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Pan M, Zhang Y, Wright WC, Liu X, Passaia B, Currier D, Low J, Chapple RH, Steele JA, Connelly JP, Lu M, Lee HM, Loughran AJ, Yang L, Abraham BJ, Pruett-Miller SM, Freeman B, Campbell GE, Dyer MA, Chen T, Stewart E, Koo S, Sheppard H, Easton J, Geeleher P. Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling determines neuroblastoma cell fate and sensitivity to retinoic acid. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.09.593394. [PMID: 38798584 PMCID: PMC11118433 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.09.593394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Retinoic acid (RA) is a standard-of-care neuroblastoma drug thought to be effective by inducing differentiation. Curiously, RA has little effect on primary human tumors during upfront treatment but can eliminate neuroblastoma cells from the bone marrow during post-chemo consolidation therapy-a discrepancy that has never been explained. To investigate this, we treated a large cohort of neuroblastoma cell lines with RA and observed that the most RA-sensitive cells predominantly undergo apoptosis or senescence, rather than differentiation. We conducted genome-wide CRISPR knockout screens under RA treatment, which identified BMP signaling as controlling the apoptosis/senescence vs differentiation cell fate decision and determining RA's overall potency. We then discovered that BMP signaling activity is markedly higher in neuroblastoma patient samples at bone marrow metastatic sites, providing a plausible explanation for RA's ability to clear neuroblastoma cells specifically from the bone marrow, seemingly mimicking interactions between BMP and RA during normal development.
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Saldana-Guerrero IM, Montano-Gutierrez LF, Boswell K, Hafemeister C, Poon E, Shaw LE, Stavish D, Lea RA, Wernig-Zorc S, Bozsaky E, Fetahu IS, Zoescher P, Pötschger U, Bernkopf M, Wenninger-Weinzierl A, Sturtzel C, Souilhol C, Tarelli S, Shoeb MR, Bozatzi P, Rados M, Guarini M, Buri MC, Weninger W, Putz EM, Huang M, Ladenstein R, Andrews PW, Barbaric I, Cresswell GD, Bryant HE, Distel M, Chesler L, Taschner-Mandl S, Farlik M, Tsakiridis A, Halbritter F. A human neural crest model reveals the developmental impact of neuroblastoma-associated chromosomal aberrations. Nat Commun 2024; 15:3745. [PMID: 38702304 PMCID: PMC11068915 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47945-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Early childhood tumours arise from transformed embryonic cells, which often carry large copy number alterations (CNA). However, it remains unclear how CNAs contribute to embryonic tumourigenesis due to a lack of suitable models. Here we employ female human embryonic stem cell (hESC) differentiation and single-cell transcriptome and epigenome analysis to assess the effects of chromosome 17q/1q gains, which are prevalent in the embryonal tumour neuroblastoma (NB). We show that CNAs impair the specification of trunk neural crest (NC) cells and their sympathoadrenal derivatives, the putative cells-of-origin of NB. This effect is exacerbated upon overexpression of MYCN, whose amplification co-occurs with CNAs in NB. Moreover, CNAs potentiate the pro-tumourigenic effects of MYCN and mutant NC cells resemble NB cells in tumours. These changes correlate with a stepwise aberration of developmental transcription factor networks. Together, our results sketch a mechanistic framework for the CNA-driven initiation of embryonal tumours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingrid M Saldana-Guerrero
- Centre for Stem Cell Biology, School of Biosciences, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
- Neuroscience Institute, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
- Sheffield Institute for Nucleic Acids (SInFoNiA), School of Medicine and Population Health, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | | | - Katy Boswell
- Centre for Stem Cell Biology, School of Biosciences, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
- Neuroscience Institute, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | | | - Evon Poon
- Division of Clinical Studies, The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) & Royal Marsden NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - Lisa E Shaw
- Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Dylan Stavish
- Centre for Stem Cell Biology, School of Biosciences, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
- Neuroscience Institute, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Rebecca A Lea
- Centre for Stem Cell Biology, School of Biosciences, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
- Neuroscience Institute, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Sara Wernig-Zorc
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria
| | - Eva Bozsaky
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria
| | - Irfete S Fetahu
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria
- Medical University of Vienna, Department of Neurology, Division of Neuropathology and Neurochemistry, Vienna, Austria
| | - Peter Zoescher
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria
| | - Ulrike Pötschger
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria
| | - Marie Bernkopf
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria
- Labdia Labordiagnostik GmbH, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Caterina Sturtzel
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria
| | - Celine Souilhol
- Centre for Stem Cell Biology, School of Biosciences, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
- Neuroscience Institute, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
- Biomolecular Sciences Research Centre, Department of Biosciences and Chemistry, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, UK
| | - Sophia Tarelli
- Centre for Stem Cell Biology, School of Biosciences, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
- Neuroscience Institute, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Mohamed R Shoeb
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria
| | - Polyxeni Bozatzi
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria
| | - Magdalena Rados
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria
| | - Maria Guarini
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Michelle C Buri
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria
| | - Wolfgang Weninger
- Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Eva M Putz
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria
| | - Miller Huang
- Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Cancer and Blood Disease Institutes, and The Saban Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Ruth Ladenstein
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria
| | - Peter W Andrews
- Centre for Stem Cell Biology, School of Biosciences, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Ivana Barbaric
- Centre for Stem Cell Biology, School of Biosciences, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
- Neuroscience Institute, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | | | - Helen E Bryant
- Sheffield Institute for Nucleic Acids (SInFoNiA), School of Medicine and Population Health, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Martin Distel
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria
| | - Louis Chesler
- Division of Clinical Studies, The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) & Royal Marsden NHS Trust, London, UK
| | | | - Matthias Farlik
- Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Anestis Tsakiridis
- Centre for Stem Cell Biology, School of Biosciences, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
- Neuroscience Institute, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
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Lee WG, Asuelime GE, Asuelime-Smith MBT, Chen SY, Kim ES. Differential RNA Expression Between Metastatic and Primary Neuroblastoma Cells. J Surg Res 2024; 298:240-250. [PMID: 38631173 DOI: 10.1016/j.jss.2024.03.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Revised: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common extra-cranial malignancy in children. Poor survival in high-risk NB is attributed to recurrent metastatic disease. To better study metastatic disease, we used a novel mouse model to investigate differential gene expression between primary tumor cells and metastatic cells. We hypothesized that metastatic NB cells have a different gene expression profile from primary tumor cells and cultured cells. METHODS Using three human NB cell lines (NGP, CHLA255, and SH-SY5Y), orthotopic xenografts were established in immunodeficient nod/scid gamma mice via subcapsular renal injection. Mice were sacrificed and NB cells were isolated from the primary tumor and from sites of metastasis (bone marrow, liver). RNA sequencing, gene set analysis, and pathway analysis were performed to identify differentially expressed genes and molecular pathways in the metastatic cells compared to primary tumor cells. RESULTS There were 266 differentially expressed genes in metastatic tumor cells (bone marrow and liver combined) compared to primary tumor cells. The top upregulated gene was KCNK1 and the top downregulated genes were PDE7B and NEBL. Top upregulated pathways in the metastatic cells were involved in ion transport, cell signaling, and cell proliferation. Top downregulated pathways were involved in DNA synthesis, transcription, and cellular metabolism. CONCLUSIONS In metastatic NB cells, our study identified the upregulation of biologic processes involved in cell cycle regulation, cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Ongoing studies aim to validate downstream translation of these genomic alterations, as well as target these pathways to more effectively suppress and inhibit recurrent metastatic disease in NB.
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Affiliation(s)
- William G Lee
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; Division of Pediatric Surgery, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California
| | - Grace E Asuelime
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | | | - Stephanie Y Chen
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; Division of Pediatric Surgery, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California
| | - Eugene S Kim
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; Division of Pediatric Surgery, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California; Department of Surgery, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California.
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MUW researcher of the month. Wien Klin Wochenschr 2024; 136:126-127. [PMID: 38305880 DOI: 10.1007/s00508-024-02328-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2024]
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Aveic S, Seidelmann M, Davtalab R, Corallo D, Vogt M, Rütten S, Fischer H. Three-dimensional in vitro model of bone metastases of neuroblastoma as a tool for pharmacological evaluations. Nanotheranostics 2024; 8:1-11. [PMID: 38164505 PMCID: PMC10750120 DOI: 10.7150/ntno.85439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024] Open
Abstract
In vitro metastatic models are foreseen to introduce a breakthrough in the field of preclinical screening of more functional small-molecule pharmaceuticals and biologics. To achieve this goal, the complexity of current in vitro systems requests an appropriate upgrade to approach the three-dimensional (3D) in vivo metastatic disease. Here, we explored the potential of our 3D β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) model of neuroblastoma bone metastasis for drug toxicity assessment. Tailor-made scaffolds with interconnected channels were produced by combining 3D printing and slip casting method. The organization of neuroblastoma cells into a mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) network, cultured under bioactive conditions provided by β-TCP, was monitored by two-photon microscopy. Deposition of extracellular matrix protein Collagen I by MSCs and persistent growth of tumor cells confirmed the cell-supportive performance of our 3D model. When different neuroblastoma cells were treated with conventional chemotherapeutics, the β-TCP model provided the necessary reproducibility and accuracy of experimental readouts. Drug efficacy evaluation was done for 3D and 2D cell cultures, highlighting the need for a higher dose of chemotherapeutics under 3D conditions to achieve the expected cytotoxicity in tumor cells. Our results confirm the importance of 3D geometry in driving native connectivity between nonmalignant and tumor cells and sustain β-TCP scaffolds as a reliable and affordable drug screening platform for use in the early stages of drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanja Aveic
- Department of Dental Materials and Biomaterials Research, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Pauwelsstrasse 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany
- Laboratory of Target Discovery and Biology of Neuroblastoma, Istituto di Ricerca Pediatrica Fondazione Città della Speranza, Corso Stati Uniti 4, 35127 Padova, Italy
| | - Max Seidelmann
- Department of Dental Materials and Biomaterials Research, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Pauwelsstrasse 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Roswitha Davtalab
- Department of Dental Materials and Biomaterials Research, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Pauwelsstrasse 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Diana Corallo
- Laboratory of Target Discovery and Biology of Neuroblastoma, Istituto di Ricerca Pediatrica Fondazione Città della Speranza, Corso Stati Uniti 4, 35127 Padova, Italy
| | - Michael Vogt
- Interdisciplinary Center for Clinical Research, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Pauwelsstrasse 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Stephan Rütten
- Electron Microscopy Facility, Institute of Pathology, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Pauwelsstrasse 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Horst Fischer
- Department of Dental Materials and Biomaterials Research, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Pauwelsstrasse 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany
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Pouliou M, Koutsi MA, Champezou L, Giannopoulou AI, Vatsellas G, Piperi C, Agelopoulos M. MYCN Amplifications and Metabolic Rewiring in Neuroblastoma. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:4803. [PMID: 37835497 PMCID: PMC10571721 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15194803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Revised: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer is a disease caused by (epi)genomic and gene expression abnormalities and characterized by metabolic phenotypes that are substantially different from the normal phenotypes of the tissues of origin. Metabolic reprogramming is one of the key features of tumors, including those established in the human nervous system. In this work, we emphasize a well-known cancerous genomic alteration: the amplification of MYCN and its downstream effects in neuroblastoma phenotype evolution. Herein, we extend our previous computational biology investigations by conducting an integrative workflow applied to published genomics datasets and comprehensively assess the impact of MYCN amplification in the upregulation of metabolism-related transcription factor (TF)-encoding genes in neuroblastoma cells. The results obtained first emphasized overexpressed TFs, and subsequently those committed in metabolic cellular processes, as validated by gene ontology analyses (GOs) and literature curation. Several genes encoding for those TFs were investigated at the mechanistic and regulatory levels by conducting further omics-based computational biology assessments applied on published ChIP-seq datasets retrieved from MYCN-amplified- and MYCN-enforced-overexpression within in vivo systems of study. Hence, we approached the mechanistic interrelationship between amplified MYCN and overexpression of metabolism-related TFs in neuroblastoma and showed that many are direct targets of MYCN in an amplification-inducible fashion. These results illuminate how MYCN executes its regulatory underpinnings on metabolic processes in neuroblastoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marialena Pouliou
- Center of Basic Research, Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, 4 Soranou Ephessiou St., 11527 Athens, Greece; (M.P.); (M.A.K.); (L.C.); (G.V.)
| | - Marianna A. Koutsi
- Center of Basic Research, Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, 4 Soranou Ephessiou St., 11527 Athens, Greece; (M.P.); (M.A.K.); (L.C.); (G.V.)
| | - Lydia Champezou
- Center of Basic Research, Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, 4 Soranou Ephessiou St., 11527 Athens, Greece; (M.P.); (M.A.K.); (L.C.); (G.V.)
| | - Angeliki-Ioanna Giannopoulou
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 75 M. Asias Street Bldg 16, 11527 Athens, Greece;
| | - Giannis Vatsellas
- Center of Basic Research, Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, 4 Soranou Ephessiou St., 11527 Athens, Greece; (M.P.); (M.A.K.); (L.C.); (G.V.)
| | - Christina Piperi
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 75 M. Asias Street Bldg 16, 11527 Athens, Greece;
| | - Marios Agelopoulos
- Center of Basic Research, Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, 4 Soranou Ephessiou St., 11527 Athens, Greece; (M.P.); (M.A.K.); (L.C.); (G.V.)
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Corallo D, Dalla Vecchia M, Lazic D, Taschner-Mandl S, Biffi A, Aveic S. The molecular basis of tumor metastasis and current approaches to decode targeted migration-promoting events in pediatric neuroblastoma. Biochem Pharmacol 2023; 215:115696. [PMID: 37481138 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2023.115696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2023] [Revised: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/24/2023]
Abstract
Cell motility is a crucial biological process that plays a critical role in the development of multicellular organisms and is essential for tissue formation and regeneration. However, uncontrolled cell motility can lead to the development of various diseases, including neoplasms. In this review, we discuss recent advances in the discovery of regulatory mechanisms underlying the metastatic spread of neuroblastoma, a solid pediatric tumor that originates in the embryonic migratory cells of the neural crest. The highly motile phenotype of metastatic neuroblastoma cells requires targeting of intracellular and extracellular processes, that, if affected, would be helpful for the treatment of high-risk patients with neuroblastoma, for whom current therapies remain inadequate. Development of new potentially migration-inhibiting compounds and standardized preclinical approaches for the selection of anti-metastatic drugs in neuroblastoma will also be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Corallo
- Laboratory of Target Discovery and Biology of Neuroblastoma, Istituto di Ricerca Pediatrica (IRP), Fondazione Città della Speranza, 35127 Padova, Italy
| | - Marco Dalla Vecchia
- Laboratory of Target Discovery and Biology of Neuroblastoma, Istituto di Ricerca Pediatrica (IRP), Fondazione Città della Speranza, 35127 Padova, Italy
| | - Daria Lazic
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute, CCRI, Zimmermannplatz 10, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sabine Taschner-Mandl
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute, CCRI, Zimmermannplatz 10, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Alessandra Biffi
- Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplant Division, Woman's and Child Health Department, University of Padova, 35121 Padova, Italy
| | - Sanja Aveic
- Laboratory of Target Discovery and Biology of Neuroblastoma, Istituto di Ricerca Pediatrica (IRP), Fondazione Città della Speranza, 35127 Padova, Italy.
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Gelineau NU, van Barneveld A, Samim A, Van Zogchel L, Lak N, Tas ML, Matser Y, Mavinkurve-Groothuis AMC, van Grotel M, Zsiros J, van Eijkelenburg NKA, Knops RRG, van Ewijk R, Langenberg KPS, Krijger RD, Hiemcke-Jiwa LS, Van Paemel R, Cornelli L, De Preter K, De Wilde B, Van Der Schoot E, Tytgat G. Case series on clinical applications of liquid biopsy in pediatric solid tumors: towards improved diagnostics and disease monitoring. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1209150. [PMID: 37664065 PMCID: PMC10473251 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1209150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background and aims Solid tumors account for about 30% of all pediatric cancers. The diagnosis is typically based on histological and molecular analysis of a primary tumor biopsy. Liquid biopsies carry several advantages over conventional tissue biopsy. However, their use for genomic analysis and response monitoring of pediatric solid tumors is still in experimental stages and mostly performed retrospectively without direct impact on patient management. In this case series we discuss six clinical cases of children with a solid tumor for whom a liquid biopsy assay was performed and demonstrate the potential of liquid biopsy for future clinical decision making. Methods We performed quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR), droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) or reduced representation bisulphite sequencing of cell-free DNA (cfRRBS) on liquid biopsies collected from six pediatric patients with a solid tumor treated between 2017 and 2023 at the Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology in the Netherlands. Results were used to aid in clinical decision making by contribution to establish a diagnosis, by prognostication and response to therapy monitoring. Results In three patients cfRRBS helped to establish the diagnosis of a rhabdomyosarcoma, an Ewing sarcoma and a neuroblastoma (case 1-3). In two patients, liquid biopsies were used for prognostication, by MYCN ddPCR in a patient with neuroblastoma and by RT-qPCR testing rhabdomyosarcoma-specific mRNA in bone marrow of a patient with a rhabdomyosarcoma (case 4 and 5). In case 6, mRNA testing demonstrated disease progression and assisted clinical decision making. Conclusion This case series illustrates the value of liquid biopsy. We further demonstrate and recommend the use of liquid biopsies to be used in conjunction with conventional methods for the determination of metastatic status, prognostication and monitoring of treatment response in patients with pediatric solid tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina U. Gelineau
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology Research, Utrecht, Netherlands
- Department of Experimental Immunohematology, Sanquin Research, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | | | - Atia Samim
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology Research, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Lieke Van Zogchel
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology Research, Utrecht, Netherlands
- Department of Experimental Immunohematology, Sanquin Research, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Nathalie Lak
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology Research, Utrecht, Netherlands
- Department of Experimental Immunohematology, Sanquin Research, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Michelle L. Tas
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology Research, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Yvette Matser
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology Research, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | | | - Martine van Grotel
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology Research, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Jószef Zsiros
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology Research, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | | | - Rutger R. G. Knops
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology Research, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Roelof van Ewijk
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology Research, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | | | - Ronald De Krijger
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology Research, Utrecht, Netherlands
- Department of Pathology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Laura S. Hiemcke-Jiwa
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology Research, Utrecht, Netherlands
- Department of Pathology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Ruben Van Paemel
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Research Institute, Ghent University, Ghent, East Flanders, Belgium
| | - Lotte Cornelli
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, Gent, Belgium
| | - Katleen De Preter
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Research Institute, Ghent University, Ghent, East Flanders, Belgium
- VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, Gent, Belgium
| | - Bram De Wilde
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Research Institute, Ghent University, Ghent, East Flanders, Belgium
| | - Ellen Van Der Schoot
- Department of Experimental Immunohematology, Sanquin Research, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Godelieve Tytgat
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology Research, Utrecht, Netherlands
- Department of Experimental Immunohematology, Sanquin Research, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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9
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Boltman T, Meyer M, Ekpo O. Diagnostic and Therapeutic Approaches for Glioblastoma and Neuroblastoma Cancers Using Chlorotoxin Nanoparticles. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:3388. [PMID: 37444498 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15133388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2023] [Revised: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma multiforme (GB) and high-risk neuroblastoma (NB) are known to have poor therapeutic outcomes. As for most cancers, chemotherapy and radiotherapy are the current mainstay treatments for GB and NB. However, the known limitations of systemic toxicity, drug resistance, poor targeted delivery, and inability to access the blood-brain barrier (BBB), make these treatments less satisfactory. Other treatment options have been investigated in many studies in the literature, especially nutraceutical and naturopathic products, most of which have also been reported to be poorly effective against these cancer types. This necessitates the development of treatment strategies with the potential to cross the BBB and specifically target cancer cells. Compounds that target the endopeptidase, matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2), have been reported to offer therapeutic insights for GB and NB since MMP-2 is known to be over-expressed in these cancers and plays significant roles in such physiological processes as angiogenesis, metastasis, and cellular invasion. Chlorotoxin (CTX) is a promising 36-amino acid peptide isolated from the venom of the deathstalker scorpion, Leiurus quinquestriatus, demonstrating high selectivity and binding affinity to a broad-spectrum of cancers, especially GB and NB through specific molecular targets, including MMP-2. The favorable characteristics of nanoparticles (NPs) such as their small sizes, large surface area for active targeting, BBB permeability, etc. make CTX-functionalized NPs (CTX-NPs) promising diagnostic and therapeutic applications for addressing the many challenges associated with these cancers. CTX-NPs may function by improving diffusion through the BBB, enabling increased localization of chemotherapeutic and genotherapeutic drugs to diseased cells specifically, enhancing imaging modalities such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), optical imaging techniques, image-guided surgery, as well as improving the sensitization of radio-resistant cells to radiotherapy treatment. This review discusses the characteristics of GB and NB cancers, related treatment challenges as well as the potential of CTX and its functionalized NP formulations as targeting systems for diagnostic, therapeutic, and theranostic purposes. It also provides insights into the potential mechanisms through which CTX crosses the BBB to bind cancer cells and provides suggestions for the development and application of novel CTX-based formulations for the diagnosis and treatment of GB and NB in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taahirah Boltman
- Department of Medical Biosciences, University of the Western Cape, Robert Sobukwe Road, Bellville, Cape Town 7535, South Africa
| | - Mervin Meyer
- Department of Science and Innovation/Mintek Nanotechnology Innovation Centre, Biolabels Node, Department of Biotechnology, University of the Western Cape, Robert Sobukwe Road, Bellville, Cape Town 7535, South Africa
| | - Okobi Ekpo
- Department of Anatomy and Cellular Biology, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 127788, United Arab Emirates
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10
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Fetahu IS, Esser-Skala W, Dnyansagar R, Sindelar S, Rifatbegovic F, Bileck A, Skos L, Bozsaky E, Lazic D, Shaw L, Tötzl M, Tarlungeanu D, Bernkopf M, Rados M, Weninger W, Tomazou EM, Bock C, Gerner C, Ladenstein R, Farlik M, Fortelny N, Taschner-Mandl S. Single-cell transcriptomics and epigenomics unravel the role of monocytes in neuroblastoma bone marrow metastasis. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3620. [PMID: 37365178 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39210-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 05/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Metastasis is the major cause of cancer-related deaths. Neuroblastoma (NB), a childhood tumor has been molecularly defined at the primary cancer site, however, the bone marrow (BM) as the metastatic niche of NB is poorly characterized. Here we perform single-cell transcriptomic and epigenomic profiling of BM aspirates from 11 subjects spanning three major NB subtypes and compare these to five age-matched and metastasis-free BM, followed by in-depth single cell analyses of tissue diversity and cell-cell interactions, as well as functional validation. We show that cellular plasticity of NB tumor cells is conserved upon metastasis and tumor cell type composition is NB subtype-dependent. NB cells signal to the BM microenvironment, rewiring via macrophage mgration inhibitory factor and midkine signaling specifically monocytes, which exhibit M1 and M2 features, are marked by activation of pro- and anti-inflammatory programs, and express tumor-promoting factors, reminiscent of tumor-associated macrophages. The interactions and pathways characterized in our study provide the basis for therapeutic approaches that target tumor-to-microenvironment interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irfete S Fetahu
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Wolfgang Esser-Skala
- Department of Biosciences and Medical Biology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Rohit Dnyansagar
- Department of Biosciences and Medical Biology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Samuel Sindelar
- Department of Biosciences and Medical Biology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | | | - Andrea Bileck
- University of Vienna, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Vienna, Austria
- Joint Metabolomics Facility, University of Vienna and Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Lukas Skos
- University of Vienna, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Vienna, Austria
| | - Eva Bozsaky
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute, Vienna, Austria
| | - Daria Lazic
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute, Vienna, Austria
| | - Lisa Shaw
- Medical University of Vienna, Department of Dermatology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Marcus Tötzl
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Marie Bernkopf
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute, Vienna, Austria
| | - Magdalena Rados
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute, Vienna, Austria
| | - Wolfgang Weninger
- Medical University of Vienna, Department of Dermatology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Eleni M Tomazou
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute, Vienna, Austria
| | - Christoph Bock
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
- Medical University of Vienna, Institute of Artificial Intelligence, Center for Medical Data Science, Vienna, Austria
| | - Christopher Gerner
- University of Vienna, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Vienna, Austria
- Joint Metabolomics Facility, University of Vienna and Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ruth Ladenstein
- St. Anna Children's Hospital and St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute, Department of Studies and Statistics for Integrated Research and Projects, Vienna, Austria
- Medical University of Vienna, Department of Pediatrics, Vienna, Austria
| | - Matthias Farlik
- Medical University of Vienna, Department of Dermatology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Nikolaus Fortelny
- Department of Biosciences and Medical Biology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.
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11
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Nasehi R, Abdallah AT, Pantile M, Zanon C, Vogt M, Rütten S, Fischer H, Aveic S. 3D geometry orchestrates the transcriptional landscape of metastatic neuroblastoma cells in a multicellular in vitro bone model. Mater Today Bio 2023; 19:100596. [PMID: 36910273 PMCID: PMC9999213 DOI: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2023.100596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Revised: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2023] Open
Abstract
A key challenge for the discovery of novel molecular targets and therapeutics against pediatric bone metastatic disease is the lack of bona fide in vitro cell models. Here, we show that a beta-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) multicellular 3D in vitro bone microtissue model reconstitutes key phenotypic and transcriptional patterns of native metastatic tumor cells while promoting their stemness and proinvasive features. Comparing planar with interconnected channeled scaffolds, we identified geometry as a dominant orchestrator of proangiogenic traits in neuroblastoma tumor cells. On the other hand, the β-TCP-determined gene signature was DNA replication related. Jointly, the geometry and chemical impact of β-TCP revealed a prometastatic landscape of the engineered tumor microenvironment. The proposed 3D multicellular in vitro model of pediatric bone metastatic disease may advance further analysis of the molecular, genetic and metabolic bases of the disease and allow more efficient preclinical target validations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramin Nasehi
- Department of Dental Materials and Biomaterials Research, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, 52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Ali T Abdallah
- Interdisciplinary Center for Clinical Research, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, 52074, Aachen, Germany.,Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Marcella Pantile
- Target Discovery and Biology of Neuroblastoma, Istituto di Ricerca Pediatrica Fondazione Città Della Speranza, 35127, Padova, Italy
| | - Carlo Zanon
- Bioinformatics Core Facility, Istituto di Ricerca Pediatrica Fondazione Città Della Speranza, 35127, Padova, Italy
| | - Michael Vogt
- Interdisciplinary Center for Clinical Research, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, 52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Stephan Rütten
- Electron Microscopy Facility, Institute of Pathology, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, 52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Horst Fischer
- Department of Dental Materials and Biomaterials Research, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, 52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Sanja Aveic
- Department of Dental Materials and Biomaterials Research, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, 52074, Aachen, Germany.,Target Discovery and Biology of Neuroblastoma, Istituto di Ricerca Pediatrica Fondazione Città Della Speranza, 35127, Padova, Italy
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12
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Single-cell profiling of peripheral neuroblastic tumors identifies an aggressive transitional state that bridges an adrenergic-mesenchymal trajectory. Cell Rep 2022; 41:111455. [DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Revised: 04/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
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13
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Loh AHP, Angelina C, Wong MK, Tan SH, Sukhatme SA, Yeo T, Lim SB, Lee YT, Soh SY, Leung W, Chang KTE, Chua YW, Alkaff SMF, Lim TKH, Lim CT, Chen ZX. Pro-metastatic and mesenchymal gene expression signatures characterize circulating tumor cells of neuroblastoma patients with bone marrow metastases and relapse. Front Oncol 2022; 12:939460. [PMID: 36176417 PMCID: PMC9513238 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.939460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Existing marker-based methods of minimal residual disease (MRD) determination in neuroblastoma do not effectively enrich for the circulating disease cell population. Given the relative size differential of neuroblastoma tumor cells over normal hematogenous cells, we hypothesized that cell size-based separation could enrich circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from blood samples and disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) from bone marrow aspirates (BMA) of neuroblastoma patients, and that their gene expression profiles could vary dynamically with various disease states over the course of treatment. Using a spiral microfluidic chip, peripheral blood of 17 neuroblastoma patients at 3 serial treatment timepoints (diagnosis, n=17; post-chemotherapy, n=11; and relapse, n=3), and bone marrow samples at diagnosis were enriched for large intact circulating cells. Profiling the resulting enriched samples with immunohistochemistry and mRNA expression of 1490 cancer-related genes via NanoString, 13 of 17 samples contained CTCs displaying cytologic atypia, TH and PHOX2B expression and/or upregulation of cancer-associated genes. Gene signatures reflecting pro-metastatic processes and the neuroblastoma mesenchymal super-enhancer state were consistently upregulated in 7 of 13 samples, 6 of which also had metastatic high-risk disease. Expression of 8 genes associated with PI3K and GCPR signaling were significantly upregulated in CTCs of patients with bone marrow metastases versus patients without. Correspondingly, in patients with marrow metastases, differentially-expressed gene signatures reflected upregulation of immune regulation in bone marrow DTCs versus paired CTCs samples. In patients who later developed disease relapse, 5 genes involved in immune cell regulation, JAK/STAT signaling and the neuroblastoma mesenchymal super-enhancer state (OLFML2B, STAT1, ARHGDIB, STAB1, TLR2) were upregulated in serial CTC samples over their disease course, despite urinary catecholamines and bone marrow aspirates not indicating the disease recurrences. In summary, using a label-free cell size-based separation method, we enriched and characterized intact circulating cells in peripheral blood indicative of neuroblastoma CTCs, as well as their DTC counterparts in the bone marrow. Expression profiles of pro-metastatic genes in CTCs correlated with the presence of bone marrow metastases at diagnosis, while longitudinal profiling identified persistently elevated expression of genes in CTCs that may serve as novel predictive markers of hematogenous MRD in neuroblastoma patients that subsequently relapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amos H. P. Loh
- VIVA-KKH Paediatric Brain and Solid Tumour Programme, Children’s Blood and Cancer Centre, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Paediatric Surgery, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
- Duke NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Clara Angelina
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Meng Kang Wong
- VIVA-KKH Paediatric Brain and Solid Tumour Programme, Children’s Blood and Cancer Centre, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Sheng Hui Tan
- VIVA-KKH Paediatric Brain and Solid Tumour Programme, Children’s Blood and Cancer Centre, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Sarvesh A. Sukhatme
- Mechanobiology Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Trifanny Yeo
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Su Bin Lim
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- NUS Graduate School for Integrative Sciences and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - York Tien Lee
- VIVA-KKH Paediatric Brain and Solid Tumour Programme, Children’s Blood and Cancer Centre, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Paediatric Surgery, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
- Duke NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Shui Yen Soh
- VIVA-KKH Paediatric Brain and Solid Tumour Programme, Children’s Blood and Cancer Centre, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
- Duke NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Paediatric Subspecialties Haematology/Oncology Service, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Wing Leung
- VIVA-KKH Paediatric Brain and Solid Tumour Programme, Children’s Blood and Cancer Centre, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
- Duke NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Paediatric Subspecialties Haematology/Oncology Service, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Kenneth T. E. Chang
- VIVA-KKH Paediatric Brain and Solid Tumour Programme, Children’s Blood and Cancer Centre, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
- Duke NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Yong Wei Chua
- Department of Anatomic Pathology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Syed M. F. Alkaff
- Department of Anatomic Pathology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Tony K. H. Lim
- Duke NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Anatomic Pathology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Chwee Teck Lim
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Mechanobiology Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Institute of Health Innovation and Technology, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Zhi Xiong Chen
- VIVA-KKH Paediatric Brain and Solid Tumour Programme, Children’s Blood and Cancer Centre, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- National University Cancer Institute, National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore
- NUS Centre for Cancer Research, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- *Correspondence: Zhi Xiong Chen,
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14
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Bartolucci D, Montemurro L, Raieli S, Lampis S, Pession A, Hrelia P, Tonelli R. MYCN Impact on High-Risk Neuroblastoma: From Diagnosis and Prognosis to Targeted Treatment. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14184421. [PMID: 36139583 PMCID: PMC9496712 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14184421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2022] [Revised: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Neuroblastoma is one of the most diffuse and the deadliest cancer in children. While many advances have been made in the last few decades to improve patients’ outcome, high-risk neuroblastoma (HR-NB) still shows a very aggressive pattern of development and poor prognosis, with only a 50% chance of 5-year survival. Moreover, while many factors contribute to defining the high-risk condition, MYCN status is well established as the major element in pathology disclosure. The aim of this review is to describe the current knowledge in the diagnosis, prognosis and therapeutic approaches of HR-NB, particularly in relation to MYCN. The review highlights how MYCN influences the HR-NB scenario and the new therapeutic approaches that are currently proposed to target it, in consideration of MYCN as a highly relevant target for HR-NB patient management. Abstract Among childhood cancers, neuroblastoma is the most diffuse solid tumor and the deadliest in children. While to date, the pathology has become progressively manageable with a significant increase in 5-year survival for its less aggressive form, high-risk neuroblastoma (HR-NB) remains a major issue with poor outcome and little survivability of patients. The staging system has also been improved to better fit patient needs and to administer therapies in a more focused manner in consideration of pathology features. New and improved therapies have been developed; nevertheless, low efficacy and high toxicity remain a staple feature of current high-risk neuroblastoma treatment. For this reason, more specific procedures are required, and new therapeutic targets are also needed for a precise medicine approach. In this scenario, MYCN is certainly one of the most interesting targets. Indeed, MYCN is one of the most relevant hallmarks of HR-NB, and many studies has been carried out in recent years to discover potent and specific inhibitors to block its activities and any related oncogenic function. N-Myc protein has been considered an undruggable target for a long time. Thus, many new indirect and direct approaches have been discovered and preclinically evaluated for the interaction with MYCN and its pathways; a few of the most promising approaches are nearing clinical application for the investigation in HR-NB.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Luca Montemurro
- Pediatric Oncology and Hematology Unit, IRCCS, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy
| | | | | | - Andrea Pession
- Pediatric Unit, IRCCS, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy
| | - Patrizia Hrelia
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Roberto Tonelli
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
- Correspondence:
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15
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Whole exome sequencing of high-risk neuroblastoma identifies novel non-synonymous variants. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0273280. [PMID: 36037157 PMCID: PMC9423626 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0273280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma (NBL), one of the main death-causing cancers in children, is known for its remarkable genetic heterogeneity and varied patient outcome spanning from spontaneous regression to widespread disease. Specific copy number variations and single gene rearrangements have been proven to be associated with biological behavior and prognosis; however, there is still an unmet need to enlarge the existing armamentarium of prognostic and therapeutic targets. We performed whole exome sequencing (WES) of samples from 18 primary tumors and six relapse samples originating from 18 NBL patients. Our cohort consists of 16 high-risk, one intermediate, and one very low risk patient. The obtained results confirmed known mutational hotspots in ALK and revealed other non-synonymous variants of NBL-related genes (TP53, DMD, ROS, LMO3, PRUNE2, ERBB3, and PHOX2B) and of genes cardinal for other cancers (KRAS, PIK3CA, and FLT3). Beyond, GOSeq analysis determined genes involved in biological adhesion, neurological cell-cell adhesion, JNK cascade, and immune response of cell surface signaling pathways. We were able to identify novel coding variants present in more than one patient in nine biologically relevant genes for NBL, including TMEM14B, TTN, FLG, RHBG, SHROOM3, UTRN, HLA-DRB1, OR6C68, and XIRP2. Our results may provide novel information about genes and signaling pathways relevant for the pathogenesis and clinical course in high-risk NBL.
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16
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Garcia-Gerique L, García M, Garrido-Garcia A, Gómez-González S, Torrebadell M, Prada E, Pascual-Pasto G, Muñoz O, Perez-Jaume S, Lemos I, Salvador N, Vila-Ubach M, Doncel-Requena A, Suñol M, Carcaboso AM, Mora J, Lavarino C. MIF/CXCR4 signaling axis contributes to survival, invasion, and drug resistance of metastatic neuroblastoma cells in the bone marrow microenvironment. BMC Cancer 2022; 22:669. [PMID: 35715791 PMCID: PMC9206243 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-022-09725-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The bone marrow (BM) is the most common site of dissemination in patients with aggressive, metastatic neuroblastoma (NB). However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the aggressive behavior of NB cells in the BM niche are still greatly unknown. In the present study, we explored biological mechanisms that play a critical role in NB cell survival and progression in the BM and investigated potential therapeutic targets. METHODS Patient-derived bone marrow (BM) primary cultures were generated using fresh BM aspirates obtained from NB patients. NB cell lines were cultured in the presence of BM conditioned media containing cell-secreted factors, and under low oxygen levels (1% O2) to mimic specific features of the BM microenvironment of high-risk NB patients. The BM niche was explored using cytokine profiling assays, cell migration-invasion and viability assays, flow cytometry and analysis of RNA-sequencing data. Selective pharmacological inhibition of factors identified as potential mediators of NB progression within the BM niche was performed in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS We identified macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) as a key inflammatory cytokine involved in BM infiltration. Cytokine profiling and RNA-sequencing data analysis revealed NB cells as the main source of MIF in the BM, suggesting a potential role of MIF in tumor invasion. Exposure of NB cells to BM-conditions increased NB cell-surface expression of the MIF receptor CXCR4, which was associated with increased cell viability, enhanced migration-invasion, and activation of PI3K/AKT and MAPK/ERK signaling pathways. Moreover, subcutaneous co-injection of NB and BM cells enhanced tumor engraftment in mice. MIF inhibition with 4-IPP impaired in vitro NB aggressiveness, and improved drug response while delayed NB growth, improving survival of the NB xenograft model. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that BM infiltration by NB cells may be mediated, in part, by MIF-CXCR4 signaling. We demonstrate the antitumor efficacy of MIF targeting in vitro and in vivo that could represent a novel therapeutic target for patients with disseminated high-risk NB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Garcia-Gerique
- Developmental Tumor Biology Laboratory, Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marta García
- Developmental Tumor Biology Laboratory, Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Alícia Garrido-Garcia
- Developmental Tumor Biology Laboratory, Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Soledad Gómez-González
- Developmental Tumor Biology Laboratory, Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Montserrat Torrebadell
- Developmental Tumor Biology Laboratory, Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Estela Prada
- Developmental Tumor Biology Laboratory, Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Guillem Pascual-Pasto
- Developmental Tumor Biology Laboratory, Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Oscar Muñoz
- Developmental Tumor Biology Laboratory, Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Pathology, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sara Perez-Jaume
- Developmental Tumor Biology Laboratory, Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Isadora Lemos
- Developmental Tumor Biology Laboratory, Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Noelia Salvador
- Developmental Tumor Biology Laboratory, Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Monica Vila-Ubach
- Developmental Tumor Biology Laboratory, Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ana Doncel-Requena
- Developmental Tumor Biology Laboratory, Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Mariona Suñol
- Department of Pathology, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Angel M Carcaboso
- Developmental Tumor Biology Laboratory, Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jaume Mora
- Developmental Tumor Biology Laboratory, Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain.,Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Pediatric Cancer Center Barcelona (PCCB), Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Cinzia Lavarino
- Developmental Tumor Biology Laboratory, Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain. .,Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Pediatric Cancer Center Barcelona (PCCB), Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain.
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17
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Yang R, Zheng S, Dong R. Circulating tumor cells in neuroblastoma: Current status and future perspectives. Cancer Med 2022; 12:7-19. [PMID: 35632981 PMCID: PMC9844658 DOI: 10.1002/cam4.4893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2022] [Revised: 05/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial solid tumor in children, accounting for 10% to 20% of deaths of pediatric malignancies. Due to the poor prognosis and significant biological heterogeneity of neuroblastoma, it is essential to develop personalized therapeutics and monitor treatment response. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs), as one of the important analytes for liquid biopsy, could facilitate response assessment and outcome prediction for patients in a non-invasive way. Several methods and platforms have been used for the enrichment and detection of CTCs. The enumeration of CTCs counts and evaluation of tumor-specific mRNA transcript levels could provide prognostic information at diagnosis, during or after chemotherapy, and during the process of disease progression. So far, studies into neuroblastoma CTCs are only in the preliminary stages. The quality-controlled large prospective cohort studies are needed to evaluate the clinical significance and statistical rigor of CTC detection methods. Moreover, there remains a lot to be explored and investigated in genotyping characterization of neuroblastoma (NB) CTCs and construction of in-vitro or in-vivo functional models. CTCs and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) analysis will be complementary in understanding tumor heterogeneity and evolution over the course of therapy for patients with NB in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ran Yang
- Department of Pediatric SurgeryChildren's Hospital of Fudan UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Shan Zheng
- Department of Pediatric SurgeryChildren's Hospital of Fudan UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Rui Dong
- Department of Pediatric SurgeryChildren's Hospital of Fudan UniversityShanghaiChina
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18
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Lampis S, Raieli S, Montemurro L, Bartolucci D, Amadesi C, Bortolotti S, Angelucci S, Scardovi AL, Nieddu G, Cerisoli L, Paganelli F, Valente S, Fischer M, Martelli AM, Pasquinelli G, Pession A, Hrelia P, Tonelli R. The MYCN inhibitor BGA002 restores the retinoic acid response leading to differentiation or apoptosis by the mTOR block in MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2022; 41:160. [PMID: 35490242 PMCID: PMC9055702 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-022-02367-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2022] [Accepted: 04/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neuroblastoma is a deadly childhood cancer, and MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma (MNA-NB) patients have the worst prognoses and are therapy-resistant. While retinoic acid (RA) is beneficial for some neuroblastoma patients, the cause of RA resistance is unknown. Thus, there remains a need for new therapies to treat neuroblastoma. Here we explored the possibility of combining a MYCN-specific antigene oligonucleotide BGA002 and RA as therapeutic approach to restore sensitivity to RA in NB. METHODS By molecular and cellular biology techniques, we assessed the combined effect of the two compounds in NB cell lines and in a xenograft mouse model MNA-NB. RESULTS We found that MYCN-specific inhibition by BGA002 in combination with RA (BGA002-RA) act synergistically and overcame resistance in NB cell lines. BGA002-RA also reactivated neuron differentiation (or led to apoptosis) and inhibited invasiveness capacity in MNA-NB. Moreover, we found that neuroblastoma had the highest level of mRNA expression of mTOR pathway genes, and that BGA002 led to mTOR pathway inhibition followed by autophagy reactivation in MNA-NB cells, which was strengthened by BGA002-RA. BGA002-RA in vivo treatment also eliminated tumor vascularization in a MNA-NB mouse model and significantly increased survival. CONCLUSION Taken together, MYCN modulation mediates the therapeutic efficacy of RA and the development of RA resistance in MNA-NB. Furthermore, by targeting MYCN, a cancer-specific mTOR pathway inhibition occurs only in MNA-NB, thus avoiding the side effects of targeting mTOR in normal cells. These findings warrant clinical testing of BGA002-RA as a strategy for overcoming RA resistance in MNA-NB.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Luca Montemurro
- Pediatric Unit, S. Orsola IRCCS, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Francesca Paganelli
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- CNR Institute of Molecular Genetics "Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza", Unit of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Sabrina Valente
- Biotechnology and Methods in Laboratory Medicine, Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Matthias Fischer
- Department of Experimental Pediatric Oncology, University Children's Hospital of Cologne, Medical Faculty, Cologne, Germany; and Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | | | - Gianandrea Pasquinelli
- Biotechnology and Methods in Laboratory Medicine, Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- Subcellular nephro-vascular diagnostic program, Pathology Unit S. Orsola IRCCS, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Andrea Pession
- Pediatric Unit, IRCCS, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Patrizia Hrelia
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Roberto Tonelli
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
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19
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Pan M, Wright WC, Chapple RH, Zubair A, Sandhu M, Batchelder JE, Huddle BC, Low J, Blankenship KB, Wang Y, Gordon B, Archer P, Brady SW, Natarajan S, Posgai MJ, Schuetz J, Miller D, Kalathur R, Chen S, Connelly JP, Babu MM, Dyer MA, Pruett-Miller SM, Freeman BB, Chen T, Godley LA, Blanchard SC, Stewart E, Easton J, Geeleher P. The chemotherapeutic CX-5461 primarily targets TOP2B and exhibits selective activity in high-risk neuroblastoma. Nat Commun 2021; 12:6468. [PMID: 34753908 PMCID: PMC8578635 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-26640-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Survival in high-risk pediatric neuroblastoma has remained around 50% for the last 20 years, with immunotherapies and targeted therapies having had minimal impact. Here, we identify the small molecule CX-5461 as selectively cytotoxic to high-risk neuroblastoma and synergistic with low picomolar concentrations of topoisomerase I inhibitors in improving survival in vivo in orthotopic patient-derived xenograft neuroblastoma mouse models. CX-5461 recently progressed through phase I clinical trial as a first-in-human inhibitor of RNA-POL I. However, we also use a comprehensive panel of in vitro and in vivo assays to demonstrate that CX-5461 has been mischaracterized and that its primary target at pharmacologically relevant concentrations, is in fact topoisomerase II beta (TOP2B), not RNA-POL I. This is important because existing clinically approved chemotherapeutics have well-documented off-target interactions with TOP2B, which have previously been shown to cause both therapy-induced leukemia and cardiotoxicity-often-fatal adverse events, which can emerge several years after treatment. Thus, while we show that combination therapies involving CX-5461 have promising anti-tumor activity in vivo in neuroblastoma, our identification of TOP2B as the primary target of CX-5461 indicates unexpected safety concerns that should be examined in ongoing phase II clinical trials in adult patients before pursuing clinical studies in children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Pan
- Department of Computational Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
| | - William C Wright
- Department of Computational Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
| | - Richard H Chapple
- Department of Computational Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
| | - Asif Zubair
- Department of Computational Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
| | - Manbir Sandhu
- Department of Structural Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
| | - Jake E Batchelder
- Department of Structural Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
| | - Brandt C Huddle
- The Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Jonathan Low
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
| | - Kaley B Blankenship
- Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
| | - Yingzhe Wang
- Preclinical Pharmacokinetic Shared Resource, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
| | - Brittney Gordon
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
| | - Payton Archer
- Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
| | - Samuel W Brady
- Department of Computational Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
| | - Sivaraman Natarajan
- Department of Computational Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
| | - Matthew J Posgai
- Departments of Medicine and Human Genetics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - John Schuetz
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
| | - Darcie Miller
- Department of Structural Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
| | - Ravi Kalathur
- Department of Structural Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
| | - Siquan Chen
- Cellular Screening Center, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Jon Patrick Connelly
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
| | - M Madan Babu
- Department of Structural Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
| | - Michael A Dyer
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, 20815, USA
| | - Shondra M Pruett-Miller
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
| | - Burgess B Freeman
- Preclinical Pharmacokinetic Shared Resource, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
| | - Taosheng Chen
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
| | - Lucy A Godley
- Departments of Medicine and Human Genetics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Scott C Blanchard
- Department of Structural Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
| | - Elizabeth Stewart
- Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
| | - John Easton
- Department of Computational Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA.
| | - Paul Geeleher
- Department of Computational Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA.
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20
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Lazic D, Kromp F, Rifatbegovic F, Repiscak P, Kirr M, Mivalt F, Halbritter F, Bernkopf M, Bileck A, Ussowicz M, Ambros IM, Ambros PF, Gerner C, Ladenstein R, Ostalecki C, Taschner-Mandl S. Landscape of Bone Marrow Metastasis in Human Neuroblastoma Unraveled by Transcriptomics and Deep Multiplex Imaging. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13174311. [PMID: 34503120 PMCID: PMC8431445 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13174311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2021] [Revised: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
While the bone marrow attracts tumor cells in many solid cancers leading to poor outcome in affected patients, comprehensive analyses of bone marrow metastases have not been performed on a single-cell level. We here set out to capture tumor heterogeneity and unravel microenvironmental changes in neuroblastoma, a solid cancer with bone marrow involvement. To this end, we employed a multi-omics data mining approach to define a multiplex imaging panel and developed DeepFLEX, a pipeline for subsequent multiplex image analysis, whereby we constructed a single-cell atlas of over 35,000 disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) and cells of their microenvironment in the metastatic bone marrow niche. Further, we independently profiled the transcriptome of a cohort of 38 patients with and without bone marrow metastasis. Our results revealed vast diversity among DTCs and suggest that FAIM2 can act as a complementary marker to capture DTC heterogeneity. Importantly, we demonstrate that malignant bone marrow infiltration is associated with an inflammatory response and at the same time the presence of immuno-suppressive cell types, most prominently an immature neutrophil/granulocytic myeloid-derived suppressor-like cell type. The presented findings indicate that metastatic tumor cells shape the bone marrow microenvironment, warranting deeper investigations of spatio-temporal dynamics at the single-cell level and their clinical relevance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daria Lazic
- St. Anna Children’s Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), 1090 Vienna, Austria; (D.L.); (F.K.); (F.R.); (P.R.); (F.M.); (F.H.); (M.B.); (I.M.A.); (P.F.A.); (R.L.)
| | - Florian Kromp
- St. Anna Children’s Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), 1090 Vienna, Austria; (D.L.); (F.K.); (F.R.); (P.R.); (F.M.); (F.H.); (M.B.); (I.M.A.); (P.F.A.); (R.L.)
- Software Competence Center Hagenberg (SCCH), 4232 Hagenberg, Austria
| | - Fikret Rifatbegovic
- St. Anna Children’s Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), 1090 Vienna, Austria; (D.L.); (F.K.); (F.R.); (P.R.); (F.M.); (F.H.); (M.B.); (I.M.A.); (P.F.A.); (R.L.)
| | - Peter Repiscak
- St. Anna Children’s Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), 1090 Vienna, Austria; (D.L.); (F.K.); (F.R.); (P.R.); (F.M.); (F.H.); (M.B.); (I.M.A.); (P.F.A.); (R.L.)
| | - Michael Kirr
- Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Erlangen, 91054 Erlangen, Germany; (M.K.); (C.O.)
| | - Filip Mivalt
- St. Anna Children’s Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), 1090 Vienna, Austria; (D.L.); (F.K.); (F.R.); (P.R.); (F.M.); (F.H.); (M.B.); (I.M.A.); (P.F.A.); (R.L.)
| | - Florian Halbritter
- St. Anna Children’s Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), 1090 Vienna, Austria; (D.L.); (F.K.); (F.R.); (P.R.); (F.M.); (F.H.); (M.B.); (I.M.A.); (P.F.A.); (R.L.)
| | - Marie Bernkopf
- St. Anna Children’s Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), 1090 Vienna, Austria; (D.L.); (F.K.); (F.R.); (P.R.); (F.M.); (F.H.); (M.B.); (I.M.A.); (P.F.A.); (R.L.)
| | - Andrea Bileck
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (A.B.); (C.G.)
| | - Marek Ussowicz
- Department and Clinic of Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Bone Marrow, Transplantation, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-556 Wroclaw, Poland;
| | - Inge M. Ambros
- St. Anna Children’s Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), 1090 Vienna, Austria; (D.L.); (F.K.); (F.R.); (P.R.); (F.M.); (F.H.); (M.B.); (I.M.A.); (P.F.A.); (R.L.)
| | - Peter F. Ambros
- St. Anna Children’s Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), 1090 Vienna, Austria; (D.L.); (F.K.); (F.R.); (P.R.); (F.M.); (F.H.); (M.B.); (I.M.A.); (P.F.A.); (R.L.)
| | - Christopher Gerner
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (A.B.); (C.G.)
| | - Ruth Ladenstein
- St. Anna Children’s Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), 1090 Vienna, Austria; (D.L.); (F.K.); (F.R.); (P.R.); (F.M.); (F.H.); (M.B.); (I.M.A.); (P.F.A.); (R.L.)
| | - Christian Ostalecki
- Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Erlangen, 91054 Erlangen, Germany; (M.K.); (C.O.)
| | - Sabine Taschner-Mandl
- St. Anna Children’s Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), 1090 Vienna, Austria; (D.L.); (F.K.); (F.R.); (P.R.); (F.M.); (F.H.); (M.B.); (I.M.A.); (P.F.A.); (R.L.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +43-1-40470-4050
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21
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Brignole C, Pastorino F, Perri P, Amoroso L, Bensa V, Calarco E, Ponzoni M, Corrias MV. Bone Marrow Environment in Metastatic Neuroblastoma. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13102467. [PMID: 34069335 PMCID: PMC8158729 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13102467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Revised: 05/13/2021] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The study of the interactions occurring in the BM environment has been facilitated by the peculiar nature of metastatic NB. In fact: (i) metastases are present at diagnosis; (ii) metastases are confined in a very specific tissue, the BM, suggestive of a strong attraction and possibility of survival; (iii) differently from adult cancers, NB metastases are available because the diagnostic procedures require morphological examination of BM; (iv) NB metastatic cells express surface antigens that allow enrichment of NB metastatic cells by immune-magnetic separation; and (v) patients with localized disease represent an internal control to discriminate specific alterations occurring in the metastatic niche from generic alterations determined by the neoplastic growth at the primary site. Here, we first review the information regarding the features of BM-infiltrating NB cells. Then, we focus on the alterations found in the BM of children with metastatic NB as compared to healthy children and children with localized NB. Specifically, information regarding all the BM cell populations and their sub-sets will be first examined in the context of BM microenvironment in metastatic NB. In the last part, the information regarding the soluble factors will be presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Brignole
- Laboratory of Experimental Therapies in Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16147 Genova, Italy; (C.B.); (F.P.); (P.P.); (V.B.); (E.C.); (M.P.)
| | - Fabio Pastorino
- Laboratory of Experimental Therapies in Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16147 Genova, Italy; (C.B.); (F.P.); (P.P.); (V.B.); (E.C.); (M.P.)
| | - Patrizia Perri
- Laboratory of Experimental Therapies in Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16147 Genova, Italy; (C.B.); (F.P.); (P.P.); (V.B.); (E.C.); (M.P.)
| | - Loredana Amoroso
- Pediatric Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16147 Genova, Italy;
| | - Veronica Bensa
- Laboratory of Experimental Therapies in Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16147 Genova, Italy; (C.B.); (F.P.); (P.P.); (V.B.); (E.C.); (M.P.)
| | - Enzo Calarco
- Laboratory of Experimental Therapies in Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16147 Genova, Italy; (C.B.); (F.P.); (P.P.); (V.B.); (E.C.); (M.P.)
| | - Mirco Ponzoni
- Laboratory of Experimental Therapies in Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16147 Genova, Italy; (C.B.); (F.P.); (P.P.); (V.B.); (E.C.); (M.P.)
| | - Maria Valeria Corrias
- Laboratory of Experimental Therapies in Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16147 Genova, Italy; (C.B.); (F.P.); (P.P.); (V.B.); (E.C.); (M.P.)
- Correspondence:
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22
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Afanasyeva EA, Gartlgruber M, Ryl T, Decaesteker B, Denecker G, Mönke G, Toprak UH, Florez A, Torkov A, Dreidax D, Herrmann C, Okonechnikov K, Ek S, Sharma AK, Sagulenko V, Speleman F, Henrich KO, Westermann F. Kalirin-RAC controls nucleokinetic migration in ADRN-type neuroblastoma. Life Sci Alliance 2021; 4:e201900332. [PMID: 33658318 PMCID: PMC8017594 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.201900332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2019] [Revised: 02/12/2021] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The migrational propensity of neuroblastoma is affected by cell identity, but the mechanisms behind the divergence remain unknown. Using RNAi and time-lapse imaging, we show that ADRN-type NB cells exhibit RAC1- and kalirin-dependent nucleokinetic (NUC) migration that relies on several integral components of neuronal migration. Inhibition of NUC migration by RAC1 and kalirin-GEF1 inhibitors occurs without hampering cell proliferation and ADRN identity. Using three clinically relevant expression dichotomies, we reveal that most of up-regulated mRNAs in RAC1- and kalirin-GEF1-suppressed ADRN-type NB cells are associated with low-risk characteristics. The computational analysis shows that, in a context of overall gene set poverty, the upregulomes in RAC1- and kalirin-GEF1-suppressed ADRN-type cells are a batch of AU-rich element-containing mRNAs, which suggests a link between NUC migration and mRNA stability. Gene set enrichment analysis-based search for vulnerabilities reveals prospective weak points in RAC1- and kalirin-GEF1-suppressed ADRN-type NB cells, including activities of H3K27- and DNA methyltransferases. Altogether, these data support the introduction of NUC inhibitors into cancer treatment research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena A Afanasyeva
- Department of Neuroblastoma Genomics, Hopp-Children's Cancer Center at the (NCT) Nationales Centrum für Tumorerkrankungen Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Moritz Gartlgruber
- Department of Neuroblastoma Genomics, Hopp-Children's Cancer Center at the (NCT) Nationales Centrum für Tumorerkrankungen Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Tatsiana Ryl
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Duisburg Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Bieke Decaesteker
- Center for Medical Genetics, Ghent University, and Cancer Research Institute Ghent, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Geertrui Denecker
- Center for Medical Genetics, Ghent University, and Cancer Research Institute Ghent, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Gregor Mönke
- European Molecular Biology Laboratories, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Umut H Toprak
- Department of Neuroblastoma Genomics, Hopp-Children's Cancer Center at the (NCT) Nationales Centrum für Tumorerkrankungen Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Andres Florez
- Department of Neuroblastoma Genomics, Hopp-Children's Cancer Center at the (NCT) Nationales Centrum für Tumorerkrankungen Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Center for Systems Biology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Alica Torkov
- Department of Neuroblastoma Genomics, Hopp-Children's Cancer Center at the (NCT) Nationales Centrum für Tumorerkrankungen Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Daniel Dreidax
- Department of Neuroblastoma Genomics, Hopp-Children's Cancer Center at the (NCT) Nationales Centrum für Tumorerkrankungen Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Carl Herrmann
- Group of Cancer Regulatory Genomics B086, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Konstantin Okonechnikov
- Department of Pediatric Neurooncology, Hopp-Children's Cancer Center at the (NCT) Nationales Centrum für Tumorerkrankungen Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Sara Ek
- Department of Immunotechnology, CREATE Health, Faculty of Engineering, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Ashwini Kumar Sharma
- Institute for Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology and BioQuant, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
- Division of Theoretical Bioinformatics, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Vitaliya Sagulenko
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Frank Speleman
- Center for Medical Genetics, Ghent University, and Cancer Research Institute Ghent, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Kai-Oliver Henrich
- Department of Neuroblastoma Genomics, Hopp-Children's Cancer Center at the (NCT) Nationales Centrum für Tumorerkrankungen Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Frank Westermann
- Department of Neuroblastoma Genomics, Hopp-Children's Cancer Center at the (NCT) Nationales Centrum für Tumorerkrankungen Heidelberg (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany
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23
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The Role of Extracellular Vesicles in the Progression of Human Neuroblastoma. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22083964. [PMID: 33921337 PMCID: PMC8069919 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22083964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2021] [Revised: 04/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The long-underestimated role of extracellular vesicles in cancer is now reconsidered worldwide by basic and clinical scientists, who recently highlighted novel and crucial activities of these moieties. Extracellular vesicles are now considered as king transporters of specific cargoes, including molecular components of parent cells, thus mediating a wide variety of cellular activities both in normal and neoplastic tissues. Here, we discuss the multifunctional activities and underlying mechanisms of extracellular vesicles in neuroblastoma, the most frequent common extra-cranial tumor in childhood. The ability of extracellular vesicles to cross-talk with different cells in the tumor microenvironment and to modulate an anti-tumor immune response, tumorigenesis, tumor growth, metastasis and drug resistance will be pinpointed in detail. The results obtained on the role of extracellular vesicles may represent a panel of suggestions potentially useful in practice, due to their involvement in the response to chemotherapy, and, moreover, their ability to predict resistance to standard therapies—all issues of clinical relevance.
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24
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Schwann cell plasticity regulates neuroblastic tumor cell differentiation via epidermal growth factor-like protein 8. Nat Commun 2021; 12:1624. [PMID: 33712610 PMCID: PMC7954855 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21859-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2020] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Adult Schwann cells (SCs) possess an inherent plastic potential. This plasticity allows SCs to acquire repair-specific functions essential for peripheral nerve regeneration. Here, we investigate whether stromal SCs in benign-behaving peripheral neuroblastic tumors adopt a similar cellular state. We profile ganglioneuromas and neuroblastomas, rich and poor in SC stroma, respectively, and peripheral nerves after injury, rich in repair SCs. Indeed, stromal SCs in ganglioneuromas and repair SCs share the expression of nerve repair-associated genes. Neuroblastoma cells, derived from aggressive tumors, respond to primary repair-related SCs and their secretome with increased neuronal differentiation and reduced proliferation. Within the pool of secreted stromal and repair SC factors, we identify EGFL8, a matricellular protein with so far undescribed function, to act as neuritogen and to rewire cellular signaling by activating kinases involved in neurogenesis. In summary, we report that human SCs undergo a similar adaptive response in two patho-physiologically distinct situations, peripheral nerve injury and tumor development.
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25
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Prajapati B, Fatma M, Fatima M, Khan MT, Sinha S, Seth PK. Identification of lncRNAs Associated With Neuroblastoma in Cross-Sectional Databases: Potential Biomarkers. Front Mol Neurosci 2019; 12:293. [PMID: 31920530 PMCID: PMC6920248 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2019.00293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2019] [Accepted: 11/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have emerged as an important regulatory control in biological systems. Though the field of lncRNA has been progressing rapidly, a complete understanding of the role of lncRNAs in neuroblastoma pathogenesis is still lacking. To identify the abrogated lncRNAs in primary neuroblastoma and in the metastasized as well as the relapsed form of neuroblastoma, we analyzed an RNA-seq dataset on neuroblastoma that is available online to identify the lncRNAs that could potentially be contributing to the biology of neuroblastoma. The identified lncRNAs were further scrutinized using a publicly available epigenetic dataset of neuroblastoma and a cancer database. After this cross-sectional study, we were able to identify three significant lncRNAs, CASC15, PPP1R26-AS1, and USP3-AS1, which could serve as potential biomarkers in clinical studies of neuroblastoma pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mena Fatma
- National Brain Research Centre, Gurgaon, India
| | | | | | - Subrata Sinha
- National Brain Research Centre, Gurgaon, India.,Department of Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
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26
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Stigliani S, Morandi F, Persico L, Lagazio C, Erminio G, Scaruffi P, Corrias MV. miRNA expression profile of bone marrow resident cells from children with neuroblastoma is not significantly different from that of healthy children. Oncotarget 2018; 9:19014-19025. [PMID: 29721180 PMCID: PMC5922374 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.24874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2017] [Accepted: 03/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The miRNA expression profiles of bone marrow resident cells from children with neuroblastoma were compared to that of healthy children. No significant difference was found between localized and metastatic neuroblastoma, or between children with neuroblastoma and healthy children. By considering the fold change we identified six miRNAs over-expressed by more than 150 fold in neuroblastoma. Validation confirmed miR-221 over-expression in BM resident cells from children with neuroblastoma, regardless of localized or metastatic disease. MiR-221 over-expression was unlikely derived from neuroblastoma primary tumors or from bone marrow-infiltrating metastatic cells, since neuroblastoma cells expressed lower or similar amount of miR-221 than BM cells, respectively. To get insight on the genes potentially regulated by miR-221 we merged the list of miR-221 potential targets with the genes under-expressed by BM resident cells from children with neuroblastoma, as compared with healthy children. In silico analysis demonstrated that none of the miR-221 target genes belonged to heme biosynthetic processes found altered in children with neuroblastoma, whereas two genes associated with mitochondria. However, the encoded proteins were not under-expressed in children with neuroblastoma, making unlikely that altered erythrocyte maturation in children with neuroblastoma was mediated by miR-221. In conclusion, miRNA expression profiles of BM resident cells from children with localized and metastatic neuroblastoma were similar to that of BM resident cells from healthy children. Moreover, miRNAs expressed by neuroblastoma primary tumors or by BM-infiltrating NB cells do not appear to be involved in mediating the functional defect of erythrocyte maturation recently observed in children with neuroblastoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Stigliani
- Physiopathology of Human Reproduction, Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
| | - Fabio Morandi
- Experimental Therapy in Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy.,Present address: Stem Cell Laboratory and Cell Therapy Center, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy
| | - Luca Persico
- Department of Economy, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | | | - Giovanni Erminio
- Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Committees, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy
| | - Paola Scaruffi
- Physiopathology of Human Reproduction, Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
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