PI3K Pathway in Cancer

A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Cancer Therapy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2025 | Viewed by 12983

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Cancer Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
Interests: PI3K; targeted therapies; molecular oncology; immunotherapy; biomarkers; CDK4/6

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Guest Editor
Division of Pathological Anatomy, Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence, Viale Gaetano Pieraccini 6, 50139 Florence, Italy
Interests: histopathology; molecular markers; targeted therapy; genitourinary cancer

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling pathway controls multiple cellular processes, e.g. proliferation, growth, motility and survival, and is therefore crucial for tumor formation. The pathway can be activated by multiple factors, such as oncogenic genomic alterations in AKT, mTOR, PIK3CA, PIK3R1, PTEN, LKB1, TSCI1 and TSC2, as well as other critical genes. These oncogenic genomic alterations could be exploited in two ways: 1) as drug targets or 2) as biomarkers to predict cancer patient outcome and response to targeted therapies potentially involving critical molecules in the pathway. Currently, over 40 inhibitors are known to target this pathway, some of which are clinically approved by the FDA, including everolimus, temsirolimus, copanlisib and idelalisib. Novel compounds and antibodies have been discovered targeting mutated components of the pathway; as an example, alpelisib targets mutated PI3KCA, commonly found in 30–40% of breast cancer cases, offering hope for the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer across molecular subtypes.

The role of the PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway in immunology is intriguing. In organ transplantation mTOR-inhibitor everolimus has been widely employed as an immune suppressor to prevent transplant rejection in heart or kidney recipients. The same drug promises to be a second-line therapy for post-menopausal women experiencing breast cancer recurrence after hormone therapy. The role of the pathway in the tumor microenvironment may be tissue-specific and is still a matter of debate. Further studies will clarify whether PI3K inhibitors can modulate the immune system in the fight against cancer. This special issue of Cancers aims to highlight the exciting field of PI3K-AKT-mTOR biology to unravel new prospects and improve cancer therapeutics.

Dr. Navid Sobhani
Dr. Gabriella Nesi
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • PI3K
  • AKT
  • mTOR
  • PI3KCA mutations
  • targeted therapies
  • biomarkers
  • everolimus
  • temsirolimus
  • copanlisib and idelalisib
  • alpelisib
  • immunology

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 6869 KiB  
Article
IFI35 Promotes Renal Cancer Progression by Inhibiting pSTAT1/pSTAT6-Dependent Autophagy
by Dafei Chai, Shang Yuchen Shi, Navid Sobhani, Jiage Ding, Zichun Zhang, Nan Jiang, Gang Wang, Minle Li, Hailong Li, Junnian Zheng and Jin Bai
Cancers 2022, 14(12), 2861; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers14122861 - 9 Jun 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2758
Abstract
Interferon-induced protein 35 (IFI35), is currently acknowledged to govern the virus-related immune inflammatory responses. However, the biological significance and function of IFI35 in renal cell cancer (RCC) is still not well understood. Here, IFI35 expression and function were investigated in RCC tissues, renal [...] Read more.
Interferon-induced protein 35 (IFI35), is currently acknowledged to govern the virus-related immune inflammatory responses. However, the biological significance and function of IFI35 in renal cell cancer (RCC) is still not well understood. Here, IFI35 expression and function were investigated in RCC tissues, renal cancer cells, and animal models. The results showed that IFI35 expression was significantly increased in 200 specimens of RCC patients. We found that higher IFI35 levels were significantly correlated with poor RCC prognosis. In human cell lines, the knockdown of IFI35 suppressed the malignant behavior of renal cancer cells. Similarly, the IFI35 knockdown resulted in significant inhibition of tumor progression in the subcutaneous or lung metastasis mouse model. Furthermore, the knockdown of IFI35 promoted the induction of autophagy by enhancing the autophagy-related gene expression (LC3-II, Beclin-1, and ATG-5). Additionally, blockade of STAT1/STAT6 phosphorylation (pSTAT1/pSTAT6) abrogated the induced autophagy by IFI35 knockdown in renal cancer cells. The autophagy inhibitor 3-MA also abolished the prevention of tumor growth by deleting IFI35 in renal cancer models. The above results suggest that the knockdown of IFI35 suppressed tumor progression of renal cancer by pSTAT1/pSTAT6-dependent autophagy. Our research revealed that IFI35 may serve as a potential diagnosis and therapeutic target for RCC. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue PI3K Pathway in Cancer)
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Review

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31 pages, 974 KiB  
Review
Current State and Future Challenges for PI3K Inhibitors in Cancer Therapy
by Marianna Sirico, Alberto D’Angelo, Caterina Gianni, Chiara Casadei, Filippo Merloni and Ugo De Giorgi
Cancers 2023, 15(3), 703; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers15030703 - 23 Jan 2023
Cited by 23 | Viewed by 4564
Abstract
The phosphoinositide 3 kinase (PI3K)-protein kinase B (PKB/AKT)-mammalian target of the rapamycin (mTOR) axis is a key signal transduction system that links oncogenes and multiple receptor classes which are involved in many essential cellular functions. Aberrant PI3K signalling is one of the most [...] Read more.
The phosphoinositide 3 kinase (PI3K)-protein kinase B (PKB/AKT)-mammalian target of the rapamycin (mTOR) axis is a key signal transduction system that links oncogenes and multiple receptor classes which are involved in many essential cellular functions. Aberrant PI3K signalling is one of the most commonly mutated pathways in cancer. Consequently, more than 40 compounds targeting key components of this signalling network have been tested in clinical trials among various types of cancer. As the oncogenic activation of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway often occurs alongside mutations in other signalling networks, combination therapy should be considered. In this review, we highlight recent advances in the knowledge of the PI3K pathway and discuss the current state and future challenges of targeting this pathway in clinical practice. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue PI3K Pathway in Cancer)
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24 pages, 1257 KiB  
Review
The Role of Genomics and Proteomics in Lung Cancer Early Detection and Treatment
by Mohammad Hadi Abbasian, Ali M. Ardekani, Navid Sobhani and Raheleh Roudi
Cancers 2022, 14(20), 5144; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers14205144 - 20 Oct 2022
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 4240
Abstract
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) being the primary type. Unfortunately, it is often diagnosed at advanced stages, when therapy leaves patients with a dismal prognosis. Despite the advances in genomics and proteomics in [...] Read more.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) being the primary type. Unfortunately, it is often diagnosed at advanced stages, when therapy leaves patients with a dismal prognosis. Despite the advances in genomics and proteomics in the past decade, leading to progress in developing tools for early diagnosis, targeted therapies have shown promising results; however, the 5-year survival of NSCLC patients is only about 15%. Low-dose computed tomography or chest X-ray are the main types of screening tools. Lung cancer patients without specific, actionable mutations are currently treated with conventional therapies, such as platinum-based chemotherapy; however, resistances and relapses often occur in these patients. More noninvasive, inexpensive, and safer diagnostic methods based on novel biomarkers for NSCLC are of paramount importance. In the current review, we summarize genomic and proteomic biomarkers utilized for the early detection and treatment of NSCLC. We further discuss future opportunities to improve biomarkers for early detection and the effective treatment of NSCLC. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue PI3K Pathway in Cancer)
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