-sensitive and TMZ-resistant tumors. Altogether, our findings support that the combined administration of TMZ and cannabinoids could be therapeutically exploited for the management of GBM.Item Stimulation of the midkine/ALK axis renders glioma cells resistant to cannabinoid antitumoral action(Cell Death and Differentiation, 2011) Lorente Pérez, María Del Mar; Torres, S.; Salazar Roa, María; Carracedo, A.; Hernández-Tiedra, S.; Rodríguez-Fornes, F.; García-Taboada, E.; Meléndez, B.; Mollejo, M.; Campos-Martín, Y.; Lakatosh, S.A.; Barcia, J.; Guzmán Pastor, Manuel; Velasco Díez, Guillermo; Velasco Díez, GuillermoIdentifying the molecular mechanisms responsible for the resistance of gliomas to anticancer treatments is an issue of great therapeutic interest. Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the major active ingredient of marijuana, and other cannabinoids inhibit tumor growth in animal models of cancer, including glioma, an effect that relies, at least in part, on the stimulation of autophagy-mediated apoptosis in tumor cells. Here, by analyzing the gene expression profile of a large series of human glioma cells with different sensitivity to cannabinoid action, we have identified a subset of genes specifically associated to THC resistance. One of these genes, namely that encoding the growth factor midkine (Mdk), is directly involved in the resistance of glioma cells to cannabinoid treatment. We also show that Mdk mediates its protective effect via the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) receptor and that Mdk signaling through ALK interferes with cannabinoid-induced autophagic cell death. Furthermore, in vivo Mdk silencing or ALK pharmacological inhibition sensitizes cannabinod-resistant tumors to THC antitumoral action. Altogether, our findings identify Mdk as a pivotal factor involved in the resistance of glioma cells to THC pro-autophagic and antitumoral action, and suggest that selective targeting of the Mdk/ALK axis could help to improve the efficacy of antitumoral therapies for gliomas.Item AMBRA1 links autophagy to cell proliferation and tumorigenesis by promoting c-Myc dephosphorylation and degradation(Nature Cell Biology, 2014) Cianfanelli, Valentina; Fuoco, Claudia; Lorente Pérez, María Del Mar; Salazar Roa, María; Quondamatteo, Fabio; Gherardini, Pier Federico; De Zio, Daniela; Nazio, Francesca; Antonioli, Manuela; D’Orazio, Melania; Skobo, Tatjana; Bordi, Matteo; Rohde, Mikkel; Dalla Valle, Luisa; Helmer-Citterich, Manuela; Gretzmeier, Christine; Dengjel, Joern; Fimia, Gian Maria; Piacentini, Mauro; Di Bartolomeo, Sabrina; Velasco Díez, Guillermo; Cecconi, Francesco; Cecconi, FrancescoInhibition of a main regulator of cell metabolism, the protein kinase mTOR, induces autophagy and inhibits cell proliferation. However, the molecular pathways involved in the cross-talk between these two mTOR-dependent cell processes are largely unknown. Here we show that the scaffold protein AMBRA1, a member of the autophagy signalling network and a downstream target of mTOR, regulates cell proliferation by facilitating the dephosphorylation and degradation of the proto-oncogene c-Myc. We found that AMBRA1 favours the interaction between c-Myc and its phosphatase PP2A and that, when mTOR is inhibited, it enhances PP2A activity on this specific target, thereby reducing the cell division rate. As expected, such a de-regulation of c-Myc correlates with increased tumorigenesis in AMBRA1-defective systems, thus supporting a role for AMBRA1 as a haploinsufficient tumour suppressor gene.