The cytosolic Ca
2+ is a crucial second messenger involved in controlling diverse cellular functions, such as proliferation, differentiation, survival, migration, and gene expressions
[151,152,153][65][66][67]. The increase in the cytosolic Ca
2+ levels is mainly contributed by the Ca
2+ fluxes from the extracellular space or the internal Ca
2+ storage. Store-operated Ca
2+ entry (SOCE), which constitutes the release of Ca
2+ from the ER and the influx of Ca
2+ through the plasmalemmal store-operated Ca
2+ (SOC) channel, is the primary pathway to increase the cytosolic Ca
2+ levels in non-excitable cells
[154,155][68][69]. The molecular determinants underlying the activation of SOCE comprise two families of proteins, the ER Ca
2+sensors, stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1) and STIM2, and the pore-forming proteins of the SOC channel, Orai1 to Orai3
[154,156,157][68][70][71]. STIM proteins are the ER-resident transmembrane protein with several functional domains and protein-protein interaction motifs essential for SOCE activation (see reviews in
[158,159][72][73]). Once ER Ca
2+ is depleted, STIM proteins aggregate into oligomers that translocate toward the plasma membrane junctions to interact with and activate Orai proteins, allowing the Ca
2+ entry. STIM molecules were identified as the microtubule-interacting protein via the direction with the microtubule-plus-end-tracking proteins EB1 and EB3
[160,161][74][75]. Several studies have demonstrated the essential roles of microtubules and microtubule-plus-end-tracking mechanisms in the translocation of STIM1 toward the ER-plasma membrane junctions and the following SOCE activation
[162,163,164][76][77][78]. With the use of the direct stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (dSTORM), the recent study provided the ultrastructural view into the activation, aggregation, and translocation of STIM1, as well as the interaction between STIM1, microtubules, and EBs during the dynamic process of SOCE of cervical cancer cells
[165][79]. Upon ER Ca
2+ depletion, the activated STIM1 interacted with EB1 regardless of undergoing aggregation. Moreover, EB1 silencing did not impair aggregation, but the trafficking of STIM1 to the ER-plasma membrane; and EB3 compensates for the crosstalk between STIM1 and microtubule after EB1-silencing. Results from dSTORM imaging provided novel insights into STIM1 trafficking that is independent of the aggregated state and revealed the role of the microtubule network, end-binding protein EB1, and EB3 in SOCE
[165][79].
The details of structural insights, molecular characterization, physiological functions, pathological defects of STIM and Orai proteins, as well as their dynamic protein-protein interactions that mediated the mediate the activation of SOCE, have been extensively investigated and comprehensively reviewed
[166,167,168,169,170,171,172,173,174,175,176][80][81][82][83][84][85][86][87][88][89][90]. Increasing evidence demonstrating the essential roles of STIM and Orai proteins have made them potential prognostic biomarkers or antitumor therapeutic targets
[177,178,179,180,181,182,183][91][92][93][94][95][96][97]. Here researchers updated the recent advances on the importance of STIM/Orai-dependent SOCE in cervical epithelial carcinogenesis and tumor malignant behaviors and the emerging development of SOCE mechanisms as the selective therapeutic target in cervical cancer.
2.1. SOCE-Dependent Ca2+ Signaling Network in Cervical Carcinogenesis
2.1.1. Proliferation and Cell Cycle Regulation
The functional significance of STIM-mediated SOCE in cervical cancer cell proliferation was extensively studied. Investigations in human cervical cancer cells showed that cell proliferation and cell cycle progression were significantly slowed down by STIM1 silencing that was attributed to the increased expression of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21 protein and decreased levels of phosphatase Cdc25C protein
[184][98]. Results from the intracellular Ca
2+ measurement in cervical cancer cells synchronized in different cell cycle status found the fluctuating SOCE activity during cell cycle progression, in which SOCE is upregulated in G1/S transition and downregulated from S to G2/M transition
[185][99]. Mechanistic investigations showed that the blockade of SOCE activity by pharmacological inhibitors or STIM1/Orai1 silencing resulted in the decreased phosphorylation of the cyclin-dependent kinase CDK2 and increased expression of cyclin E, leading to the cell cycle arrest in G1/S transition accompanied with autophagy
[185][99]. Therefore, these studies established the role of SOCE mediated by the STIM1 and Orai1 as the molecular determinants responsible for the Ca
2+ fluxes controlling the G1/S cell cycle checkpoint of cervical cancer cells
[185][99]. Regarding the role of STIM2 in cervical cancer cell proliferation, results from the individual or simultaneous silencing of STIM1/STIM2 suggested that both STIM1 and STIM2 contribute to the cell proliferation
[162][76], at least partly through the regulation of SOCE during G1/S transition
[185][99]. Furthermore, the growth of human cervical cancer xenograft in the SCID mice was attenuated by the interference with STIM1 expression or blockade of SOCE activity, demonstrating the in vivo significance of SOCE in cell proliferation
[184][98]. These studies highlight the important roles of the STIM-mediated SOCE pathway in controlling cervical cancer cell proliferation via the regulation of the G1/S cell cycle checkpoint.
2.1.2. Tumor Angiogenesis
Tumor angiogenesis is the process of the recruitment of a new blood vessel network by which the uncontrolled growth, expansion, and dissemination of cancer cells are sustained with the supportive microenvironment enriched in oxygen and various nutrients
[186][100]. The functional significance of STIM1-dependent SOCE in tumor angiogenesis supporting the progression of cervical cancer was revealed from the study using the model of SiHa cervical cancer cells
[184][98]. Results from the mouse tumor xenograft model of cervical cancer showed that STIM1 silencing or SOCE blockade resulted in a reduction in tumor neovascularization and tumor growth. Measurement of the secretions of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a potent inducer of vascular endothelial cell proliferation and migration, showed that STIM1 expression regulated VEGF-A productions from cervical cancer cells. Together with other investigations dissecting the functional roles of SOCE in vascular endothelial cells
[187[101][102][103],
188,189], it is suggested that STIM1-mediated Ca
2+ machinery can be an attractive therapeutic target for strategies against tumor neovascularization.
2.1.3. Cell Migration
It has been well established that SOCE dependent Ca
2+ signaling network plays a vital role in the cellular migration of both non-cancerous and cancer cells through orchestrating cytoskeletal reorganization, focal adhesions, and direct sensing
[190,191][104][105]. Results from STIM1 overexpression or silencing, as well as the pharmacological blockade of SOCE in cervical cancer, showed that STIM1-mediated SOCE is crucial for the migratory capability of cervical cancer cells
[163,184,192][77][98][106]. The molecular mechanisms by which STIM1-dependent SOCE regulates cervical cancer cell migration mainly are through the Ca
2+-dependent molecules controlling the focal adhesion turnover and actomyosin contractility, including calpain protease, myosin light chain kinase (MLCK), and focal adhesion proteins protein-rich tyrosine kinase (Pyk2), focal adhesion kinase (FAK), and talin. Therefore, it is proposed that STIM1-mediated Ca
2+ influx regulates the contraction of myosin II-based actomyosin via the phosphorylation of the myosin II regulatory light chain by the Ca
2+-dependent MLCK
[192][106]. Moreover, the recruitment of the active focal adhesion proteins to nascent cell adhesions at the cell front, as well as the activation of the Ca
2+-sensitive protease calpain at the rear end, are dependent on STIM1 expression or activity. Therefore, by altering the focal adhesion turnover and actomyosin contractility of cancer cells, STIM1-dependent SOCE promotes tumorigenesis and tumor metastasis of cervical cancers.
2.2. Diagnostic and Prognostic Values of SOCE in Cervical Carcinogenesis
Aberrated overexpression of STIM1 or Orai1 and thus upregulated SOCE activity have been observed in several types of human cancers, including cervical cancers. STIM1 and Orai1 are overexpressed in tumor tissues when compared with non-cancerous or precancerous tissues in patients with cervical cancers
[162,163,184,185][76][77][98][99]. The distinct distribution of overexpressed STIM1 was identified in the invasive tumor front of the surgical specimens of human cervical cancer
[193][107]. The studies in human cervical cancer indicated that poorer clinical outcomes, such as larger tumor size and elevated lymph node metastasis, are correlated with STIM1 upregulation in primary tumors
[184][98], highlighting the clinical significance of STIM1 in cervical cancer progression.
Regarding STIM2, the recent study on a limited number of surgical specimens of cervical cancer showed a decreased tumoral STIM2 expression when compared with non-cancerous epithelium, whereas a higher tumoral STIM2 level when compared with invasive tumor front
[162][76]. The simultaneous STIM1 and STIM2 immunostaining showed that, despite the overexpression of both isoforms in tumor tissues, STIM1 is the principle ER Ca
2+-sensing molecule detected in the invasive tumor front
[162][76]. These imply that STIM1 is associated with tumor growth and invasion, whereas STIM2 is mainly correlated with tumor growth. Therefore, using the STIM1/STIM2 ratio as a marker of cervical cancer aggressiveness might be promising and worth further evaluation.
2.3. Recent Development of Therapeutics Targeting SOCE in Cervical Carcinogenesis
Given the importance of SOCE tumor biology and cancer progression, it is plausible to suggest that the blockade of STIM1/Orai1-dependent Ca
2+ signaling can be a practical therapeutic approach for cervical cancer. Studies on preclinical animal models have demonstrated the potentials of several small-molecule SOCE inhibitors in cancer therapies
[194,195,196,197,198][108][109][110][111][112]. However, these SOCE inhibitors have not been approved for clinical use for cancer therapies. For example, SKF-96365 and 2-aminoethoxydiphenyl borate (2-APB), two of the potent pharmacological blockers of SOCE, prevented the tumor growth and angiogenesis in human cervical cancer-implanted SCID mice
[184][98]. Further evidence from the overexpression or silencing of STIM1 and Orai1 supported that in vivo anti-tumor effects of SKF-96365 or 2-APB involve the blockade of STIM1/Orai1 complex
[163,184][77][98].
Due to the ubiquitous expression of STIM and Orai protein, as well as their essential roles in the human immune system, including antitumor immunity, developing cancer cell-specific SOCE modulators is essential for effective antitumor therapeutics. For example, a study in the model of human cervical cancer has suggested that the different regulatory effects on the microtubule-dependent STIM1 trafficking between non-cancerous epithelial and cancerous cells could be the key to target cancer cell-specific mechanisms of SOCE activation
[163][77]. Reversible acetylation of α-tubulin on Lys40 is important for regulating microtubule stability and function and thus modulating cell motility
[199,200,201][113][114][115]. The histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) is a unique cytosol-localized HDAC member known as a prominent α-tubulin deacetylase
[202,203][116][117]. It was found that the microtubule-dependent STIM1 translocation and subsequent SOCE activation of cervical cancer cells, but not in non-cancerous epithelial cells, was abrogated upon hyperacetylation of α-tubulin by pharmacological blockade or silencing of HDAC6
[163][77]. Thus, the microtubule-associated HDAC6 can be a cancer-specific target of malignant phenotypes mediated by STIM1-dependent SOCE, at least for cervical cancers with upregulation of HDAC6 and STIM1.
A recent investigation demonstrated the important role of the lysosomal cysteine protease cathepsin S in regulating STIM1 trafficking
[204][118]. It highlighted the potential of the α-ketoamide-based highly selective cathepsin S inhibitor RJW-58 in the suppression of cervical cancer cell migration and invasion of cervical cancer cells
[204][118]. Cathepsin S, a lysosomal cysteine protease, has been reported to be associated with the degradation of the extracellular matrix, thus promoting cell migration and invasion
[205][119]. Results of immunoprecipitation assays demonstrated that cathepsin S interacted with STIM1, which was reversed by RNAi-mediated silencing and enzymatic inhibition of cathepsin S. Analyses of confocal microscopic and super-resolution imaging indicated that cathepsin S inhibition led to STIM1 puncta accumulation in the ER and interrupted the STIM1-EB1 interaction, a critical step for STIM1 trafficking towards the cell periphery. In addition, RNAi-mediated silencing and enzymatic inhibition of cathepsin S significantly decreased SOCE and reduced the activity of downstream Ca
2+-dependent effectors NFAT1 and Rac1. These results provide new insight into the potential of a highly-selective cathepsin S inhibitor RJW-58 as a promising anti-cancer treatment that targets microtubule-dependent STIM1 translocation and subsequent SOCE activation
[204][118].