Glycogen synthase kinase 3β as a potential therapeutic target in synovial sarcoma and fibrosarcoma

Soft tissue sarcomas (STSs) are a rare cancer type. Almost half are unresponsive to multi‐pronged treatment and might therefore benefit from biologically targeted therapy. An emerging target is glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)3β, which is implicated in various diseases including cancer. Here, we investigated the expression, activity and putative pathological role of GSK3β in synovial sarcoma and fibrosarcoma, comprising the majority of STS that are encountered in orthopedics. Expression of the active form of GSK3β (tyrosine 216‐phosphorylated) was higher in synovial sarcoma (SYO‐1, HS‐SY‐II, SW982) and in fibrosarcoma (HT1080) tumor cell lines than in untransformed fibroblast (NHDF) cells that are assumed to be the normal mesenchymal counterpart cells. Inhibition of GSK3β activity by pharmacological agents (AR‐A014418, SB‐216763) or of its expression by RNA interference suppressed the proliferation of sarcoma cells and their invasion of collagen gel, as well as inducing their apoptosis. These effects were associated with G0/G1‐phase cell cycle arrest and decreased expression of cyclin D1, cyclin‐dependent kinase (CDK)4 and matrix metalloproteinase 2. Intraperitoneal injection of the GSK3β inhibitors attenuated the growth of SYO‐1 and HT1080 xenografts in athymic mice without obvious detrimental effects. It also mitigated cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in the tumors of mice. This study indicates that increased activity of GSK3β in synovial sarcoma and fibrosarcoma sustains tumor proliferation and invasion through the cyclin D1/CDK4‐mediated pathway and enhanced extracellular matrix degradation. Our results provide a biological basis for GSK3β as a new and promising therapeutic target for these STS types. This study shows that deregulated activity of GSK3β in synovial sarcoma and fibrosarcoma is responsible for tumor cell proliferation through cyclin D1/CDK4‐mediated cell cycle progression, and for tumor cell invasion via enhanced extracellular matrix degradation. The present results therefore suggest that targeting of GSK3β in tumor cells is a promising therapeutic strategy for soft tissue sarcomas.