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Beigi YZ, Lanjanian H, Fayazi R, Salimi M, Hoseyni BHM, Noroozizadeh MH, Masoudi-Nejad A. Heterogeneity and molecular landscape of melanoma: implications for targeted therapy. MOLECULAR BIOMEDICINE 2024; 5:17. [PMID: 38724687 PMCID: PMC11082128 DOI: 10.1186/s43556-024-00182-2] [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: 11/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Uveal cancer (UM) offers a complex molecular landscape characterized by substantial heterogeneity, both on the genetic and epigenetic levels. This heterogeneity plays a critical position in shaping the behavior and response to therapy for this uncommon ocular malignancy. Targeted treatments with gene-specific therapeutic molecules may prove useful in overcoming radiation resistance, however, the diverse molecular makeups of UM call for a patient-specific approach in therapy procedures. We need to understand the intricate molecular landscape of UM to develop targeted treatments customized to each patient's specific genetic mutations. One of the promising approaches is using liquid biopsies, such as circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), for detecting and monitoring the disease at the early stages. These non-invasive methods can help us identify the most effective treatment strategies for each patient. Single-cellular is a brand-new analysis platform that gives treasured insights into diagnosis, prognosis, and remedy. The incorporation of this data with known clinical and genomics information will give a better understanding of the complicated molecular mechanisms that UM diseases exploit. In this review, we focused on the heterogeneity and molecular panorama of UM, and to achieve this goal, the authors conducted an exhaustive literature evaluation spanning 1998 to 2023, using keywords like "uveal melanoma, "heterogeneity". "Targeted therapies"," "CTCs," and "single-cellular analysis".
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasaman Zohrab Beigi
- Laboratory of System Biology and Bioinformatics (LBB), Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hossein Lanjanian
- Software Engineering Department, Engineering Faculty, Istanbul Topkapi University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Reyhane Fayazi
- Laboratory of System Biology and Bioinformatics (LBB), Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahdieh Salimi
- Department of Medical Genetics, Institute of Medical Biotechnology, National Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (NIGEB), Tehran, Iran
| | - Behnaz Haji Molla Hoseyni
- Laboratory of System Biology and Bioinformatics (LBB), Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Ali Masoudi-Nejad
- Laboratory of System Biology and Bioinformatics (LBB), Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
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Ma S, Huis in't Veld RV, Hao Y, Gu Z, Rich C, Gelmi MC, Mulder AA, van Veelen PA, Vu TKH, van Hall T, Ossendorp FA, Jager MJ. Tumor Pigmentation Does Not Affect Light-Activated Belzupacap Sarotalocan Treatment but Influences Macrophage Polarization in a Murine Melanoma Model. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2024; 65:42. [PMID: 38271187 PMCID: PMC10829805 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.65.1.42] [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: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Purpose Pigmentation in uveal melanoma is associated with increased malignancy and is known as a barrier for photodynamic therapy. We investigated the role of pigmentation in tumor behavior and the response to light-activated Belzupacap sarotalocan (Bel-sar) treatment in a pigmented (wild type) and nonpigmented (tyrosinase knock-out [TYR knock-out]) cell line in vitro and in a murine model. Methods The B16F10 (TYR knock-out) was developed using CRISPR/Cas9. After the treatment with light-activated Bel-sar, cytotoxicity and exposure of damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) were measured by flow cytometry. Treated tumor cells were co-cultured with bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) and dendritic cells (DCs) to assess phagocytosis and activation. Both cell lines were injected subcutaneously in syngeneic C57BL/6 mice. Results Knock-out of the tyrosinase gene in B16F10 led to loss of pigmentation and immature melanosomes. Pigmented tumors contained more M1 and fewer M2 macrophages compared with amelanotic tumors. Bel-sar treatment induced near complete cell death, accompanied with enhanced exposure of DAMPs in both cell lines, resulting in enhanced phagocytosis of BMDMs and maturation of DCs. Bel-sar treatment induced a shift to M1 macrophages and delayed tumor growth in both in vivo tumor models. Following treatment, especially the pigmented tumors and their draining lymph nodes contained IFN-gamma positive CD8+T cells. Conclusions Pigmentation influenced the type of infiltrating macrophages in the tumor, with more M1 macrophages in pigmented tumors. Belzupacap sarotalocan treatment induced immunogenic cell death and tumor growth delay in pigmented as well as in nonpigmented models and stimulated M1 macrophage influx in both models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sen Ma
- Department of Ophthalmology, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Ruben V. Huis in't Veld
- Department of Ophthalmology, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, The Netherlands
- Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, The Netherlands
- Department of Immunology, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Yang Hao
- Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, The Netherlands
- Department of Laboratory Animals, College of Animal Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Zili Gu
- Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Cadmus Rich
- Aura Biosciences, Inc., Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Maria Chiara Gelmi
- Department of Ophthalmology, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Aat A. Mulder
- Department of Electron Microscopy, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Peter A. van Veelen
- Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - T. Khanh H. Vu
- Department of Ophthalmology, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Thorbald van Hall
- Department of Medical Oncology, Oncology Institute, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Ferry A. Ossendorp
- Department of Immunology, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Martine J. Jager
- Department of Ophthalmology, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, The Netherlands
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Gelmi MC, Gezgin G, van der Velden PA, Luyten GPM, Luk SJ, Heemskerk MHM, Jager MJ. PRAME Expression: A Target for Cancer Immunotherapy and a Prognostic Factor in Uveal Melanoma. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2023; 64:36. [PMID: 38149971 PMCID: PMC10755595 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.64.15.36] [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: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose Uveal melanoma (UM) is a rare disease with a high mortality, and new therapeutic options are being investigated. Preferentially Expressed Antigen in Melanoma (PRAME) is a cancer testis antigen, expressed in the testis, but also in cancers, including uveal melanoma. PRAME is considered a target for immune therapy in several cancers, and PRAME-specific T cell clones have been shown to kill UM cells. Methods We studied the literature on PRAME expression in hematological and solid malignancies, including UM, and its role as a target for immunotherapy. The distribution of tumor features was compared between PRAME-high and PRAME-low UM in a 64-patient cohort from the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) and in the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) cohort of 80 cases and differential gene expression analysis was performed in the LUMC cohort. Results PRAME is expressed in many malignancies, it is frequently associated with a negative prognosis, and can be the target of T cell receptor (TCR)-transduced T cells, a promising treatment option with high avidity and safety. In UM, PRAME is expressed in 26% to 45% of cases and is correlated with a worse prognosis. In the LUMC and the TCGA cohorts, high PRAME expression was associated with larger diameter, higher Tumor-Node-Metastasis (TNM) stage, more frequent gain of chromosome 8q, and an inflammatory phenotype. Conclusions We confirm that PRAME is associated with poor prognosis in UM and has a strong connection with extra copies of 8q. We show that PRAME-specific immunotherapy in an adjuvant setting is promising in treatment of malignancies, including UM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Chiara Gelmi
- Department of Ophthalmology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Gulçin Gezgin
- Department of Ophthalmology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | | | - Sietse J. Luk
- Department of Hematology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | - Martine J. Jager
- Department of Ophthalmology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Miao Y, Jung H, Hsu D, Song J, Ni S, Ma D, Jian Y, Makita S, Yasuno Y, Sarunic MV, Stephenson KAJ, Paton K, Mammo Z, Ju MJ. Polarization-Diversity Optical Coherence Tomography Assessment of Choroidal Nevi. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2023; 64:6. [PMID: 37930688 PMCID: PMC10629548 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.64.14.6] [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: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the utility of polarization-diversity optical coherence tomography (PD-OCT), a noninvasive imaging technique with melanin-specific contrast, in the quantitative and qualitative assessment of choroidal nevi. Methods Nevi were imaged with a custom-built 55-degree field-of-view (FOV) 400 kHz PD-OCT system. Imaging features on PD-OCT were compared to those on fundus photography, auto-fluorescence, ultrasound, and non-PD-OCT images. Lesions were manually segmented for size measurement and metrics for objective assessment of melanin distributions were calculated, including degree of polarization uniformity (DOPU), attenuation coefficient, and melanin occupancy rate (MOR). Results We imaged 17 patients (mean age = 69.5 years, range = 37-90) with 11 pigmented, 3 non-pigmented, and 3 mixed pigmentation nevi. Nevi with full margin acquisition had an average longest basal diameter of 5.1 mm (range = 2.99-8.72 mm) and average height of 0.72 mm (range = 0.37 mm-2.09 mm). PD-OCT provided clear contrast of choroidal melanin content, distribution, and delineation of nevus margins for melanotic nevi. Pigmented nevi were found to have lower DOPU, higher attenuation coefficient, and higher MOR than non-pigmented lesions. Melanin content on PD-OCT was consistent with pigmentation on fundus in 15 of 17 nevi (88%). Conclusions PD-OCT allows objective assessment of choroidal nevi melanin content and distribution. In addition, melanin-specific contrast by PD-OCT enables clear nevus margin delineation and may improve serial growth surveillance. Further investigation is needed to determine the clinical significance and prognostic value of melanin characterization by PD-OCT in the evaluation of choroidal nevi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yusi Miao
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Hoyoung Jung
- Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Destiny Hsu
- School of Engineering Science, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Jun Song
- School of Biomedical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Shuibin Ni
- Case Eye Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, United States
| | - Da Ma
- Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States
| | - Yifan Jian
- Case Eye Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, United States
| | - Shuichi Makita
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Yoshiaki Yasuno
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Marinko V. Sarunic
- School of Engineering Science, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, London, England, United Kingdom
- Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London, England, United Kingdom
| | - Kirk A. J. Stephenson
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Katherine Paton
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Zaid Mammo
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Myeong Jin Ju
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- School of Biomedical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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Gelmi MC, Verdijk RM, Houtzagers LE, van der Velden PA, Kroes WGM, Luyten GPM, Vu THK, Jager MJ. Microphthalmia-Associated Transcription Factor: A Differentiation Marker in Uveal Melanoma. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24108861. [PMID: 37240204 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24108861] [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: 04/21/2023] [Revised: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) is an important regulator of melanogenesis and melanocyte development. In cutaneous melanoma, MITF loss has been linked to an increased expression of stem cell markers, a shift in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related factors, and increased inflammation. We explored the role of MITF in Uveal Melanoma (UM) using a cohort of 64 patients enucleated at the Leiden University Medical Center. We analysed the relation between MITF expression and clinical, histopathological and genetic features of UM, as well as survival. We performed differential gene expression and gene set enrichment analysis using mRNA microarray data, comparing MITF-low with MITF-high UM. MITF expression was lower in heavily pigmented UM than in lightly pigmented UM (p = 0.003), which we confirmed by immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, MITF was significantly lower in UM with monosomy 3/BAP1 loss than in those with disomy 3/no BAP1 loss (p < 0.001) and with 8q gain/amplification 8q (p = 0.02). Spearman correlation analysis showed that a low MITF expression was associated with an increase in inflammatory markers, hallmark pathways involved in inflammation, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Similar to the situation in cutaneous melanoma, we propose that MITF loss in UM is related to de-differentiation to a less favourable EMT profile and inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Chiara Gelmi
- Department of Ophthalmology, Leiden University Medical Center, P.O. Box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Robert M Verdijk
- Department of Pathology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands
- Department of Pathology, Section Ophthalmic Pathology, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, 3000 CA Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Laurien E Houtzagers
- Department of Ophthalmology, Leiden University Medical Center, P.O. Box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Pieter A van der Velden
- Department of Ophthalmology, Leiden University Medical Center, P.O. Box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Wilma G M Kroes
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Gregorius P M Luyten
- Department of Ophthalmology, Leiden University Medical Center, P.O. Box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - T H Khanh Vu
- Department of Ophthalmology, Leiden University Medical Center, P.O. Box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Martine J Jager
- Department of Ophthalmology, Leiden University Medical Center, P.O. Box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands
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