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Shahab SW, Roggeveen CM, Sun J, Kunhiraman H, McSwain LF, Juraschka K, Kumar SA, Saulnier O, Taylor MD, Schniederjan M, Schnepp RW, MacDonald TJ, Kenney AM. The LIN28B-let-7-PBK pathway is essential for group 3 medulloblastoma tumor growth and survival. Mol Oncol 2023; 17:1784-1802. [PMID: 37341142 PMCID: PMC10483609 DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.13477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Revised: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Children with Group 3 medulloblastoma (G3 MB) have a very poor prognosis, and many do not survive beyond 5 years after diagnosis. A factor that may contribute to this is the lack of available targeted therapy. Expression of protein lin-28 homolog B (LIN28B), a regulator of developmental timing, is upregulated in several cancers, including G3 MB, and is associated with worse survival in this disease. Here, we investigate the role of the LIN28B pathway in G3 MB and demonstrate that the LIN28B-lethal-7 (let-7; a microRNA that is a tumor suppressor)-lymphokine-activated killer T-cell-originated protein kinase (PBK; also known as PDZ-binding kinase) axis promotes G3 MB proliferation. LIN28B knockdown in G3-MB-patient-derived cell lines leads to a significant reduction in cell viability and proliferation in vitro and in prolonged survival of mice with orthotopic tumors. The LIN28 inhibitor N-methyl-N-[3-(3-methyl-1,2,4-triazolo[4,3-b]pyridazin-6-yl)phenyl]acetamide (1632) significantly reduces G3 MB cell growth and demonstrates efficacy in reducing tumor growth in mouse xenograft models. Inhibiting PBK using HI-TOPK-032 also results in a significant reduction in G3 MB cell viability and proliferation. Together, these results highlight a critical role for the LIN28B-let-7-PBK pathway in G3 MB and provide preliminary preclinical results for drugs targeting this pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shubin W. Shahab
- Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders CenterChildren's Healthcare of AtlantaGAUSA
- Department of PediatricsEmory University School of MedicineAtlantaGAUSA
| | | | - Jiarong Sun
- Emory College of Arts and SciencesEmory UniversityAtlantaGAUSA
| | | | - Leon F. McSwain
- Department of PediatricsEmory University School of MedicineAtlantaGAUSA
| | - Kyle Juraschka
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Hospital for Sick ChildrenUniversity of TorontoONCanada
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and PathologyUniversity of TorontoONCanada
| | - Sachin A. Kumar
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and PathologyUniversity of TorontoONCanada
| | - Olivier Saulnier
- The Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumor Research Centre, The Hospital for Sick ChildrenUniversity of TorontoONCanada
- Developmental and Stem Cell Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick ChildrenUniversity of TorontoONCanada
| | - Michael D. Taylor
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Hospital for Sick ChildrenUniversity of TorontoONCanada
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and PathologyUniversity of TorontoONCanada
| | | | - Robert W. Schnepp
- Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders CenterChildren's Healthcare of AtlantaGAUSA
- Department of PediatricsEmory University School of MedicineAtlantaGAUSA
- The Janssen PharmaceuticalAmblerPAUSA
| | - Tobey J MacDonald
- Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders CenterChildren's Healthcare of AtlantaGAUSA
- Department of PediatricsEmory University School of MedicineAtlantaGAUSA
- Winship Cancer InstituteAtlantaGAUSA
| | - Anna Marie Kenney
- Department of PediatricsEmory University School of MedicineAtlantaGAUSA
- Winship Cancer InstituteAtlantaGAUSA
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Apfelbaum AA, Wrenn ED, Lawlor ER. The importance of fusion protein activity in Ewing sarcoma and the cell intrinsic and extrinsic factors that regulate it: A review. Front Oncol 2022; 12:1044707. [PMID: 36505823 PMCID: PMC9727305 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.1044707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Accumulating evidence shows that despite clonal origins tumors eventually become complex communities comprised of phenotypically distinct cell subpopulations. This heterogeneity arises from both tumor cell intrinsic programs and signals from spatially and temporally dynamic microenvironments. While pediatric cancers usually lack the mutational burden of adult cancers, they still exhibit high levels of cellular heterogeneity that are largely mediated by epigenetic mechanisms. Ewing sarcomas are aggressive bone and soft tissue malignancies with peak incidence in adolescence and the prognosis for patients with relapsed and metastatic disease is dismal. Ewing sarcomas are driven by a single pathognomonic fusion between a FET protein and an ETS family transcription factor, the most common of which is EWS::FLI1. Despite sharing a single driver mutation, Ewing sarcoma cells demonstrate a high degree of transcriptional heterogeneity both between and within tumors. Recent studies have identified differential fusion protein activity as a key source of this heterogeneity which leads to profoundly different cellular phenotypes. Paradoxically, increased invasive and metastatic potential is associated with lower EWS::FLI1 activity. Here, we review what is currently understood about EWS::FLI1 activity, the cell autonomous and tumor microenvironmental factors that regulate it, and the downstream consequences of these activity states on tumor progression. We specifically highlight how transcription factor regulation, signaling pathway modulation, and the extracellular matrix intersect to create a complex network of tumor cell phenotypes. We propose that elucidation of the mechanisms by which these essential elements interact will enable the development of novel therapeutic approaches that are designed to target this complexity and ultimately improve patient outcomes.
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Keskin T, Rucci B, Cornaz-Buros S, Martin P, Fusco C, Broye L, Cisarova K, Perez EM, Letovanec I, La Rosa S, Cherix S, Diezi M, Renella R, Provero P, Suvà ML, Stamenkovic I, Riggi N. A live single-cell reporter assay links intratumor heterogeneity to metastatic proclivity in Ewing sarcoma. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:eabf9394. [PMID: 34215585 PMCID: PMC11060044 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abf9394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Targeting of the most aggressive tumor cell subpopulations is key for effective management of most solid malignancies. However, the metastable nature of tumor heterogeneity, which allows cells to transition between strong and weak tumorigenic phenotypes, and the lack of reliable markers of tumor-promoting properties hamper identification of the most relevant cells. To overcome these obstacles, we designed a functional microRNA (miR)-based live-cell reporter assay to identify highly tumorigenic cells in xenotransplants of primary Ewing sarcoma (EwS) 3D cultures. Leveraging the inverse relationship between cell pluripotency and miR-145 expression, we successfully separated highly tumorigenic, metastasis-prone (miR-145low) cells from poorly tumorigenic, nonmetastatic (miR-145high) counterparts. Gene expression and functional studies of the two cell populations identified the EPHB2 receptor as a prognostic biomarker in patients with EwS and a major promoter of metastasis. Our study provides a simple and powerful means to identify and isolate tumor cells that display aggressive behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tugba Keskin
- Experimental Pathology Service, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Beatrice Rucci
- Experimental Pathology Service, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Sandrine Cornaz-Buros
- Experimental Pathology Service, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Patricia Martin
- Experimental Pathology Service, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Carlo Fusco
- Experimental Pathology Service, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Liliane Broye
- Experimental Pathology Service, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Katarina Cisarova
- Department of Computational Biology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Elizabeth M Perez
- Department of Pathology and Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Igor Letovanec
- Department of Histopathology, Central Institute, Valais Hospital, Sion, Switzerland
- Institute of Pathology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Stefano La Rosa
- Institute of Pathology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Stephane Cherix
- Department of Orthopedics, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Manuel Diezi
- Department Woman-Mother-Child, Division of Pediatrics, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Raffaele Renella
- Department Woman-Mother-Child, Division of Pediatrics, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Paolo Provero
- Department of Neurosciences Rita Levi Montalcini, University of Turin, Center of Omics Sciences, Ospedale San Raffaele IRCSS, Milan, Italy
| | - Mario L Suvà
- Department of Pathology and Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ivan Stamenkovic
- Experimental Pathology Service, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Nicolò Riggi
- Experimental Pathology Service, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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