1
|
Forgham H, Zhu J, Huang X, Zhang C, Biggs H, Liu L, Wang YC, Fletcher N, Humphries J, Cowin G, Mardon K, Kavallaris M, Thurecht K, Davis TP, Qiao R. Multifunctional Fluoropolymer-Engineered Magnetic Nanoparticles to Facilitate Blood-Brain Barrier Penetration and Effective Gene Silencing in Medulloblastoma. Adv Sci (Weinh) 2024:e2401340. [PMID: 38647396 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202401340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2024] [Revised: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Patients with brain cancers including medulloblastoma lack treatments that are effective long-term and without side effects. In this study, a multifunctional fluoropolymer-engineered iron oxide nanoparticle gene-therapeutic platform is presented to overcome these challenges. The fluoropolymers are designed and synthesized to incorporate various properties including robust anchoring moieties for efficient surface coating, cationic components to facilitate short interference RNA (siRNA) binding, and a fluorinated tail to ensure stability in serum. The blood-brain barrier (BBB) tailored system demonstrates enhanced BBB penetration, facilitates delivery of functionally active siRNA to medulloblastoma cells, and delivers a significant, almost complete block in protein expression within an in vitro extracellular acidic environment (pH 6.7) - as favored by most cancer cells. In vivo, it effectively crosses an intact BBB, provides contrast for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and delivers siRNA capable of slowing tumor growth without causing signs of toxicity - meaning it possesses a safe theranostic function. The pioneering methodology applied shows significant promise in the advancement of brain and tumor microenvironment-focused MRI-siRNA theranostics for the better treatment and diagnosis of medulloblastoma.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Helen Forgham
- Australian Institute of Bioengineering & Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Jiayuan Zhu
- Australian Institute of Bioengineering & Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Xumin Huang
- Australian Institute of Bioengineering & Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Cheng Zhang
- Australian Institute of Bioengineering & Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
- National Imaging Facility, Centre for Advanced Imaging, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Heather Biggs
- Australian Institute of Bioengineering & Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Liwei Liu
- Australian Institute of Bioengineering & Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Yi Cheng Wang
- Australian Institute of Bioengineering & Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Nicholas Fletcher
- Australian Institute of Bioengineering & Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
- National Imaging Facility, Centre for Advanced Imaging, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
- ARC Training Centre for Innovation in Biomedical Imaging Technology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - James Humphries
- Australian Institute of Bioengineering & Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
- National Imaging Facility, Centre for Advanced Imaging, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
- ARC Training Centre for Innovation in Biomedical Imaging Technology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Gary Cowin
- Australian Institute of Bioengineering & Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
- National Imaging Facility, Centre for Advanced Imaging, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Karine Mardon
- Australian Institute of Bioengineering & Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
- National Imaging Facility, Centre for Advanced Imaging, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Maria Kavallaris
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, New South Wales, 2052, Australia
- School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine & Health, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, New South Wales, 2052, Australia
- UNSW Australian Centre for Nanomedicine, Faculty of Engineering, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, New South Wales, 2052, Australia
- UNSW RNA Institute, Faculty of Science, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, New South Wales, 2052, Australia
| | - Kristofer Thurecht
- Australian Institute of Bioengineering & Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
- National Imaging Facility, Centre for Advanced Imaging, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
- ARC Training Centre for Innovation in Biomedical Imaging Technology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Thomas P Davis
- Australian Institute of Bioengineering & Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Ruirui Qiao
- Australian Institute of Bioengineering & Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Wang D, Ritz C, Pierce A, Brunt B, Luo Y, Dahl N, Venkataraman S, Danis E, Kuś K, Mazan M, Rzymski T, Veo B, Vibhakar R. Transcriptional Regulation of Protein Synthesis by Mediator Kinase in MYC-driven Medulloblastoma. bioRxiv 2024:2024.03.08.584103. [PMID: 38559100 PMCID: PMC10979852 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.08.584103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
MYC-driven medulloblastoma (MB) is a highly aggressive cancer type with poor prognosis and limited treatment options. Through CRISPR-Cas9 screening across MB cell lines, we identified the Mediator-associated kinase CDK8 as the top dependence for MYC-driven MB. Loss of CDK8 markedly reduces MYC expression and impedes MB growth. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that CDK8 depletion suppresses ribosome biogenesis and mRNA translation. CDK8 regulates occupancy of phospho-Polymerase II at specific chromatin loci facilitating an epigenetic alteration that promotes transcriptional regulation of ribosome biogenesis. Additionally, CDK8-mediated phosphorylation of 4EBP1 plays a crucial role in initiating eIF4E-dependent translation. Targeting CDK8 effectively suppresses cancer stem and progenitor cells, characterized by increased ribosome biogenesis activity. We also report the synergistic inhibition of CDK8 and mTOR in vivo and in vitro . Overall, our findings establish a connection between transcription and translation regulation, suggesting a promising therapeutic approach targets multiple points in the protein synthesis network for MYC-driven MB.
Collapse
|
3
|
Li X, Zheng C, Liu Y, Sun H, Qian Y, Fan H. Co-overexpression of BRD4 and CDK7 promotes cell proliferation and predicts poor prognosis in HCC. Heliyon 2024; 10:e24389. [PMID: 38293462 PMCID: PMC10826729 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e24389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Aberrant expression of critical components of the trans-acting super-enhancers (SE) complex contributes to the continuous and robust transcription of oncogenes in human cancers. Small-molecule inhibitors targeting core-transcriptional components such as transcriptional bromodomain protein 4 (BRD4) and cyclin-dependent kinase 7 (CDK7) have been developed and are currently undergoing preclinical and clinical testing in several malignant cancers. By analysis of TCGA data and clinical specimens, we demonstrated that BRD4 and CDK7 were frequently overexpressed in human HCCs and were associated with the poor prognosis. Shorter survival and poorly differentiated histology were linked to high BRD4 or CDK7 expression levels. Interestingly, co-overexpression of BRD4 and CDK7 was a more unfavorable prognostic factor in HCC. Treatment with JQ1 or THZ1 alone exhibited an inhibitory impact on the proliferation of HCC cells, while JQ1 synergized with THZ1 showed a more pronounced suppression. Concurrently, a combined JQ1 and THZ1 treatment abolished the transcription of oncogenes ETV4, MYC, NFE2L2. Our study suggested that BRD4 and CDK7 coupled can be a valuable biomarker in HCC diagnosis and the combination of JQ1 and THZ1 can be a promising therapeutic treatment against HCC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xinxiu Li
- Department of Medical Genetics and Developmental Biology, School of Medicine, The Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Diseases, Ministry of Education, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Chuqian Zheng
- Department of Medical Genetics and Developmental Biology, School of Medicine, The Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Diseases, Ministry of Education, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yue Liu
- Department of Medical Genetics and Developmental Biology, School of Medicine, The Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Diseases, Ministry of Education, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Hui Sun
- School of Life Science and Technology, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yanyan Qian
- Department of Medical Genetics and Developmental Biology, School of Medicine, The Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Diseases, Ministry of Education, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Hong Fan
- Department of Medical Genetics and Developmental Biology, School of Medicine, The Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Diseases, Ministry of Education, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Liu H, Fu H, Yu C, Zhang N, Huang C, Lv L, Hu C, Chen F, Xiao Z, Zhang Z, Lu H, Yuan K. Transcriptional pausing induced by ionizing radiation enables the acquisition of radioresistance in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. J Mol Cell Biol 2024; 15:mjad044. [PMID: 37407287 PMCID: PMC10960568 DOI: 10.1093/jmcb/mjad044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2022] [Revised: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/04/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Lesions on the DNA template can impact transcription via distinct regulatory pathways. Ionizing radiation (IR) as the mainstay modality for many malignancies elicits most of the cytotoxicity by inducing a variety of DNA damages in the genome. How the IR treatment alters the transcription cycle and whether it contributes to the development of radioresistance remain poorly understood. Here, we report an increase in the paused RNA polymerase II (RNAPII), as indicated by the phosphorylation at serine 5 residue of its C-terminal domain, in recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patient samples after IR treatment and cultured NPC cells developing IR resistance. Reducing the pool of paused RNAPII by either inhibiting TFIIH-associated CDK7 or stimulating the positive transcription elongation factor b, a CDK9-CycT1 heterodimer, attenuates IR resistance of NPC cells. Interestingly, the poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation of CycT1, which disrupts its phase separation, is elevated in the IR-resistant cells. Mutation of the major poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation sites of CycT1 decreases RNAPII pausing and restores IR sensitivity. Genome-wide chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing analyses reveal that several genes involved in radiation response and cell cycle control are subject to the regulation imposed by the paused RNAPII. Particularly, we identify the NIMA-related kinase NEK7 under such regulation as a new radioresistance factor, whose downregulation results in the increased chromosome instability, enabling the development of IR resistance. Overall, our results highlight a novel link between the alteration in the transcription cycle and the acquisition of IR resistance, opening up new opportunities to increase the efficacy of radiotherapy and thwart radioresistance in NPC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Honglu Liu
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Molecular Precision Medicine, Department of Oncology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China
| | - Huanyi Fu
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Cancer Molecular Cell Biology, Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Chunhong Yu
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Molecular Precision Medicine, Department of Oncology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China
| | - Na Zhang
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Molecular Precision Medicine, Department of Oncology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China
| | - Canhua Huang
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Molecular Precision Medicine, Department of Oncology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China
| | - Lu Lv
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Molecular Precision Medicine, Department of Oncology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China
| | - Chunhong Hu
- Department of Oncology, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410011, China
| | - Fang Chen
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Molecular Precision Medicine, Department of Oncology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China
| | - Zhiqiang Xiao
- Research Center of Carcinogenesis and Targeted Therapy, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China
| | - Zhuohua Zhang
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Molecular Precision Medicine, Department of Oncology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China
| | - Huasong Lu
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Cancer Molecular Cell Biology, Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Kai Yuan
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Molecular Precision Medicine, Department of Oncology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China
- The Biobank of Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Wolin AR, Vincent MY, Hotz T, Purdy SC, Rosenbaum SR, Hughes CJ, Hsu JY, Oliphant MUJ, Armstrong B, Wessells V, Varella-Garcia M, Galbraith MD, Pierce A, Wang D, Venkataraman S, Danis E, Veo B, Serkova N, Espinosa JM, Gustafson DL, Vibhakar R, Ford HL. EYA2 tyrosine phosphatase inhibition reduces MYC and prevents medulloblastoma progression. Neuro Oncol 2023; 25:2287-2301. [PMID: 37486991 PMCID: PMC10708924 DOI: 10.1093/neuonc/noad128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 07/26/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Medulloblastoma is the most common pediatric brain malignancy. Patients with the Group 3 subtype of medulloblastoma (MB) often exhibit MYC amplification and/or overexpression and have the poorest prognosis. While Group 3 MB is known to be highly dependent on MYC, direct targeting of MYC remains elusive. METHODS Patient gene expression data were used to identify highly expressed EYA2 in Group 3 MB samples, assess the correlation between EYA2 and MYC, and examine patient survival. Genetic and pharmacological studies were performed on EYA2 in Group 3 derived MB cell models to assess MYC regulation and viability in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS EYA2 is more highly expressed in Group 3 MB than other MB subgroups and is essential for Group 3 MB growth in vitro and in vivo. EYA2 regulates MYC expression and protein stability in Group 3 MB, resulting in global alterations of MYC transcription. Inhibition of EYA2 tyrosine phosphatase activity, using a novel small molecule inhibitor (NCGC00249987, or 9987), significantly decreases Group 3 MB MYC expression in both flank and intracranial growth in vivo. Human MB RNA-seq data show that EYA2 and MYC are significantly positively correlated, high EYA2 expression is significantly associated with a MYC transcriptional signature, and patients with high EYA2 and MYC expression have worse prognoses than those that do not express both genes at high levels. CONCLUSIONS Our data demonstrate that EYA2 is a critical regulator of MYC in Group 3 MB and suggest a novel therapeutic avenue to target this highly lethal disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Arthur R Wolin
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (AMC), Aurora, Colorado, USA
- Molecular Biology Graduate Program, University of Colorado AMC, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Melanie Y Vincent
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (AMC), Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Taylor Hotz
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (AMC), Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Stephen C Purdy
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (AMC), Aurora, Colorado, USA
- Cancer Biology Graduate Program, University of Colorado AMC, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Sheera R Rosenbaum
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (AMC), Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Connor J Hughes
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (AMC), Aurora, Colorado, USA
- Pharmacology Graduate Program, University of Colorado AMC, Aurora, Colorado, USA
- Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Colorado AMC, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Jessica Y Hsu
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (AMC), Aurora, Colorado, USA
- Pharmacology Graduate Program, University of Colorado AMC, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Michael U J Oliphant
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (AMC), Aurora, Colorado, USA
- Integrated Physiology Graduate Program, University of Colorado AMC, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Brock Armstrong
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (AMC), Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Veronica Wessells
- Department of Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology, University of Colorado AMC, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Marileila Varella-Garcia
- Department of Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology, University of Colorado AMC, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Matthew D Galbraith
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (AMC), Aurora, Colorado, USA
- Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome, University of Colorado AMC, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Angela Pierce
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Colorado AMC, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Dong Wang
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Colorado AMC, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Sujatha Venkataraman
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Colorado AMC, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Etienne Danis
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (AMC), Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Bethany Veo
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Colorado AMC, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Natalie Serkova
- Department of Radiology, University of Colorado AMC, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Joaquin M Espinosa
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (AMC), Aurora, Colorado, USA
- Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome, University of Colorado AMC, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Daniel L Gustafson
- Clinical Sciences Department, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Rajeev Vibhakar
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Colorado AMC, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Heide L Ford
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (AMC), Aurora, Colorado, USA
- Molecular Biology Graduate Program, University of Colorado AMC, Aurora, Colorado, USA
- Cancer Biology Graduate Program, University of Colorado AMC, Aurora, Colorado, USA
- Pharmacology Graduate Program, University of Colorado AMC, Aurora, Colorado, USA
- Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Colorado AMC, Aurora, Colorado, USA
- Integrated Physiology Graduate Program, University of Colorado AMC, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Pitolli C, Marini A, Guerra M, Pieraccioli M, Marabitti V, Palluzzi F, Giacò L, Tamburrini G, Cecconi F, Nazio F, Sette C, Pagliarini V. MYC up-regulation confers vulnerability to dual inhibition of CDK12 and CDK13 in high-risk Group 3 medulloblastoma. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2023; 42:214. [PMID: 37599362 PMCID: PMC10440921 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-023-02790-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Medulloblastoma (MB) is the most common cerebellar malignancy during childhood. Among MB, MYC-amplified Group 3 tumors display the worst prognosis. MYC is an oncogenic transcription factor currently thought to be undruggable. Nevertheless, targeting MYC-dependent processes (i.e. transcription and RNA processing regulation) represents a promising approach. METHODS We have tested the sensitivity of MYC-driven Group 3 MB cells to a pool of transcription and splicing inhibitors that display a wide spectrum of targets. Among them, we focus on THZ531, an inhibitor of the transcriptional cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK) 12 and 13. High-throughput RNA-sequencing analyses followed by bioinformatics and functional analyses were carried out to elucidate the molecular mechanism(s) underlying the susceptibility of Group 3 MB to CDK12/13 chemical inhibition. Data from International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) and other public databases were mined to evaluate the functional relevance of the cellular pathway/s affected by the treatment with THZ531 in Group 3 MB patients. RESULTS We found that pharmacological inhibition of CDK12/13 is highly selective for MYC-high Group 3 MB cells with respect to MYC-low MB cells. We identified a subset of genes enriched in functional terms related to the DNA damage response (DDR) that are up-regulated in Group 3 MB and repressed by CDK12/13 inhibition. Accordingly, MYC- and CDK12/13-dependent higher expression of DDR genes in Group 3 MB cells limits the toxic effects of endogenous DNA lesions in these cells. More importantly, chemical inhibition of CDK12/13 impaired the DDR and induced irreparable DNA damage exclusively in MYC-high Group 3 MB cells. The augmented sensitivity of MYC-high MB cells to CDK12/13 inhibition relies on the higher elongation rate of the RNA polymerase II in DDR genes. Lastly, combined treatments with THZ531 and DNA damage-inducing agents synergically suppressed viability of MYC-high Group 3 MB cells. CONCLUSIONS Our study demonstrates that CDK12/13 activity represents an exploitable vulnerability in MYC-high Group 3 MB and may pave the ground for new therapeutic approaches for this high-risk brain tumor.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Consuelo Pitolli
- Department of Neuroscience, Section of Human Anatomy, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, 00168, Rome, Italy
| | - Alberto Marini
- Department of Neuroscience, Section of Human Anatomy, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, 00168, Rome, Italy
- GSTEP-Organoids Research Core Facility, IRCCS Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli, 00168, Rome, Italy
| | - Marika Guerra
- Department of Neuroscience, Section of Human Anatomy, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, 00168, Rome, Italy
| | - Marco Pieraccioli
- Department of Neuroscience, Section of Human Anatomy, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, 00168, Rome, Italy
- GSTEP-Organoids Research Core Facility, IRCCS Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli, 00168, Rome, Italy
| | - Veronica Marabitti
- Department of Pediatric Hemato-Oncology and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
- Department of Biology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - Fernando Palluzzi
- Bioinformatics Research Core Facility, Gemelli Science and Technology Park (GSTeP), IRCCS Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli, 00168, Rome, Italy
- Present Address: Integrated Omics Department, Novo Nordisk, 2860, Søborg, Denmark
| | - Luciano Giacò
- Bioinformatics Research Core Facility, Gemelli Science and Technology Park (GSTeP), IRCCS Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli, 00168, Rome, Italy
| | - Gianpiero Tamburrini
- Department of Neuroscience, Section of Human Anatomy, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, 00168, Rome, Italy
- Pediatric Neurosurgery, IRCCS Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli, 00168, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesco Cecconi
- Department of Pediatric Hemato-Oncology and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
- Department of Basic Biotechnological Sciences, Intensive Care and Perioperative Clinics Research, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, 00168, Rome, Italy
- Unit of Cell Stress and Survival, Danish Cancer Society Research Center, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Francesca Nazio
- Department of Pediatric Hemato-Oncology and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
- Department of Biology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - Claudio Sette
- Department of Neuroscience, Section of Human Anatomy, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, 00168, Rome, Italy.
- GSTEP-Organoids Research Core Facility, IRCCS Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli, 00168, Rome, Italy.
| | - Vittoria Pagliarini
- Department of Neuroscience, Section of Human Anatomy, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, 00168, Rome, Italy.
- GSTEP-Organoids Research Core Facility, IRCCS Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli, 00168, Rome, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Maity S, Mukherjee R, Banerjee S. Recent Advances and Therapeutic Strategies Using CRISPR Genome Editing Technique for the Treatment of Cancer. Mol Biotechnol 2023; 65:206-226. [PMID: 35999480 DOI: 10.1007/s12033-022-00550-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
CRISPR genome editing technique has the potential to target cancer cells in a precise manner. The latest advancements have helped to address one of the prominent concerns about this strategy which is the off-target integrations observed with dsDNA and have resulted in more studies being carried out for potentially safer and more targeted gene therapy, so as to make it available for the clinical trials in order to effectively treat cancer. CRISPR screens offer great potential for the high throughput investigation of the gene functionality in various tumors. It extends its capability to identify the tumor growth essential genes, therapeutic resistant genes, and immunotherapeutic responses. CRISPR screens are mostly performed in in vitro models, but latest advancements focus on developing in vivo models to view cancer progression in animal models. It also allows the detection of factors responsible for tumorigenesis. In CRISPR screens key parameters are optimized in order to meet proficient gene targeting efficiencies. It also detects various molecular effectors required for gene regulation in different cancers, essential pathways which modulate cytotoxicity to immunotherapy in cancer cells, important genes which contribute to cancer cell survival in hypoxic states and modulate cancer long non-coding RNAs. The current review focuses on the recent developments in the therapeutic application of CRISPR technology for cancer therapy. Furthermore, the associated challenges and safety concerns along with the various strategies that can be implemented to overcome these drawbacks has been discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shreyasi Maity
- School of Bioscience and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, 632 014, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Rishyani Mukherjee
- School of Bioscience and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, 632 014, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Satarupa Banerjee
- School of Bioscience and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, 632 014, Tamil Nadu, India.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Abstract
MYC plays critical roles in tumorigenesis and is considered an attractive cancer therapeutic target. Small molecules that directly target MYC and are well tolerated in vivo represent invaluable anti-cancer therapeutic agents. Here, we aimed to investigate the therapeutic effect of MYC inhibitors in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The results showed that pharmacological and genetic inhibition of MYC inhibited HNSCC proliferation and migration. MYC inhibitor 975 (MYCi975), inhibited HNSCC growth in both cell line-derived xenograft and syngeneic murine models. MYC inhibition also induced tumor cell-intrinsic immune responses, and promoted CD8+ T cell infiltration. Mechanistically, MYC inhibition increased CD8+ T cell-recruiting chemokines by inducing the DNA damage related cGAS-STING pathway. High expression of MYC combined with a low level of infiltrated CD8+ T cell in HNSCC correlated with poor prognosis. These results suggested the potential of small-molecule MYC inhibitors as anti-cancer therapeutic agents in HNSCC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shuo Liu
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing, China
- National Center of Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & National Engineering Laboratory for Digital and Material Technology of Stomatology, Beijing, China
| | - Zhen Qin
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing, China
- National Center of Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & National Engineering Laboratory for Digital and Material Technology of Stomatology, Beijing, China
- Department of Central Laboratory, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing, China
| | - Yaqing Mao
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing, China
- National Center of Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & National Engineering Laboratory for Digital and Material Technology of Stomatology, Beijing, China
| | - Wenbo Zhang
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing, China
- National Center of Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & National Engineering Laboratory for Digital and Material Technology of Stomatology, Beijing, China
| | - Yujia Wang
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing, China
- National Center of Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & National Engineering Laboratory for Digital and Material Technology of Stomatology, Beijing, China
- Department of Central Laboratory, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing, China
| | - Lingfei Jia
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing, China
- National Center of Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & National Engineering Laboratory for Digital and Material Technology of Stomatology, Beijing, China
- Department of Central Laboratory, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing, China
| | - Xin Peng
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing, China
- National Center of Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & National Engineering Laboratory for Digital and Material Technology of Stomatology, Beijing, China
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Donovan MG, Galbraith MD, Espinosa JM. Multi-omics investigation reveals functional specialization of transcriptional cyclin dependent kinases in cancer biology. Sci Rep 2022; 12:22505. [PMID: 36577800 PMCID: PMC9797569 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-26860-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcriptional addiction is recognized as a valid therapeutic target in cancer, whereby the dependency of cancer cells on oncogenic transcriptional regulators may be pharmacologically exploited. However, a comprehensive understanding of the key factors within the transcriptional machinery that might afford a useful therapeutic window remains elusive. Herein, we present a cross-omics investigation into the functional specialization of the transcriptional cyclin dependent kinases (tCDKs) through analysis of high-content genetic dependency, gene expression, patient survival, and drug response datasets. This analysis revealed specialization among tCDKs in terms of contributions to cancer cell fitness, clinical prognosis, and interaction with oncogenic signaling pathways. CDK7 and CDK9 stand out as the most relevant targets, albeit through distinct mechanisms of oncogenicity and context-dependent contributions to cancer survival and drug sensitivity. Genetic ablation of CDK9, but not CDK7, mimics the effect on cell viability the loss of key components of the transcriptional machinery. Pathway analysis of genetic co-dependency and drug sensitivity data show CDK7 and CDK9 have distinct relationships with major oncogenic signatures, including MYC and E2F targets, oxidative phosphorylation, and the unfolded protein response. Altogether, these results inform the improved design of therapeutic strategies targeting tCDKs in cancer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Micah G Donovan
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
- Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Matthew D Galbraith
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
- Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Joaquin M Espinosa
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.
- Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Li M, Han Y, Wang C, Kang W, Jiang W, Zhang L, Tang Y. Dissecting super-enhancer driven transcriptional dependencies reveals novel therapeutic strategies and targets for group 3 subtype medulloblastoma. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2022; 41:311. [PMID: 36273157 PMCID: PMC9587669 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-022-02506-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant pediatric brain tumor and group 3 subtype medulloblastoma (G3-MB) exhibits the worst prognosis. Super enhancers (SEs) are large clusters of enhancers that play important roles in cancer through transcriptional control of cell identity genes, oncogenes and tumor-dependent genes. Dissecting SE-driven transcriptional dependencies of cancer leads to identification of novel oncogenic mechanisms, therapeutic strategies and targets. METHODS Integrative SE analyses of primary tissues and patient-derived tumor cell lines of G3-MB were performed to extract the conserved SE-associated gene signatures and their oncogenic potentials were evaluated by gene expression, tumor-dependency and patient prognosis analyses. SE-associated subtype-specific upregulated tumor-dependent genes, which were revealed as members of SE-driven core transcriptional regulatory network of G3-MB, were then subjected to functional validation and mechanistic investigation. SE-associated therapeutic potential was further explored by genetic or pharmaceutical targeting of SE complex components or SE-associated subtype-specific upregulated tumor-dependent genes individually or in combination, and the underlying therapeutic mechanisms were also examined. RESULTS The identified conserved SE-associated transcripts of G3-MB tissues and cell lines were enriched of subtype-specifically upregulated tumor-dependent genes and MB patients harboring enrichment of those transcripts exhibited worse prognosis. Fourteen such conserved SE-associated G3-MB-specific upregulated tumor-dependent genes were identified to be members of SE-driven core transcriptional regulatory network of G3-MB, including three well-recognized TFs (MYC, OTX2 and CRX) and eleven newly identified downstream effector genes (ARL4D, AUTS2, BMF, IGF2BP3, KIF21B, KLHL29, LRP8, MARS1, PSMB5, SDK2 and SSBP3). An OTX2-SE-ARL4D regulatory axis was further revealed to represent a subtype-specific tumor dependency and therapeutic target of G3-MB via contributing to maintaining cell cycle progression and inhibiting neural differentiation of tumor cells. Moreover, BET inhibition with CDK7 inhibition or proteasome inhibition, two combinatory strategies of targeting SE complex components (BRD4, CDK7) or SE-associated effector gene (PSMB5), were shown to exhibit synergistic therapeutic effects against G3-MB via stronger suppression of SE-associated transcription or higher induction of ER stress, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Our study verifies the oncogenic role and therapeutic potential of SE-driven transcriptional dependencies of G3-MB, resulting in better understanding of its tumor biology and identification of novel SE-associated therapeutic strategies and targets.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Meng Li
- grid.16821.3c0000 0004 0368 8293Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of National Ministry of Education, Department of Pathophysiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 280 South Chongqing Road, 200025 Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yujie Han
- grid.16821.3c0000 0004 0368 8293Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of National Ministry of Education, Department of Pathophysiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 280 South Chongqing Road, 200025 Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
| | - Chaochen Wang
- grid.13402.340000 0004 1759 700XDepartment of Breast Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China ,grid.13402.340000 0004 1759 700XZJU-UoE Institute, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, International Campus, Zhejiang University, Haining, People’s Republic of China
| | - Wenfeng Kang
- grid.16821.3c0000 0004 0368 8293Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of National Ministry of Education, Department of Pathophysiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 280 South Chongqing Road, 200025 Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
| | - Wenyan Jiang
- grid.16821.3c0000 0004 0368 8293Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of National Ministry of Education, Department of Pathophysiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 280 South Chongqing Road, 200025 Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
| | - Lei Zhang
- grid.16821.3c0000 0004 0368 8293Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of National Ministry of Education, Department of Pathophysiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 280 South Chongqing Road, 200025 Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yujie Tang
- grid.16821.3c0000 0004 0368 8293Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of National Ministry of Education, Department of Pathophysiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 280 South Chongqing Road, 200025 Shanghai, People’s Republic of China ,grid.16821.3c0000 0004 0368 8293Shanghai Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Department of Histoembryology, Genetics and Developmental Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 280 South Chongqing Road, Shanghai, 200025 People’s Republic of China
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Koo BK, Choi EJ, Hur EH, Moon JH, Kim JY, Park HS, Choi Y, Lee JH, Lee KH, Choi EK, Kim J, Lee JH. Antileukemic activity of YPN-005, a CDK7 inhibitor, inducing apoptosis through c-MYC and FLT3 suppression in acute myeloid leukemia. Heliyon 2022; 8:e11004. [PMID: 36276757 PMCID: PMC9579003 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e11004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2022] [Revised: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive blood cancer with a high rate of relapse associated with adverse survival outcomes, especially in elderly patients. An aberrant expression of cyclin dependent kinase 7 (CDK7) is associated with poor outcomes and CDK7 inhibition has showed antitumor activities in various cancers. We investigated the efficacy of YPN-005, a CDK7 inhibitor in AML cell lines, xenograft mouse model, and primary AML cells. YPN-005 effectively inhibited the proliferation of AML cells by inducing apoptosis and reducing phosphorylation of RNA polymerase II. The c-MYC expression decreased with treatment of YPN-005, and the effect of YPN-005 was negatively correlated with c-MYC expression. YPN-005 also showed antileukemic activities in primary AML cells, especially those harboring FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3-internal tandem duplication (FLT3-ITD) mutation and in in vivo mouse model. Phosphorylated FLT3/Signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5) was decreased and FLT3/STAT5 was downregulated with YPN-005 treatment. Our data suggest that YPN-005 has a role in treating AML by suppressing c-MYC and FLT3.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bon-Kwan Koo
- Department of Hematology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Eun-Ji Choi
- Department of Hematology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea,Corresponding author.
| | - Eun-Hye Hur
- Department of Hematology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea,Corresponding author.
| | - Ju Hyun Moon
- Department of Hematology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Ji Yun Kim
- Department of Hematology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Han-Seung Park
- Department of Hematology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Yunsuk Choi
- Department of Hematology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Jung-Hee Lee
- Department of Hematology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Kyoo-Hyung Lee
- Department of Hematology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Eun Kyung Choi
- Asan Preclinical Evaluation Center for Cancer Therapeutics, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Jinhwan Kim
- R&D Institute, Yungjin Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, South Korea
| | - Je-Hwan Lee
- Department of Hematology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
van der Noord VE, van de Water B, Le Dévédec SE. Targeting the Heterogeneous Genomic Landscape in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer through Inhibitors of the Transcriptional Machinery. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:4353. [PMID: 36139513 PMCID: PMC9496798 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14184353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Revised: 08/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype of breast cancer defined by lack of the estrogen, progesterone and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2. Although TNBC tumors contain a wide variety of oncogenic mutations and copy number alterations, the direct targeting of these alterations has failed to substantially improve therapeutic efficacy. This efficacy is strongly limited by interpatient and intratumor heterogeneity, and thereby a lack in uniformity of targetable drivers. Most of these genetic abnormalities eventually drive specific transcriptional programs, which may be a general underlying vulnerability. Currently, there are multiple selective inhibitors, which target the transcriptional machinery through transcriptional cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) 7, 8, 9, 12 and 13 and bromodomain extra-terminal motif (BET) proteins, including BRD4. In this review, we discuss how inhibitors of the transcriptional machinery can effectively target genetic abnormalities in TNBC, and how these abnormalities can influence sensitivity to these inhibitors. These inhibitors target the genomic landscape in TNBC by specifically suppressing MYC-driven transcription, inducing further DNA damage, improving anti-cancer immunity, and preventing drug resistance against MAPK and PI3K-targeted therapies. Because the transcriptional machinery enables transcription and propagation of multiple cancer drivers, it may be a promising target for (combination) treatment, especially of heterogeneous malignancies, including TNBC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Sylvia E. Le Dévédec
- Division of Drug Discovery and Safety, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, Leiden University, 2333 CC Leiden, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Zeng S, Lan B, Ren X, Zhang S, Schreyer D, Eckstein M, Yang H, Britzen-Laurent N, Dahl A, Mukhopadhyay D, Chang D, Kutschick I, Pfeffer S, Bailey P, Biankin A, Grützmann R, Pilarsky C. CDK7 inhibition augments response to multidrug chemotherapy in pancreatic cancer. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2022; 41:241. [PMID: 35945614 PMCID: PMC9364549 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-022-02443-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an aggressive cancer with a dismal prognosis. Although combined treatment with gemcitabine and albumin-bound paclitaxel has improved the prognosis of PDAC, both intrinsic and acquired chemoresistance remain as severe hurtles towards improved prognosis. Thus, new therapeutic targets and innovative strategies are urgently needed. METHODS In this study, we used the KPC mouse model-derived PDAC cell line TB32047 to perform kinome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 loss-of-function screening. Next-generation sequencing and MAGeCK-VISPR analysis were performed to identify candidate genes. We then conducted cell viability, clonogenic, and apoptosis assays and evaluated the synergistic therapeutic effects of cyclin-dependent kinase 7 (CDK7) depletion or inhibition with gemcitabine (GEM) and paclitaxel (PTX) in a murine orthotopic pancreatic cancer model. For mechanistic studies, we performed genome enrichment analysis (GSEA) and Western blotting to identify and verify the pathways that render PDAC sensitive to GEM/PTX therapy. RESULTS We identified several cell cycle checkpoint kinases and DNA damage-related kinases as targets for overcoming chemoresistance. Among them, CDK7 ranked highly in both screenings. We demonstrated that both gene knockout and pharmacological inhibition of CDK7 by THZ1 result in cell cycle arrest, apoptosis induction, and DNA damage at least predominantly through the STAT3-MCL1-CHK1 axis. Furthermore, THZ1 synergized with GEM and PTX in vitro and in vivo, resulting in enhanced antitumor effects. CONCLUSIONS Our findings support the application of CRISPR-Cas9 screening in identifying novel therapeutic targets and suggest new strategies for overcoming chemoresistance in pancreatic cancer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Siyuan Zeng
- Department of Surgery, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Translational Research Center, Schwabachanlage 12, 91054, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Bin Lan
- Department of Surgery, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Translational Research Center, Schwabachanlage 12, 91054, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Xiaofan Ren
- Department of Surgery, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Translational Research Center, Schwabachanlage 12, 91054, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Shuman Zhang
- Department of Surgery, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Translational Research Center, Schwabachanlage 12, 91054, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Daniel Schreyer
- Wolfson Wohl Cancer Research Centre, Institute of Cancer Sciences, University of Glasgow, Garscube Estate, Glasgow, Scotland, UK
| | - Markus Eckstein
- Institute of Pathology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, 91054, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Hai Yang
- Department of Surgery, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Translational Research Center, Schwabachanlage 12, 91054, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Nathalie Britzen-Laurent
- Department of Surgery, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Translational Research Center, Schwabachanlage 12, 91054, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Andreas Dahl
- DRESDEN-Concept Genome Center a DFG NGS Competence Center, TU Dresden, 01307, Dresden, Germany
| | - Debabrata Mukhopadhyay
- Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Jacksonville, USA
| | - David Chang
- Wolfson Wohl Cancer Research Centre, Institute of Cancer Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, UK
- West of Scotland Pancreatic Unit, Glasgow Royal Infirmary, Glasgow, UK
| | - Isabella Kutschick
- Department of Surgery, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Translational Research Center, Schwabachanlage 12, 91054, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Susanne Pfeffer
- Department of Surgery, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Translational Research Center, Schwabachanlage 12, 91054, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Peter Bailey
- Wolfson Wohl Cancer Research Centre, Institute of Cancer Sciences, University of Glasgow, Garscube Estate, Glasgow, Scotland, UK
| | - Andrew Biankin
- Wolfson Wohl Cancer Research Centre, Institute of Cancer Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, UK
- West of Scotland Pancreatic Unit, Glasgow Royal Infirmary, Glasgow, UK
| | - Robert Grützmann
- Department of Surgery, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Translational Research Center, Schwabachanlage 12, 91054, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Christian Pilarsky
- Department of Surgery, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Translational Research Center, Schwabachanlage 12, 91054, Erlangen, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Asuthkar S, Venkataraman S, Avilala J, Shishido K, Vibhakar R, Veo B, Purvis IJ, Guda MR, Velpula KK. SMYD3 Promotes Cell Cycle Progression by Inducing Cyclin D3 Transcription and Stabilizing the Cyclin D1 Protein in Medulloblastoma. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14071673. [PMID: 35406445 PMCID: PMC8997160 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14071673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Revised: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant pediatric brain tumor and is classified into four molecular subgroups: Wnt, Shh, Group 3, and Group 4. Of these subgroups, patients with Myc+ Group 3 MB have the worst prognosis. Using an RNAi functional genomic screen, we identified the lysine methyltransferase SMYD3 as a crucial epigenetic regulator responsible for promoting Group 3 MB cell growth. We demonstrated that SMYD3 drives MB cell cycle progression by inducing cyclin D3 transcription and preventing cyclin D1 ubiquitination. Using in vitro and ex vivo studies, we showed that SMYD3 suppression by shRNA and BCI-121 significantly impaired proliferation, resulting in the downregulation of cyclin D3, cyclin D1, and pRBSer795. Moreover, we are the first to show that SMYD3 methylates the cyclin D1 protein, indicating that the SMYD3 stabilizes cyclin D1 through post-translational modification. Collectively, our studies position SMYD3 as a promising treatment option for Group 3 Myc+ MB patients. Abstract Medulloblastoma (MB) is the most common malignant pediatric brain tumor. Maximum safe resection, postoperative craniospinal irradiation, and chemotherapy are the standard of care for MB patients. MB is classified into four subgroups: Shh, Wnt, Group 3, and Group 4. Of these subgroups, patients with Myc+ Group 3 MB have the worst prognosis, necessitating alternative therapies. There is increasing interest in targeting epigenetic modifiers for treating pediatric cancers, including MB. Using an RNAi functional genomic screen, we identified the lysine methyltransferase SMYD3, as a crucial epigenetic regulator that drives the growth of Group 3 Myc+ MB cells. We demonstrated that SMYD3 directly binds to the cyclin D3 promoter to activate its transcription. Further, SMYD3 depletion significantly reduced MB cell proliferation and led to the downregulation of cyclin D3, cyclin D1, pRBSer795, with concomitant upregulations in RB in vitro. Similar results were obtained following pharmacological inhibition of SMYD3 using BCI-121 ex vivo. SMYD3 knockdown also promoted cyclin D1 ubiquitination, indicating that SMYD3 plays a vital role in stabilizing the cyclin D1 protein. Collectively, our studies demonstrate that SMYD3 drives cell cycle progression in Group 3 Myc+ MB cells and that targeting SMYD3 has the potential to improve clinical outcomes for high-risk patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Swapna Asuthkar
- Department of Cancer Biology and Pharmacology, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria, Peoria, IL 61605, USA; (J.A.); (K.S.); (I.J.P.); (M.R.G.); (K.K.V.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Sujatha Venkataraman
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; (S.V.); (R.V.); (B.V.)
| | - Janardhan Avilala
- Department of Cancer Biology and Pharmacology, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria, Peoria, IL 61605, USA; (J.A.); (K.S.); (I.J.P.); (M.R.G.); (K.K.V.)
| | - Katherine Shishido
- Department of Cancer Biology and Pharmacology, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria, Peoria, IL 61605, USA; (J.A.); (K.S.); (I.J.P.); (M.R.G.); (K.K.V.)
| | - Rajeev Vibhakar
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; (S.V.); (R.V.); (B.V.)
| | - Bethany Veo
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; (S.V.); (R.V.); (B.V.)
| | - Ian J. Purvis
- Department of Cancer Biology and Pharmacology, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria, Peoria, IL 61605, USA; (J.A.); (K.S.); (I.J.P.); (M.R.G.); (K.K.V.)
| | - Maheedhara R. Guda
- Department of Cancer Biology and Pharmacology, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria, Peoria, IL 61605, USA; (J.A.); (K.S.); (I.J.P.); (M.R.G.); (K.K.V.)
| | - Kiran K. Velpula
- Department of Cancer Biology and Pharmacology, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria, Peoria, IL 61605, USA; (J.A.); (K.S.); (I.J.P.); (M.R.G.); (K.K.V.)
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria, Peoria, IL 61605, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria, Peoria, IL 61605, USA
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Wang D, Veo B, Pierce A, Fosmire S, Madhavan K, Balakrishnan I, Donson A, Alimova I, Sullivan KD, Joshi M, Erlander M, Ridinger M, Foreman NK, Venkataraman S, Vibhakar R. A novel PLK1 inhibitor onvansertib effectively sensitizes MYC-driven medulloblastoma to radiotherapy. Neuro Oncol 2022; 24:414-426. [PMID: 34477871 PMCID: PMC8917408 DOI: 10.1093/neuonc/noab207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Group 3 medulloblastoma (MB) is often accompanied by MYC amplification. PLK1 is an oncogenic kinase that controls cell cycle and proliferation and has been preclinically validated as a cancer therapeutic target. Onvansertib (PCM-075) is a novel, orally available PLK1 inhibitor, which shows tumor growth inhibition in various types of cancer. We aim to explore the effect of onvansertib on MYC-driven medulloblastoma as a monotherapy or in combination with radiation. METHODS Crisper-Cas9 screen was used to discover essential genes for MB tumor growth. Microarray and immunohistochemistry on pediatric patient samples were performed to examine the expression of PLK1. The effect of onvansertib in vitro was measure by cell viability, colony-forming assays, extreme limiting dilution assay, and RNA-Seq. ALDH activity, cell-cycle distribution, and apoptosis were analyzed by flow cytometry. DNA damage was assessed by immunofluorescence staining. Medulloblastoma xenografts were generated to explore the monotherapy or radio-sensitizing effect. RESULTS PLK1 is overexpressed in Group 3 MB. The IC50 concentrations of onvansertib in Group 3 MB cell lines were in a low nanomolar range. Onvansertib reduced colony formation, cell proliferation, stem cell renewal and induced G2/M arrest in vitro. Moreover, onvansertib in combination with radiation increased DNA damage and apoptosis compared with radiation treatment alone. The combination radiotherapy resulted in marked tumor regression in xenografts. CONCLUSIONS These findings demonstrate the efficacy of a novel PLK1 inhibitor onvansertib in vitro and in xenografts of Group 3 MB, which suggests onvansertib is an effective strategy as monotherapy or in combination with radiotherapy in MB.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dong Wang
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Bethany Veo
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Angela Pierce
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Susan Fosmire
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Krishna Madhavan
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Ilango Balakrishnan
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Andrew Donson
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Irina Alimova
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Kelly D Sullivan
- Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome, Department of Pediatrics, Section of Developmental Biology, Children’s Hospital Colorado, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Molishree Joshi
- Functional Genomics Facility, University of Colorado Cancer Center, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | | | | | - Nicholas K Foreman
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
- Morgan Adams Foundation Pediatric Brain Tumor Research Program, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Aurora, Colorado, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Sujatha Venkataraman
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
- Morgan Adams Foundation Pediatric Brain Tumor Research Program, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Rajeev Vibhakar
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
- Morgan Adams Foundation Pediatric Brain Tumor Research Program, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Aurora, Colorado, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, Colorado, USA
- Corresponding Author: Rajeev Vibhakar, MD, PhD, Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA ()
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Pesch AM, Hirsh NH, Michmerhuizen AR, Jungles KM, Wilder-Romans K, Chandler BC, Liu M, Lerner LM, Nino CA, Ward C, Cobain EF, Lawrence TS, Pierce LJ, Rae JM, Speers CW. RB expression confers sensitivity to CDK4/6 inhibitor-mediated radiosensitization across breast cancer subtypes. JCI Insight 2021; 7:154402. [PMID: 34932500 PMCID: PMC8855810 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.154402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Standard radiation therapy (RT) does not reliably provide locoregional control for women with multinode-positive breast cancer and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). We hypothesized that CDK4/6 inhibition (CDK4/6i) would increase the radiosensitivity not only of estrogen receptor–positive (ER+) cells, but also of TNBC that expresses retinoblastoma (RB) protein. We found that CDK4/6i radiosensitized RB WT TNBC (n = 4, radiation enhancement ratio [rER]: 1.49–2.22) but failed to radiosensitize RB-null TNBC (n = 3, rER: 0.84–1.00). RB expression predicted response to CDK4/6i + RT (R2 = 0.84), and radiosensitization was lost in ER+/TNBC cells (rER: 0.88–1.13) after RB1 knockdown in isogenic and nonisogenic models. CDK4/6i suppressed homologous recombination (HR) in RB WT cells but not in RB-null cells or isogenic models of RB1 loss; HR competency was rescued with RB reexpression. Radiosensitization was independent of nonhomologous end joining and the known effects of CDK4/6i on cell cycle arrest. Mechanistically, RB and RAD51 interact in vitro to promote HR repair. CDK4/6i produced RB-dependent radiosensitization in TNBC xenografts but not in isogenic RB1-null xenografts. Our data provide the preclinical rationale for a clinical trial expanding the use of CDK4/6i + RT to difficult-to-control RB-intact breast cancers (including TNBC) and nominate RB status as a predictive biomarker of therapeutic efficacy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea M Pesch
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, United States of America
| | - Nicole H Hirsh
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, United States of America
| | - Anna R Michmerhuizen
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, United States of America
| | - Kassidy M Jungles
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michgan, Ann Arbor, United States of America
| | - Kari Wilder-Romans
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, United States of America
| | - Benjamin C Chandler
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, United States of America
| | - Meilan Liu
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, United States of America
| | - Lynn M Lerner
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, United States of America
| | - Charles A Nino
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, United States of America
| | - Connor Ward
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, United States of America
| | - Erin F Cobain
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, United States of America
| | - Theodore S Lawrence
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, United States of America
| | - Lori J Pierce
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, United States of America
| | - James M Rae
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, United States of America
| | - Corey W Speers
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Chao OS, Goodman OB. DNA-PKc inhibition overcomes taxane resistance by promoting taxane-induced DNA damage in prostate cancer cells. Prostate 2021; 81:1032-1048. [PMID: 34297853 DOI: 10.1002/pros.24200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Revised: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Overcoming taxane resistance remains a major clinical challenge in metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Loss of DNA repair proteins is associated with resistance to anti-microtubule agents. We propose that alterations in DNA damage response (DDR) pathway contribute to taxane resistance, and identification of these alterations may provide a potential therapeutic target to resensitize docetaxel-refractory mCRPC to taxane-based therapy. METHODS Alterations in DDR gene expression in our prostate cancer cell line model of docetaxel-resistance (DU145-DxR) derived from DU-145 cells were determined by DDR pathway-specific polymerase chain reaction array and immunoblotting. The PRKDC gene encoding DNA-PKc (DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic unit), was noted to be overexpressed and evaluated for its role in docetaxel resistance. Cell viability and clonogenic survival of docetaxel-treated DU145-DxR cells were assessed after pharmacologic inhibition of DNA-PKc with three different inhibitors-NU7441, LTURM34, and M3814. Response to second-line cytotoxic agents, cabazitaxel and etoposide upon DNA-PKc inhibition was also tested. The impact of DNA-PKc upregulation on DNA damage repair was evaluated by comet assay and analysis of double-strand breaks marker, γH2AX and Rad51. Lastly, DNA-PKc inhibitor's effect on MDR1 activity was assessed by rhodamine 123 efflux assay. RESULTS DDR pathway-specific gene profiling revealed significant upregulation of PRKDC and CDK7, and downregulation of MSH3 in DU145-DxR cells. Compared to parental DU145, DU145-DxR cells sustained significantly less DNA damage when exposed to etoposide and docetaxel. Pharmacologic inhibition of DNA-PKc, a component of NHEJ repair machinery, with all three inhibitors, significantly resensitized DU145-DxR cells to docetaxel. Furthermore, DNA-PKc inhibition also resensitized DU145-DxR to cabazitaxel and etoposide, which demonstrated cross-resistance. Inhibition of DNA-PKc led to increased DNA damage in etoposide- and docetaxel-treated DU145-DxR cells. Finally, DNA-PKc inhibition did not affect MDR1 activity, indicating that DNA-PKc inhibitors resensitized taxane-resistant cells via an MDR1-independent mechanism. CONCLUSION This study supports a role of DDR genes, particularly, DNA-PKc in promoting resistance to taxanes in mCRPC. Targeting prostatic DNA-PKc may provide a novel strategy to restore taxane sensitivity in taxane-refractory mCRPC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Olivia S Chao
- College of Medicine, Roseman University of Health Sciences, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
| | - Oscar B Goodman
- College of Medicine, Roseman University of Health Sciences, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
- Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Schoenwaelder N, Salewski I, Engel N, Krause M, Schneider B, Müller M, Riess C, Lemcke H, Skorska A, Grosse-Thie C, Junghanss C, Maletzki C. The Individual Effects of Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitors on Head and Neck Cancer Cells-A Systematic Analysis. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13102396. [PMID: 34063457 PMCID: PMC8157193 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13102396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Revised: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors (CDKi´s) display cytotoxic activity against different malignancies, including head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC). By coordinating the DNA damage response, these substances may be combined with cytostatics to enhance cytotoxicity. Here, we investigated the influence of different CDKi´s (palbociclib, dinaciclib, THZ1) on two HNSCC cell lines in monotherapy and combination therapy with clinically-approved drugs (5-FU, Cisplatin, cetuximab). Apoptosis/necrosis, cell cycle, invasiveness, senescence, radiation-induced γ-H2AX DNA double-strand breaks, and effects on the actin filament were studied. Furthermore, the potential to increase tumor immunogenicity was assessed by analyzing Calreticulin translocation and immune relevant surface markers. Finally, an in vivo mouse model was used to analyze the effect of dinaciclib and Cisplatin combination therapy. Dinaciclib, palbociclib, and THZ1 displayed anti-neoplastic activity after low-dose treatment, while the two latter substances slightly enhanced radiosensitivity. Dinaciclib decelerated wound healing, decreased invasiveness, and induced MHC-I, accompanied by high amounts of surface-bound Calreticulin. Numbers of early and late apoptotic cells increased initially (24 h), while necrosis dominated afterward. Antitumoral effects of the selective CDKi palbociclib were weaker, but combinations with 5-FU potentiated effects of the monotherapy. Additionally, CDKi and CDKi/chemotherapy combinations induced MHC I, indicative of enhanced immunogenicity. The in vivo studies revealed a cell line-specific response with best tumor growth control in the combination approach. Global acting CDKi's should be further investigated as targeting agents for HNSCC, either individually or in combination with selected drugs. The ability of dinaciclib to increase the immunogenicity of tumor cells renders this substance a particularly interesting candidate for immune-based oncological treatment regimens.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nina Schoenwaelder
- Department of Internal Medicine, Medical Clinic III—Hematology, Oncology, Palliative Medicine, University Medical Center Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany; (I.S.); (M.K.); (C.R.); (C.G.-T.); (C.J.); (C.M.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +49-381-494-5764
| | - Inken Salewski
- Department of Internal Medicine, Medical Clinic III—Hematology, Oncology, Palliative Medicine, University Medical Center Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany; (I.S.); (M.K.); (C.R.); (C.G.-T.); (C.J.); (C.M.)
| | - Nadja Engel
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Facial Plastic Surgery, University Medical Center Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany;
| | - Mareike Krause
- Department of Internal Medicine, Medical Clinic III—Hematology, Oncology, Palliative Medicine, University Medical Center Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany; (I.S.); (M.K.); (C.R.); (C.G.-T.); (C.J.); (C.M.)
| | - Björn Schneider
- Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center Rostock, Strempelstr.14, 18057 Rostock, Germany;
| | - Michael Müller
- Core Facility for Cell Sorting & Cell Analysis, Laboratory for Clinical Immunology, University Medical Center Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany;
| | - Christin Riess
- Department of Internal Medicine, Medical Clinic III—Hematology, Oncology, Palliative Medicine, University Medical Center Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany; (I.S.); (M.K.); (C.R.); (C.G.-T.); (C.J.); (C.M.)
- University Children’s Hospital, Rostock University Medical Centre, 18057 Rostock, Germany
| | - Heiko Lemcke
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, Reference and Translation Center for Cardiac Stem Cell Therapy (RTC), University Medical Center Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany; (H.L.); (A.S.)
- Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Rostock, 18059 Rostock, Germany
- Department Life, Light & Matter, Faculty of Interdisciplinary Research, University Rostock, 18059 Rostock, Germany
| | - Anna Skorska
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, Reference and Translation Center for Cardiac Stem Cell Therapy (RTC), University Medical Center Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany; (H.L.); (A.S.)
- Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Rostock, 18059 Rostock, Germany
- Department Life, Light & Matter, Faculty of Interdisciplinary Research, University Rostock, 18059 Rostock, Germany
| | - Christina Grosse-Thie
- Department of Internal Medicine, Medical Clinic III—Hematology, Oncology, Palliative Medicine, University Medical Center Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany; (I.S.); (M.K.); (C.R.); (C.G.-T.); (C.J.); (C.M.)
| | - Christian Junghanss
- Department of Internal Medicine, Medical Clinic III—Hematology, Oncology, Palliative Medicine, University Medical Center Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany; (I.S.); (M.K.); (C.R.); (C.G.-T.); (C.J.); (C.M.)
| | - Claudia Maletzki
- Department of Internal Medicine, Medical Clinic III—Hematology, Oncology, Palliative Medicine, University Medical Center Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany; (I.S.); (M.K.); (C.R.); (C.G.-T.); (C.J.); (C.M.)
| |
Collapse
|