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Ozawa H, Haratake N, Nakashoji A, Daimon T, Bhattacharya A, Wang K, Shigeta K, Fushimi A, Fukuda K, Masugi Y, Yamaguchi R, Kitago M, Kawakubo H, Kitagawa Y, Kufe D. MUC1-C Dependence for the Progression of Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors Identifies a Druggable Target for the Treatment of This Rare Cancer. Biomedicines 2024; 12:1509. [PMID: 39062082 PMCID: PMC11274714 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12071509] [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: 05/23/2024] [Revised: 07/02/2024] [Accepted: 07/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNETs) have limited access to effective targeted agents and invariably succumb to progressive disease. MUC1-C is a druggable oncogenic protein linked to driving pan-cancers. There is no known involvement of MUC1-C in pNET progression. The present work was performed to determine if MUC1-C represents a potential target for advancing pNET treatment. We demonstrate that the MUC1 gene is upregulated in primary pNETs that progress with metastatic disease. In pNET cells, MUC1-C drives E2F- and MYC-signaling pathways necessary for survival. Targeting MUC1-C genetically and pharmacologically also inhibits self-renewal capacity and tumorigenicity. Studies of primary pNET tissues further demonstrate that MUC1-C expression is associated with (i) an advanced NET grade and pathological stage, (ii) metastatic disease, and (iii) decreased disease-free survival. These findings demonstrate that MUC1-C is necessary for pNET progression and is a novel target for treating these rare cancers with anti-MUC1-C agents under clinical development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroki Ozawa
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, 450 Brookline Avenue, D830, Boston, MA 02215, USA; (H.O.); (N.H.); (A.N.); (T.D.); (A.B.); (K.W.); (K.S.); (A.F.)
| | - Naoki Haratake
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, 450 Brookline Avenue, D830, Boston, MA 02215, USA; (H.O.); (N.H.); (A.N.); (T.D.); (A.B.); (K.W.); (K.S.); (A.F.)
| | - Ayako Nakashoji
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, 450 Brookline Avenue, D830, Boston, MA 02215, USA; (H.O.); (N.H.); (A.N.); (T.D.); (A.B.); (K.W.); (K.S.); (A.F.)
| | - Tatsuaki Daimon
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, 450 Brookline Avenue, D830, Boston, MA 02215, USA; (H.O.); (N.H.); (A.N.); (T.D.); (A.B.); (K.W.); (K.S.); (A.F.)
| | - Atrayee Bhattacharya
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, 450 Brookline Avenue, D830, Boston, MA 02215, USA; (H.O.); (N.H.); (A.N.); (T.D.); (A.B.); (K.W.); (K.S.); (A.F.)
| | - Keyi Wang
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, 450 Brookline Avenue, D830, Boston, MA 02215, USA; (H.O.); (N.H.); (A.N.); (T.D.); (A.B.); (K.W.); (K.S.); (A.F.)
| | - Keisuke Shigeta
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, 450 Brookline Avenue, D830, Boston, MA 02215, USA; (H.O.); (N.H.); (A.N.); (T.D.); (A.B.); (K.W.); (K.S.); (A.F.)
| | - Atsushi Fushimi
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, 450 Brookline Avenue, D830, Boston, MA 02215, USA; (H.O.); (N.H.); (A.N.); (T.D.); (A.B.); (K.W.); (K.S.); (A.F.)
| | - Kazumasa Fukuda
- Department of Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan; (K.F.); (R.Y.); (M.K.); (H.K.); (Y.K.)
| | - Yohei Masugi
- Division of Diagnostic Pathology, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan;
| | - Ryo Yamaguchi
- Department of Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan; (K.F.); (R.Y.); (M.K.); (H.K.); (Y.K.)
| | - Minoru Kitago
- Department of Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan; (K.F.); (R.Y.); (M.K.); (H.K.); (Y.K.)
| | - Hirofumi Kawakubo
- Department of Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan; (K.F.); (R.Y.); (M.K.); (H.K.); (Y.K.)
| | - Yuko Kitagawa
- Department of Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan; (K.F.); (R.Y.); (M.K.); (H.K.); (Y.K.)
| | - Donald Kufe
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, 450 Brookline Avenue, D830, Boston, MA 02215, USA; (H.O.); (N.H.); (A.N.); (T.D.); (A.B.); (K.W.); (K.S.); (A.F.)
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Saleh Z, Moccia MC, Ladd Z, Joneja U, Li Y, Spitz F, Hong YK, Gao T. Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors: Signaling Pathways and Epigenetic Regulation. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:1331. [PMID: 38279330 PMCID: PMC10816436 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25021331] [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: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 01/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs) are characterized by dysregulated signaling pathways that are crucial for tumor formation and progression. The efficacy of traditional therapies is limited, particularly in the treatment of PNETs at an advanced stage. Epigenetic alterations profoundly impact the activity of signaling pathways in cancer development, offering potential opportunities for drug development. There is currently a lack of extensive research on epigenetic regulation in PNETs. To fill this gap, we first summarize major signaling events that are involved in PNET development. Then, we discuss the epigenetic regulation of these signaling pathways in the context of both PNETs and commonly occurring-and therefore more extensively studied-malignancies. Finally, we will offer a perspective on the future research direction of the PNET epigenome and its potential applications in patient care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zena Saleh
- Department of Surgery, Cooper University Health Care, Camden, NJ 08103, USA; (Z.S.); (Z.L.)
| | - Matthew C. Moccia
- Department of Surgery, Cooper University Health Care, Camden, NJ 08103, USA; (Z.S.); (Z.L.)
| | - Zachary Ladd
- Department of Surgery, Cooper University Health Care, Camden, NJ 08103, USA; (Z.S.); (Z.L.)
| | - Upasana Joneja
- Department of Pathology, Cooper University Health Care, Camden, NJ 08103, USA
| | - Yahui Li
- Department of Surgery, Cooper University Health Care, Camden, NJ 08103, USA; (Z.S.); (Z.L.)
| | - Francis Spitz
- Department of Surgery, Cooper University Health Care, Camden, NJ 08103, USA; (Z.S.); (Z.L.)
| | - Young Ki Hong
- Department of Surgery, Cooper University Health Care, Camden, NJ 08103, USA; (Z.S.); (Z.L.)
| | - Tao Gao
- Department of Surgery, Cooper University Health Care, Camden, NJ 08103, USA; (Z.S.); (Z.L.)
- Camden Cancer Research Center, Camden, NJ 08103, USA
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