Cancer Stem Cells and Radioresistance: Rho/ROCK Pathway Plea Attention

Radiation is the most potent mode of cancer therapy; however, resistance to radiation therapy results in tumor relapse and subsequent fatality. The cancer stem cell (CSC), which has better DNA repair capability, has been shown to contribute to tumor resistance and is an important target for treatmen...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Annapurna Pranatharthi, Cecil Ross, Sweta Srivastava
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2016-01-01
Series:Stem Cells International
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/5785786
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850164717889257472
author Annapurna Pranatharthi
Cecil Ross
Sweta Srivastava
author_facet Annapurna Pranatharthi
Cecil Ross
Sweta Srivastava
author_sort Annapurna Pranatharthi
collection DOAJ
description Radiation is the most potent mode of cancer therapy; however, resistance to radiation therapy results in tumor relapse and subsequent fatality. The cancer stem cell (CSC), which has better DNA repair capability, has been shown to contribute to tumor resistance and is an important target for treatment. Signaling molecules such as Notch, Wnt, and DNA repair pathways regulate molecular mechanisms in CSCs; however, none of them have been translated into therapeutic targets. The RhoGTPases and their effector ROCK-signaling pathway, though important for tumor progression, have not been well studied in the context of radioresistance. There are reports that implicate RhoA in radioresistance. ROCK2 has also been shown to interact with BRCA2 in the regulation of cell division. Incidentally, statins (drug for cardiovascular ailment) are functional inhibitors of RhoGTPases. Studies suggest that patients on statins have a better prognosis in cancers. Data from our lab suggest that ROCK signaling regulates radioresistance in cervical cancer cells. Collectively, these findings suggest that Rho/ROCK signaling may be important for radiation resistance. In this review, we enumerate the role of Rho/ROCK signaling in stemness and radioresistance and highlight the need to explore these molecules for a better understanding of radioresistance and development of therapeutics.
format Article
id doaj-art-e94b43dc8ea3421494cccb763f2ff319
institution OA Journals
issn 1687-966X
1687-9678
language English
publishDate 2016-01-01
publisher Wiley
record_format Article
series Stem Cells International
spelling doaj-art-e94b43dc8ea3421494cccb763f2ff3192025-08-20T02:21:53ZengWileyStem Cells International1687-966X1687-96782016-01-01201610.1155/2016/57857865785786Cancer Stem Cells and Radioresistance: Rho/ROCK Pathway Plea AttentionAnnapurna Pranatharthi0Cecil Ross1Sweta Srivastava2St. John’s Medical College Hospital, Bangalore 560034, IndiaSt. John’s Medical College Hospital, Bangalore 560034, IndiaSt. John’s Medical College Hospital, Bangalore 560034, IndiaRadiation is the most potent mode of cancer therapy; however, resistance to radiation therapy results in tumor relapse and subsequent fatality. The cancer stem cell (CSC), which has better DNA repair capability, has been shown to contribute to tumor resistance and is an important target for treatment. Signaling molecules such as Notch, Wnt, and DNA repair pathways regulate molecular mechanisms in CSCs; however, none of them have been translated into therapeutic targets. The RhoGTPases and their effector ROCK-signaling pathway, though important for tumor progression, have not been well studied in the context of radioresistance. There are reports that implicate RhoA in radioresistance. ROCK2 has also been shown to interact with BRCA2 in the regulation of cell division. Incidentally, statins (drug for cardiovascular ailment) are functional inhibitors of RhoGTPases. Studies suggest that patients on statins have a better prognosis in cancers. Data from our lab suggest that ROCK signaling regulates radioresistance in cervical cancer cells. Collectively, these findings suggest that Rho/ROCK signaling may be important for radiation resistance. In this review, we enumerate the role of Rho/ROCK signaling in stemness and radioresistance and highlight the need to explore these molecules for a better understanding of radioresistance and development of therapeutics.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/5785786
spellingShingle Annapurna Pranatharthi
Cecil Ross
Sweta Srivastava
Cancer Stem Cells and Radioresistance: Rho/ROCK Pathway Plea Attention
Stem Cells International
title Cancer Stem Cells and Radioresistance: Rho/ROCK Pathway Plea Attention
title_full Cancer Stem Cells and Radioresistance: Rho/ROCK Pathway Plea Attention
title_fullStr Cancer Stem Cells and Radioresistance: Rho/ROCK Pathway Plea Attention
title_full_unstemmed Cancer Stem Cells and Radioresistance: Rho/ROCK Pathway Plea Attention
title_short Cancer Stem Cells and Radioresistance: Rho/ROCK Pathway Plea Attention
title_sort cancer stem cells and radioresistance rho rock pathway plea attention
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/5785786
work_keys_str_mv AT annapurnapranatharthi cancerstemcellsandradioresistancerhorockpathwaypleaattention
AT cecilross cancerstemcellsandradioresistancerhorockpathwaypleaattention
AT swetasrivastava cancerstemcellsandradioresistancerhorockpathwaypleaattention